I think there is a problem in the pricing system in the web design business. Some web designers has 'spoiled' the business designing 'not up to average' websites. Clients no longer wants to pay more than N15k for a typical website. I think you guys should understand what I mean by a typical website (like a 5-6 page static web). Some designers charge per page while some charge for the whole job.

A client called me to redesign his site sometimes ago, I asked him to pay an amount (I will say the amount later) and he told me the guy that designed it at first collected N10k + hosting and domain name (no wonder he had a terrible site), and that he cant pay more than N10k.  So weird,   

Let's share our views on this issue.

Tunde

There are some corporate organizations that takes nothing less than 5.5millions and above just to develop a website!

But for individual webdesigners, the price varies, (It's the survival of the cheapest ) someone told me as at yersterday that he collect 30-40k to develop a website, but I think it also depends on the features on the webpages, Is it a purely read only webpages or read +write features (a situation where by someone could write on the pages and send. .)

And come to think of it 10k is a ridiculous amount for web design , looking at the stress in programming/hosting etc. Well, except if the pages are static (frontpage users) and not dynamic.

see just be bold and stick to your prize another person will come and he/she will take your price, what aboput if you tell him N500k what will he do, he will go crazy !

Have you heard a company in the US design a website for $2millions  ? well the source man is in da house won't say his name.

I can smell his name already, that's cool .

If you must stick to your "highly-rated" price, then your product must be exceptionally good

There is no standard cost for a website.

However, 2 things affect the current pricing in Nigeria today as I know it.

Web design or programming

People have different levels of skills, experience and style and bill clients any way they like.

Web hosting

This is the worst culprit as we have a lot of balkanized web hosting plans where you may see up to 10,000 websites hosted on a single machine.

This is the typical cost that is usually advertised and easy to see and analyze.

As they say, you get what you pay for.

Charge what you think that is enough to pay your bills as customers will still go elsewhere the day you run into problems.

So, in reality websites can go for as little as free to as high as millions of Nigeria.

Its when you see, some people in here advertising unlimited everything (databases, emails, etc) , as if all those dont consume server resources, for 2, 500 naira per annum(Fraud, You cant give unlimited everything.

They just play on the ignorance of people). When those companies with those less than impressive sites get around a bit, they always look for better site design and thats when they agree to pay what is appropriate for a good site.

I dont respond to calls for webdesign quote or people looking for web designers to do them a site on this forums(I did once before). Cause I find out that the people asking for those, dont really appreciate what it takes and will just waste your valuable tiime.

They are so taken in with all the free design, unlimited everything hosting that is bandied about.

It takes effort to conceptualise and put down a good siite.

Come on now! Technically, you could charge N10K. In my case, all the site would have is H1 text that reads, "Hello World!!"

Seriously though, if you encounter a client who tells you the last person charged N10K (as I have), you show them your best work and ask them to compare it to what they have. That usually does the trick. If it doesn't work, simply move on to another client or negotiate for a lower, but more reasonable price.

Those companies that charge in the millions have a reason (pay for utilities, rent, salaries, etc) for doing so. A company with a good reputation will usually charge more, based on that. Usually, fellow companies/very rich individuals will go to such places. For the common man on the street, they are more likely to contact an individual.

What pisses me off with respect to those who ask for jobs on this forum, especially those who request from abroad, is that they think that those of us in Nigeria are so desperate to make a buck. So up front, they are rude with you and tell you stuff like, "you go give me discount now. your brother is charging me N10K. I jus say make I give am to you". Not to mention, it is inherent in all of us as Nigerians (come on, don't lie ) to want to hassle over prices when there is no price tag involved. Of course the real crime is committed by those who, in their attempt to think they are a penny wise and a pound foolish, decided to charge N10K for everything from DB design to graphics to code. Tomorrow, they are the same ones who are likely to say, "Nna, this web dev stuff dey tire me o! E b like say I go retire". They only see today (short-term) and not tomorrow (long-term). They forget that business is all about making money, some of which should be set aside for the rainy day. It is not for you to spend the little you have made within 24 hours.

As Afam has said, you have the right to charge as little as u want. In my opinion though, if you are going to charge N10K for a site, you might as well do it for free. I mean, I am not in Nigeria, but what can N10K really get you, especially if you have a wife and kids?

As always, my 2 cents.

the cheapest website i've desinged cost 45k. and it was for a friend(webworksent.com/ocular). Its a three page website. I dont think i can ever go lower than that. (no wonder i have very few clients) alot of "i already got a quote for 15k i hear u are good thats why i'm offering u this opportunity people" have come and gone. i work only at night (its easier for me). i know what it takes ME to design just a page. Is it the hours of BRAIN STORMING sessions of what the site would or should look like or the hours it takes just to design and redesign just one banner for things to look perfect or the arrangement and rearrangement and rearrangement. not to talk of the programmers oh. 10k is really, really out of the question. Wetin i wan carry 10k do sef? The same guys doin sites for ridiculous ammounts still come back to say the web designing business is not profitable. How can it? Does it make any sense doin sites for low price all in the name of getting more clients?

I lost a job a while back for an actress in the nigerian movie industry, she wanted a full flash site and i charged her 150k, we were in the closing stages of rounding up the agreement when from nowhere a friend of hers said she knew a guy who could do it for just 15k.!! Imagine . She halted our agreement and went for the other guy but till now( been over 3months), the sites still not up.

Abeg guys some of us make a living out of this, no spoil work for us oh.

there is a website a friend of ours here did for N1.2million when i heard it shouted he said why, i said the price now, he said make i leave story if i no beilve,
let me tell u you can even charge 2million depending on the client and let me tell you your location really matters too, the guy who did that site for 1.2million has an office at ikoyi area

it doesn't matter if you can't design a world class site, but your person matters. if u can 1.2million job, that means other jobs that comes in you will want to charge more than that, just for you to create a standard for yourself and the sky will be your starting point.