For about a year and a half, I had placed web design packages on my site which allowed people insight on what to generally expect with their services. While people did fill out the form, I kept running into the same issues. So… I took my web design packages down and replaced them with a form. And now I’m going to tell you why.
But first, I’m going to tell you why I’m writing this. I’m writing this because it’s my own business case study. Not all business models are perfect. You have to mix and match what works, and throw out what doesn’t work.
Not all web designers are business-savvy. The goal is to create a product that the client can use. Often web designers underestimate or overestimate, or can’t provide services. I get a lot of questions on how I came up with my rate, and how I came up with my website design packages.
This article won’t be about how I came up with my former website design packages, but why I took them down. It’s merely something for you as a web designer to consider when running your own business.
Why I Took My Web Design Packages Down And Replaced Them With A Form
I’m not an Internet Marketer. The Internet marketing crowd is a fan of bundling up products and services into one nifty price. It’s not a bad idea to do so if you are a web designer that thrives on putting these small packages together.
Sure, I’m studying business and have a head for it. Sure, I do have deals and referral agreements with some Internet Marketers, but my business, at its core, is not based on packaging up my work. I can’t package some of my web design services into itty bitty cute and extremely affordable pages because my hourly rate is $75/hour (flat rate.) Instead, I plan out several milestones, instead of my typical “half up front and the last half at the end” milestones.
I offer many services. I convert Drupal to WordPress, Blogger to WordPress, Joomla to WordPress. I build e-commerce sites using WooCommerce. I also do graphic design. I do social media integration, search engine optimization, and much more. I do a lot of custom work with WordPress that doesn’t fit in your normal web design packaging.
Some services, I only need to convert a database over from another platform, and others, I need to handle converting a database, designing the site, and even developing unique functionality. Sure, I could try to package everything, but it’s kind of daunting. In fact, before I replaced my web design packages and replaced them with a form, I felt it was daunting.
Sure, I could’ve designed it to look more cutesy or clever, but it just was a LOT of information to pour through… and for a lot of people, that’s confusing. My business has done a lot better, but in viewing my goals for my WordPress website design services page, people were looking, but not filling out the form I needed them to. Instead, they would go back to my contact form.
That’s a problem since I needed my website design form to be the one accepting submissions, as it contains some of my initial questions for projects.
Not all clients fit within a pre-created website design package. Some clients need extra services like some hand holding during training. Some need social media services. Some need custom development to add a specific ability to the website.
Where there is a need for more work, there’s also clients who don’t need everything in a package. This package may seem valuable, but for those clients who need minimal work, the package doesn’t offer much value. In fact, they end up feeling like they didn’t get their money’s worth, even if the work offered in the package is far more than what the package is priced.
A package is usually put together because there is a need for the service, but also to offer some type of enticing value to the client. The price is usually a discount.
When I honestly sat down, and calculated the hours on a few past projects that were bought as a package, I was grossly underestimating myself. For example, my minimum WordPress website design package was $500. It included a base theme, installing and configuring about a dozen different plugins (social media, gallery, SEO, etc…), design of base theme including logo. Also included in my scope was the back and forth conversations about adding or editing the design (revisions.) I was spending about 15 hours on average. With my $75/hour rate, that 15 hours was suppose to equal about $1125.
While my client was really happy with the work done, I was shorting myself… badly. Not good at all.
Should you offer website design packages?
I don’t know. That’s your choice. I have years of experiences behind me, where you may be new and just building your portfolio.
If you choose to create website design packages, you need to take in consideration the following:
- Your hourly rate
- What you want to include in your packages
- How long it takes to do each action items in offered in your package
- Revisions
- Prices for when the client has a need for extra work not mentioned in the package
If you’re seeing website design packages out there, sure you can eyeball them and see about making your packages more competitive. However… don’t grossly degrade your work by giving a huge discount. If your work is awesome, your clients will not flinch at the price.
Do you offer website design packages? What motivated you do put them together? Are they prices competitively, or prices with consideration to your hourly rate? Any advice to other web designers consider whether creating a website design package is for them?