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How much should I charge as a freelance web developer?

Ideas on how to secure good clients for web development? Or - How to turn my skills into decent pay?

  • I am very passionate about web development and I have been in the freelance game for 4 or 5 years. It pains me to think that I can't continue because I am competing against people who can charge 50% what I can. So, I charge similar, and because of that, I've lost my house, have no social life, can barely afford a small place to rent. I have experience in a wide range of technologies (html, css, jquery, lamp, ruby, rails, git). I produce quality code, and I am productive. Yet I am earning on average $24k/year when it seems if I were employed I'd be on triple that. Yet, I have no formal education - I am completely self-taught, and I want to run my own company, not be employed and help run someone else's. I've been working on Elance for too long. It is destroying me. I have over 70 projects complete with 60+ 5 star ratings and a few below that. What is a good way to build some decent clients? Say I have a portfolio website with 4 or 5 decent applications to demo and showcase. PPC? Hang around on forums? Direct mail? I have one other developer I work with, so we are a very small team. I can't cater for huge clients, but I just feel I should be being paid more for my work. I love web development. I've put my heart and soul in and I'm living with my mum 5 years on at 24..it is rediculous..I know I need to get out of the freelance game..but where do I go? I'm also looking into how I can turn my existing skills into decent pay. I have tons of ideas for web applications (as do many developers) so I'll no doubt follow that route somewhat in my spare time. Of course, that is even more risky than sticking to the freelance field, but could reap great rewards. I'm completely lost. I'd appreciate any help.

  • Answer:

    Don't get work through elance - get stuff from your personal network instead. If you don't have a personal network, start building one! Depending on where you live, an excellent starting point might be to join a co-working space. Brighton, UK for example has a number of great co-working spaces where you can hire a desk on a monthly basis or hot-desk. Those spaces are FULL of freelancers, and they frequently refer work to each other or hire each other for short periods to deal with projects too large for just one person. In your situation though it sounds like you'd be better off getting a job for a few years, using that to build up a financial cushion and a good network, and then going back to freelancing once you're in a better position to land the right kinds of client. Don't worry about not having a formal education - talented web developers are in very high demand these days. If you're any good (and can show good code, a decent portfolio of projects etc) you should be able to land a decent position somewhere. At my company we pay very little attention to formal education, instead looking at portfolios and prior experience.

Simon Willison at Quora Visit the source

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Get on LinkedIn, talk with some recruiters - develop a sense for what jobs are out there, and what they pay.  The stability, increased compensation, and benefits (like health insurance) sound like the foundation you need.  Then, in the time remaining, take on some side projects - make that the gravy, not the meal. While you're running in that mode for awhile, save some money, build up your connections, and have more confidence in increasing your rates and being selective about what projects you do.  At this point your time is going to start to be more valuable than it is to you now.  Take some more risks with this side work - don't be afraid to turn down work if it's not aligned with your long term goals. If you get to the point that the side work could replace what you're getting with your full time gig, then consider breaking away again and doing your own.  Keep in mind that it is a lot of work to be such a small shop - finding the work and doing the work are both full time jobs to keep the "doing work" at 100%. You'll be just fine, especially with the passion you have.

Jason Grovert

Getting clients is tricky and it requires so much more than a good portfolio. It will come through your social life most likely. Otherwise, it will require considerable investment into/or your creative work. Nevertheless, contact me with your portfolio. A talented developer with passion for his work is what every project manager wants in his team.

Gajus Kuizinas

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