When I started out, I priced websites at about $400. For a complete website. With graphic design. With copy. And deployment. I spent 60-80 hours on each one. Calculate the hourly rate. Actually, don't.
Now I run an agency called kaminski.link and I price those same websites at $2,000-$4,000. And clients pay. Because I understood a few things about pricing that I wish I'd known 5 years ago.
Hourly rates are a trap
First freelancer mistake: pricing by the hour. "My rate is $25/h, the site will take 40 hours, so $1,000." Sounds logical. And it's wrong.
Because the client isn't buying your hours. They're buying a result. A website that generates leads. A logo that looks professional. Copy that sells.
And as you get better and faster, what happens? You earn less for the same website? Because you built it in 20 hours instead of 40? That makes no sense.
Price the value, not the time. If a website brings the client 10 inquiries a month, and each is worth $500, the site generates $5,000 a month. And suddenly $3,000 to build it sounds like a bargain, not an expense. I wrote about how to actually generate those inquiries in my article on boosting online sales.
How I price projects at the agency
I have a simple system. Not perfect, but it works.
Step 1: How many hours will the project realistically take. Not optimistically — realistically. And add 30%. Because something always goes sideways.
Step 2: Calculate your minimum hourly rate, below which you won't go. For me, that's a number that covers agency fixed costs (office, tools, taxes, insurance) plus my margin.
Step 3: Compare with the value to the client. If the math says $1,500, but the client will make $5,000 a month from it — raise the price. Go ahead. $3,000-$4,000 and it's still a fantastic deal for the client. And how to package that price into a proposal that sells — I covered in my article on writing sales proposals.
When you quote too low — and you feel it
There was this moment. Client asks about a landing page for a Google Ads campaign. I say: "$800." Client without blinking: "OK, when do we start?"
And you know what I thought? "Damn, I could have said more."
If the client immediately says yes — you were probably too cheap. If there's no question about the price — you were too cheap. Definitely.
A good price is one where the client pauses for a moment. Asks for details. Compares with other offers. And comes back to you because they see the value.
Discounts — when yes, when no
I used to give discounts left and right. And then I had months where I worked like crazy and my account was empty. A straight path to freelancer burnout.
Now I have rules:
- Discounts only in exchange for something — bigger scope, longer contract, case study, referral. Never "just because"
- I don't lower the price — I add more at the same price
- I have a floor price below which I won't go. Even if it means losing the project
Since implementing these rules, the average project value went up 35%. And the number of clients didn't drop.
Pricing is communication
Last lesson. The most expensive one. Pricing isn't a number. It's a message.
When you say "$400 for a website," you're communicating: "I'm cheap, I'm inexperienced." When you say "$3,000 for a website with a conversion guarantee," you're communicating: "I know what I'm doing."
Clients who pay more are better clients. They complain less. They respect your time. They don't call on Sundays.
Your price isn't a penalty for the client. It's compensation for your experience, time, and accountability. Don't apologize for it.