Introduction
The issue of how to handle a web maintenance contract has always puzzled me. I’m constantly rethinking how I should do things. Throughout my many efforts, I’ve tried to set up hourly and per project contracts, both of which have yielded mixed results.
So Why Not Charge Hourly?
Charging hourly can have quite a few draw backs. First off, the cost always sounds jarringly expensive in the client’s eyes. And while, the client may be scared off by $x/hour, I often feel as though I’m not getting paid quite enough. Additionally, I often lose track of my time when I’m working. Conversely, I sometimes log time for things I’m learning during the process. These issues are unfair to both the client and the designer.
Surely Charging Per Project Would Be Better?
While I’ve found per project based contracts easier to deal with, they are far from perfect. Generally, I tend to underestimate the length of time it will take me to complete a project. This leaves me with the problem of always having more to do. I’ve realized I usually lowball the cost when I try this style contract.
Eliminate The Problem: We’ll Sort Of
One of the areas that I’ve been focusing on lately is the development of CMS (content management system) websites for my clients. I have grand hopes of eliminating most, if not all of the pains that come along with web maintenance. Two of my favorite CMS platforms are Silverstripe and Drupal. Both of which are open source and written on the backbone of the ever-popular combination of PHP/MySQL.
Here’s Where I Stand
I’ve found that building sites backed by a fantastic CMS is a great way to alleviate the majority of issues that arise when trying to handle web maintenance. And when other issues or future improvement come up they can be handled on a per project basis.
What About the Rest of the Design Community?
Design contracts are certainly not one size fits and I’m well aware that what works for me is rarely the best way to do it. With that in mind I reached out to the design community and asked a few questions on the matter. Here’s what they had to say.
Aaron Irizarry
This is Aaron’s Life
Hourly or Per Project?
I usually charge hourly for updates with a minimum of one hour.How do you close the initial design phase and move to maintenance?
Once initial design is approved and live, the client signs off, agreeing that anything from this point forward is maintenance.Do you use a web app to keep track of your contracts, if so, what one?
No, at least not currently since I am only taking occasional side work.Do you send your contract print, electronic or both?
Both
Brian Hoff
The Design Cubicle
Hourly or Per Project? How do you close the initial design phase and move to maintenance?
I make it clear in my contracts and verbally to my clients that their website maintenance will be charged accordingly — minor changes, such as adding pictures or text would be charged via my hourly rate and large revisions, such as redesigns would required a new estimate.How do you close the initial design phase and move to maintenance?
I make sure I get sign off on the design before moving on to the coding/maintenance phases. I let the client know that once the design is completed and approved that it is not easy (or pretty much impossible) to redo design changes within a reasonable time, so additional charges will be added if approved design must be modified.Do you use a web app to keep track of your contracts, if so, what one?
I currently use Bento to keep track of all my clients and their files, including the contracts. It’s not a web app, but it is a great app if you have a Mac!Do you send your contract print, electronic or both?
Up until recently I used to print my contracts, but I started using electronic signatures as a new means since I’ve been working with clients from all over.
Jacob Cass
Just Creative Design
How do you handle your web maintenance contracts for clients?
I don’t do web maintenance (not my cup of tea) however I offer support for 3 months after the completion of the website.Hourly or Per Project?
Per project but I have a “secret” hourly fee that I can base my fees on.How do you close the initial design phase and move to maintenance?
See answer 1.Do you use a web app to keep track of your contracts, if so, what one?
No.Do you send your contract print, electronic or both?
Electronic.
Matt
Spoonfed Design
How do you handle your web maintenance contracts for clients?
I don’t have a set monthly fee. I charge per set of updates. The amount I charge generally depends on the size of the maintenance/updates.Hourly or Per Project?
I charge per project. If I run into a problem on a project, I don’t think it’s fair to charge for that.Do you use a web app to keep track of your contracts, if so, what one?
Nope.Do you send your contract print, electronic or both?
It depends. Usually I do it electronically, but if the client wants, I send it on paper. I like being more flexible, and I let the client decide which way is easiest for them. I think the easier you make it for a client, the more likely they are to return.
Calvin Lee
Mayhem Studios
How do you handle your web maintenance contracts for clients?
I’m mostly a designer with some html/css skills. I try not to deal with web maintenance, kind of a hassle and a pain. Most times, my clients already have hosting and a webmaster that takes care of the site.Hourly or Per Project?
I usually go with a per project amount. It makes it a lot easier, since I know how much a certain type of project would cost/take me. Once I get details of the project and a creative brief back from the client. I can really nail down the pricing. Plus, the client always wants to know the bottom line. I also make sure to put everything in writing, what is expected; sketches, number of samples, number of revisions, deposits, pricing, etc. So there are no miscommunications. Anything beyond what was discussed will be extra.How do you close the initial design phase and move to maintenance?
It’s pretty much like 2 different projects/contracts. Once the design phase is completed, I have the client sign off on an approval form. Any design changes after the start of the build will be extra, on top of the coding, if there are any major code changes for the design.Do you use a web app to keep track of your contracts, if so, what one?
Nope, I’m still old school. I set up a numbering system for my projects with folders assigned on a log, electronically.Do you send your contract print, electronic or both?
I have done both in the past; recently, all have been electronic as a pdf. They can either send it back through regular mail or fax it.
Liam McKay
Function
How do you handle your web maintenance contracts for clients?
We tend to allow for a certain amount of fixes and changes within the initial payment, the amount of maintenance we allow for would depend on how much work we’ve done for them, the more work we’ve done the more fixes we will allow for. If for whatever reason additional work is required this can either be billed on a per project basis, or we can work out an ongoing fee for ongoing monthly work. We tend to allow for any tweaks or updates during the design stage at no extra cost.Hourly or Per Project?
We tend to charge Per Project, especially for design work. Mainly because I just feel more comfortable working with exact figures, and I think a lot of people would tend to agree. I think it’s a little different with programing work, and there is sometimes a need for an hourly rate, but for the vast majority of our work we have a set fee.How do you close the initial design phase and move to maintenance?
Once the client is happy with the initial setup and approves the work we will take the final payment. Anything on from this point would be seen as maintenance work, any work or tweaks or updates before this stage we usually allow for in the initial quote. Anything after the final approval is what we would class as maintenance.Do you use a web app to keep track of your contracts, if so, what one?
At the moment we send our contracts attached to our invoices we send through Freshbooks, I think it’s just an easy way of keeping track invoices and contracts in one go really.Do you send your contract print, electronic or both?
Electronic is always the initial method we send contracts in, but if it’s requested or required a print copy can also be sent. Although electronic for most people seems to be fine.
Join The Discussion
I’d love to hear your viewpoint on the matter. Drop in your two cents below. Or answer these questions:
- How do you handle your web maintenance contracts for clients?
- Hourly or Per Project?
- How do you close the initial design phase and move to maintenance?
- Do you use a web app to keep track of your contracts, if so, what one?
- Do you send your contract print, electronic or both?
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January 6, 2009
* How do you handle your web maintenance contracts for clients?
I use a CMS to put most maintenance in the hands of my clients. Because they’re able to change text and images easily, they really only have to call me for major site revisions, which end up being billed as a whole new project.
* Hourly or Per Project?
Per Project. I know how long it should take me to finish something, and I’m much better at hitting that time frame if I know I’m only getting paid to that point. :)
* How do you close the initial design phase and move to maintenance?
When the site goes live, the client signs off on the project and agrees that everything beyond that point is outside of the original agreement and will have to be billed accordingly.
* Do you use a web app to keep track of your contracts, if so, what one?
No.
* Do you send your contract print, electronic or both?
Electronic as a PDF. I could say it’s because I’m trying to save trees, but really I’m just anti-printing.
Jason Lengstorf´s last post was… The JavaScript Switcharoo
January 6, 2009
* How do you handle your web maintenance contracts for clients?
I usually throw in a couple of months of maintenance for free. Especially if the site is based off of a CMS or Wordpress. Then the maintenance is generally pretty routine on my end.
* Hourly or Per Project?
I take an hourly rate of what would be my perfect wage, and then guestimate how many hours I will have in the project, and then adjust accordingly from there, based on the specifics of the job. So, it’s per project, with an hourly standard as a base.
* How do you close the initial design phase and move to maintenance?
All of the information for the pages as they will stand are given to me, and once they have proofed the website and it goes online, they sign the closing contract and that’s that. If they wish, they can sign an additional contract for three months of unlimited maintenance (with stipulations) for a certain fee, based on the original job.
* Do you use a web app to keep track of your contracts, if so, what one?
Google Docs is used for all of my originals, and I keep digital and paper copies of all of the signed copies. No web app though.
* Do you send your contract print, electronic or both?
Whichever the client would prefer.
AJ Troxell´s last post was… Free Wallpaper – Vintage Stripes
January 6, 2009
Great post by the way, very informative on how other designers do things.
AJ Troxell´s last post was… 15 New Year Resolutions for Designers
January 6, 2009
Andrew
Thanks for including me in your post. I hope there will be some great discussions and learn from each other. :)
- Cal
mayhemstudios´s last post was… Self-Promotion: The Press Release
January 6, 2009
You could always charge a retainer. You could maintain the site for $n/month. Additionally, you could specify what the retainer actually pays for. For instance, the retainer would cover the cost of basic maintenance such as text and photos but it does not include the cost of major site changes such as a re-design.
Colorburned´s last post was… 2008: A Year in Review
January 6, 2009
This is very good info. and appreciate the many different view points on the topic.
caleb davis´s last post was… A good logo artist provides.
January 6, 2009
First of all, I’m delighted to have stumbled onto this site. It’s a treasure trove of information and I plan to go birdwalking through it just as soon as I hit “Submit” on this comment. And it’s getting bookmarked and Tweeted. :)
We are a small (2-man) web design shop in Houston, Texas. I do all the coding/web development while my partner is the graphic artist. Now, to your questions:
How do you handle your web maintenance contracts for clients?
JONI: Currently we only offer web maintenance contracts (6-months or one year) to our HOSTED clients. I’ve just set up a “service credits” system hoping to attract some business from current and prospective clients who just need some nits fixed or a script upgrade rather than full blown web design. Works similar to cell phone minutes, except you can roll them over. They’re good for a year but non-refundable. We’ll see if that works.
Hourly or Per Project?
JONI: Per project because I’ve gotten really good at figuring how long it takes us to do most web building tasks (the beauty of working with CMSs) and I generally pad the hours a bit, along with the timeline (this ensures that most times we are on schedule, if not ahead of schedule!). One of the few times our hourly rates come into play is for scope creep and our rates and that clause are written into all of our contracts so clients know this going in.
How do you close the initial design phase and move to maintenance?
JONI: We offer 10 days of support; after that, if they blow it up, we’ll fix it, but it will cost them. Again, another time hourly rates come into play. :)
Do you use a web app to keep track of your contracts, if so, what one?
JONI: I keep them on my hard drive and also upload them to Active Collab project management software (my Christmas present to myself this year). That way, both we and the client can review the contract at any time. Keeps disputes to a minimum.
Do you send your contract print, electronic or both?
JONI: I use PDF form fill to complete and digitally sign my end, then I send it to the client to fill in their login/FTP info that I’ll need to develop the site, plus the space for them to digitally sign the document and email it back to me. It then goes into their client folder and is also uploaded to Active Collab for handy reference.
January 6, 2009
How do you handle your web maintenance contracts for clients?
Right now, we provide maintenance for free as part of the contract we have our client sign at the beginning of a project
Hourly or Per Project?
From the client’s specs, we estimate a total of hours we will have to put in to complete the project, and round the price up for any maintenance we’d have to do in case a client chnages his mind. So per project based on an hourly rate.
How do you close the initial design phase and move to maintenance?
We never close the initial design phase, which sometimes is a killer for a big project, but we feel the clients appreciate that as there is no need to worry if they don’t like something after seeing it for a while. But we’re thinking of switching to a 3 phase contrat; design, code, launch.
Do you use a web app to keep track of your contracts, if so, what one?
Nopes, we keep the files on our pc, backed up on an external HD.
Do you send your contract print, electronic or both?
We usualy meet face to face with the clients, so print is always the best option for us. But we had to use PDFs before.
*Great article btw, and it’s good to see how other firms do it too.*
January 7, 2009
Great article.. and a very interesting topic. I build a majority of my projects on WordPress.. so if the client wants full control they have it, otherwise it’s extremely easy for me to maintain everything if they wish to add or make changes.
After the site is launched and that first contract has been honored.. then I give the client the option of a monthly maintenance agreement.. where basically I agree to give them 3-5 hours a month for basic routine maintenance (text additions/changes, simple page includes, adding pictures to existing posts, etc.). Then for major work those are invoiced out as additional projects.
I think building up a monthly maintenance program is great for getting residual income and staying in contact with your clients.
January 7, 2009
I did a lot of reading on this about a month ago, and I was interested to find some of the contract models that exist out there.
This firm, Merix Studios, offers it as a “partnership”:
http://www.merixstudio.com/company/partnership
While Enrichmint offers their service as a monthly fee.
http://www.enrichmint.com/
In both their cases I am sure that they screen potential clients. In the case of a flat fee, you wouldn’t want to pick up a client who wants daily updates that would take hours if you have only $400/month reservoir.
So that’s my two cents brain food for the crowd. Great article!
Zach Dunn´s last post was… 6 Reasons Websites Fail at Getting Their Points Across
January 7, 2009
How do you handle your web maintenance contracts for clients?
I’ve decided on a flat monthly fee that covers 1 hour of time. Each additional hour of work is a reduced amount. This is for a 3 month contract to see how much work is truly happening and then myself or the client can adjust the contract at the end of 3 months.
I tend to send out e-mailed PDF’s with the contract and sign it then have the client sign mail or fax it back with the up front retainer fee for services.
Preston M´s last post was… Article Delay
January 7, 2009
How do you handle your web maintenance contracts for clients?
Most of the websites we build are based on Wordpress or Drupal, making it easy for the client to do content updates, but we also offer maintenance at an hourly rate.
Hourly or Per Project?
I’m currently charging hourly rates, although I have considered per project, or even a mix of the two for future projects.
Do you use a web app to keep track of your contracts, if so, what one?
Good old Google Docs Spreadsheet for now, although it would be nice in the future.
Do you send your contract print, electronic or both?
Electronic, although if a client wants a hard copy that can be arranged.
Great article, and the addition of other web professionals feedback is a nice touch!
JB Design and Photo´s last post was… ReDesign of JB Design and Photo Website is live
January 7, 2009
How do you handle your web maintenance contracts for clients?
We offer various contracts at reduced rates over a 12 month period. Clients can either choose one of these default options or have us create a custom contract for them. I think this works well as clients like having the ability of purchasing bulk hours at a slightly reduced rate yet for larger clients, they can choose larger contracts as necessary.
Hourly or Per Project?
We generally charge on a per project basis as most of our clients come to us for websites, logos, custom web applications etc. These are all fairly large projects and as such, we treat them that way. Our pricing structure has been designed around various hourly rates, however I think its important to note that if you are charging hourly, you should charge a different amount for different services. If you don’t, you’re almost saying that all of your work is worth the same amount when in most cases it isn’t.
How do you close the initial design phase and move to maintenance?
Similar to Liam McKay of Function, we develop websites/logos/etc as a project and then any work conducted outside of that project would be considered maintenance. We offer maintenance either via an hourly rate or as part of a maintenance contract.
Do you use a web app to keep track of your contracts, if so, what one?
Not really – no. At present, we simply follow the amount of hours that remain on each customer’s account in our accounting software. This seems to work quite well although it would be fantastic if this was incorporated somehow into one of the 37 Signals applications.
Do you send your contract print, electronic or both?
We send it via electronic/PDF format, however we request that the client fax/post the signed copy to us. We are finding that we may need to switch to 100% electronic though due to some of our clients living overseas etc.
Finally, brilliant post Andrew. A real good subject to touch on as I think many of us have struggled with maintenance contracts at one point or another. :) Keep up the awesome work!
JB
January 7, 2009
It’s realy good to read about others approaches to these questions. I am fairly new at freelancing and still puzzling through these things:
* How do you handle your web maintenance contracts for clients?
I offer ad-hoc per-hour (with 1/2 hour min) or a 3-month contract for a flat rate that includes all updates, edits, other minor things.
* Hourly or Per Project?
My estimate is based on my hourly rate, but I think starting this year I will present it as a flat fee, and then let the client know if something goes out-of-scope of the original estimate.
* How do you close the initial design phase and move to maintenance?
Basically once all the content is in place and the client has paid their final invoice.
* Do you use a web app to keep track of your contracts, if so, what one?
No, but I do use OfficeTime, which is a really handy program for Mac with awesome customer support.
* Do you send your contract print, electronic or both?
Yikes, so far my contracts are verbal agreements – no signatures involved. I know this is asking for trouble. Next client – written contract.
January 8, 2009
Your thought process is exactly what we went through. The CMS is the way to go. We use Joomla and have made enough tweaks to it that it’s now our own version of it.
For website maintenance, we use a ticket system and charge people by the half hour in the form of pre-paid “Maintenance Blocks” we call them. This encourages them to save up 2-3 small updates (if they can wait) and we do them all at once. We then just deduct a block or two from them account. They need a positive balance in order to have any work done. It works well.
For quoting new work, we’ve gotten very good at estimating the work. We know how long work will take and then set the limits as to what we will do. When it looks like new requests come in that change the project, we do an estimate for the add-on work before we even touch it. This was hard to do at first but now it’s easier.
The best part about being able to turn around any website maintenance in 24 hours is that that’s 10 days faster than most of our competition. Website developers are notoriously slow at making updates for some reason. That’s great for us. And giving people the ability to update 90% of their website themselves with a CMS works like a charm and keeps those websites up to date.
-Tony
January 13, 2009
This subject is very interesting … i have a question for all you guys hope you can help me … My estimate is based on my hourly rate too ,but i think it depends of the kind of services … because not all the jobs cost the same ….so i imagine you based your hourly rate on the time you dedicate to each services… so for example if my hourly rate is $50 and a client one make updates to his web site..the time i will need to do the job will be 2 hours so that will be cost $100 right ? …the question is how the client know how many hours each job will take me i could say to him it will take me 3 hours and that will cost $150 … the client just have to trust me ? ..what you guys do i this case? thank you
January 13, 2009
@Erick I think there definitely has to be some trust there. But ultimately whatever price you estimate and show the client for the project is the price he/she will have to consider. My school of thought has come around to estimating every detail the best I can, determining the estimated hours, then multiplying that by the hourly rate. Once I’m satisfied with the cost, I then show the estimate to the client. In a related note, I just found a nifty little site online for just such a thing. Check out: http://estimator.astuteo.com/
January 13, 2009
You right Andrew, thank you very much for your time… the tool you found is great …you helped me a lot.
July 19, 2009
hh.. thanks..