What to charge...

I'm finally taking action and am in the middle of preparing packets to send out to local lawyers, offering site (re)design, SEO, etc. The only thing I can't figure out is how much I should be charging.

I understand that they are lawyers and even just one extra customer can mean thousands of dollars for them, but I also don't want to price myself too highly and miss out on potential customers.

So to those who have been in this business for a bit, could you share your opinion? It is much appreciated.

Hey Zakk,

First to NOT answer your question.. Lawyers are probably not the best niche, from my experience they are very hard to get to no matter how you try to market to them, compared to any other business I have tried. I had my VA send out emails for 2 weeks to lawyers and I never got a single response, whereas with service based niches I get sometimes 2-3 calls in one day. Just thought I'd share that first.

As for pricing, I'd say at least $2k for a website and then for SEO charge a minimum monthly fee, $500 per month is my minimum. And just charge for each additional keyword, per month, on top of that. Make sure you mention you are results based, and they will not be forced into a long term contract... just that alone has helped me close many deals.

Good luck!

For the website it'll depend on what features you're providing and how much the client values those features. For example, eCommerce sites will generally cost at least a few thousand. Also consider how you're "making" the site. Scratch? A template (I'll assume this)? My minimum is $600 and it's for a decent looking site (nothing special) with just basics. $1k+ for a well-designed "pretty" site. Same amount of work. Then you can tack on features and plugins and whatnot. Actually I think I'm going to raise my prices now that I think about it... haha. I can't speak for SEO.

What Arsis says about lawyers is probably true.. they'll probably just toss your stuff out. I noticed people don't really talk about lawyers, maybe this is why? I also think you should avoid dentists. At least near my area, there are firms that cater only to dentists. Go deeper into more specialized sub-industries. Everyone wants to go for general dentists.

depends I think, you have to figure that out while talking to them. That is my approach. The more likely someone seems to buy, the higher the price. The more unlikly the lower... Play you opponent.

I would definitely say that you should know exactly what they need first, then charge. A good way to estimate charges is to call a competitor and ask for a quote as a customer. A well established IM business will usually be right where they should be price-wise, then take that number and adjust it how you'd like.

Remember, making money cost money. You can't expect to only earn $500 when the website you build for them will generate thousands.