First Steps First:
If you have been using frontpage, unless you know it through and through, get rid of it. Take the time to learn how to write the code yourself. There are alot of script editors out there that write a clean code.
I have found that there are alot of want-to-be designers that use front page, designing sites on the side using frontpage because it came with their office suite. Whenever business gets slow I target businesses that have had a frontpage site designed by some wnat-to-be and recommend a site upgrade. That works pretty good.
Personally, I use AceHTMLPro. It is inexspensive and has html, javascript, php, and asp capabilities with excellent help documentation. It also has a code optimiser and a syntex checker. I've been using it for years and still have yet to come to a complete understanding of its full capabilities.
Do Your Reasearch:
Take the time to search for other web designers on the internet. Review several sites. Type in web design and your local town. The results will most likely bring up any competitors in your area. If they have prices posted this will give you an idea of the going rates in your area.
It will also help you to get a better feel for all of the different aspects of web design and the different addons (different dynamic scripts to enhance the site) you can charge for instead of offering them as an included package. Addons are great and generated a fair amount of additional income.
Also: Spend a fair amount of time searching for pre-written scripts that you can easily implement in your customer's sites. Don't try to re-invent the wheel. There are hundreds of thousands of free scripts available on the net that you can use in your design.
You do not need to understand the language to be able to use these scripts, just how to get them to work (i.e. setting permissions, the path to perl, and such). I have found it is more important to figure out how to customize the script to match the look and feel of the site rather than learning the inner workings of the language the script is written in. As time goes by you will learn more about the different languages simply by learning how to implement them. And there are always forums like this one to help you along.
I recommend you go to the addon link in cpanel and look at all of the different open source scripts available there. Get an idea of what is available. If the need arises for one of these scripts install it in your site to get a feel for it, then go to the download site and download it so you can install it on the customer's site.
Build Your Site:
Using the exaples from your search, design a site offering and explaining your services. Use several different dynamic scripts to show off your capabilities in the beginning. Once you have a few commercial sites built, you can show off your portfolio. In the beginning, I gave away some addons to customer's I liked so that I would be able to show it in action to future clients with a pre-determined rate established based on the time required to install the script.
Establishing Your Rates:
I try to base my rates on $65.00 an hour. This includes time spent on all aspects of producing the site. (graphic design, scripting, submitting, meta tag optimization and so forth) In the beginning while you are still in the learning curve (you never get out of the learning curve by the way) you will not average your desired rate as you cannot charge the customer for the time it takes you to learn a new script and such.
You also cannot go to the customer and sell them a site base on an hourly rate. They want to know what the bottm line is: How much will you charge me to built this site? What you have to do is project in your mind not how long will it take you to build this particular site once I am fully capable of scripting it, not how long is it going to take me as I learn on the fly.
Establish a rate for a basic site. I have established the following as my basic site for a small locally owned business:
Index page: An over view of the company's products and services.
About Us Page: An over view who, what, where, when, and why of the company.
A Products and Services Page: More in depth description
A Recommend Us Page: I use a simple javascript for this.
A Contact Page: javascript protected emails, phone numbers, and the physical location.
And 1 Additional Page to cover any additional info the customer may want to include. I don't care if they want a picture of their dog on it, it is available to them. I do however try to suggest a good use for this page.
Also included is the graphical design of of the header, which is used on all pages. Meta Tag optimization, and the first site submission to the top search engines. I use the one in cpanel for this.
For this I charge $500.00 and I can build it in a day if rushed. Rarely, however, do I ever sell a site for $500. I average $900 - $1200 due to the addons sold.
One mistake most newbie designers make is they want to show off their capabilities and impress the client so they give away alot of addons. You cannot go to a Lexus dealer and buy one of their cars for the price of a Neon. People that want a Lexus are will to pay for the extras and so are the poeple who want a quality built, cost-effective site.
If they guy is not willing to pay you what your worth, he is not really serious about his site. Find someone who is... there are scores of them out there.
Get A Deposit:
Experience has tought me that you must get a deposit on the site. I charge 50% and will not start the site until it is in my hand with the check cashed. Building a site for someone is like a limited partnership. Your job is to design the site and their job is to gather the necessary information that you need to complete.
The problem is that they often times slack off on their end of the deal. You do not know their business like they do. They have to provide you with accurate info about themselves.
I use a two step design approach. The first step is to sell the site establishing both a price and content. In this first meeting I establish who my contact is (the guy or gal responsible for getting me the info I need). The basic design is discussed, a start and completion dates are set and so forth. I tell them what I need and by what date I need it.
I collect my deposit and have both included and point it out to the customer a clause in the contract that if they are unable to produce the required information by the expected date, I reserve the right to move them down on my list of priorities of site completion. I have had as many as 10 site waiting on customer supplied info. You cannot conduct business with all of these floating loose ends.
I collect the deposit to pay for my time to build the structure while I am waitng on their info. If they fail to provide info in a timely manner, they go on the back burner. If they still fail to provide me with the info by 30 days past due, I burn the structure to CD and bring it or mail it to them, informing that due to their lack of performance, I am terminating our contract according to the clause in the contract.
Usually they are able to get the info to you that day. (Will miracles never cease).
If I don't get the info that day, I simply go about my business. Most of the time they call you back and I usually charge the a sort of re-stocking fee ($100) as I have lost considerable time trying to get their info (phone calls, stopping by the business and the like.
Well I hope this will help to get you started, I have to go to work, got alot to do today. Any questions just ask.
pete
that should come in handy .
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