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How Much to Charge for Web Copy Projects

Written by: AWAI’s The Golden Thread

Article Overview: Rebecca Matter, AWAI's VP of Marketing, shares her market research on the types of writing opportunites available to web writers and exactly how much to charge for your projects.

How Much to Charge for Web Copy Projects

It’s the question that always gets asked, and never gets answered:

“How much should I charge for my web copywriting services?”

And up until now the only answer you’ve ever received has been: It depends.

And for a good reason. There are a lot of variables to consider when pricing projects for prospective clients.

But during last week’s Bootcamp, I tackled this topic head on during my presentation titled “How to Become a Successful Working Web Copywriter in 2009.” And today I’m going share that information with you.

To start I’d like to first back up and answer the question often asked first:

“Should I give an hourly rate?”

The answer is no. You should never charge by the hour, and here’s why …

As you gain more experience, you’ll begin to work faster and more efficiently. For example, the first time you write a landing page, it may take you five hours. As you continue to write them, they should take you less. If you were to charge by the hour, you’d actually end up making less money per project!

So now that you’re charging by the project, you’ll need to think about the following six variables when determining your project fee …

Your Self-Marketing Strategy
If you’re just starting out and are looking to build up your portfolio, it makes sense to charge a little less. You’ll be able to build up your portfolio quickly, and at the same time warrant higher fees by proving that you can deliver results.

On the other hand, if you’re a seasoned online copywriter with more work than you can handle, you should be working your way up the pay scale. You can afford to raise your rates with current clients, and go after new clients who will pay you higher fees.

Your Experience
Even if you have a fairly solid portfolio with a wide range of work, you still may have less “hands-on” experience writing certain types of web copy.

Project Value to Your Client
Why do good copywriters make so much money? Because their clients make a lot more money. So the more money your web copy will potentially make for your client, the more bargaining power you have.

Client Size
How big is your client? Are you writing copy for a Yoga Studio in Austin, or are you writing for Nightingale Conant? There are different pros and cons to working for either size company, but you’ll want to take the client’s size into account when pricing.

Page Length
Is the sales page you’re writing for a toaster oven, or for an investment advisory service? If it’s for the latter, the sale will most likely require much more copy. While it won’t always apply, this variable is a great example of why one price will not fit all with web copy.

Time Spent
With every project, estimate how much of time it will take you to complete. Then multiply the number of hours by an hourly rate you’re comfortable with. But remember, you don’t want to charge less simply because you’ve become more efficient at what you do. But your time is valuable and will become more valuable as you perfect your web copywriting skills.
You can see why very few web copywriters actually list how much they charge for their services. There are a lot of variables you need to first consider before naming your price.

And now that you have the variables to consider, we can finally get down to the pricing. What follows are standard ranges for a working web copywriter. Copywriters just starting out will be at the lower end, while more seasoned professionals may be well above the high end.

Pricing Guide for Web Copywriters
SEO Copywriting Fees (Search Engine Optimization):

Optimizing a Page
Re-write a client’s current web copy, so that it can be found by the search engines for a desired keyword or phrase.
Fee Range: $100 - $400 per page
Writing a Small Website
Write a five to six-page website using SEO strategies.
Fee Range: $1,500 - $3,500
SEO Strategy and Training
Help a client with keyphrase research, or train him how to optimize copy.
Fee: $150-$500/hour
Note: This is usually bundled in with the SEO copy, but doesn’t have to be.
PPC Fees (Pay-Per-Click):

Single PPC Ads
Write the ads that appear on a search engine’s results page under the “Sponsored Links” heading, based on the keyword research provided by your client.
Fee Range: $25 - $250 per ad
Full PPC Campaign
Put together all of the creative for a PPC campaign including the keyword research, 10 different ads, a landing page, the welcome page, and a welcome email.
Fee Range: $1,000 to $2500
Pay-Per-Click Campaign Management Fees
In addition to writing the creative for a PPC Campaign, you can elect to manage the entire process on an ongoing basis. This includes placing, managing, and continually testing the PPC ads, and then tweaking the copy as needed.

Fee Range: 15% of PPC ad fees spent by the client, or $500 to $6000 per month

Note: The range is large due to the number of potential campaigns. For example one client may have two PPC campaigns running, while another has 50 campaigns. Again, you’ll want to consider the value of your time.

Landing Page Fees by Type:
Homepage
This is the most important page of a website, and is often the most difficult to write.
Fee Range: $450 to $4,500

Information Page
An “information” page contains good relevant content such as a “How To” articles, product reviews and any other information your prospect might need as part of the decision process. The goal of an information page is not to directly sell something, but to move the sales process forward in some way.
Fee Range: $250 to $750

Subscription Page
Product description is minimal; the focus is more on the benefits the prospect will experience once they complete the transaction
Fee Range: $450 to $4,500

Sales Page
A page that directly sells a product or service. These can range from a short product description page (similar to the ones you see on Amazon.com) to a full blown sales letter.
Fee Range: $450 to $10,000

Sales Page Fees Broken Down By Equivalent Length in Print:

One-Page Fee Range: $450 - $1000
Two to Four Pages Fee Range: $1,200 - $2000
Six to 20 Pages Fee Range: $3,000 - $10,000

Email Fees:
Standalone Sales Email
Similar to promos, these emails close the deal.
Fee Range: $250 to $2000

Newsletter/E-zine:
Articles and editorial for a online magazine.
Fee Range: $150 to $750

Articles:
Ranges by complexity of topic and client size – generally 400 to 1200 words.
Fee Range: $75 to $300

Regular E-letters:
A personal email from your client to his readers.
Fee Range: $50 to $200 per email (usually priced by month.)
Now you have your pricing guide. But here’s the best part … we’ve only scratched the surface!

Just remember in the game of pricing, every assignment is different. And every client is unique. Make sure you understand the full scope of the project, and consider all of the variables, before giving your client a fee.

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Article Tags: copy project, copywriter, good reason, hands on experience, hourly rate, landing page, marketing strategy, much money, pay scale, project fee, prospective clients, self marketing, variables, warrant, web copy, web copywriting



Related Forum Posts
Seminar attendance - I read through most of these posts and the first thought that popped into my head Andy already posted. Charge a fee to register, that will be refundable at the end of the seminar. This will ensure they show up and STAY for it.
Top 19 Copywriting books - 1. Ogilvy on Advertising. David Ogilvy. Wiley. 2. Positioning: The Battle for your Mind. Al Ries and Jack Trout. Warner. 3. The New Positioning. Jack Trout. McGraw-Hill. 4. Tested Advertising Methods. John Caples. Prentice-Hall. 5. How to Make your Advertising Make Money. John Caples. Prentice-Hall. 6. Guerrilla Advertising. Jay Conrad Levinson. Houghton Mifflin. 7. Direct Mail Copy that Sells. Herschell Gordon Lewis. Prentice-Hall. 8. Sales Letters that Sizzle. Herschell Gordon Lewis. NTC Business Books. 9. Herschell Gordon Lewis on the Art of Writing Copy. Herschell Gordon Lewis. Prentice-Hall. 10. Romancing the Brand. David Martin. American Management Association. 11. The Art of Writing Advertising: Conversations with William Bernbach, Leo Burnett, George Gribbin, David Ogilvy, Rosser Reeves. NTC Business Books. 12. Confessions of an Advertising Man. David Ogilvy. NTC Business Books. 13. My Life in Advertising. Claude Hopkins. NTC Business Books. 14. Scientific Advertising. Claude Hopkins. NTC Business Books. 15. How to Become an Advertising Man. James Webb Young. NTC Business Books. 16. The Lasker Story as He Told It. NTC Business Books. 17. Advertising Concept and Copy. George Felton. Prentice Hall. 18. The Copy WorkShop Workbook. Bruce Bendinger. The Copy Workshop. 19. Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This: A Guide to Creating Great Ads. Luke Sullivan. Wiley. This should keep you busy for at least a year. Enjoy!
Offer Credit instead - I'm not sure if ChrisH was referring to this but i'll state it more expicitly .. Charge upfront and offer a refund of double the value back in "Credit" towards your Product or Service you have for sale at the end of the event.
Securing Financing - This is a short article that a friend of mine put together. He's a business banker and it seems that he would be the right person to put the info together. He compiled it for inclusion in a book about opening a pizza shop. There could be some useful info here - In order for a bank to even consider financing for a business loan such as a pizza restaurant, the first step is to have good personal credit. If you have previous credit issues that have lowered your credit scores, make sure you are prepared to either hear, “No”, or “Please explain this (these) credit marks.” If you have not demonstrated the ability to manage your own personal finances then most likely you will not have the opportunity to manage the financing from a bank for a business. When you make the initial contact with a bank, ask to speak to a commercial loan officer. Other types of loan officers include consumer (think car loans) and mortgage (think home purchases and home equity loans). The commercial loan officer will be able to provide a list of things you will need to give him/her in order to consider the restaurant financing. Information required for a new business most likely will include the following: Personal financial statement (Assets – Liabilities = Net Worth) Personal tax returns (two years) Business Plan If leasing property, copy of the lease agreement If purchasing property, copy of the sales contract Personal History / Resume (may not be required but is very helpful) If an existing business, add the following to the list above: Business tax returns (two years) Copy of State Corporation Commission Certificate Copy of Federal Tax Identification Number or Employer Identification Number (EIN) Copy of Articles of Incorporation (if corporation) Copy of Operating Agreement (if partnership) One common mistake a new business owner often makes with regard to financing is that one loan will cover all the financing needs. This is typically not the case and can lead to cash flow problems that could result in default on the loan, which is not what the lender or borrower want. In most cases, either two or sometimes three separate loans would be appropriate. For instance, if one is purchasing real estate then a long-term mortgage loan would be appropriate to finance that purchase. However, the pizza restaurant may need to purchase equipment and have cash available monthly to meet payroll and purchase rolling inventory. An equipment loan could take the form of a five or seven year loan with a fixed monthly payment much like a car loan. A line of credit, on which one would pay interest monthly on the outstanding balance, may be prudent for short-term cash flow purposes. All three should be addressed in the business plan and discussed with the commercial loan officer. Chris
Re: What About A Cumulative Story - [quote="mphcoach":39ybk1nj]You know how it goes, I start it off, say like this.. Copy and paste this bit and add yours next bit in (just wish I was getting the adwords share on this!) [i:39ybk1nj]As Jenkins got out of the elevator on the 17th floor that morning, little did he know what was about to happen. He would never look at a skinny double latte the same way again.[/i:39ybk1nj][/quote:39ybk1nj] [i:39ybk1nj]This was because staring across the hallway was his rival, the same person who stole his business idea and made millions all those years ago...[/i:39ybk1nj]


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