Professional Web Designers build and create Web pages for their customers. They design the layout and create the content. Here professional Web designers will find resources such as job leads, tips for writing contracts, pricing suggestions, marketing and advertising advice, as well as how to design a great looking Web page.

If you're first starting out as a freelance Web Designer, you need to think about how much you're going to charge, and how exactly you'll charge. But before you quote a price, you need to take a few things into consideration.

What is the project?

Before you evaluate any Web design project, you need to determine what it will entail. Some questions to ask include:

How many pages will need to be created?
Are there images and/or design that need to be used, or will they be created as part of the project?
Is there content for the site, or will that be written by the designer?
Will there be any Flash, multimedia, programming or scripting required?

Depending on the answer to these questions you may raise your prices.

When do your clients want the project to be completed?

The more urgent a project is, the more you can generally charge. But be sure that if you agree to an accelerated schedule, that it's one you can meet.

How much experience do you have?

The more Web design experience you have, the more you can charge, and the more your clients will expect to pay. Keep in mind, however that if you don't have a lot of Flash experience and that's what your clients want, you shouldn't rely on your six years of HTML coding to increase your prices.

How much long-term maintenance is required?

Often, when a Web site is commissioned, the clients have not thought beyond just getting the page up on the site. As a Web designer, you should make sure that your clients have maintenance covered. If they expect you or your company to cover it, you should probably get a separate contract for that aspect of the job.

What is the going rate?

This can often be difficult to determine. The best way is to talk to other designers in your area. Check out the salary and pricing Web sites in the sidebar for more assistance.

How much do you want to make?

The bottom line, after everything else is: how much do you want to make? For example, you might have a project you would love to do, because it would be fun, or interesting or challenging. Your bid might reflect that. On the other hand, you might feel uncomfortable doing a job or would have to do extra work just to complete it, such as if you would have to hire a database programmer to complete the project.