Not too long ago I learn some analysis by WP Engine into the hourly charges charged by WordPress freelancers throughout the US. I used to be struck by how little folks appear to be incomes. It made me wonder if WordPress freelancers actually are incomes too little and in that case, why.
On this publish, I’ll try to get behind a few of these figures and determine what is likely to be the explanations for WordPress freelancers having decrease incomes expectations than different freelance professionals.
I’ll additionally take a look at some extra complicated underlying traits behind these figures, displaying that there’s a large unfold of freelancers with vastly various skillsets charging very completely different charges.
Lastly, I’ll give some tips about how one can determine how a lot it is advisable earn and set a charge to cost purchasers accordingly.
How A lot Are WordPress Freelancers Actually Charging?
Why Are Charges So Low?
Drawback 1: WordPress is Free
Drawback 2: WordPress Implementation shouldn’t be the Similar as WordPress Improvement
Drawback 3: Jobs Boards Push Charges Down
Drawback 4: We (And the Consumer) Don’t At all times Worth What We’re Promoting
Drawback 5: Pricing Fashions Can Confuse
Drawback 6: Freelancers Underestimate What they Must Earn
Drawback 7: Lack of Transparency and Sharing What You Earn
Conclusion
How a lot do you cost for tasks? What’s your hourly charge? Scroll all the way down to see what I cost and share your individual charges within the feedback beneath.
How A lot Are WordPress Freelancers Actually Charging?
It’s truly extremely arduous to get a dependable reply to this query. Whereas the analysis by WPEngine is helpful and analyzes hourly charges in numerous methods, this solely covers the US and bought all of its information from one jobs itemizing web site.
So it’s clear that there will probably be loads of freelancers on the market who aren’t getting their work by way of job itemizing websites, who aren’t within the US, or who’re utilizing completely different websites to search out work.
Lots of the massive websites promoting freelance alternatives record most of their jobs with out charges included, both hourly or per contract. On WPHired, for instance, I might solely discover a small variety of jobs which had something in any respect referring to charges.
There are only a few surveys or items of analysis highlighting what WordPress freelancers are incomes, and understandably it’s one thing folks don’t typically really feel snug with.
Nevertheless, my expertise of speaking with WordPress freelancers at WordCamps and different occasions signifies that pricing ranges are typically fairly low when in contrast with different net growth specialisms.
However let’s check out a few of the proof.
Proof for WordPress Freelance Charges
In accordance with WP Engine’s analysis, 60% of WordPress freelance jobs are paying lower than $30 per hour. Which will sound like some huge cash to anybody who’s on a wage, however when you issue within the hidden prices of working freelance (shopping for your individual gear, paying for insurance coverage, premises and many others., to not point out taxes), it’s not very a lot.
And the common determine quoted, whereas various between states, ranges from $22.24 to $35.47. A tough approximation of the general common based mostly on this (making an allowance for that that is very dodgy Math!) exhibits an general common throughout the US of simply over $29.
Along with this analysis, one other supply of knowledge is different jobs boards. As I’ve already talked about, a lot of them don’t quote charges of pay, however those who do embrace some very low paying jobs, akin to one I discovered on Upwork paying simply $100 for somebody to design and construct an e-commerce web site!
There are different jobs listed which can be providing a greater charge of pay, however typically the hourly charge works out at one thing like $25 to $40 based mostly on a tough estimate of how lengthy a few of the jobs would possibly take.
In addition to this, there may be some information referring to how a lot folks truly provide WordPress companies at. The Folks Per Hour web site lists WordPress builders and quotes their hourly charge.
Primarily based on a fast evaluation of the twenty WordPress freelancers listed first on the positioning, the common hourly charge is roughly $36, with charges starting from $20 to $60
That is greater than the charges I’ve seen on jobs boards, which signifies freelancers posting their particulars to websites and alluring purchasers to return to them would possibly cost greater than they may count on to get by answering an advert on a contract jobs board.
The Folks per Hour web site exhibits greater charges than many roles boards
So general it seems to be like WordPress freelancers are incomes a mean of between $25 and $36, with the vast majority of job postings in the direction of the decrease finish of that scale.
In fact this doesn’t embrace the charges charged by these freelancers who get all their work by phrase of mouth, which you might moderately count on to be greater.
There are jobs paying greater or decrease charges, with a spread of roughly $15 to $60 per hour from my analysis of freelance itemizing websites. Assuming {that a} full-time freelancer will work roughly 1500 chargeable hours per 12 months (which is beneficiant – I’ll take a look at calculating billable hours later on this publish), pay 25% of their revenue in taxes and have prices of roughly $10,000 per 12 months, this equates to an revenue of between roughly $15,750 and $69,000, with a mean of $33,000.
Not a lot for a talented occupation when you think about the common wage for U.S. highschool graduates in 2020 was $30,000.
Why Are Charges So Low?
From my very own expertise in addition to speaking to different freelancers and researching this concern on-line, it appears that evidently there are a selection of the explanation why WordPress freelancers aren’t incomes as a lot as they is likely to be. A few of these relate to habits and practices of the freelancers themselves whereas others relate to the character of WordPress and the sorts of freelancer and shopper it attracts.
These are:
The truth that WordPress is free.
The distinction between WordPress implementation work and WordPress growth work and the abilities wanted for every.
The “race to the underside” for charges pushed by some job boards.
The truth that the worth of freelance WordPress expertise and the worth added to the shopper is never thought of when calculating charges.
Pricing fashions utilized by freelancers.
Underestimating the charges wanted to earn a wholesome revenue.
An absence of transparency with regard to what WordPress freelancers (in addition to WordPress and net professionals typically) earn.
Let’s check out every of those in flip.
Drawback 1: WordPress is Free
WordPress, as everyone knows, is free and open supply. However as anybody who’s spent a big period of time working with it should know, this doesn’t imply that’s doesn’t have large worth. Because the world’s main CMS and a platform that drives tens of millions of internet sites incomes their house owners billions of {dollars} annually, WordPress itself, and the abilities of WordPress professionals, has large worth.
However purchasers don’t at all times see it like this. So far as a lot of them are involved, they will get WordPress itself, plus a bunch of nice plugins and themes, totally free, so why ought to they pay very a lot for a freelancer to create a theme or plugin for them or customise one they’ve downloaded totally free?
This mindset can lead to purchasers solely being ready to pay very low charges, typically for small, bitty tasks that don’t foster a top quality ongoing relationship between the shopper and the freelancer.
I’ve regularly turned down potential purchasers who believed that they need to have the ability to rent me totally free or near free as a result of I used to be working with free software program.
Drawback 2: WordPress Implementation shouldn’t be the Similar as WordPress Improvement
WordPress freelancers will embrace a spread of individuals with an enormous vary of expertise and expertise. A few of us are coders whereas others are designers, content material creators or advertising and marketing consultants. Not everybody could have a talent set that may be very far more than that of an enthusiastic novice.
Anybody can set themselves up as a WordPress freelancer: if you understand your means across the WordPress interface and may work with one of many massive WordPress theme frameworks to create customized websites, you’ll be able to provide companies to purchasers, creating websites and labelling your self as a WordPress developer within the absence of another appropriate job title. Writing for EngageWP, Ren Ventura phrases this group “WordPress Implementers.” However this isn’t WordPress growth.
A WordPress developer is somebody who can create bespoke themes or plugins from scratch, understands sufficient in regards to the WordPress codebase to jot down plugins to change the performance of a web site, and may handle growth and internet hosting setups. Nathan Weller has proposed that some kind of impartial validation system could possibly be set as much as accredit WordPress builders in order that purchasers know what they’re getting.
This doesn’t detract from the worth that implementers can have and the usefulness of their service, nevertheless it does allow extra superior builders to distinguish themselves.
There’s an opportunity that a big proportion of WordPress freelancers fall into the implementer camp: in spite of everything, the limitations to entry are low and the potential shopper base is large. Nevertheless, WordPress implementation is one thing any affordable web-savvy shopper might do themselves: if you happen to’re being employed to do that it’s in all probability as a result of it’s extra environment friendly for them to make use of your time somewhat than their very own, somewhat than them hiring specialist expertise.
Which is why freelancers providing these companies received’t have the ability to command significantly excessive charges.
Drawback 3: Jobs Boards Push Charges Down
The place charges are listed on jobs boards, they are typically low. These boards that provide prime quality tasks that presumably cost greater charges don’t are likely to record charges, however as an alternative open them to negotiation or ask the freelancer what his or her charge is as an alternative.
Job boards like Upwork typically have decrease paid jobs than these you would possibly end up.
This will imply certainly one of two issues. Both:
There are an increasing number of freelance jobs being created and listed with ever reducing charges of pay, or
There are literally loads of well-paying jobs on the market, however until you straight apply for one you received’t know what it pays.
Or perhaps each!
Both means, this may have an effect on the info out there on freelance charges and affect freelancers’ expectations of what they will get away with charging, which could have a downwards affect on charges of pay.
Drawback 4: We (And the Consumer) Don’t At all times Worth What We’re Promoting
After I began out as a WordPress freelancer, I made the error of making an attempt to compete on worth.
I labored primarily with micro companies and assumed that they might have low budgets and never be ready to pay very a lot. I additionally assumed (and nonetheless do) that they’d favor to pay a charge for the job than an hourly charge, because it made it simpler for them to anticipate prices.
I, subsequently, began by providing a fundamental enterprise web site with some static pages, a weblog, and a bespoke design, at £200 (roughly $300). Together with conferences with purchasers, challenge administration, design and customized theme growth, every web site construct took me roughly 15 hours, which meant that I used to be incomes $20 per hour.
Consider enterprise prices and the truth that I wasn’t but doing chargeable work for greater than about 15 hours every week and this equated to an revenue of round $7000! Not sufficient to pay the payments, not to mention assist a household.
The error I made was in not valuing the companies I used to be promoting. As a substitute of promoting an answer to purchasers, I used to be promoting them a product – a web site.
For purchasers, that web site ought to have been basic to their enterprise and advertising and marketing technique. It will have helped them entice enterprise, promote merchandise and far more. I wasn’t factoring within the worth I used to be giving these purchasers’ companies by letting them use my companies.
I’ve since discovered from that have and whereas I nonetheless cost a charge for the job, I nearly by no means tackle a brand new challenge with a funds of lower than $15000 and cost a considerably greater hourly charge.
Keith Devon has discovered that the worth of your work is essential.
I’ve discovered that to be a profitable freelancer it is advisable get to know your purchasers’ companies and promote extra than simply your code: you’re promoting an answer and the advantage of your experience and expertise.
UK-based Keith Devon is an skilled freelancer who has discovered the significance of including worth:
“Charges needs to be a mixture of your individual life-style prices, market charges and worth. If market charges are low, and also you’re not including tangible worth to your purchasers, then you definately’ll discover that very troublesome. However if you happen to can present worth, you don’t want to fret about market charges as a lot.”
If WordPress freelancers make the error of considering that as a result of they’re working with a free platform then their work can’t be value a lot, then they may fall into this lure too.
It’s all about having confidence in what you’re contributing to a challenge (in addition to the arrogance to say no to jobs that pay badly).
Drawback 5: Pricing Fashions Can Confuse
Ask two WordPress freelancers this query and also you’ll get two opinions (or perhaps extra): do you have to cost by the hour or for the job?
Every has its advantages:
Charging by the hour provides you extra safety as if the challenge takes longer than anticipated, you received’t lose out.
Charging for the job provides your shopper extra readability as they know precisely what they’ll be paying.
I favor to cost for the job (and I’m not alone), however I do that based mostly on a radical evaluation of a challenge temporary and the time concerned, a multiplication of my anticipated hourly charge by that point, and the addition of a contingency. You may solely do that if you happen to be sure to know precisely what you’re taking up initially of every challenge, and make this crystal clear along with your shopper.
Charging by the hour works properly for a lot of freelancers, and is the commonest mannequin for freelancers doing contract work for companies. It could not work so properly for you if you happen to’re a really quick employee, which is why after I’ve employed freelancers myself I’ve paid an hourly charge that varies in response to a person’s expertise and effectivity.
The principle pitfall of charging for the job outcomes from underestimating the time concerned. It’s human nature to assume we are able to get issues performed faster than we truly can, and if you happen to aren’t 100% acquainted with your individual working fashion and tempo, then accepting jobs that don’t pay hourly can lead to the hourly charge being pushed down.
Drawback 6: Freelancers Underestimate What they Must Earn
Whenever you make the transition from salaried work to freelancing, it’s tempting to assume that your hourly charge shouldn’t want to vary an excessive amount of: in spite of everything, if you happen to’re working the identical hours then it is advisable earn the identical, proper?
Fallacious. Freelancers by no means spend 100% of their time on billable work and have to think about prices, taxes and time without work for vacation or illness. Prices can embrace insurance coverage, gear and the daily prices of operating a enterprise, and the period of time off that you simply want will embrace time for conferences (together with WordCamps!) and coaching: issues that you simply had been paid to do once you had been in employment.
I’m not going to present you an in depth components right here for understanding what it is advisable cost, however it’s best to begin with the wage it is advisable earn per 12 months, deduct reasonable bills and taxes from that, divide it by the variety of chargeable hours you’ll be able to count on to do (not the quantity you’d love to do), and get your hourly charge from that.
It’s secure to imagine you’ll have sooner or later every week which is non-chargeable: many freelancers, myself included, set sooner or later apart for admin work and self-development. There a number of on-line instruments you need to use to calculate your greatest hourly charge: strive yourrate for a quite simple calculator or clockify for hourly charges based mostly in your trade, location, and expertise.
Clockify calculates hourly charges based mostly in your trade, location, and expertise.
My Hourly Price
Personally, I work diminished hours across the calls for of a younger household, so I have to cost a a lot greater hourly charge than I earned after I was in employment.
My hourly charge isn’t at all times the identical (as I cost per job and can cost accordingly for extra extremely expert work) however varies between $75 and $125 per hour.
On condition that I work solely 20 chargeable hours every week and take the entire of August off for college holidays, this doesn’t add as much as as a lot because it sounds, however is what I have to make a good dwelling.
Drawback 7: Lack of Transparency and Sharing What You Earn
Seeing my very own hourly charge in black and white within the earlier paragraph gave me fairly an uncomfortable feeling, and it’s not one thing most freelancers are ready to share in such a public means.
However one of many the explanation why charges for WordPress work are typically low is due to a scarcity of transparency: we merely don’t know what our colleagues (or opponents) cost.
That is significantly the case on the subject of understanding what’s earned by skilled, in demand freelancers who get their work by way of phrase of mouth. It’s secure to imagine these folks (I rely myself amongst them) earn greater than the common charge, however on condition that the entire out there arduous information is from jobs boards aimed on the decrease finish of the spectrum, then that may give a skewed impression of what WordPress freelancers can truly count on to be paid.
I’m not saying which you could earn charges of $100 per hour once you’re beginning out (I’ve been operating my company for over 5 years, writing about WordPress for so long as that and have written 4 WordPress books, in order that influences what I can cost). However understanding that there are folks on the market who’re making a really snug dwelling from WordPress would possibly give freelancers extra confidence on the subject of negotiating charges with purchasers or refusing work that’s very low paid.
If new freelancers are solely conscious of the roles which can be paying $10 to $20 per hour, then that’s what they’ll goal for, and so they received’t try to cost extra.
As you develop your expertise, experience and expertise with WordPress your hourly charge ought to enhance 12 months on 12 months, and it’s best to in the end be aiming to earn many occasions extra per hour after a number of years than you do when beginning out.
Conclusion
It’s not straightforward to work out precisely how a lot WordPress freelancers are incomes throughout specialisms, various ranges of expertise, and completely different areas.
Nevertheless, the info that’s out there means that hourly charges are low, and imply {that a} WordPress freelancer can count on to earn lower than the common highschool graduate. I don’t learn about you, however I wouldn’t need to tackle the danger of working freelance if I knew I couldn’t earn greater than that!
There are freelancers on the market being paid greater charges, however the information is tougher to search out as these jobs have a tendency to not be marketed on the roles boards, or if they’re, charges aren’t proven.
Solely you’ll be able to work out how a lot you’ll be able to command to your expertise as a WordPress freelancer: this may range in response to the place you reside, your expertise and expertise, and your private circumstances.
However if you happen to take the time to work out the reasonable charge it is advisable cost and provides your self permission to solely tackle work that fees a minimum of that charge, then you definately received’t be incomes lower than your expertise are value.
Editor’s Notice: This publish has been up to date for accuracy and relevancy. [Originally Published: Sept 2015 / Revised: February 2022]
Subscribe to MarketingSolution.
Receive web development discounts & web design tutorials.
Now! Lets GROW Together!