[mathias]

Website maintenance:
Do you normally charge a monthly fee for your client, who had a site built through you, to ensure you're available to make necessary updates?

If not, how is maintaining a site normally handled? How much $$? What's a normal hourly rate, for a freelancer doing small commercial jobs?

What happens when the client's know-it-all brother-in law instists on making changes, instead of you being hired to do it, and just messes everything up, THEN your client calls you to fix everything?

[pgo]

Do you normally charge a monthly fee for your client, who had a site built through you, to ensure you're available to make necessary updates?

They have that option as well as to buy their hosting through me. I make them aware that any major changes they need will require an hourly rate.

If not, how is maintaining a site normally handled? How much $$? What's a normal hourly rate, for a freelancer doing small commercial jobs?
Usually with a content management system.

Your hourly rate is up to you. It should be based on experience, skills, competition. On a job-to-job basis, get in the habit of charging flat rates, not hourly.

What happens when the client's know-it-all brother-in law instists on making changes, instead of you being hired to do it, and just messes everything up, THEN your client calls you to fix everything?

Then you charge them to fix it.

But if they don't want you to be editor (for obvious reasons) then you should really be setting them up with a CMS.

[freelancr]

Originally Posted by mathias

Do you normally charge a monthly fee for your client, who had a site built through you, to ensure you're available to make necessary updates?

Yes, usually around £30 a month for hosting and to cover our time in case a bug or something is discovered. All the sites come with content management systems so its up to the client to keep it up to date.

Originally Posted by mathias

What happens when the client's know-it-all brother-in law instists on making changes, instead of you being hired to do it, and just messes everything up, THEN your client calls you to fix everything?

We do NOT give FTP access to the client. If they cannot change what they wanted to in the CMS, we will change it for them.

[skyrocket]

I charge an hourly rate. How much you should charge depends on many factors including your levels of knowledge & experience. I'm always amazed at the hourly rates for tradesmen to fix our plumbing or landscape gardening etc (not to mention my dentist! ) so compare your skills and charge accordingly.

What happens when the client's know-it-all brother-in law instists on making changes, instead of you being hired to do it, and just messes everything up, THEN your client calls you to fix everything?

That's a great business opportunity. You get to be the hero of the day,you get the extra $$$ and, most likely, they'll make sure they call you first next time