It’s important to know how much you can expect to earn as a freelance web designer, but that also depends on the work you do and how many years of experience you have. Here are some tips for figuring out what kind of salary you should be aiming for:
Consider your value
- If you’re a specialist, you can earn more money.
- If you’re good at what you do and have a good reputation, then that’s also going to help.
- Also consider how much experience is required of your clients—and how much experience they need in order to be able to trust their project with someone new.
Consider your education
- Consider your education.
- Consider the cost of your education.
- Consider how much value you get from your education.
Consider your experience
Experience is important for freelancers. It can be difficult to know where to begin when you first start out as a freelance web designer, but it’s important to understand that experience does matter. If you have more experience in one specific field or with one particular client, then your salary will likely be higher than someone who is new at this type of work.
However, there are other factors that contribute toward making the most amount possible per hour:
Consider the cost of living in the area where you live
When you’re looking for a job, one of the most important things to consider is how much money you need to make each month. For example, if you plan on living in New York City and working as a freelance web designer, then this could mean that your salary needs to be $30000 per year before taxes (which would make up about 75% of your gross income).
If this number seems high—and it probably will be—then it might be better for you to find another job where there are less expenses involved. In order for me to figure out how much I would need my salary at work every month, I first had to calculate what my total cost would look like:
- Rent – 1 bedroom apartment ($2k) + utilities ($80/mo) – internet connection costs vary wildly depending on where people live but average around $50/mo so let’s say $70/mo total cost here;
- Food costs vary from place-to-place but let’s say $25/wk x 52 weeks = $1200 annually;
- Transportation costs depend on where people live but generally speaking public transportation isn’t free and taxis aren’t cheap either–let’s say $30 per week x 6 months =$240 annually;
- Other miscellaneous expenses include entertainment like movies or restaurants once in awhile at least twice yearly (or more often depending upon preference); clothing expenses may vary based upon personal style choices but let’s assume they’re roughly equal between men & women since they both wear clothes daily anyway so no big deal here since clothes can easily be purchased online without leaving home through sites like Amazon Prime which offers free shipping with no sales tax imposed upon purchases made within certain limits set forth by state legislatures around country wide locations like mine here in Ohio where I live today!
Consider your skillset
If you’re not sure how much you should be making, it’s a good idea to know what kind of skillset you have and what clients might be willing to pay for them.
- Design software knowledge: Do you know how to use Adobe Photoshop? Illustrator? What about InDesign or SketchFlow? These are all tools that can help make your work look better (and faster) than if you had used only one or two of those tools in isolation. If so, then knowing how they work together will help increase the quality of your freelance projects as well.
- Experience with different types of projects: For example, if someone hires me for an SEO redesign project but also wants some graphics created along with their website redesigns done by a different designer, then this will take more time than if I was asked only about SEO changes instead.* Experience with different types of clients: Will there be any additional fees added on top of what’s already being paid per hour? How much does this cost per month/yearly total cost over time including taxes etcetera etcetera
Consider how much you’re willing to work
The amount of money you make as a freelance web designer will depend on how much you’re willing to work. If you value your time and prefer not to work long hours, then it’s possible that you can get by with less than the average salary.
On the other hand, if your goal is financial stability, then earning more may be in order—but it also means working longer hours and dealing with clients who expect results quickly.
Add up everything
Now that you have a better idea of how much money you can make as a freelance web designer, it’s time to figure out how much it will cost to live in your area. This is called the “cost of living” and it includes the following items:
- Food
- Transportation (gas, car insurance, etc.)
- Utilities (electricity, water)
You can get a pretty good idea on this by considering these factors.
- Consider your skillset:
If you have experience as a web designer, then this is an obvious factor to consider. You should also consider the cost of living in the area where you live and how much time and energy it takes to maintain your skills. If these things are important to you, take those into account when calculating how much money freelancing will make for you.
Conclusion
So that’s how to calculate your freelance web design salary. Hopefully now you understand what it takes to earn a living as a freelance web designer, and can use this information as a tool for your own career development.
