What is the cost of CMS administration – like Joomla?

This question returns like a boomerang and appears at various meetings or training courses, where young adepts Joomla or other CMS simply ask: How much should I expect for this service. Well, the answer to this question is not so simple because of the price consists of several elements.

To simplify this process of valuation of the service you have to answer yourself a several questions:

• Do you know that the CMS (WordPress, Joomla, Drupal) well enough to handle with the potential client’s expectations?
• Specify the range of services: whether it is just adding text (+ photos), or maybe even install and configure additional modules and components, and perhaps even monthly creation (animated) banner ads, or perhaps on the occasion of Mrs. Joanna Training with Excel?
• For how long is to be an agreement of cooperation? It is known that if we have a guaranteed 12 month fixed income can give a price discount, but due to tell a client to see the smile on his face.
• How often will they need your help, eg once a week, or even every day?

Note, the fee for the first month should always be higher because: you have to learn specifics of the page – the template and layout of content, modules and components, which should be updated. Therefore, the first month of such cooperation should be more expensive about 30-60%. Unless agreed with the customer to spread the cost of this for the next months. In this case, we add an additional six-month contract eg 10% for each month.

By the way, include the calculation of the cost of buying a component such as Pro Tools Akeeba or RS Firewall to protect web page from hackers.

With practice a hint that in the case of small companies frequency does not exceed a few hours a month. Therefore, If we talk about cooperation it’s good idea to define what whould be in situation when it will be something extra to do, what costs you a lot of work, or even you will be forced to buy a component or module. Unfortunately, some companies, it seems that for example, $ 100 – $ 200 (per month) you will be doing them so much and so often as full-time employee. Therefore, we recommend that you specify, in the contract, range of time that you spend for your client.

How much? Price. Why so much?

Do not be greedy, but also imprudent to not cry then, that it took you a week instead of 3 hours, and still know how to how to improve the module A, or the client still complains because he did not like his background.

Remember your customer pays for the three constituent elements:

• Your knowledge and experience: what affects the speed of the modifications, because the client does not lose time, how to do it, as well as your reliability, because you take care of updates to CMS. Do not worry if you can not do something, or do not have that option – write about this client, this solution is much better than burying heads in the sand with a view that may forget. Please note that this page is built on a CMS does not automatically mean that everything is easy for anyone.
• Your dedicated time and availability.
• Your ideas on how to improve or correct something, in accordance with current web standards, or trends in web design.