Tag Archive for: Developers

Code is Poetry – Lets Keep It That Way

It’s true, code is poetry. Well, that’s what WordPress would like.

Unfortunately, if something bad happens to your website, the only poem you’ll be reciting is something like ‘oh WordPress, you’ve made me depressed….’.

It doesn’t though, have to be this way.

I’ve had clients in the past, that I had told to take their business elsewhere, simply for the fact that they considered their website was really just a part-time thing, that would look after itself.

To give you an example, I was contacted by a client who’s website had been out of action (it was broken) for approximately 8 months. That is eight months that people could have thought they were out of business, or considered that their business was ‘that bad’, that is wasn’t ‘worth’ the time of day.

Websites break. That is the reality. It could be that a vulnerability was found in your contact form (for example), and a fix may have been issued. Hackers can ‘easily’ locate websites that are not updated regularly, and exploit them through a ‘back door’ vulnerability, such as my example of the contact form. Simple updates can resolve problems, and prevent data breaches and theft of customer, or business information, such as credit card details, addresses, etc.

What price though, do you put on this information?

Website management should be an integral part of your online presence. You service your car regularly right? You mow your lawn? Go to the doctor? Well then, you should be vigilant regarding your website’s health, and ensure it’s functioning properly.

Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be introducing a monitoring service, that shall compliment my Auditing and Security services.

There may be figures that I’ve splashed around, but I believe the number I’m going to settle on, is $99 per month. This amount will include in it, a basic audit and security check, as well as plugin updates and general website health checks.

If you’re new to my site, there is one thing you may notice. I don’t hide from the fact that I’m not cheap, and am not concerned about people leaving when they see the price. The one thing I’m proud of, is the fact that I’ve managed to do this work as a freelancer for so long, without the need of looking for work – in fact, I turn more potential work away, than what I actually do.

I made a choice a few years back, to work on my own terms, and the reality is, at the end of the day, you are the one that decides whether to use my services, or not. I have no intention of competing with anyone on price, or comparing my skills to anyone else.

The decision to offer monitoring services was simply to allow me to focus more on the Auditing and Security aspect of my business. I’m currently engaging with several developers to come on board and help grow my business to the next level. Judging by the amount of work on offer at the moment, I believe people are now accepting (and embracing) WordPress is the future of personal, small business and e-commerce websites.

For your sake, I hope you choose to ensure the security of your website. Obviously, I am not the only person that can help you – there are a few people out there. Be sure to choose a WordPress Professional, someone that understands code, not someone who ‘just’ stumbled upon WordPress and decided ‘I can do this’. They’ll take your money and run.

You have a choice, choose wisely.

If you are interested in having your website monitored, or need to ask something, please contact me.

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How Does A Freelancer Find Work?

When you do this kind of work, which is so obviously web-related, and especially work from home, people often snicker behind your back about the ‘fact’ that you don’t leave home – so HOW on earth do you find the work that you ‘claim’ to do?

Interesting question. Kind of.

The first couple of years, after you decide to go down the freelancing / independent / self-employed route, it’s tough. Real tough.

Nobody has your back. You’re left out in the wilderness, with not many people wanting to pass on any work (for fear that you’re no good).

I guess that like everything in life, people have their own ways of finding ‘a way’ to succeed in their chosen path.

Personally, the way I succeeded was simple. I built my own websites and signed up as an affiliate to a lot of companies. Some websites I built were niche (adult), but they all did alright – they did what I wanted them to do, they made money.

Suddenly, I would get emails from people, asking if I could help build them a website, and THAT is how it started.

When I moved onto WordPress, and eventually eCommerce sites, I began to join forums, and I would purchase WordPress themes to test them out, see what they could do. If I came across an error, or even a ‘better’ way for something to be implemented, I’d reach out to the developer – free of charge.

Now, some developers reach out to me. But now, I charge. Not only do I ‘find’ work in this manner, but every now and then I login to a theme support page and look at problems people are having – you have to remember, a lot of people try and work out this whole WordPress thing themselves, until they can’t. Generally, I’ll help them – for free, but they know where to find me if they need more help. This is where my paid service begins.

Over the past decade, I’ve helped thousands of people in this way – and found repeat clients as a result, and they also refer people to me. They are happy to pay what I ask, because I helped and respected them early on, without charge. And, they know I can help them. Providing free support for work you’ve done is also an added bonus that people like. Mind you, it is built into the price, and my clients know that.

I know this post is short, but the experience gained over the years, and the work that’s gone into helping people build and maintain their websites, is massive. I definitely didn’t get to this point overnight.

People in general, I believe, just don’t understand the amount of work available using this platform – if you’re good. So far this month, I’ve completed (about) 120 hours of work, with no shortage of work to do. Actually, I didn’t want to do anything this month at all – November was a 200 hour month, and I need a break. I’ll stick it out though, you never know what’s around the corner.

If you’re interested in Website Design / Development, stay motivated. Read up, stay focused and even watch (and subscribe) to some experts, like Stefan Mischook on YouTube, see below.

Are you a WordPress Professional, looking for some extra work? If so, I could use some extra hands. Contact me using the link at the top of this page.

As always, if you have a question, contact me.

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How Do You Calculate What You’re Worth?

Ever wondered how people calculate what they are worth, per hour, or per job?

Due to being asked about why I charge $88 per hour (minimum 3 hour blocks), I thought it would be interesting to ‘investigate’ and finally answer this question.

OK, let’s get to it.

First up, I’d like to say that I’m not the highest paid WordPress Professional. There are many freelancers like me, that took it upon themselves to build their own name / brand, instead of working for another company, for a lot less money – resulting in more hours needed to work for the same money.

In the beginning, it is hard – no doubt. YOU need to chase work, often working many more hours for roughly the same money you’d earn working as an employee – or less!

The best advice I could give you (if you’re deciding to go down the freelancer road), is to have a willing partner who can see and understand what you are ‘trying’ to do, and support you, both morally and financially. My Mrs is the best.

My hourly rate has not changed in about 3 years. As of January 1, 2019, I am actually increasing it to $100 per hour (minimum 4 hour blocks).

Demand for my ‘skills’ are increasing due to the fact that more websites are being built with the WordPress Platform, both privately (blogs) and Business Websites, both static and eCommerce.

Being skilled in numerous coding languages is an obvious benefit. I learned basic HTML, CSS and JavaScript about 20 years ago, and followed this up with with PHP and SQL a few years later. I’m also quite ‘fluent’ in JQuery, JAVA, Ruby and Python to a lesser extent. There are pro’s and con’s with all languages. Some developers will absolutely love one code, and hate another, but in reality, they ‘can’ work together if you know how to implement properly.

Obviously, the deeper the understanding of ‘how’ the WordPress Platform works, the better.

To be a successful WordPress freelancer, you also need to know about a large number of plugins, how they ‘work’ and how to customize them, if need be. With new plugins being released every day, and existing plugins being updated regularly, there is a lot of work you need to do to stay on top of the game. BUT, if you enjoy it, it’s not a problem.

Right, the nitty-gritty of this post – MONEY.

There are websites that will give you an idea of what current rates are for freelancers, such as Hello Bonsai. Hello Bonsai gives you some options to choose from, see below.

As you can see, I’m actually on the lower end of what the going rates are. I believe (although cannot be certain), if you’re paying $140+ per hour, you are probably also paying for graphics etc. Personally, I just stick to what I do best – WordPress.

Is there a ‘demand’ for work at $120 per hour? Absolutely. BUT, as I’ve stated above, knowledge of various coding types and plugin (customization) is a must. My rate incorporates the knowledge and understanding of numerous coding types and plugin development, allowing me to do the work of, lets say 3 or 4 people. If you were to go to a Web Dev company offering what I can do, your website will cost you $200+ per hour. On that basis alone, I’m cheap.

Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I do get stuck on something, but it’s easy for me to pick up the phone, send an email or get onto a forum to help me solve a ‘problem’. That’s on me.

Instead of just taking my word for it, visit wpmudev to find out more of what I’ve screen-grabbed below, about Pricing Your Services.

If you visited this blog because you found it via Google etc, thanks for visiting.

There are lots of resources out there that allow you to judge what you should charge / pay (if you’re a client). Some people may have differing opinions on how to charge, and that’s fine. I haven’t been short of work for a long time, so I guess I’m doing something right?

Again, everyone will have their own ways to calculate their worth, with regards to WordPress freelancing. If you are just starting out, may I suggest that you work for an organisation for a few years to gain more of an insight into the industry, and gain some contacts. I did it the hard way, which isn’t bad, but at least I can offer the advice now.

For the record, I am contacted by at least a dozen people each week, wanting to know if I can help them. I can, but I’m up front about what I charge, and they say no thanks. It’s interesting to note, that some people have gone off and had work done by others, only to ‘come back’ when their website ‘breaks’. Sometimes I’ll help them, most time, I say no.

When you can choose who you work with, you know you’ve done something right. Word of mouth in this industry is supreme.

If you are looking at getting into this line of work, I wish you well, and if you require further help, please get in touch. If you came hear to read my thoughts and find out about how and why I charge what I do, I hope you now understand.

Like always, if you have a question, contact me.

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