[Wordpress] [Pricings] Charges for maintanance

I currently don't do freelance, but building the site is one price. Most clients are going to think that maintaining a site is a gimmick for more money. So any maintenance/easy stuff I price at one price. When there is a major break that has to be fixed, and their in a panic cause they site is offline and they're bleeding money, I would charge a whole lot more to fix a major break than I would maintenance. Much bigger PITA factor for you, so its going to cost them more.

Lower maintenance costs also help incentive them to do it. It's like this, you pay to have regular oil changes so you don't have to pay to replace the whole motor much sooner - same thing.

Just make sure you have a detail, legally binding contract that makes it clear what marks the site complete, and than from thereafter what is going to cost more, what are you including (if anything) for free, etc.

This can get messy fast, and a contract just helps everyone remember to the terms that were agreed upon. You'll probably find many clients will disrespect your professional and personal boundaries, and when you hold your boundaries, the really bad ones will get mad at you. Detailed contracts help knock out their little anger pedestal they want to yell at your from.

Also, final note, don't be afraid to fire clients. Some people are worth your time working with.

Biggest thing for you, don't work for free. You set unreasonable expectations that other freelancers should work for free, and you'll get taken advantage of fast. Remember, your light bill can't be paid on hopes and dreams, it takes money, so get what your earn.

Recently, I had someone ask for about 4 hours of work from me, in exchange for a shoutout on twitter to their 15K followers. I turned down that "opportunity" without a second thought. I wanted a few hundred bucks, and guess what, they found someone else to do the work for a twitter shoutout. That guy will now be known as "will do work for twitter shoutouts". Next time he wants to charge someone, he'll get "but you did it for so and so for just a twitter shoutout", and his work will always be devalued financially in his clients eyes.