Before
hiring
a freelancer
Things you should know in advance
You can employ people per hour or – per project or short-term contracts.
You should receive a pre-work agreement prior to commencement which clearly outlines all work and expectations – the deliverables by the freelancer – any obligations you may have as an employer and the time-frame for delivery.
It is reasonable on a per-project agreement for there to be a penalty fee for any time spent beyond that stated if it is the cause of the employer.
There are many stipulations via IR35 that make a contract necessary for any project or ongoing work – this is a particular consideration and may require specialist legal advice.
When hiring people per hour – take the time to research and, prior to engagement, ask for an estimate on time – more expensive rates often result in a lower final invoice.
You should arrange a collaborative communication channel prior to work commencing.
There may be a requirement for work to be done prior to a pre-work arrangement being able to be drawn up – this is especially true of website updates, SEO, and campaign planning – it may be that an audit or interim project is required prior to the main work commencing – this should be priced separately and communicated early in proceedings.
It is wise to ask who is going to be completing the different work elements – often, a freelancer will have specialist skills – if you need several specialist services it is wise to get a handle on the individuals’ level of experience for each element of work you require and also, especially in the case of NDAs and start-ups to ensure that all people involved are and can be held accountable for their involvement in the project.
why should I hire YOU?
Good Question! I have a rather enviable set of experiences – this spans big business and start-ups – this ensures that you get someone who knows how to deal with board and also knows the importance of being able to ‘roll up the sleeves and get-on-with-it’!
On top of this my career spans 20-something years – this is built on a base of marketing – you get an expert in design and development with the professional ability to be able to advise on the integrations that make business process better and perform on a marketing basis – this is rare!
TERMS
+conditions
For information on how the work engagement happens – what responsibilities you have and what to expect –
visit the terms + conditions
FAQ
NO – You do have to provide a deposit prior to work commencing.
It is 20% of the project price or in the case of new retained services 20% of the first months work.
I provide a number of different audits – primarily website audits and SEO audits – I can also do Marketing audits – although I tend to treat these as bespoke projects.
For SEO and Web audits you can expect to pay between £550 for a small site and beyond £2500 for a large established site.
You can also book a content audit online – suitable for any sized website the SEO Colour Wheel Chart can be ordered online. Prices start at £850
I have worked on PPC accounts since the early 00s and have specialist skills in this area, able to provide emergency services as well as consultancy and pay per click management and creative writing services. This experience extends across Google Adwords, Bing and some other PPC advertising opportunities.
Yes – I prefer to price and agree a total project cost – however, I do offer hourly rates for tasks such as logo design and some elements of PPC and SEO. I am also able to price on bigger projects – campaign planning or web builds, for example, and can source additional specialists to assist with areas of content writing on an hourly fee.
The contract is legally binding – however, every effort is made to ensure you get an end delivery that is not only satisfactory – but beyond expectations, with that in mind there is always an adjustment and evolvement period factored into the pricing.
Yes! I have much management and PM experience as well as specialist experience co-ordinating artwork and production teams, developers, content writers, social teams, PPC and PR activities – I can also work with agencies – I have spent many years in such roles as well as experience actually delivering as part of the above teams – this means I can not only plan and task-up workflows- but also be an extra pair of hands on the delivery if needed.
This is difficult to estimate – each site is so different. For a fairly simple templated base with original design features, containing up to 25 pages with all features necessary to drive traffic, create interest, facilitate business processes and drive conversions – I would suggest that you factor in a minimum of 12 weeks – It is often more comfortable for the client to allow 16-20 weeks.
Yes! However, whilst I provide image sourcing as part of the design phase – premium sources are chargeable. Equally, specialist content writing is also advised and would require the additional hire of another freelancer if outside my core areas of specialist knowledge.
I can also assist with some animation and video creation – but similar to the above it will be specified and communicated prior to work commencing and specific details provided within the pre-work agreement.
I have designed many things -I have more than 15 years experience utilising the Adobe creative suite and am comfortable with Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, I regularly use online design, collaborative and video editing tools. This design experience extends to some use of AutoCAD and similar packages and to furniture design, interiors. My design work is supported with analysis and trends identification and tracking and profiling. I can offer professional services in design for website design, marketing and advertising – across the mix. I have also gained some experience in areas of product design.
In regards to creative work I divide the initial stages into phases – this includes a scoping, research and discovery phase, it is also followed by sketched ideation – the principle is MVP – the minimum viable work to communicate the idea. This work is covered by the deposit and will result in a choice of (usually) three base ideas for your design – whether this be a template, website, logo. The process is created to allow you to have input at key stages to ensure that it remains on-brand or in any instance of start-up or design evolution that you have control on the look and feel of the style.