Just trying to work out how to make a monthly income from web flow how to deal with customers after the project is done. do you charge monthly fees for upkeep, hosting etc
Do you let them pay for hosting or do you add more money on
Personally, I charge no extra for hosting - if you do be prepared to explain why. Really depends on the size of the project and the budget they’re working with. If they’re using the CMS then they can take care of most maintenance / updates themselves.
I’ll usually factor training and guidance to the cost.
Webflow are currently working on a new payment / client management system which will allow us to bill them for hosting monthly / annually - currently it’s a case of either taking an annual fee from the client or getting them to set up a direct debit which transfers $10 across each month…
@JoeMillion Thanks for this so do you finish the project and then never deal with customer again?
I fell I should charge more if they want CMS because its kinda taking the work away from me
Maybe I could be wrong im new to the whole website game
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Hi @Adam_Wright I charge extra on top of Hosting and even more if they want the CMS, the caveat is that you really need to deliver the goods! if you’re charging a premium cost, you need to deliver a premium service and product, I try never too sell myself short on how mouch I charge, this is a great strategy for me as it separates the time wasters from the clients I can build a future with, a future that benefits both us equally.
I make a point of staying in touch via email with all my clients on a monthly some times bi-weekly basis with website stats and info. I’m always thinking of new features and updates I can put on the clients website, when I have a"Brain baby" or something new to offer I get in touch see if they would be interested? I make them aware of the beneifts of whats I’m suggesting and the costs involved if they would like to go ahead, most of the time they go for it 
But I think the most important part of all this is offering a Premium service, then you can ask for a premium price.
Hope this helps, Aaron.
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It’s good to maintain a relationship with the client, it really depends on what they need. Ask them what would be easiest for them and explain clearly that if they’d like you to manage and update the website, it will be £??/hour or perhaps a set monthly or annual fee.
I’d suggest doing a monthly fee to begin with, make sure you agree on a number of hours.
@Aaron - spot on.
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so basically make sure its worth the time and money and provide a good serves .
also when you are done with the project what do you say next to the client do you down the .zip code and send them that or do you say i (as in you ) can look after the website for a small fee
thanks for the feedback already 
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Yeah, it’s as simple as that, takes some real thought to put it in to action fully, but well worth the effort, to create a sustainable business.
As for the final files most of my clients websites are hosted with Webflow, it makes it easier for me, to maintain and manage the site for them. If they ask for it to be hosted else where but want me to manage it, all in all it will cost them more, because a change with a Webflow hosted website is super quick and easy, but if it’s externally hosted they will pay for me making changes in Webflow, exporting, uploading and testing to an external server, which is extra minutes, equaling extra money.
So I try and on-board them to letting me host it with Webflow, worth noting; rarely do I mention it’s with Webflow though, most of the time I sent them a quote, project proposal with hosting costs etc, most of my clients don’t care about where it’s hosted or the technical details they just care that it works, functions and looks great!
Aaron.
I do my best to break the invoice across 12 or 24 month payments. For instance, if I charge $4,000 for a site. I’ll take 25% up front ($1,000). Then spread the remaining $3,000 across 12 month payments ($250/mo) or 24 month payments ($125/mo).
This seems to work well for us for many reasons.
- It keeps long term cashflow coming in so that we aren’t frantically trying to snag the next client, which is stressful.
- It keeps us in touch with the client more regularly and builds a relationship.
- As a result of this maintained communication/relationship…it allows us to give freebees or charge with new feature releases AND allows us to cross sell into additional services we offer like video production, marketing, design, etc.
It is quite a bit of work upfront for the loss in upfront cash, but the trade off is more reliable long term income and relationship building for more projects and more referrals. Also, we’ve nearly doubled our average project quote by allowing a payment option rather than all upfront. So you can actually charge more 
Disclaimer: Beware of the client that defaults on payment. This model is risky for that reason alone. But more times than not, it’s not an issue. Just do your homework on the client before going this route
This is an interesting thread. @Syndicate15, what types of penalties do you include in your contracts for clients who miss payments or default?
Also, do you provide ongoing service to your clients during their payment period (12 or 24 months)? If so, do your clients renew their contract at the end of that period?
There’s a 7 day grace period to provide payment without penalty. Beyond that, there is interest compounded on the overall balance at different percentages for each passing month, up to 90 days.
10% interest is added after 30 days late, 20% at 60 days, and 35% at 90 days past due.
As stated, these fees get thrown on to the final balance, and extends the duration of the payment schedule, to avoid their monthly bill increasing (obviously if they are in financial distress, we don’t want to make it harder for them to pay us)
If the 90 day mark is reached, client is given a notice that they have 30 days to get up to date. Then legal actions are pursuant. I will say that we have never pursued legal action yet. I know my clients well and the relationship remains strong so we are usually able to work something out.
Same goes with adding additional service, if we shoot a video for a client. 25% down and the rest goes across 12/24 months. It’s treated as a separate contract of services but the overall invoice is combined into one payment.
Yes, we do provide ongoing service during the duration of that time with the stipulations and pricing in place. After the balance is paid in full at the end of term. We put a small service plan in place for hosting and support, future proofing, or whatever the clients needs are at that point. The overall goal though is to never reach a point of zero balance, keep the relationship alive, keep projects coming in. Easier said than done but that’s the hope 
Have you read this blog post? https://webflow.com/blog/how-to-price-your-freelance-design-services :) Remember that beside hours you spend on the project there is also a headspace variable. Follow the topic above to read more :)
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@bart I’ve definitely read that post, along with all blog posts from you guys. Great stuff as always!!
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@webflow please make this happen I would very much prefer this, since when a website is delivered I don’t have to deal with payment for the hosting anymore. I don’t want monthly/annual payment from the customer.
Of course I am still available for the customer if the customer pays for it. So I hope that in this new payment/client-management-solution I am still the owner of the site?
just found the beta and filled the formular: Host client sites with Webflow? Looking for Beta Testers - Webflow announcements - Forum | Webflow