How do you choose between charging per word, hour or project?

Most easiest rates are per-word pricing because the clients can calculate them so easily. Also if you are setting a per word make sure to include your charges for the extra topic research, keywords, editing, formatting and any other thing... And you can see your hourly rate first to find out how you can set charges per word.

I don't agree with or use per-word pricing. In my experience, it's an easy way for companies to lowball writers into competing for tiny contracts. Per word pricing is a red flag in my customer screening process - it usually means a company won't pay enough.

You don't. Seriously. Don't. I mean it. I see you thinking about it. Don't. The buyer gets sloppy writing that's loaded with fluff. Because why would the writer bother trimming their sentences to read better if they'll get paid less?

I personally do not agree with per word pricing. - First of all, writing is not a commodity. - You need to charge for your expertise. - You need to be paid for your experience, time and value you provide.

Pay per word is just silly. I remember one of my clients coming to me, proposing a ?0.8 PPW to revamp the SEO copy of his landing page. That's about $4.8 for 500 words. Realistically, I had to say no! It's not about penning words. It's about penning words, editing sharp, and keeping just what matters. Why would any creative want to stuff words and write more just to get paid? When SEO copywriters have experience, they know just what works. Imagine that you wrote a six-word memoir and website SEO copy for a Fortune 500 company. When the product is launched: The tagline finds its way onto the flashiest billboard, then onto television - making phones ring 2 hours a day. You know it's working as orders pour in. Never undervalue YOU.

Hourly rates are hard for both the writers and the clients to track, and even harder if you're a new freelance writer who doesn't understand what your baseline is. For these reasons, hourly contracts are best if we're talking about staff positions or mid-length contracts where miscalculating certain things won't leave you underpaid. This is my least favorite way of contracting with a client. However, it's the easiest to set and you should decide how much you want to make per hour before calculating anything else out. It becomes your starting point. Decide on an hourly rate, then start calculating how many hours a project will take you and create your proposal based on per project or per word to meet the hourly rate.

Here is how you can do: - Fix the time you would be able to spend on this project. - Calculate your rate based on the effort and divide it by hours. - Give the amount as your rate per hour to not undervalue yourself. Thank me later :)

Hourly is appropriate sometimes in my experience. This is how I bill for editing. For writing projects I do the same as Ramshina Mahamood.

I only use per-hour pricing for multiservice retainers. For me, these retainers include writing and strategy services – plus, the client is reserving a chunk of my time, so I charge a higher rate. For SEO copywriting, hourly rates don't work well for me because some weeks, it takes me 4 hours to write 1,000 words, others it takes 2 hours. It depends on a lot of variable factors.

Per hour pricing offers flexibility and fairness in SEO copywriting, allowing you to set an hourly rate that reflects your skills, experience, and the value you provide. This method is perfect for longer, more complex projects like web copy, landing pages, or ebooks. It ensures you are compensated for the time spent on revisions or additional services, highlighting the quality and efficiency of your work. However, it can be challenging to communicate and justify this pricing model to clients, particularly if they are unfamiliar with the scope or process of SEO copywriting.

This is my favorite way of pricing: - Charge for an entire project. - Set a timeline to finish the project. - Complete the project in different phases. - Take 50% as advance. - Deliver promptly

In most cases, per project rates ends up being the best way to contract. It gives you flexibility so you aren't chasing a word count and includes other things that can be hard to track such as keyword research, concept validation, and other research. Brand new writers who don't know how to estimate their time spent on certain tasks should wait before trying to charge per project, maybe go for hourly for their first several projects, so they can learn how long certain tasks can take them and adjust their rates accordingly. Also, if charging per project, make sure you are clear about the scope of work and avoid scope creep.

I advocate for, and I use project pricing. This format allows me to plan for the entire scope of the project, and not reduce all of the work that goes into an article to the final word count. I track my time during each project to ensure my pricing was accurate for the time I spent.

I love using per-project pricing for my SEO copywriting. It factors in variables like my own energy levels, research, writing, editing, and the value I bring from experience. Flat fees stabilized my income and made it more predictable.

For me this is the only way to charge a job. You deliver an article, a blog post, a landing page that will convert readers into clients. Not a 500 words article made in under 5 hours. Also, the client knows exactly what the bill will be, and so do you. No bad surprises.

Whenever I am putting together a proposal for a project, I start with the hourly rate I want to make, then convert that to both a per-word and a per-project rate (and, in terms of ghostwriting books, I will also convert to a per-page rate). This way, no matter what the client wants to budget for, I know I am covered in all ways.

Per project pricing is a highly strategic and profitable approach to SEO copywriting. By setting a flat fee for each project, you base your charges on the value delivered and the results achieved for clients. This method works best for large, complex, or ongoing tasks like website redesigns, content audits, or SEO campaigns. It allows you to highlight the benefits and outcomes of your work, fostering long-term client relationships. However, estimating and negotiating project-based fees can be challenging, especially if the scope changes. To manage this, clearly define the project scope and deliverables from the start and include clauses for revisions or additional work in your contracts.

I have found that those newer to the role will charge per word, it is easier to make money if you don't have a strong client base, reviews or feedback. You should use an hourly rate if it is an on-going client and a project rate if it is a one off.