Pricing Website Use
Advance Notes: A client wants you to locate a photo for use on his website. What do you charge the client?
WEBSITE PRICING is easy if you use the "Hits Formula." It applies to both editorial as well as commercial markets. A client asks, "What is the charge for website use?" Return the question with your question, "How many hits does your site get each day?"
This question may stump them, and they may admit, "I don't know." But you can easily look like the expert when you return with, "Just a minute, I'll let you know."
Using the free software from www.Alexa.com (a company owned by Amazon.com) you call up Alexa.com. Type your client's website address in the search bar. Once a page comes up, at the bar at the bottom of your screen, click on, "traffic." The statistics will not only show you the owner and address of the company (you can spout that back to them also for verification) but the number of "Alexa hits" they get each day. Alexa has its own secret formula for determining the number of web traffic hits, but it's generally regarded as close to accurate.
Now that you've determined this figure, you are ready to apply the "Hits Formula." Most inquirers contacting you for a photo to use on the Web, are interested in acquiring a photo for their Home Page, and the formula applies to this usage.
If your client currently receives 50,000 hits a day, the charge or a photo will be $25 per month. If they receive 100,000 hits per day, the charge is $50 per month. If they receive 200,000 hits a day then their monthly fee would be $100.*
A client may be just starting out and not have stats available yet at Alexa. Your response: "Who are your
Of course, if your client receives very few hits per day, a minimum you could establish would be $10 per month.
Some companies may plan to use a number of photos at various places on their website. In that case it's discount time. The monthly fee for the initial, primary photo will remain the same, but for the extra photos, divide the monthly fee by the number of photos they plan to use. This will give you the per photo fee to charge, for those additional photos.
You might find it necessary to make some bargaining concessions. To keep the style consistent in their website, they might want to use only one photographer's work - and plan to use many photos profusely throughout their site. It may be good politics to adjust the price for volume purchase.
For non-profit organizations that might have a high visitor count but a low budget, be prepared to make adjustments.
* Multiply the number of hits by .0005 to get the dollar amount they should pay each month for the use of a photo on their home page.
Rohn Engh, veteran stock photographer and best-selling author of "Sell & ReSell Your Photos" and "sellphotos.com," has helped scores of photographers launch their careers. For access to great information on making money from pictures you like to take, and learn how to sell pictures, and to receive this free report: "8 Steps to Becoming a Published Photographer," visit his website, PhotoSource International or call 800 624-0266.
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