How to price your first freelance website as a student in Kenya

You have no reference point. You have never sold a website before. You do not know what other developers charge. And you are 19, so the client assumes you should be cheap.

This creates two common mistakes:

Charging too little. You quote KES 2,000 for a business website because you feel guilty charging more. The client agrees immediately (bad sign), and you spend two weeks building something that earns you less per hour than washing cars. You resent the project by the end.

Charging too much without justification. You quote KES 80,000 because you saw that number online. The client laughs. You have no portfolio to justify that price, and the client finds someone cheaper.

Good pricing sits between these extremes. It reflects the value the client gets, the complexity of the work, and your current skill level.

Price by project, not by hour. Clients want to know the total cost upfront. Hourly billing confuses them and punishes you for getting faster.

Simple landing page (one page, responsive, basic contact form): KES 8,000 to 15,000. This is a few hours of work once you have a template system down. Good for your first two or three clients.

Multi-page business site (5 to 8 pages: home, about, services, gallery, contact): KES 15,000 to 30,000. This is a standard small business site. Most local businesses need exactly this.

Site with custom features (booking system, M-Pesa payment, admin dashboard): KES 30,000 to 60,000+. If the client needs you to write backend code, integrate APIs, or build something interactive, the price goes up significantly.

These ranges are for student freelancers in Kenya. Professional agencies charge two to five times more. You will get there, but start here.

Number of pages. More pages means more content to lay out, more responsive design work, and more revisions. A 12-page site takes meaningfully longer than a 4-page site.

Custom design vs template. If the client wants a unique design from scratch, it costs more. If you are adapting a template, it costs less. Be transparent about which approach you are using.

Content creation. If you are writing the copy, choosing the images, and creating the content, that is a separate service. Some clients think "build me a website" includes writing all their text. Clarify this upfront. If they provide content, it is cheaper. If you create it, charge extra.

Ongoing maintenance. Will you update the site monthly? Fix bugs? Add new pages? Charge a monthly retainer (KES 1,000 to 3,000) or make it clear that updates after launch are billed separately.

Timeline. If they need it in three days instead of two weeks, charge a rush fee. Fast work costs more because it disrupts your schedule and classes.

When a client asks "how much?", do not fumble. Have a number ready.

Ask about their needs first. "What pages do you need? Do you have the text and photos ready? Do you need any special features like online payments or a booking form?" Their answers tell you which price range applies.

State your price with confidence. "Based on what you have described, this would be KES 18,000. That includes the design, development, mobile responsiveness, and one round of revisions after launch." Do not apologise for the number. Do not say "but we can negotiate." State it and wait.

If they push back, adjust scope, not price. Instead of dropping from KES 18,000 to KES 10,000, say "I can do a simpler version with three pages instead of six for KES 12,000." This protects your rate and teaches the client that less money means less work.

Get a deposit before you start. 50% upfront is standard. This protects you from clients who disappear after the work is done. The payment guide covers more on this.