Are You Undercharging? 7 Signs It's Time for a WordPress Freelance Rate Increase
Ralph Sanchez
Are You Undercharging? 7 Signs It's Time for a WordPress Freelance Rate Increase
Sign #1: Your Client Roster Is Constantly Full
Sign #2: You're Winning Almost Every Proposal
Sign #3: Your Skills and Expertise Have Grown Significantly
Sign #4: You're Getting Faster and More Efficient
Sign #5: Clients Are Focused on Cost, Not Value
Sign #6: You Feel Resentful About Your Work
Sign #7: You Haven't Raised Your Rates in Over a Year
The 'How-To': A Simple Plan for Raising Your Rates
For New Clients: Just Start Quoting Higher
For Existing Clients: Give Advance Notice and Justify the Change
References
Are You Undercharging? 7 Signs It's Time for a WordPress Freelance Rate Increase
Many WordPress freelancers, especially those starting out, struggle with the fear of charging too much. However, undercharging is a far more common and damaging problem. Recognizing the signs that you're undervaluing your work is the first step toward building a more profitable and sustainable business.
Successfully raising your rates depends on confident mastering price negotiation and a belief in the value you provide. Once your active income is secure, you can even explore creating passive income streams to further diversify your earnings. Many top-tier WordPress freelancers have already made this transition, and you can too.
Sign #1: Your Client Roster Is Constantly Full
If you're booked solid for months in advance, it's a classic sign of high demand. While it feels good to be busy, being overworked is actually a strong indicator that you're undercharging. Think about it this way: when everyone wants to work with you, but you can't take on new projects, you're essentially leaving money on the table.
Basic economics tells us that when demand outstrips supply, prices should rise. Yet many freelancers stay stuck in the same pricing model they started with, afraid to rock the boat. Here's the thing though - if you're turning away good clients because you don't have time, you're not just losing potential income. You're also missing opportunities to work on more interesting projects that could advance your career.
I've seen this happen countless times. A developer starts at $50 per hour, gets really good at what they do, and suddenly they're swamped. Instead of raising rates, they work longer hours. They sacrifice weekends. They burn out. Meanwhile, less experienced developers are charging $75 or $100 per hour simply because they had the confidence to ask for it.
The solution is simple but requires courage. Start by raising your rates for new clients by 20-30%. You might lose a few prospects, but the ones who stay will value your expertise more. Plus, you'll make the same money working fewer hours, which gives you time to focus on professional development or simply enjoy life outside of work.
Sign #2: You're Winning Almost Every Proposal
Here's something that might surprise you: if clients rarely negotiate your rates and you have a near-100% closing rate on proposals, you're definitely undercharging. When price isn't even a factor in their decision-making, it suggests you have significant room to increase your rates before meeting any real resistance.
I learned this lesson the hard way early in my career. I was so proud of landing every single project I pitched for. Then a mentor asked me a simple question: "If everyone says yes immediately, aren't you leaving money on the table?" It was a lightbulb moment.
Healthy businesses expect some pushback on pricing. They expect to lose some deals because of budget constraints. If you're not experiencing this at all, you're positioned too low in the market. You're competing on price when you should be competing on value.
Try this experiment: for your next five proposals, increase your rate by 50%. Yes, that sounds scary. But here's what typically happens - you might lose two or three of those proposals, but the ones you win will more than make up for the lost revenue. Plus, the clients who are willing to pay higher rates tend to be better clients overall. They respect your time, provide clearer project requirements, and are generally more professional to work with.
Remember, your goal isn't to win every project. It's to build a sustainable, profitable business that allows you to do your best work for clients who truly value what you bring to the table.
Sign #3: Your Skills and Expertise Have Grown Significantly
You are not the same freelancer you were a year ago. If you've learned new skills like advanced e-commerce optimization, API integrations, or performance tuning, you provide more value. Your pricing should reflect this increased expertise.
Think back to when you first started. Maybe you could build a basic WordPress site with a premium theme. Now? You're probably creating custom post types, optimizing database queries, implementing complex caching strategies, and building custom Gutenberg blocks. That's a massive leap in capability.
Yet many freelancers keep charging the same rates they set when they were beginners. It's like a surgeon charging medical student prices after completing their residency. It doesn't make sense, but we do it because raising rates feels uncomfortable.
Here's how to think about it differently. Every new skill you learn is an investment in your business. When you spend a weekend learning React to build better block editors, that's not just personal development - it's adding a valuable service to your offerings. When you master WooCommerce and can now build complex e-commerce solutions, you've entered a higher-value market segment.
Document your skill growth. Keep a list of technologies you've mastered, certifications you've earned, and complex problems you've solved. When it comes time to justify a rate increase, you'll have concrete examples of how you've evolved as a professional. Clients understand and respect continuous improvement, especially in a field that changes as rapidly as web development.
Sign #4: You're Getting Faster and More Efficient
As you gain experience, tasks that once took you days now take hours. If you're still charging by the hour, your increased efficiency is actually punishing you by lowering your project fees. This is a clear signal to either raise your hourly rate significantly or switch to project-based pricing.
Let me paint you a picture. When you started, building a custom contact form with validation might have taken you eight hours. Now, with your library of code snippets and deep understanding of WordPress hooks, you can knock it out in two hours. If you're charging $75 per hour, you just went from making $600 to making $150 for the same deliverable. That's backwards progress.
This efficiency penalty is one of the biggest flaws in hourly billing for experienced developers. You're essentially being punished for getting better at your job. Meanwhile, your clients are getting the same (or better) results in less time, which is incredibly valuable to them.
The solution involves a mindset shift. Stop selling time and start selling outcomes. Instead of saying "I charge $100 per hour," say "A custom contact form integration costs $600." This way, as you get more efficient, your effective hourly rate increases. You're rewarded for your expertise rather than penalized for it.
Many successful WordPress freelancers make this transition around the two to three year mark. They realize that clients don't actually care how many hours something takes - they care about getting their problem solved quickly and effectively. When you align your pricing model with what clients actually value, everyone wins.
Sign #5: Clients Are Focused on Cost, Not Value
If you consistently attract clients whose primary concern is getting the lowest possible price, it's a sign that your rates are positioned at the bottom of the market. These clients view your services as a commodity rather than a strategic investment, which is a red flag for your pricing strategy.
Budget-focused clients tend to create more stress and deliver less satisfaction. They nickel and dime every feature, question every hour logged, and often have unrealistic expectations about what their budget should buy. They're comparing you to offshore developers charging $15 per hour without considering the vast differences in communication, quality, and reliability.
Raising your rates helps you attract higher-quality clients who focus on value and ROI. These clients ask different questions. Instead of "How can we make this cheaper?" they ask "How can we make this better?" They understand that a well-built WordPress site isn't an expense - it's an investment that drives their business forward.
I've noticed a clear pattern in my own business and those of colleagues. Clients paying premium rates tend to be more organized, more respectful of boundaries, and more likely to provide useful feedback. They see you as a partner in their success rather than just another vendor.
The transition isn't always smooth. When you raise rates, you might lose some of your current client base. That's okay - in fact, it's necessary. You're making room for clients who value quality over cheap prices. These new clients will challenge you to grow, pay you what you're worth, and often become long-term partners who refer other quality clients your way.
Sign #6: You Feel Resentful About Your Work
Feeling undervalued or resentful towards your projects is a major red flag. This emotional toll, often called burnout, frequently stems from working long hours for pay that doesn't feel fair for your effort and expertise.
Resentment is your subconscious telling you something's wrong. When you find yourself dragging your feet on client work, procrastinating on projects, or feeling angry when another revision request comes in, it's not because you've fallen out of love with WordPress development. It's because you're not being compensated fairly for your time and expertise.
This feeling compounds over time. You start cutting corners, not because you want to deliver poor work, but because you can't justify going the extra mile for clients who aren't paying you enough. Your work quality suffers, which makes you feel worse about yourself professionally. It's a downward spiral that's hard to escape.
I've been there. Early in my career, I remember working on a complex membership site for a client paying me $30 per hour. Every feature request felt like a burden. Every bug fix made me angry. Not because the work was hard, but because I knew other developers were charging three times as much for similar work.
The cure for resentment is simple: charge what you're worth. When you're paid fairly, those same revision requests become opportunities to delight your client. Bug fixes become chances to showcase your problem-solving skills. The work itself doesn't change, but your attitude towards it transforms completely when the compensation matches the effort.
Sign #7: You Haven't Raised Your Rates in Over a Year
Inflation and the rising cost of living mean that keeping your rates static is actually taking a pay cut each year. It's standard business practice to review and adjust your rates annually to account for both inflation and your professional growth.
Think about it this way: if inflation is running at 3% per year and you haven't raised your rates in two years, you're effectively making 6% less than when you started. Add in the fact that your skills have improved and your expenses have likely increased, and you're probably down 10-15% in real terms.
Yet many freelancers treat their rates like they're carved in stone. They set a price when they start and stick with it for years, afraid that any increase will drive away clients. This fear ignores a basic business reality: every successful company regularly adjusts pricing to reflect market conditions and increased value delivery.
Annual rate reviews should be as routine as filing your taxes. Set a calendar reminder for the same time each year. Look at what you charged twelve months ago, consider how your skills have grown, research what competitors are charging, and factor in inflation. A 5-10% annual increase is completely reasonable and expected in the business world.
Your existing clients won't be surprised if you handle it professionally. Most businesses budget for vendor price increases. They'd be more surprised if you never raised your rates - it would signal that you're not growing or investing in your skills. Regular, modest increases are far easier for clients to accept than sudden, dramatic jumps after years of static pricing.
The 'How-To': A Simple Plan for Raising Your Rates
Communicating a rate increase can feel daunting, but it can be done smoothly and professionally. The approach differs for new and existing clients, and having a clear strategy makes the process much less stressful.
For New Clients: Just Start Quoting Higher
This is the easiest step. Simply start quoting your new, higher rate on all new proposals. New clients have no prior benchmark for your pricing, making this a seamless transition. They're evaluating you based on your current value proposition, not what you charged someone else last year.
The key is confidence. When you quote your new rate, don't apologize or over-explain. State your price clearly and then focus on the value you'll deliver. Talk about outcomes, not hours. Discuss how your work will impact their business, not how long it will take you to complete it.
One trick that works well is to create three pricing tiers for proposals. Your new, higher rate should be the middle option. This gives clients a sense of choice while anchoring them to your preferred price point. Many will choose the middle option simply because it feels like the safe, balanced choice.
For Existing Clients: Give Advance Notice and Justify the Change
For current clients, provide at least one to two months' notice before the new rates take effect. Send a brief, professional email thanking them for their partnership and explaining that the adjustment reflects your enhanced capabilities and ensures you can continue delivering high-quality work.
Here's a template that works well:
"Hi [Client Name],
I wanted to reach out with an important update about my services for 2024. As my skills and expertise have grown over our time working together, I'm adjusting my rates to reflect the current market and the enhanced value I now provide.
Starting [Date], my rate will be increasing from $X to $Y per hour. This adjustment allows me to continue investing in the tools and training that help me deliver the best possible results for your projects.
I truly value our working relationship and am committed to continuing to exceed your expectations. If you have any questions or would like to discuss how we can make this transition smooth for your budgeting process, I'm happy to chat.
Thank you for your continued trust in my services."
Most clients will accept this without issue. The ones who push back hard were probably taking advantage of your low rates anyway. It's better to lose a few low-paying clients than to continue undervaluing yourself. The space they leave will quickly be filled by clients willing to pay your new, fair rates.
Remember, raising your rates isn't just about making more money. It's about building a sustainable business that allows you to do your best work without burning out. It's about attracting clients who value quality and expertise. Most importantly, it's about respecting yourself and the valuable services you provide.
Your skills have value. Your time has value. Your expertise has value. Price accordingly, and you'll build a WordPress freelance business that's both profitable and enjoyable. The signs are clear - if any of these seven indicators resonate with you, it's time to take action. Your future self will thank you for having the courage to charge what you're worth.
References
Like this project
Posted Jul 6, 2025
Don't leave money on the table. Discover the key indicators that you're underselling your WordPress expertise and learn how to strategically raise your rates.
