what is a normal payment method for building a website

Question

what is a normal payment model for building a website

• 1/2 payment upfront and 1/2 at the end ?
• all at the end ??

is there any suggestions on what is standard practice ?

Answer 1

There is no "standard" as a business can do business any way they want to. But some things to consider are:

• Use escrow. This ensures both parties are happy with the final result.

• Have a contract. Make sure everything is spelled out explicitly including the work to be done. This way there is no squabbling over functionality or when the job is officially completed.

• Use milestones. If the project is large (I'll leave it up to you to decide what "large" is) receive payment upon each completed milestone. That way you aren't waiting a long time to get paid and reduce your exposure to fraud.

• Receive an initial payment. You should expect some sort of payment to get started. This shows the client is serious about having the work completed. For small jobs this usually is half of the agreed upon amount.