Calculation
Costs broken down – why 110 €/h fits
The hourly rate consists of 92 € cost coverage and 18 € quality & risk buffer. Here is the full calculation – without marketing speak.
The basic equation of the hourly rate
Real costs & taxes – everything sustainable work without excess profit needs.
Experience without juniors – and the certainty that fixed prices stay fixed prices.
Result
Both parts are broken down individually below – including the hours that are really billable.
Step 1 · Costs
What I need per month
| Item | per month |
|---|---|
| Personal costs | |
| Living expenses | 2,300 € |
| Retirement provision | 650 € |
| Buffer / emergency fund | 200 € |
| Continuing education | 100 € |
| Business fixed costs | |
| Health insurance (voluntary statutory) | 1,050 € |
| Pension insurance | 600 € |
| Software & tools | 200 € |
| Disability, liability & co. | 245 € |
| Sum per month | 5,345 € |
| Sum per year (× 12) | 64,140 € |
Step 2 · Time
How many hours are really billable
35 h × 46 weeks = 1,610 h theoretical annual capacity – deliberately part-time logic instead of burnout plan.
− 10 % = 1,449 h for admin, acquisition & organization: necessary, but not billable.
× 70 % = 1,014 h real utilization: illness, vacation, acquisition and further development are included.
64,140 € ÷ 1,014 h = 92 €/h cost coverage – the first part of the equation above.
Why 70 %? As a freelancer without a sales team, 100 % utilization across the year is not realistic. Whoever promises you 100 % is lying – or secretly outsourcing.
Step 3 · Classification
Why 110 € matches the service
- All-in-one instead of agency chain: One person carries technology, marketing, tracking & economics – no juniors, no handovers, no communication breaks.
- Fixed-price risk included: The 18 € buffer ensures that fixed prices stay fixed prices – even if I misjudge. I bear the risk, not you.
- Market classification: Agencies often charge 150–250 €/h for comparable all-in-one support – with several contacts instead of one person.
Transfer to the disciplines
Costs by service
SEO Costs & Search Engine Optimization Costs
Quick-win analysis 990 € one-off · monthly support from 2,200 € · ad-hoc 110 €/h.
Google Ads Costs & Google Advertising Costs
Ad budget runs 1:1 via your Google account · setup 1,650 € incl. 4 weeks optimization.
Freelance Web Developer Hourly Rate
110 €/h for Astro, WordPress & TYPO3 · or fixed prices: landing page 1,980 €, website from 4,950 €.
Tracking Costs & Tag Manager Setup
GA4 + GTM + consent from 990 € · server-side & e-commerce by scope, always with measurement plan.
Every item explainable – in the intro call.
If anything remains unclear: I'm happy to go through the calculation point by point with you – openly, without sales pressure.