How do you earn $100k a year as a web developer or designer?

Here’s how we find out, with a little help from Bertha AI using her chat module.

What is $35 an hour in salary terms, please show me your workings?

To calculate the salary equivalent of an hourly rate, we can multiply the hourly rate by the number of hours worked in a week and then by the number of weeks in a year. Here’s the calculation for $35 per hour:

Assuming a standard 40-hour workweek:
Hourly Rate: $35
Number of Hours per Week: 40
Number of Weeks in a Year: 52

Salary = Hourly Rate x Number of Hours per Week x Number of Weeks in a Year
Salary = $35/hour x 40 hours/week x 52 weeks/year

Calculating this:

Salary = $35 x 40 x 52
Salary = $72,800

Therefore, $35 per hour is equivalent to a salary of $72,800 per year.

I only want to work 36 hours a week and for 45 weeks of the year – what’s the salary then
Sure! If you want to work 36 hours a week for 45 weeks of the year, we can adjust the calculation accordingly. Here’s how you can calculate the salary based on those parameters:

Hourly Rate: $35
Number of Hours per Week: 36
Number of Weeks in a Year: 45

Salary = Hourly Rate x Number of Hours per Week x Number of Weeks in a Year
Salary = $35/hour x 36 hours/week x 45 weeks/year

Calculating this:

Salary = $35 x 36 x 45
Salary = $56,700

Therefore, if you work 36 hours per week for 45 weeks of the year with an hourly rate of $35, your salary would be $56,700.

Can you do the same calculations and end up with a $100k a year?
Certainly! If you would like to have a salary of $100,000 per year, we can adjust the calculation to determine the required hourly rate based on your desired working hours and weeks.

Let’s assume you want to work 36 hours a week for 45 weeks in a year:

Number of Hours per Week: 36
Number of Weeks in a Year: 45
Desired Salary: $100,000

Hourly Rate = Desired Salary / (Number of Hours per Week x Number of Weeks in a Year)
Hourly Rate = $100,000 / (36 hours/week x 45 weeks/year)

Calculating this:

Hourly Rate = $100,000 / (1,620 hours)
Hourly Rate ≈ $61.73 (rounded to the nearest cent)

Therefore, to achieve a salary of $100,000 per year while working 36 hours a week for 45 weeks, you would need an hourly rate of approximately $61.73.

So,it doesn’t take that much to earn $100k, what is your advice to freelancers, and web developers to help them get to that salary

To help freelancers and web developers reach a salary of $100,000, here are some tips:

  1. Specialize in a Niche: Focus on a specific area or industry within web development where you can build expertise. This specialization can make you stand out among competitors and allow you to command higher rates.
  2. Perfect your Skills: Continuously enhance your web development skills by staying updated with the latest technologies, frameworks, and trends in the industry. Attend workshops, online courses, and conferences to improve your knowledge and increase your value as a freelancer.
  3. Build a Strong Portfolio: Create a portfolio that showcases your best work and demonstrates your capabilities. Include diverse projects that highlight your skills in different areas of web development, such as front-end and back-end development, e-commerce, mobile optimization, etc. A strong portfolio will attract higher-paying clients.
  4. Network and Collaborate: Attend industry events, join online communities, and connect with other professionals in your field. Networking can lead to referrals, partnerships, and collaborations that can help you land higher-paying projects.
  5. Market Yourself Effectively: Develop a well-crafted personal brand and market yourself through various channels like social media, freelancing platforms, and your own website. Clearly communicate your expertise, the value you bring to clients, and the benefits of working with you.
  6. Provide Exceptional Customer Service: Deliver high-quality work, meet deadlines, and provide excellent customer service to your clients. Positive client experiences and testimonials can help you attract more clients and justify higher rates.
  7. Regularly Review and Increase Rates: As you gain more experience and expertise, don’t be afraid to raise your rates. Regularly evaluate your pricing and adjust it accordingly to reflect the value you provide.
  8. Diversify Your Income Streams: Consider offering additional services or products related to web development, such as consulting, training, or selling digital products. Diversifying your income can contribute to reaching higher earning goals.

Remember, reaching a $100,000 salary as a freelancer or web developer takes time, effort, and dedication. Consistently delivering high-quality work, building strong client relationships, and continuously improving your skills will greatly increase your chances of achieving that goal.

This blog post was written with Bertha AI in Chrome. Bertha AI is $35.00 a month – That’s one hour of your time a month at the lower salary expectation and about half an hour of your time at the higher end.

Much less if you go annual.

So, what’s stopping you take advantage of Bertha in your Chrome Browser? She’s there to help you every step of the way in Chrome or adding her to your WordPress websites that you create to enhance your client experience. Don’t forget, Bertha AI is unlimited and, in her paid versions no other user on a website can see what any other user has created with Bertha AI.

Why not use her like I have done and create a costing comparison for your clients?
You could also offer copywriting services to your clients and use Bertha AI to help you – at just $35.00 a month for a Million words a month – what does that work out to be – oh, let’s ask Bertha AI….


What is one million words divided by a cost of $35.00 in numbers please
One million words divided by a cost of $35.00 would be approximately 28,571.43 words per dollar.

Wow! That works out at 285 words or so for just one cent right?
Let Bertha help you reach $100k a year for just $35.00 a month – on as many websites as you like and in your Chrome Browser – It’s a no brainer right? Even better,
Start for free!

About the Author:

2 Responses

  1. A great follow-up post would be how to properly calculate your hourly rate. As a business owner 36 hours worked will not likely be 36 billable hours that you can invoice to a client. We need to factor in all the training, webinars, networking, accounts, blogging, travel etc.

    Let’s say you want to earn £1000 per 36 hour week. Well, you can’t simply divide £1000 by 36 and set an hourly rate of £28. If only 20 of the 36 hours are billable to a client you would need to be charging £50 per hour. 20 X £50 and 16 X £0. This is where many new business owners make a mistake when setting their hourly rate.

    A good base point is to evaluate the overheads of running the business and then divide that by billable hours.

    Let’s say it costs £200 per week to run your business. That’s £10 for each of your 20 billable hours. So that £50 per hour above actually needs to be £60 per hour.

    Remember you need to cover the cost of your Bertha subscription so don’t forget to add approx. $0.40 per hour to your 20 billable hours.

    Looking at it like this Bertha really is a no-brainer Andrew.

    So to anyone questioning the $35 investment in Bertha. STOP! The question you should be asking is… can you add $0.40 per hour to your hourly rate to add some AI brilliance to the skillset you offer to your clients.

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