I've been a freelance developer for many years and am setting up a system designed to attract clients through one of my developer websites.
If successful, these would be clients I do not know, and some jobs may be very small. When working with clients I know on larger projects, I'm accustomed to doing the work before I get paid. But, here, that seems risky.
I'm looking for suggestions on the payment schedule I should require for small projects. I suspect potential clients will not be willing to pay the full amount up front, and so the solution will probably be some sort of compromise.
Best Answer
Up-Front + Milestones
Typically, you should have some payment up-front to begin work. Then, have milestones where you deliver some part of the project to them, or show an update to progress where the next payment is due. This way you have the incentive to keep working on the project, because you don't get paid the full amount until you deliver, and they have the incentive to actually pay you along the way because they won't get the full product if you walk out because they stopped paying you mid-stream.
As with anything, this is negotiable, and good-will comes in to play depending on clients/relationships, etc. Milestone and upfront payment percentages can vary widely, so use your own discression as to both what's fair and to what degree you are willing to risk not getting paid.