Ah, the old pricing debate… should you or shouldn’t you put your prices on your website? As a web designer, this is a conversation I have a lot with my clients as we are creating their website.
The short answer is that it’s totally up to you, but I know that’s not what you came to this post for, so I’ll do my best to make a case for both sides.
If you sell products, which are a commodity, you should most definitely put your pricing on your website. Or if you sell programs or courses that you want visitors to be able to purchase directly from your site, I’d also highly recommend putting your prices on your site. But, for service-based businesses, listing your prices can present a more challenging decision.
AN ARGUMENT FOR NOT PUTTING YOUR PRICING ON YOUR WEBSITE
Some business owners like to forgo pricing information on their website and instead encourage interested visitors to book a sales call with them so that they can talk through objections with potential leads after getting to know them and guide them to the sale.
Here are some signs this might be the right approach for you:
- If you have strong sales skills (or are generally just a people person)
- You custom quote every client project and don’t have set service packages
- You sell high-ticket done-for-you services >$1000+
- You have availability or resources to field sales calls on a frequent, ongoing basis
If you go this route you need to be prepared that by not including your pricing information on your website, you could be missing out on potential inquiries of people who are put off by the lack of transparency. To avoid the loss of potential leads, you could consider adding some language to the effect of: “Packages starting at $XXX” to at least give interested visitors an idea of what to expect without locking yourself in. This can help put nerves at ease for certain individuals–No one wants to hop on a sales call only to be embarrassed when the service is actually lightyears out of their budget.
Related Post: 2 Reasons Your New Website Might Be a Total Failure
AN ARGUMENT FOR PUTTING YOUR PRICING ON YOUR WEBSITE
Other people prefer to be more hands-off and put their pricing on their site, using it as a qualifier to scare away the “tire kickers” or “budget shoppers”.
Here are some signs this might be the right approach for you:
- You don’t have strong sales skills
- You have defined service packages that fit most of your clients
- You sell lower-ticket services <$500
- You don’t have time or resources to to field sales calls on a frequent, ongoing basis
If you have general packages that apply to most of your inquiries or you don’t want to spend a ton of time on sales calls with people who aren’t even remotely close to being ready to invest at your price point, then I’d recommend putting your pricing on your website. If you go this route, your sales page needs to be really robust, well written, and designed so that it makes the value of working with you VERY clear or you won’t like the way your conversions look.
Related Post: How to Get ROI from Your DIY Website
The downside of this approach is that you might miss out on opportunities to handle objections with potential leads that could very well be resolved with a quick chat—Sometimes a real conversation can make a world of difference in whether someone decides that you are the right fit for them or not, but if someone is scared off by your pricing on your site, you might not even get that chance to talk to them.
As mentioned before, I believe a lot of weight in this decision comes down to personal choice but in my experience I find most of my clients (and myself included), like to include their prices on their site in some way or another. Especially, after we create their custom sales pages and write conversion-oriented copy highlighting their services, which makes it so much easier to sell in their value.
Are you team pro-pricing or no pricing? Whichever camp you land in, just make sure there is intention behind it… And, if you happen to be in the market for a website template that includes pricing, check out my Kimberly Showit website template for a clear and easy way to display your prices on your website.
I help female entrepreneurs and business owners create brands that command the spotlight. I love working with women to help them create beautiful, one-of-a-kind brands that give them the confidence to take their business to the next level and get them seriously noticed. I’ve worked with coaches, authors, influencers… you name it, and I bet I can help you too.
