I think a lot of small businesses get nervous about putting prices on their website or sales page because they don't want to scare potential customers away but I think it actually does the opposite. I think listing prices is a way to weed out bargain hunters and attract the right people to your business. When people go to your website they want to learn about you, your services, and your prices. If you don't list prices on your website people won't know if you are within their budget and they probably won't even bother to ask especially if a competitor of yours lists their price on their website.
With all that said here are some reasons you should put prices on your website let's dive in.
1. People Want to Know if You're Within Their Price Range
People want to know if your prices are within their price range simple as that. Even if you're not putting your exact prices on your website and you're only putting starting prices (starting at $400) or a range of prices ($400-$800) then people are able to budget and know if you are right for them.
2. Knowing Your Prices Keeps Your Business More Efficient and Saves You Time Displaying your prices makes your business more efficient by pre-qualifying customers who are your ideal clients. Also, it's a time-saver because you won't have to come up with custom prices for every new client. Even if prices vary per project, like website design for my business atleast knowing your base price ensures that your service remains valuable by covering the time and effort you invest in each project. As long as it's clear that you state you prices as starting prices you leave flexibility for those larger projects that are outside of the base price scope.
3. Posting Your Prices Will Respect Your Customers' Time so They Don't Have to Contact You Just to See if They Can Afford You
When people are looking for service and comparing one business over another they want information right then and there so to respect your customer's time and not make them jump through hoops just post your prices on your website.
4. Transparent Pricing Sets Expectations and Builds Trust in Your Services - Because Quality Matters and Your Prices Reflect It
Posting your prices lets customers know that you are within industry norms it doesn't matter if you want to be on the lower end or higher end of the spectrum people just wanna know your prices. You always get what you pay for. If they decide to go with a cheaper service and they end up having a bad experience who knows they might remember you and end up booking you later for a better experience.
I wanted to break some common myths about putting your prices on your website as well
Myth 1: Displaying Prices Hurts Your Competitiveness Some business owners worry that sharing prices openly exposes their strategy to competitors. But the truth is, that transparency can attract the right people to your business. People who see the value of your work. Will competitors copy your prices for their own service or products? Maybe but only you can what you do, the special way you do it. The pros of posting your prices highly outweighs the cons.
Myth 2: Mystery Prices Creates Intrigue The idea that hiding prices creates a sense of mystery and lures in more customers is a bit old-school. These days you're more likely to frustrate visitors who can't find the info they need and they might skip over your business all together especially if a competiting business lists their prices. Most people don't want to take the extra step to contact you about pricing trust me.
Myth 3: Only Low-Cost Products Should Show Prices Thinking that only budget-friendly products should show prices is a thing of the past. Shoppers of all budgets appreciate seeing what's on offer upfront.
Myth 4: No Price Means High Price Assuming that there's no displayed price might make people think that your services are too expensive which is not always the case.
Myth 5: Customers Don't Care About Prices Yes, customers care about more than just the cost, but let's be real: pricing is a big deal. It's a key factor in their decision-making process.
Myth 6: Transparent Pricing Kills Profit Margins Some think that transparent pricing means they'll always lose out on the cheapest option. Not true! Many customers are willing to pay more for quality and value. You don't want to work with bargain hunters anyway they normally don't make the best clients.
Myth 7: My pricing depends on each product so I'm not able to put prices up
I get it my website package prices easily depend on how much work goes into the website so that's why I put starting prices on those packages instead of set prices that way I at least get paid a base price for my time and then I add extra hours and pricing for larger scope projects.
Now that you know some reasons why you should put your pricing on your website here is some info about how to put prices on your website.
Create prices for the different categories of your customers
When pricing your services it's best to think about three levels of entry, you see this a lot with almost any service that you find on the Internet. There's the cheapest price point, which involves the least amount of work for you but still gives your clients the basics of what they need. For me, this would be the basic logo package where they just get 3 to 6 files.
A medium level, which is where you want most people to fall, you'll see this in the silver package for my logos where you get all of the logo files that you need, like logo orientations and color variations which gives you around 12+ files depending on your logo.
Lastly, you have the highest level where you will probably have the least amount of sales but the option is there if people are looking for something more advanced. For me is the branding package where you get all of the logo files that you need plus the guidelines to create a cohesive and unique brand.
So no matter where your client is at they can work with you at a low mid or high price range.
Another example of this would be for a hair salon.
Entry-Level A simple haircut. You walk in, get your hair trimmed, and you're good to go.
Mid-Level Haircut with styling. This includes not only the cut but also some basic styling to give you a more polished look
High-Level Haircut with advanced styling, and additional treatments like deep conditioning or special styling techniques for that red-carpet look
If you're selling products this could look like
Entry-Level: classic stud earrings
Mid-Level: Semi-precious gemstone earrings that provide a touch of luxury without the hefty price tag
High-Level: High-quality precious gemstone earrings, where opulence meets craftsmanship
Testing your prices When I first started to design logos, I set my prices pretty low, at just $50 per logo. Unsurprisingly, I got a ton of inquiries since my price point was really low. As I gained experience, I slowly bumped up the prices and found my sweet spot at $400 which is now my basic logo package.
There was this one time when I considered ditching the logo-only packages and focusing solely on branding. Which I priced at $600, but it didn't quite work out. I could definitely see some resistance and noticed a drop in sales. This is when I decided to go with the 3 levels of entry pricing that you see on my website today and that gave me higher conversion rates and less hesitation from potential clients.
Where to put your pricing?
I would put them on the services page of your website both in separate packages then again where you put all the packages side by side. For example, if you have three packages put all three prices and a small blurb side-by-side so people can see all of the investments at once that's a great way for people to compare them with each other. I also like to put pricing on the contact box on my contact page that way when people go to inquire they know exactly what price point I am starting at and that they can afford at least the starting base price.
Whether you're running a service-based business or selling products being upfront about prices can be a game-changer. It's like a secret weapon that not only simplifies the decision-making process but also keeps your customers coming back for more. It's all about making things easier, building trust, and ensuring that everyone gets what they want. So now that you're in the know I want you to confidently post your prices on your website.
Z Squared Studio is a Brand and Web Design Studio based in Juneau, Alaska. Check out www.zsquaredstudio.com for custom brand design, logo design, or web design. Or sign up for our DIY Brand yourself Mini-Course if you're ready for a stand out, scroll stopping brand without hiring a designer.