How displaying fees on your site may give you an edge over your competitors.
Many small businesses make use of their website to generate leads that they can use to help them in their sales process. Every page serves a purpose and has variations depending on who the page is intended to appeal to.
Each piece of content serves a purpose, but the overall goal is to get users to contact you. It is reasonable to show your pricing structure to ensure that your leads are qualified before you get in touch.
Or does it?
Your website visitors will not all be leads.
Different industries have different needs.
Your site may be viewed by competitors who are looking to lower your prices and possibly even steal your business. They may be able to bid on projects and submit proposals if they are aware that you are trying to attract leads from the exact same source.
There are many variables that can affect the price of your industry.
It takes a bit of elbow grease to understand why or not and a balanced view of the issue.
How to tell if you should display your prices
Although this Moz article on website pricing is old, it makes some good points about why pricing should be displayed.
You should convey value when you are displaying pricing. You can create a value proposition that includes a pricing tier to address variables specific to your business and can set you apart from the rest.
A listing of pricing without context or with just a few lines of value will not attract a user who is considering other options. While you may be more expensive than your competition, you might offer a lot more value for the price you are charging. Be sure to let your prospects know.
This could be another reason not to display pricing. After evaluating your competitors, if they have tiered pricing which exceeds the value of what they offer, take some time to evaluate how they can provide more for a lower price.
If you feel ambitious, you can call them to clarify their offering and request examples in practice. Sometimes, the value listed on the site can be misleading. Don’t believe everything your competitor claims.
What if your competitors don’t display pricing?
Although your competitors might not be displaying how much they charge, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you shouldn’t.
Sometimes, a money-focused company can be more concerned with its bottom line than its customers. You don’t have to compete on price. If you are up against established professionals in your industry, you can overcome the obstacle of their online presence being stronger (more activity, more reviews) by doing what you won’t.
Be specific about the reason you are listing different pricing levels. Each should have a specific reason beyond profitability.
You have already established the pricing. Now you need to understand why. This could be based on research or who you have previously served. Since eventually, that conversation will occur anyway, be honest and upfront about why you charge the price you do.
Prices can be left off-site and saved until you speak with the lead to discuss pricing. You can also mention the sales points on your website.
Your competitors are an example but not the rule. You don’t have to follow their lead if they have prices that aren’t applicable to you.
What if your competitors are showing their prices?
If you are not as transparent about your prices as your competitors but feel that it would disadvantage you, then the same question you need to ask is the one your leads will be asking you: Why?
Bad experiences or the fear of sticker shock could be reasons you were put off.
Perhaps you don’t want your competition to be educated about your pricing. Your reasons may be valid at times, but you should be ready to answer a lead who is looking for information. Why don’t you put this on your website?
Be prepared with a solution and a good answer. If the reason is wrong, you should include an anecdote. Otherwise, you risk being unable to answer and looking dishonest.
It’s up to you to display prices.
Your choice of whether to display prices on your website or not is up to you. There is no one right way to do it. Take into consideration all aspects and make the best decision for your customers.
You can state that you withhold pricing if you have good reasons. If not, you might want to reconsider the decision.
You can use website stats to help you determine if pricing is effective. If you feel ambitious, you could place all pricing on a single page. Then check your Google Analytics to verify that the trail ends.
It could be that users don’t reach the price page and are not contacting you.
Susan Friesen founded eVision Media over 15 years ago. This boutique digital marketing and web development firm specializes in creating, building, and marketing unique websites for entrepreneurs, businesses, and other organizations.
