The Price is Right: Why you should address pricing on your business website

There are so many good reasons why a publishing the prices of your services, or at the very least addressing pricing on your business website makes good sense. Think about your own online research habit.

If you’re looking for a service or product .e g the cost of carpet flooring – the websites that give you a price per square metre are going to be the ones that you are more likely to consider than the ones which don’t have any mention of the prices of their flooring products.

Of course in some industries like the trades sector, it’s difficult to quote exact pricing when there are many factors which can influence the scope of the job. In these industries, a quote generator is a good substitute or a breakdown of the factors that will influence the price including call out rates, and emergency rates can be a good alternative.

The point it is consumer nature to want to know the price, and even if you’re not offering the cheapest rates available, by displaying pricing, you’re being completely transparent with visitors. If your prices are on the higher end of the scale, you still should display your pricing. The rest of your website can be used to justify why the price you are charging still represents value.

Reasons why businesses shy away from pricing

There are many reasons why businesses shy away from pricing, the most common being a fear of turning customers away and losing enquiries. Other reasons businesses shy away from pricing of their website include:

Perception that competitors could get a sense of what you are charging and undercut you.
Might squash potential leads which could have been converted into sales after meeting or speaking with the prospective customer.
They know they are not the cheapest and assume people will may be too price conscious and shop around.

The fact is that customers will shop around no matter whether you display prices or not and your competitors could find out what you charge in just seconds. If you do display pricing at least your business will be one of the companies they consider using. It’s also a myth that people are always looking for the cheapest offer. Customers understand that you get what you pay for and if they are on your sire they are looking for reasons to choose your business – pricing is just one of these but arguably one of the most important.

Besides pricing is not the only thing that is important to customers. They are looking for quality service, warranties, other benefits and affirmation that buying from you is a smart choice. At the end of the day everyone wants to feel like they made a good purchasing decision and price is only one component of this.

Reasons to address pricing on your site

Customers who are interested after seeing the price means that they are a genuine enquiry who are interested in your services. If the price is not right you won’t get the call. This allows you to filter the most genuine of enquiries and saves time chasing leads only to find out after the leg work has been done that they aren’t able or willing to pay your rates.
Don’t assume that people are so interested in what you have to take the time to make a phone call and find out your prices. It’s better to give them the information they need when you have them otherwise the chances are very high they will keep browsing to one of your competitors who do offer pricing details.
Helps to gain respect and transparency. Pricing also shows that you have nothing to hide and you stand by your rates. In this information age, people want answers quickly and if you can give them everything they need in regards to a product and service they need and a fair price then you have met their needs.
Pricing information can be incredibly useful for SEO. For a pool builder, a piece of content on your website titled “how much do in ground pools cost to build” or something similar can be one of the highest converting pieces of content on your website. Appearing on page 1 in Google for similar phrases is often very achievable since no one else in the industry is taking the time to address it. From the thousands of visits a piece of content like this can attract, it’s reasonable to conclude that sales will follow as people appreciate upfront and honest information and getting the information they want.

There are so many success stories online of businesses who have recorded a boost in enquiries after adding pricing to their services. Unless you are overcharging for what the market is willing to pay, this busts the myth that customers will be put off from seeing pricing information on your site.

Tips for Adding Pricing Information

Prices ‘starting at’ can be a good ballpark figure if you’re not comfortable putting a list of prices. Just saying ‘starting at $99.00 though isn’t enough – mention the things that influence price like the time of the job, the different options for service levels, and the time frame. It depends on the product or service.
For businesses that offer a service, sometimes giving price ranges makes more sense than a fixed price since fixed pricing cannot take into the unique circumstances or challenges of the work you may receive and may make you locked in.
What are others in your industry doing? If most others have pricing pages, you should too. Even if your rates are more expensive you should explain why they are worth it e.g personalised service, same day response, extended warranty, or more premium quality.
It can be a smart idea to put a note under prices that there is room for negotiation with prices. Something like ‘prices can be negotiated.
To avoid ‘sticker shock’ don’t put your prices as the first thing people see on the site. Let them poke around and scroll for little while and understand the value of your products and services if you are in an industry where a big price banner on the homepage could be a deterrent.

The hard truth is that price does matter on the Internet. And if you’re prices are competitive (and let’s be honest they should be otherwise you won’t be in business for too long) they should be addressed in some way on your site. Get in touch with the experts at Media Heroes today for more information around pricing on your website or any aspect of digital strategy.