Should you show prices on your website, or is it a bad idea?

Not everyone is in favour of displaying prices on websites. Some are afraid that their closely guarded pricing structure will be revealed to their competition, some might think that their work is too complicated to be represented by a price list, and others would prefer people to call and ask.

Of course it can depend on the type of business. I'll come on to service based businesses shortly, but if you sell things online, such as products, courses, tickets, etc., it's obvious that you have to display prices, otherwise you'd never make a sale!

Even e-commerce websites can be a little discrete in pricing

You'd expect e-commerce websites to display prices, but some of them tend to be a little discrete in pricing and general transparency.

For example they might not disclose delivery costs until the customer has already gone through a number of steps before reaching the Place Order step.

By then the customer might have already been asked for their personal and payment details, only to find that delivery charges have been (sneakily in some cases) automatically added at the very last moment.

There might also be handling or processing fees which are discretely applied right at the end, or subsequent charges for cancellations or amendments to the order which are hidden somewhere in the Ts&Cs.

And of course we ALL thoroughly read the Ts&Cs before checking the box to say we accept them, don't we?

But what about displaying prices for service based businesses?

If you're competing against other service providers who can only get business by being cheaper than everyone else, then you might not want to display prices unless it's to say something like We'll clean your driveway for as little as £20 or Websites from £199

So let's explore the pros and cons of displaying prices on a website, and you'll be able to make your own mind up whether it would be a good idea for you and your business.

(and by the way, Targa doesn't build websites for £199!)

Transparent pricing can build trust and credibility

Transparent pricing on your website can help to build trust by showing honesty and professionalism, which more and more customers are coming to expect.

Some people might be put off because they consider you to be too expensive, whilst others might feel that that your prices are too cheap for you to be able to provide the level of service they're looking for.

But your intention is unlike to be targeting everyone from bargain hunters to those looking for the best. So by clearly displaying your prices you can be more direct in which type of customers you're targeting, reduce uncertainty, boost credibility, and make it easier for potential customers to engage with your business.

Displaying prices can save you wasting time on unqualified leads

Displaying prices on your website allows potential customers to self-qualify, reducing the time you spend dealing with enquiries from unqualified leads and people who aren't a good fit. This helps you and your team focus on serious prospects who are more likely to become actual customers.

Displaying prices can improve customer experience

Potential customers increasingly want instant and easy access to price information, and if they can't find it, they may leave for a competitor's website.

Clear pricing removes uncertainty, because potential customers can quickly determine affordability and perceived quality, both of which can influence the decision to buy or not to buy.

Displaying prices can strengthen brand positioning

Displaying your prices can give you a competitive advantage. It allows you to position your brand, whether as a budget, mid-range, or premium service provider, and you'll also able to explain the value behind your prices.

Remember that price is what you pay, and value is what you get. So it's a good idea to be clear about what you're providing.

Displaying prices can improve SEO & website engagement

Including pricing information on your website can improve search engine rankings for price-related queries, which can therefore increase visibility to potential customers.

Well-structured pricing content can also boost engagement by making your pages more relevant and useful to visitors, and thus reducing the bounce rate and improving SEO effectiveness.

Displaying prices can exposure you to your competition

Displaying prices can expose your business to competitors who might use that information to undercut or copy your pricing strategy. This can especially be the case in highly competitive markets where there is little to differentiate one business from another, other than how much they charge.

Displaying prices is not suitable for complex offers

For businesses offering bespoke or highly tailored services, displaying fixed prices might cause you to over simplify what you offer.

It can therefore fail to reflect the true scope and variability of each project, and could give a false impression of how flexible you're prepared to be for potential customers who have requirements which don't quite fit with items on your price list.

It is important that the prices you display, whether it be through static text or a bespoke pricing calculator, actually reflect the pricing model of your business instead of the other way round.

Displaying prices could deter some customers

Displaying prices can sometimes deter potential customers who focus only on cost without understanding the value behind your service.

For example, some visitors may undervalue premium services if they only compare numbers without context. This could cause some visitors to leave before exploring the full benefits or customisation on offer.

Until I had heard about and read Marcus Sheridan's book They Ask, You Answer I had been unsure whether displaying prices on my website would be a good idea for me or not.

I became convinced that it would be a good idea, but that was until I attended a 2-day business growth event, which included a presentation by a very slick sales guy who held a Q&A session at the end. So I told him what my business was, and I asked the question about displaying prices.

His response was a firm No and he went on to say that ... what you want to do it get prospects on a call so you can go through the steps, go in high, and try to close the deal. If you need to, you can offer a discount or throw in a bonus if they agree there and then.

That's pressure, and is it really what I want to do?

I'm more than happy to have the call, but I would prefer it to be from the perspective of discussing how I can help a prospective client, who might already be aware of what I do, what others say about me, and they might already have a reasonable idea of the cost of their investment.

And from the customer's perspective, they might not be available for a call, or they might prefer not to get into a discussion where they might feel out of their depth with jargon they don't understand, and a salesman who is armed with a number of techniques all geared towards closing a deal on the spot.

You can probably therefore tell that I am a fan of displaying prices on a website. I did exactly that with my web design services for a range of fixed price website packages, and also a bespoke cost calculator for prospective clients who need more flexibility than the fixed price packages provide.

I also have a background in compliance, especially where pricing transparency is concerned.

Having spent 21 years in e-commerce for Hertz, the global car rental corporation, I was responsible for ensuring that we met the tightening rules set by the EU Commission, the CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) and other governing bodies around the globe.

Does this mean that I MUST display prices?

Whilst the decision to display or not display prices will be entirely optional for many of you, compliance for Hertz was mandatory. But I also realised that being crystal clear on our pricing, charges, fees, etc., gave us a competitive advantage over other players in our market who had not prioritised pricing transparency in the way that we had.

Our customers thanked us for it too!