Should my website show my prices?

[totallytech]

Hey Guys,

I'm a web design company based in Wymondham, just outside Norwich. I will shortly begin a new telemarketing campaign and my new website is almost finished...

I'm just looking for some opinions though - My last site was huge and quite confusing, completely useless on a mobile phone too! - the new site is so streamlined etc now but the main question is:

Should I include a price page or not? my research shows 50/50 - some web design companies do, some don't....
I'm not massively expensive but wouldn't want to put off a company with a £5k budget if they see £400-£1000 sites etc... at the same time, I don't want someone with £400 to walk away thinking ££££....

What do you think?

 

[Ryan Scollon]

That is a very common issue and the company I work for is thinking the exact same thing. Some people look at websites and think 'damn, these guys look expensive' so might never get in touch if they have no pricing on show.

My advice would be to split it up into 3 separate categories:

Cheap and cheerful for small business - £400 to £1000
Medium sized business - £1500 to £2500
Custom websites - £3000+

Something along the lines of that

 

[webhostuk]

I would prefer showing pricing as suggested by Ryan starting cheap and for high end project you can ask for a call back.

 

[AllUpHere]

I'm not massively expensive but wouldn't want to put off a company with a £5k budget

There is your problem, and it's one of the most common strategic mistakes I see on a daily basis. Your marketing will be massively more effective with proper targeting, but you are sabotaging your targeting by trying not to put off certain sectors. If your ideal target market is going to spend between £500 and £1000, you want to be putting off everyone looking to spend outside of those prices.

 

[totallytech]

There is your problem, and it's one of the most common strategic mistakes I see on a daily basis. Your marketing will be massively more effective with proper targeting, but you are sabotaging your targeting by trying not to put off certain sectors. If your ideal target market is going to spend between £500 and £1000, you want to be putting off everyone looking to spend outside of those prices.

In all honesty at the moment I'm looking to target all businesses (start up included) within a 50 mile radius of me (atm) so my facebook / google targeted ads all reflect that, but like I say - I could handle a £5000 job, but at the same time the bulk of my work will be sub £1000. I could have 4 packages - with the 4th being a contact us for a quote item - I don't deliberately target the plus £1000 but certainly wouldnt want to lose them. I absolutely wouldn't want someone who thought they'd get a £5000 site for £100 so if I start with a fixed package as a minimum then I can stagger them up to the contact me...

My telesales program is set to target every business within a 50 mile area of my postcode regardless of turnover / staff etc...

 

[ethical PR]

I agree with @AllUpHere - your marketing spend and strategy will be much more effective if you actually identify the target customers you want to work with.

Targeting all customers within a given radius won't help you differeniate you in a crowded marketplace. I wouldn't advise running a telesales campaign that does this.

For example 1 in 4 start ups fail and most don't have the budget to invest in circa £1000 websites - so why would you want to target them?

Go back to your marketing strategy - what can you offer that your many competitors don't - what sectors and types of websites do you have experience in? What does your market research show is the best sector/type of website design and development for you to focus on.

If you don't have a properly researched marketing strategy don't invest in marketing activity until you have one.

 

[fisicx]

And once you have done you marketing strategy split test your site: one version with prices and one without.

Test everything. And keep testing.

As an aside, why the TLD for Italy?

 

[totallytech]

And once you have done you marketing strategy split test your site: one version with prices and one without.

Test everything. And keep testing.

As an aside, why the TLD for Italy?

The tld worked purely on the fact that the company was called Totally Tech IT so it was quite "funky" to have totallytech.it as the domain - I've got others too but I did like the IT factor - As its going now, I may even drop it completely lol

 

[SamLH]

This isn't going to work if you think you can just build it and they will come.

Have you done any competitive analysis?

If I was going to get a website built for a small company with really limited budget I would just get a mate to do it for a few hundred £.
If I was looking to spend thousands of pounds I would research who the best companies were and at least want some testimonials about the company before I started working with them.

This is a really basic point on why you can't target everybody.

Do you want to focus on smaller companies and compete with pretty much everybody who studied any computer based course at college. Or target bigger companies but have pretty much no credibility?

You first need to find a market, find what you can offer the market, then decide how you sell it.

 

[Krystsina]

Hey there,

I think that your question is quite common as there is always a trick. But talking about my own experience, I would say that it is better to put the price. If it is your client, he will be with you. The price can be helpful for people to understand if they are able to go with you or not, so it is better not to waste their time.

I partly own a restaurant, and we were wondering if we should put our menu with prices or without to our website. Of course, restaurant and web company are two different things, but I believe it works the same in a way: it is better to let the customer understand from the beginning if he can allow himself your services or not.

Regards,
Krystsina

 

[beasty]

Save time scrolling
Tell us your budget and we will point you at some service options

I would think you can introduce a neat pop up question.. that requires a CLICK and then moves them to the right area of your site.

I would like it as a user, i have 5000 and want to know what kind of service that may offer

You are saving your viewer time and the issue is very real of people seeing too cheap, too expensive, too many services to few services you can find 4 quick ways to put someone off.

So you have them land at the 5k ish services, then you say UNTICK the features you do not require.... have the costs reduce... and then have em submit a number or email to connect for more info..

 

[Chris Ashdown]

You can easily show the various benefits and costs of a number of packages as examples of what you can do, maybe on the lines of Bronze, Silver & Gold

So a Bronze package would be suitable for a small shop or self employed person with a number of pages and seo setup for local services, whilst the Gold could be from £xxxxx and include a e-commerce shop set up with the owner in control along with PSP working and every thing else plus training

Don't forget the more big jobs you take on the more chance you will have to turn the small to medium away as not having time to do them within a reasonable timeframe

 

[beasty]

Hey there,

I think that your question is quite common as there is always a trick. But talking about my own experience, I would say that it is better to put the price. If it is your client, he will be with you. The price can be helpful for people to understand if they are able to go with you or not, so it is better not to waste their time.

I partly own a restaurant, and we were wondering if we should put our menu with prices or without to our website. Of course, restaurant and web company are two different things, but I believe it works the same in a way: it is better to let the customer understand from the beginning if he can allow himself your services or not.

Regards,
Krystsina

Entirely different businesses

A restaurant should put up the prices all the time, its a simple low cost transaction that will happen RIGHT NOW, you already have their interest by the time they see a menu, so you only need to present a price, whereas a bespoke service for thousands of pounds will not have a customer clicking pay until you have had further communication

You do not make the sale with the first contact on your site your site is simply saying HELLO we might be able to work together and your website design is a tool for putting them in touch with you.

 

[Krystsina]

Entirely different businesses

A restaurant should put up the prices all the time, its a simple low cost transaction that will happen RIGHT NOW whereas a bespoke service for thousands of pounds will not have a customer clicking pay until you have had further communication

You do not make the sale with the first contact on your site your site is simply saying HELLO we might be able to work together and your website design is a tool for putting them in touch with you.

Sure, as I said myself, a restaurant and a web company are two different things, so no need to repeat it again

I partly agree with what you say on website saying hello as personally for me it is waste of time. When I'm looking for someone who can provide me specific services, I don't want to do an extra effort to write an email and to ask about the price. I like to save my time checking prices at the same time I see the website of the company. Of course, everyone has different needs, and some people can allow themselves to take extra time, but unfortunately, not all of them, so there is a risk to loose clients in urgent for them situations.

 

[benjaminjones]

Thanks a lot . I had this problem as mentioned many people have prices shown and many don't . I started off not showing prices but it's a lot tougher getting people to request a quote .
Will definitely look at getting some packages made up .
Good thread

 

[David G Rees]

I have exactly the same problem, just revamped my SEO / Web design website and am toying with the price issue as well. Am probably going to have say 4 options for different sized businesses and then say these prices are guidelines and we will taylor it to fit your needs.

 

[EcomAlistair]

I think you should test, test, test!

Otherwise your decisions are always based to some degree on assumption ... even if it is assumption dressed up as research.

You must test this scientifically to know for sure what is going to get you the best results - to show or not show prices.

Results meaning: Leads & New Business!

The only people that truly matter are your customers @totallytech ... not their opinion, but their action. You can ask customers and potential customers what they think, but the only way you can truly know is to not tell them they are in an experiment. This is so you can avoid the Hawthorne effect, definition:

the alteration of behaviour by the subjects of a study due to their awareness of being observed.

I have exactly the same problem, just revamped my SEO / Web design website and am toying with the price issue as well. Am probably going to have say 4 options for different sized businesses and then say these prices are guidelines and we will taylor it to fit your needs.

The danger is you can end up creating a package for everyone, and end up appealing to no-one. I think if you go the productised service route, then opt for 2 versions of each service max. It's personal opinion, but based on the principle of reducing cognitive load ... don't give someone too many options, we have too many as it is.

If I provide an option for every possible outcome, I also show that I am not too sure what I do ... it boils down to a lack of confidence to specialise, which in my opinion, waters down a company's value proposition and takes them down the 'commodity' services route ... which we want to avoid at all costs!

@totallytech - I would say don't be afraid of alienating 80% of the 'total market' (sub £1000 sites) if you feel confident you can deliver what the 20% truly want (£1000+) ... there is enough work, if your message resonates with the right people ...

If you want to know how to test this (or any) assumption, PM me I will send you a link to an article that will take you through the exact process.

 

[EcomAlistair]

@David G Rees - what will your four packages be? I'm confident you can squeeze these into 2 packages and not lose out because of it.

 

[AllUpHere]

@David G Rees - what will your four packages be? I'm confident you can squeeze these into 2 packages and not lose out because of it.

Why do you think it's better to squeeze everything you do into 2 packages?

 

[EcomAlistair]

@AllUpHere - see fuller response in my earlier post

I am not saying a business should just have two service options ... I'm saying that a web page shouldn't have more than two options ... if you're wanting someone to take action.

Make sense?

 

[AllUpHere]

@AllUpHere - see fuller response in my earlier post

I am not saying a business should just have two service options ... I'm saying that a web page shouldn't have more than two options ... if you're wanting someone to take action.

Make sense?

It makes sense, but it seems to me that you have latched on to the fact that you think it's better to only have 2 options, and are now using it out of context (or more specifically in the wrong manner).

Much better, in my opinion, for the OP to offer what the client wants specifically, rather than trying to shove them in a certain direction in order to make your '2 option' theory fit with what we are talking about.

 

[David G Rees]

Too much choice = confusion, i can get that concept, every client is different and has different needs, the way i was thinking was just to give the client an idea of the costs involved.

 

[EcomAlistair]

Which takes me back to my first point - it should be tested scientifically.

We could argue all day long about whether or not a company should show two or four tiers of service, or we could test it.

We could argue all day long about whether or not a company should show their prices at all, or we could test it.​

For instance...

If a company generates twice as many leads on Service Page A (which shows their services with prices) than on Service Page B (which shows its services without prices) - and the business generated by those leads is profitable, then the OP is answered.

Opinion and Experience are valid - but if the computer says no .... then

 

[EcomAlistair]

Too much choice = confusion, i can get that concept, every client is different and has different needs, the way i was thinking was just to give the client an idea of the costs involved.

In that case, one sentence can rule them all

Our packages range from £500-5000, depending on the client's requirements ....

But again, I would say test that assumption ... i.e.

Control (version A) - shows two tiers of service on a page. One for £500 and one for £2000.

Variant (version B) - shows the phrase above.

Send 50% of traffic to Version A, and 50% of traffic to Version B = pick the winner based on:​

a) which type of client you'd like to work with / work you'd like to do
b) what's best for your bottom line

 

[EcomAlistair]

@AllUpHere - there's also the principle of a 'Trip Wire' purchase.

Aim: Get the client to buy something fairly low-risk from you. Easy to deliver, but provides value nonetheless.

Once they're in your pipeline, you can sell on additional projects and / or retainer services. The initial tripwire purchase becomes a part of your sales process, in that it

• lowers barriers to entry,
• provides immediate value,
• qualifies the prospect

Also worth .... that's right .... testing!

 

[Edith@TerraNetwork]

I used to offer web design many years ago and we did all work by quote (no fixed prices) but showed case studies with sample costs so clients looking at the site had a rough idea in what price bracket we were. I found client needs differed too much to be able to offer fixed price plans. And with many clients, work started out with one small job (eg a modification) and then the work kept coming in over the years once they knew they could trust us.

 

[Toby Willows]

It's not difficult really. You do need show your prices, otherwise many people will leave your website thinking you are expensive or exclusive. What you HAVE to do is give examples on YOUR website what £xxx buys you compared to £x,xxx and then £xx,xxx. Build a few dummy sites showing what these price points promise. You've then covered all bases. The Size of the business is almost irrelevant as it's what the business does, rather than it's number of employees/turnover that dictates the size of website required.

And don't be frightened on the price point. We are in the service industry and charge more than anyone else in our area, but due to our service and (all clients comment on it) our basic but "all info there (including price) on home page" we are turning away business on a monthly basis.

 

[Alan]

If you want clients that treat websites as a commodity you need to show prices.

Typical 'purchasers' at sub £1,000 think of websites as a commodity, and the OP's usp will be that whilst it is a commodity, at least they are local.

Its pretty much proven that you should have three offering
Low
Medium
High

People talk about testing, but interesting no one talks about their test results

My test results actually showed that you should have
High
Medium
Low

This is because the higher price gets 'lodged in the mind' first and is used as a frame of reference for the rest.

Any one watch TV antique auctions, listen to the auctioneer,
Who will give me £150 (lodging a high value)
No one £100 - £50 - who will start me at £20 .... bidding starts and ends at £130 and the person things they got a bargain as they didn't pay £150...

Now if you are going to sell commodity websites for under £1,000 you better make sure they are a commodity and not some custom solution, and the potential clients understand that.

If indeed, you are going to sell custom solutions tailored to the clients needs through your consultative skills, then you can't price as a commodity as it isn't - the best you can do is indicate a range in some way. I have even seen some firms at 'your budget range' in the contact form, the lowest option being £20k - saying go away unless you are a serious business.