Should I put my prices on my website? This is one of those questions I often get asked as a freelance mentor, and it isn’t an easy one to respond to. As with many of the things we come across during our freelance careers, the answer is: it depends!

For business owners who sell products, the situation is usually fairly straightforward. They know how much their products cost to produce and know how much they need to be making on them to ensure these costs are worthwhile. The only variables are likely to be shipping charges, which are usually calculated separately. Especially if they’re selling their products online, of course, their prices need to be included on their website.

But what about those of us who are service-based business owners? Those of us who have to take into consideration things like turnaround time, the length of a project, the complexity of the work involved, and so many other factors? It simply isn’t always possible for us to have standard prices. And if we do, do we really want to be sharing these numbers with the whole world?

I’ve decided to dedicate this blog post to providing a comprehensive answer to the question of whether or not sharing your prices on your website is right for you. I’m setting out the advantages and disadvantages of doing so, as well as suggesting a solution that might help you get the positives out of both sides of the argument.

Should I put prices on my website?

If you offer packages or fixed services, meaning that your quotes don’t tend to vary widely based on the customer’s requirements, you might decide to go ahead and publish your prices online. When deciding whether or not to include your prices on your website, there are a number of pros and cons you need to weigh up before making that all-important decision.

Benefits of including your prices on your website

1) It filters out clients

Having your prices on your website will help you filter out those clients who don’t have the budget to work with you. If they see straight away that they can’t afford your services, they’ll move on and will look for a service provider they can afford instead.

This can be a great time-saver because it means that you won’t have to spend time replying to emails, preparing quotes or hopping on calls with people who don’t have the budget to pay your rates.

2) It helps dispel awkwardness around price

When your prices are clearly visible on your website, you can assume that the client already knows more or less how much you’re going to ask them to pay. If you’re someone who tends to feel worried about how the client is going to respond to your quotes, this can help take some of the fear out of the quoting process.

It can also remove any awkwardness you might feel when it comes to discussing money and negotiating. You can simply refer a potential client to the rates on your website. And, if you don’t want to get into any negotiations, you can say your rates are fixed and that it wouldn’t be fair on your other clients to agree to a discounted price.

3) It’s one less barrier when it comes to making contact

Think about your own behaviour when buying a service; do you prefer to know how much you’re going to be expected to pay without having to enquire first? A potential client might decide not to contact you purely because they’re afraid they won’t be able to pay your rates.

Just like in some exclusive shops, people sometimes assume that if the price isn’t clearly stated, it’s very high. Especially if they don’t understand the ins and outs of your industry, and all the variables involved in putting together a quote, they could just assume you’re very expensive.

Drawbacks of sharing your prices on your website

1) It creates expectations

The prices you publish on your website are what customers will expect to pay. This leaves you with little flexibility to charge more on a project-by-project basis. 

Imagine you’re particularly busy one week and are willing to fit in an additional job only if the money matches the extra effort. Knowing how much you usually charge, the client might be more reluctant to pay the higher amount you’re requesting.

What’s more, you could be leaving money on the table. If you don’t publish your prices on your website and you ask a potential client what their budget is or how much they usually pay, you might end up getting a higher rate than you would normally have asked for. Whereas, if you share your prices on your website, a potential client is unlikely to offer you more than the published amount.

2) It makes it harder to correct them

If you haven’t put in the work to understand exactly how much you need to be charging to earn a decent living, your published prices might not be high enough. This could lead to you working all hours of the day and night just to make ends meet.

Not only this, but you might also end up attracting the wrong kind of clients - the ones who only care about price rather than appreciating the value you provide.  

When your prices aren’t on your website, if you realise you’re getting them wrong, this is far easier to correct. All you have to do is adjust your next quote, and no one will be any the wiser. 

3) It might make you more reluctant to increase your prices

Similarly, when you share your prices on your website, it can make increasing your prices feel scarier. You’ll have to do it with conviction across the board and change the published price.

Instead, when your prices aren’t visible online, you can raise your rates gradually, increasing your prices with one customer first, then another, and so on. This might feel a lot less intimidating to you when the time is right.

So what should I do?

Making the right decision when choosing whether or not to put your prices on your website really depends on you. It depends on the type of services you provide, the variables you’re going to want to take into account, and the kind of person you are. If you’re someone who finds it really hard to increase your prices, you might want to avoid it. On the other hand, if you want to filter out clients, and you have a clear idea of how much you want to be charging, you might decide to go ahead and share your rates online.

One idea that could give you the best of both worlds is to publish your prices on your website ‘starting from £XXX’. This will help to filter out those clients who don’t have the budget to work with you while still allowing some flexibility when quoting for the specific project in hand.

If you’d like to get clear on your prices before publishing them on your website, I can help you understand exactly how much you need to be charging to make sure you’re earning enough without having to work all the time!

My Charge with Confidence mentoring programme shows participants what they need to be taking into consideration when setting their rates. It’ll give you certainty around your prices to the extent that you’ll be happy to share them with others, without worrying that they might not accurately reflect you or your business.