There is a brief, but sound article over at MarketingPilgrim.com that lists a few reasons why listing prices for marketing services on your website is not the best idea. We tend to agree. Having been in the web services business for a while now, the first question we’ll often receive when talking about what we do is ‘what do you charge’? There’s nothing wrong with that question, after all this is a business transaction, but much as the article suggests, your value as a firm is how you can shape perceptions of the client’s website and furthermore, how you can drive visitors to their website. Merely throwing out a price on your website could drive away clients without them even knowing how valuable you are. Some will think you’re too pricey, others will think you’re not pricey enough.
We normally have a standard hourly rate, but that can change depending on the services requested. Listing definitive prices on your website or a slew of pricing ranges can unintentionally drive customers, both low and high end, away and can even confuse them. Website development and SEM is custom work, usually done on retainer or by the hour. Every client is different and has different needs, thus pricing tends to fluctuate to accurately meet those needs.
One comment so far.
Hey Nate,
The problem with publishing pricing falls into several categories: 1) different customers (and commitment levels) get different pricing, 2) pricing can be complex for certain products/services and the casual prospect can’t correctly identify what they need and 3) you don’t want your competition to see your pricing.
The problem with NOT publishing your pricing is that prospects can’t understand the nature of your offer without having an idea of its cost. I’ve seen lots of high-tech companies offering “Free demos” without offering an easy way to find out if is affordable. Would you test drive a car without having an idea of how much they want for it first? Nope.
edit: [ sales pitch removed ]
Take care,
Dale