My web design clients often ask me whether or not they should display their prices on their websites. 

I’ve seen people successfully run their businesses with prices on their websites, and I’ve seen people successfully run their businesses without prices on their websites.

Given this, what’s clear is that choosing to share, or not share, your prices on your website is less of a question about whether or not it will impact sales and success…

And more of a question about what values you want to run your business in alignment with. 

Because one of my core values is ‘kind living’ and (and therefore, ‘kind business’), I choose to be transparent about how much I charge. 

I see this as an element of running a ‘kind business’. Here’s why:

01. Establish trust 

I personally don’t work with service providers who aren’t transparent about their pricing because to me, transparency supports trust building.

The co-creation process (whether that be with a web designer, copywriter, photographer or otherwise) is a deeply personal once, and having a foundation of trust to build upon is important.

 

 

02. Respect your, and your website visitors’, time and energy

Your pricing is not going to be in everyone’s budget. It’s a simple fact.

Transparent pricing can signal to people, right from the start, whether or not you are the right support person for them - saving you both time and energy (because communicating via emails and jumping on discovery calls requires a lot from both parties!)

People are busy and their lives are full (ours included), and we can respect their time and energy - and their ability to think independently - by being open and honest about our costs.

 

 

03. Remove the potential for shock and shame

It’s uncomfortable to be on a discovery call with someone who reveals that their services are well out of your budget.

Almost all of us have felt that heart-wrenching panic when we’re told a price that is simply not affordable for us at that point in our lives. And this kind of experience almost always triggers shock and shame.

I believe in supporting the emotional wellbeing of my website visitors, so helping them to avoid dis-regulating experiences like this, through transparent pricing, is important to me.

 

 

04. Help your clients make informed decisions

In Damien Lutz’s article “An inclusive and planet-friendly digital style guide, he says that ethical design is about not using deceptive design techniques that mis-inform or trick website visitors into making uninformed decisions. 

One such deceptive technique is price comparison prevention. 

That is, when we are not transparent about our prices, this deliberately stops people from being able to compare prices and make informed decisions about which service provider is the right one for them.

In other words, keeping your pricing hidden is actually an unethical business practice.

Not to mention, when a client makes an informed decision to work with you, they enter the partnership with eyes wide open. This means you are a resonant, aligned match and this kind of match is always a good partnership.

 

 

05. Support transparency and growth within your industry

Whether you realise it or not, as a small business owner, you play a pivotal role in influencing the culture and norms of the industry you work in.

When you hide your prices, you contribute to creating an industry standard that reinforces this as the norm (the web design industry is notorious for price hiding!)

Why is this harmful?

Because it makes it difficult for service providers to price themselves in a way that values their expertise, and the work they do…

Which leads to both undercharging (which undercuts your ‘colleagues’) and overcharging (which is a disservice to your clients).

 

 

06. Make your sales process easier

For some, speaking about money on sales calls can feel challenging. Displaying your costs on your website eliminates uncomfortable conversations and ensures that the people who do end up on discovery calls with you are aware of the required investment from the get go.

In that too, they are already warmed up and more likely to invest in you!

While there is no right or wrong, I truly do believe that pricing transparency is a core element of running a ‘kind business’.

Not only is it kind for our prospective clients, its flow on effects lend themselves to self kindness as well (because really, it’s exhausting and disheartening to jump on discovery calls you could have avoided, had you been open about your costs).

If you’re interested in reading more about running a values-driven ethical business, you can read more about how I run my business ethically here.