Should a services firm publish its prices? What buyers expect before the first call
In most cases, yes, at least as a starting price or a typical range. Buyers research before they contact anyone, and a site with no numbers loses the ones who assume you are too expensive and wastes time on the ones who can't afford you. Publish what is stable (starting prices, typical project ranges, what moves the number) and keep custom quotes for the rest. The exception is work where scope varies so much that any number would mislead.
The objection to publishing prices is always the same: every project is different, and a number will either scare people away or anchor them too low.
Both are real risks. The cost of not publishing is usually bigger, it is just harder to see.
What buyers do now
Business buyers do most of their research before they ever speak to a vendor. They compare sites, read reviews, ask colleagues and increasingly ask AI tools. By the time they fill in a form, many have already formed a shortlist.
If your site has no numbers, two kinds of buyer drop out silently:
- The one who assumes you are too expensive. They never contact you, and you never know they existed.
- The one who can’t afford you. They do contact you, and you spend a discovery call finding out what a sentence on the website could have told them.
What to publish
You don’t have to publish a rate card. There is a range of options between nothing and everything:
Starting prices. “Websites from $X.” Simple, and it filters out the bottom of the market.
Typical ranges. “Most projects fall between $X and $Y.” Honest about variation while still giving a number.
What moves the number. Number of pages, integrations, content creation, timeline. Buyers can place themselves.
Example projects with budgets. Two or three real examples, with what was included and what it cost. This is the most persuasive format of all, and the easiest for AI systems to cite.
Fixed-price packages for standardized work.
How we do it
Our pricing page lists starting prices for standard scope, for example from €1,600 for a campaign landing page and from €4,900 for a marketing website of up to ten pages. The exact number is fixed in writing after a short call and doesn’t move unless the scope does.
For agencies buying white label work, partner prices sit on the same page, starting at €950 for a landing page and €2,900 for a site. Publishing both is deliberate: each buyer can tell within a minute whether we are in range.
When not to publish
There are honest exceptions:
- Highly variable scope where any range would be so wide it misleads.
- Regulated work where pricing has to follow an individual assessment.
- Enterprise deals where procurement runs the process anyway.
Even then, publishing the factors and a typical engagement shape is better than silence.
Pricing pages and AI search
People increasingly ask AI tools what things cost. Those systems answer by citing pages that state costs. “Contact us for pricing” gives them nothing. “Projects typically run between X and Y, depending on these three factors” gives them something to cite, with your name attached.
That is a side benefit, not the main reason. The main reason is that the right buyers find the number, decide you’re in range, and call.
If your site gets traffic but few inquiries, missing prices are one of the first things to check in a 30-minute conversion audit.
Common questions
Won't competitors see our prices?
They probably know them already, from lost deals and hired staff. Buyers are the audience that doesn't know, and they are the ones you lose by hiding it. A published price also lets you compete on what is included, not just the headline number.
What if every project is different?
Publish what drives the price instead: the factors, a typical range, and two or three example projects with their actual budgets. That gives a buyer enough to self-qualify without committing you to a number for work you haven't scoped.
Does publishing prices help with AI search?
It can. AI systems answer cost questions by citing pages that state costs. A page that says 'projects typically run between X and Y' gives them something specific to cite; a page that says 'contact us for pricing' does not.
