Better website enquiries
Should you put prices on your website? A guide for service businesses
You can give customers useful price guidance even when every job needs a quote. Start with what you can price accurately, then explain what changes the cost.
“How much will it cost?” is often the question a customer has before they fill in your enquiry form. If the honest answer is “it depends”, you can still give them useful guidance.
Some services have a fixed price. Others depend on a site visit, the size of a job or the time involved. Explain what you can price now and what you need to know before quoting.
Start with the way you actually charge
Look at a handful of recent jobs. Are you quoting the same scope each time, or does the work change substantially? That distinction will help you choose what to put on the page.
- Fixed price: useful when the service and its inclusions are consistent. State what the price covers, any genuine limitations and how to book.
- Starting price: useful when a standard job has a genuine minimum but some jobs cost more. Explain what that minimum buys and what could change the price.
- Indicative range: helpful when you can give a realistic range for a defined type of job. Say what assumptions sit behind it and when a quote is needed.
- Individual quote: appropriate when the scope varies too much for a useful figure. Describe the factors that affect the cost and the information you need to prepare a quote.
These approaches can sit together. A gardener might publish a fixed price for a defined consultation and quote separately for planting work. Those are illustrative examples, not prices or services offered by Klicked.
Give the number a useful label
A number without a scope invites the wrong comparison. “From $200” is only useful if a customer can understand what the starting service includes. If most jobs cost more because they require additional work, explain that clearly. Don't use a low figure that people are unlikely to be able to obtain.
For example, a hypothetical detailer could explain that a starting price covers a standard interior clean for a small vehicle, with additional work assessed separately. The actual service, price and conditions would need to match that business.
Avoid lifting another business's prices. Your costs and customers are different, and so is the work. The Australian Government's guide to choosing a pricing strategy is a useful place to work through your own figures.
If you quote each job, explain what happens
“Contact us for a quote” is a start. Add enough detail for a customer to decide whether it is worth making contact. Tell them what influences the cost and whether a site visit, photographs or measurements help you assess the work.
For a fencing job, that might mean explaining that the length, materials, access and removal of an existing fence affect the quote. Ask for a suburb and a short description in the first enquiry. If photos are useful, tell people how to share them without making an upload mandatory.
Set a response expectation only if you can keep it. “We'll contact you to discuss the next step” is better than a promised deadline that regularly slips.
Check the price your customer will actually pay
Clarity matters at the point of purchase, too. The ACCC's price display guidance explains requirements for consumer-facing prices, including the minimum total cost and unavoidable or pre-selected fees. Check the guidance against your own offer, particularly if you display part prices, fees or prices that exclude GST.
If your work is quoted individually, make the written quote clear before the customer agrees. The business.gov.au guide to preparing quotes covers the details to consider, including what the work includes and how long the quote remains valid.
Put the answer near the decision
Customers shouldn't have to hunt through a long FAQ to find a basic price explanation. Place it beside the service description and link to the next step. On a phone, check that the price, inclusions and enquiry button are readable without zooming.
Read the section as someone who knows nothing about your process. Could they tell what they would receive? Would they know what to ask next? If not, replace a general promise with a concrete detail.
What to check after you make a change
Keep a note of the questions people ask before and after the update. Are they clearer about what the service includes? Are you spending less time explaining an unsuitable request? Those conversations are useful evidence, even before you have enough traffic to compare numbers.
If you have reliable website analytics, compare enquiry counts over a sensible period and note any other changes, such as new advertising or seasonal demand. A price page alone cannot guarantee more or better enquiries.
Not sure whether your website gives customers enough information to take the next step? Request a free website check and tell us which service you would like people to enquire about.
