Should I Display Pricing on My Website?

In the marketing world this is such a hot topic and has been for quite some time. Some businesses opt not to do so while others seem to be okay with it.

I'm going to try to give you the most data-backed reasoning for why I think you should.

At the end of the day, time is money in a local service-based business like a tree service. Another challenge is it is impossible to determine the price of a tree job for more than 1,000 reasons. But here's the deal:

I can almost promise you that none of your competitors have any pricing structure while customers are shopping their options in your area. It could be the deciding factor in getting a call you otherwise wouldn't. So I am going to lay out a few points as to why I think it's a great idea.

#1 Validation

The only thing a customer wants to know from you is, "What's it going to cost?" They don't care about how long you've been in business, they don't care if you own the company, if your father owned it, nothing. They want to know about the money.

And while you can't set prices online because every tree job is radically different, you can give rough estimates.

One tree in a neighborhood around obstructions: $1,500 to $2,000.

Or one large stump: $275.

Or three or more trees trimmed: $2,000 to $4,000.

It's that easy. You don't have to be exact, you can give a rough estimate until you see the job.

You can even put disclaimers on your website so no one can legally bind you into those prices, but what it does is validate you almost immediately among your competition.

#2 It prequalifies your customer

How many times have you gotten the dreaded call from someone who simply isn't even on the same planet as you are on pricing? They call you hoping you can get it done for a pack of cigarettes and a broken '96 Toyota Camry.

This weeds out the bad calls you dread saying no to. This gives you much better quality leads before they even call you, because the customer knows a round estimate of what it can cost.

#3 You are setting a standard

You become the authority in your service area. For SEO, branding, and digital media in general, you are now the source of truth and information in your area. You become the person people base their pricing on.

It is that defining separator.

Finally

Be descriptive and think of every possible angle. Even take pictures of former jobs and put down what they cost, or what you charged, so the homeowner or commercial business knows what to expect.

This field note is based on real pricing conversations. Your market will differ, but the principle holds.