With less details, there were less questions. She seemed more relaxed than with the other packages I showed her but of course she still felt the need to follow up for more information.But then she scrolled down just a bit more and found this.A question I get asked all of the time is whether or not web designers and SEOs should display their service packages on their website. It’s very common to see web design packages displayed on a website outlining the number of pages the website will have, a shopping cart, a photo gallery, one contact form and so on. These packages list out the actual work that will be done on the website so the client knows what to expect.But the question is, does this strategy really work? Does adding your service packages to your website scare potential clients away or does it encourage them to get in touch?Here we’re going to look at a couple of different ways you can look at this so you can decide whether to display your offer on your website or encourage the potential client to get in touch with you before you share your offer.Plus, I sat down with a friend of mind in need of web design and SEO services and I asked for her to share her thoughts on different packages as I presented them to her. This will give you some great insight into what your potential clients may be thinking when they look at your packages.Should You Add Web Design or SEO Packages to Your SiteBefore I get too far into what I’d like to share with you today, I’d like to start by reminding you there is no right answer here. What may work very well for one business may not work well for the next. Every business, every industry, every client is going to be different.Here my goal is to make sure you understand both the pros and cons of displaying packages so you can make the best decision for your business, your clients and test to see which works best for you.With that being said, let’s start by looking at some of the pros of sharing your packages on your website.Pros
- Helps to rule out potential clients who aren’t willing to pay your prices so your time isn’t wasted
- Can help answer client questions before they speak to you
- Some clients who do not like to make contact initially, may feel more comfortable when information is presented not requiring them to get in touch
- Packages can help save time and money
Cons
- Displaying prices can make the client base their decision on your price instead of the value you can bring to their business
- Can turn away clients based on price without giving you the opportunity to further discuss their needs
- Displaying prices that are too low can bring in unwanted clients
- Unnecessary features can increase your project completion time and leave clients not wanting to pay for features they don’t need
- Potential clients may want a breakdown of the cost of each part of the project especially as their needs begin to differ from what is displayed
- Doesn’t work well for custom projects
As you can see, there are several pros and cons to consider. One thing to keep in mind is that even if you do not display packages directly on your website, you can still have general packages that you have put together that most of your clients would find helpful. This makes it easy for you to be able to put a proposal together to quickly present to a potential client after your initial conversation with them.Let’s look at what actual clients may be thinking about your packages. Then we’ll talk some more about what you should do.Watch Now: 5 Ways to Ask Clients for Their BudgetThe Client’s PerspectiveRecently, I sat down with a good friend of mine who is not very tech-savvy. Now she certainly knows her way around navigating the internet, makes online purchases semi-regularly, etc. However she knows absolutely nothing about web design or SEO.She has a website for her business that’s not doing much for her so she asked me for some help. Before I gave her my thoughts, I asked her if she’d be willing to look at some web design and SEO packages with me and give me her thoughts. She agreed!So I shared some example web design and SEO packages with her and I asked her if I presented this pricing and packaging to her what questions would she have. Now, I purposely asked her because I felt she would have more of a client’s perspective who wasn’t familiar with what to expect.Now I’m going to show you the actual packages I showed her but I will not share the names of the companies for privacy reasons.The first website I showed her set prices starting in the high 3 figures and then listed out the features you’ll see in the image below. I asked her to share her thoughts and questions about what she saw. I’ve noted down her questions for you to see as she moved through the packages.
Now if this client has never spoken to this company I think it’s safe to assume the client is going to hesitate about getting in touch. My friend felt that the cost could get expensive quickly and because of the fine print she felt she may be paying for services she may not even need.The problem here is the website is using a lot of web design industry jargon and is not speaking to the problem the client is looking to solve.Let’s look at this one. Similar problems.
How about SEO? My friend knew she needed SEO services to promote her business (although she doesn’t know the term SEO – she called it that “Google Magic” thing I do). So I showed her some SEO packages. Let’s have a look…
At the end she had a completely overwhelmed look on her face. She threw her hands up a bit and said she didn’t know what she needed and maybe there was something different she should do to market her site.Then I showed her one more…
I could tell she was overwhelmed again. She just said she didn’t know what she needed at this point and was pretty uninterested in looking at more packages or even going through this one in detail. I really couldn’t blame her.I then asked my friend to set the packages aside and talk to me more about what she was looking for. Why did she need help now? As she described what it is she was struggling with in her business and what she felt she needed help with, she not once used any of the terminology found in these packages. The packages we looked at together presented the how but not the why. And the why is what clients will talk to you about. They are looking for increased visibility, more donations, more leads, more clients, more signups, etc.You see every client has a goal in mind. They know what they’re looking for even if they can’t specifically tell you. This means when you know your ideal client well, not only are you able to speak to them through the copy on your website but you can also better speak to them when sharing your website packages.Knowing who your ideal client is, is going to significantly help you put together packages. When you know who your ideal client is, you’ll know what needs they have so you’ll be able to design packages that will get their attention.Remember, the purpose of the packages is not to attract every potential client out there but rather the clients that you most want to work with.Prices Starting At…I’ve also been asked about whether to display packages but without listing the price or displaying a starting price such as “packages starting at $1,000.” I do think that you can display packages even if you decide not to share your price because these packages can be used to attract clients and encourage them to contact. This removes the price being an objection before you’ve had the opportunity to speak with the client.On the other hand, I’m not a big fan of using starting prices. The reason is because when a client sees a price such as starting at $1,000, they hold that thousand dollar price tag in their mind. Then after speaking with you and receiving a quote for $3,000 for the project they’ve described (even if it doesn’t match your package offer) the client can be a bit turned off because they had that lower price point in mind.Your OptionsSo what do you do? Where do you go from here? Should you display web design and SEO packages on your website or should you leave them off?As I mentioned in the beginning, there is no right answer here will work for everyone.It really comes down to three main options:
- Do not display packages on your website
- Display packages with the price
- Display packages without the price
Consider the pros and cons we talked about here and design your packages (whether you display them on your website or not) to speak to the value that you will provide your clients. And don’t forget to step back and think about who your ideal clients are and how they will perceive your packages. Do your packages represent what they need?Keep in mind what you decide today does not have to be a permanent decision. You can always change your strategy just as you can change your packages. Don’t be afraid to test what works best for you. That’s really the only way to really know what your clients respond best to.At the end of the day, it’s the results that you can help a business achieve that is going to get a business to hire you not the specific details of the actual work that you will be doing. When you speak to the value – both in your website copy and in your conversations with a client – you will be able to charge higher prices and close more deals as the client will be able to see your worth.Want to see some examples of web design and SEO packages that really stand out and capture client’s attention? Click here to download the package examples that you can tweak and use in your own business.
