Should contractors put prices on their website?

A homeowner in Mesa has two window quotes on the kitchen counter. She opens a third company's website on her phone, finds "Call for a free estimate" and nothing about cost, and puts the phone down. That company never hears about it.

The reasons to keep prices off are fair. Every job is different, competitors will see the number, and buyers will hold you to the bottom of it. I'd still post a price, in a shape that handles all three.

What does a homeowner do when your site shows no price?

She keeps looking, and she may not call to ask. In one survey, more trade customers than customers overall said they weigh clear pricing or deals:

The same survey found many people looked at a business and left without a word:

Some take the cost question to an AI assistant instead. Google says AI Overviews and AI Mode may run several related searches for one answer, with links to supporting websites.^[1] Business websites already supply a big share of what local AI answers cite:

Google's guide to AI search says its systems look at many sources, so a unique viewpoint that stands out can help.^[2] A range from your own invoices is one. A national average copied from a cost website isn't.

Our post on bathroom remodelers in AI answers shows the first lines of a cost page written to be quoted. Tonight, search your main job, your town and "cost" on your phone, and note whose page gives a number.

What should a price range on your website say?

Four things: the range for your standard job, what that job includes, what it doesn't, and the month you last checked. Then name what moves the price.

Write the standard job the way you'd say it at the kitchen table. The "not included" line keeps a buyer from reading the low number as the whole price. Put the whole cost line on the service page itself; how to write a service page shows where it sits.

What moves the price for bath, window, siding and roofing jobs?

Name the few factors that move your price, and the buyer can see where her house falls in the range.

EPA's lead-paint rule covers work that disturbs paint in homes built before 1978.^[3] It says window replacement is always covered, no matter how little paint the job disturbs.^[3] It also says a firm can't advertise or do that work in those homes without firm certification.^[3] If your range assumes a newer house, say so.

Our pages for bathroom remodelers, window and door companies, siding contractors and roofers list the questions buyers in each trade ask. Each page says what your site should tell them, cost included. Pick your trade's row in the table above and write the factors in your buyer's words.

What if no range fits the job?

Some jobs swing too much for an honest range, like a full bathroom gut where the layout may change. Then give a project minimum and one plain line on how you quote.

That matches the FTC's advice to homeowners: a written estimate should list the work, the materials, the completion date and the price.^[4] For kitchens and baths, our remodeling post shows another way: a page for each finished project, with what jobs like it usually cost. If no range fits your job, write your own minimum and quote line today.

Won't competitors see my number and undercut it?

They might. In my view, the buyer who never calls costs you more than a rival who reads your page. A rival who wants your number can often get it by asking for an estimate.

The same FTC page tells homeowners not to automatically choose the lowest bidder, and to ask for an explanation when estimates differ a lot.^[4] Your included and not-included lines are that explanation, written before she asks.

The rule that matters more: post only a number you'd honor. The FTC lists price among the claims it calls material, meaning they matter to a buyer's decision.^[5] It says advertisers need proof before an ad runs, and that ads on the internet follow the same laws.^[5]

A "from" price that no real job ever comes in at is a risk too. Bait and switch is illegal, the FTC says: advertising a product you don't intend to sell, to sell something else, usually at a higher price.^[5] Keep the invoices behind your range in one folder.

When should you leave prices off?

• You haven't done enough of the job. Three signed jobs give you three prices, not a range. Post the minimum and the quote line until you have more.
• Your costs move faster than you'll update the page. A range you won't honor now does more harm than none. If you can't recheck it every few months, leave it off.
• You sell a maker's product line. Check your dealer agreement for rules on advertised prices before you post one.
• The job is one of a kind. A custom design has no standard job to price. Show finished projects and say how you quote.

How do you add your first range in 30 minutes?

1. Pick the one job you most want more of, and open its service page.
2. Write the standard job in one line, such as ten standard-size vinyl windows, then what isn't included.
3. Pull the past year's final invoices for jobs close to it, and set aside odd ones, like a job with hidden rot. The lowest and highest of the rest, adjusted to today's costs, are your range.
4. Add the three or four things that move your price most, in the buyer's words. The table above covers four trades.
5. Add the month you checked it, and set a calendar reminder to check it again.
6. If your Google profile has a services list, Google lets you add a price and a description to each service.^[6] Use your page's numbers. Keep prices out of custom service names: Google says to avoid them, and automatically rejects custom services that break policy.^[6]

Then ask new callers whether they saw the range, and note the answer in your lead log.

For a second pair of eyes, our website clarity audit reads your site like a first-time visitor on a phone, pricing and quotes included. The Found Sprint ($1,500 fixed) is up to 10 fixes from our report, done within 30 days once we have access and an agreed scope.

What won't a price range fix?

A range won't make up for weak reviews. The first survey in this post found star ratings and review counts carry more weight for trades than in any other industry. For the rest of what buyers look at, see what a homeowner can check about a siding or window company.

It won't stop every haggler either. Some buyers will read the low end back to you, and your standard-job line is the answer.

The pages cited here were checked on October 27, 2026. Google, the FTC and EPA update them, so reread the ones you act on.