"Contact us for a quote" feels like the safe move. You don't commit to a number, you keep your options open, and you get to talk to the person before you price the job.
Here's what it looks like from the other side. Someone is on their phone, comparing four businesses like yours. Three of them show a price or a range. Yours says to get in touch. Guess which tab they close first.
What a missing price tells people
Not everyone reads it the same way, but a few readings are common. Maybe it's expensive. Maybe the price depends on how much you can squeeze out of them. Maybe it's a hassle and they'll get a sales call. None of that is true, probably. But the visitor doesn't know that, and you're not there to explain.
A price, even a rough one, does a different job. It screens people for you. The ones who see "from $150" and keep reading are the ones who can actually hire you. The ones who bounce were never going to book, and now you didn't spend twenty minutes on a quote to find that out.
You don't need a full price list
This is where people dig in their heels. "My jobs are all different." Sure. Plenty of jobs are. You can still give people something to hold onto.
- A starting price. "Haircuts from $40." "Logo design starts at $500." Honest and short.
- A range. "Most kitchen repaints run $1,800 to $3,500." Say what pushes it up or down.
- A few example jobs. "Here's a small one, here's a big one, here's what each cost." Real numbers from real work beat any pricing table.
- What a quote depends on. If you truly can't say, say why. "Depends on square footage and how much prep is needed" at least shows you have a method.
Pick whichever fits. Any of them beats a blank.
When I'd leave prices off
I'm not saying always. If every job is truly custom and wildly different, a number could mislead more than it helps. Same if you're still figuring out what to charge. In that case, be upfront about it: say what a typical project looks like and invite a short call. That's a policy, not a dodge.
And if you worry a competitor will read your prices, they can already call you and ask. Your customers can't read your mind.
Where to put it
On the page people already visit when they're deciding: your Services page, next to each service. Not buried in a PDF, and not only on a separate Pricing page nobody clicks. Next to the thing it prices, near the button that lets them contact you.
One honest line works wonders here. "Prices are a starting point. I'll confirm before any work begins." Done. You've set expectations and you haven't boxed yourself in.
Prices also get stale. Put a reminder on your calendar twice a year to check them. A three-year-old number that no longer matches reality is worse than no number.
So here's my take. If you can say anything at all about cost, say it. Your best customers will thank you by skipping the "so, how much?" email and just booking.