In short
Should a service business show a price range or use a quote form?
Neither on its own. Show one starting price, such as "projects start at $2,500," so visitors far below it can decide before they write in. Then let the form ask about the job itself: what they need, how big it is, and when it has to be done.
On this page
Most service business websites do one of two things. Some show a price range. Others say "Request a quote" and show no number at all. The range promises more than it can. The quote form tells visitors nothing about cost.
What goes wrong with a price range?
Custom work rarely fits one range.
A range wide enough to be true, such as "$1,000 to $20,000," tells a visitor almost nothing. A range narrow enough to be useful leaves out jobs at either end.
A visitor may also read the low end as the price. They see "$2,500 to $8,000" and plan on $2,500 for a job that needs $6,000. The first call then starts with a correction.
A range also cannot ask anything. It cannot find out what the job is, how big it is, or when it has to start. So the real sorting still happens in your inbox.
What goes wrong with a quote form and no price?
With no number on the page, everyone writes in. That includes people whose budget is far below your smallest job. They cannot know that until you tell them, and each one costs you a reply.
Adding a budget question does not fix this. Someone who has not seen your prices can only guess. A low guess may come from someone who would pay your price once they hear it. There is more on this in whether a contact form should ask for budget.
So you read every inquiry, write back with your prices, and wait to see who is still interested. The people who fit wait in the same line as everyone else.
Why show a starting price and ask about the job?
Show one number: the price your smallest real job starts at. For example, "Websites start at $2,500." It sets a floor without promising a final price. People far below it can decide for themselves before they write.
Then let the form ask about what sets the rest of the price: what they need, how big it is, and when it has to be done. Visitors can answer these truthfully, because they are about their own job, not your prices.
The starting price also makes a budget answer mean something. Someone who read "from $2,500" and says "about $3,000" is telling you the job fits.
| Trade | Starting price on the page (example) | Questions about the job (examples) |
|---|---|---|
| Design or web studio | Websites start at $2,500 | What do you need built? How many pages? When do you want to launch? |
| Home services | Repairs start at $150 for the visit | What is the job? Where is it? How soon do you need someone? |
| Event venue | Weddings start at $4,000 | What is the date? How many guests? What kind of event is it? |
The pages on qualifying inquiries for design studios, home services, and venues show questions for each trade.
How does the form use the starting price?
Put the same number in two places: what the AI knows, and how budget is scored.
- What the AI knows. In Qualiform, write your starting price in About the business. The AI uses what you write there to answer visitors' questions, so it can answer "How much does a website cost?" with your floor.
- How budget is scored. Use the scoring option "An amount, compared with your smallest job," and set Full credit at to 2,500. Full credit at 2,500 USD or more. A smaller amount scores lower, and 1,250 or under scores nothing. Skipping it never lowers a score.
- Who is turned away. A visitor who clearly states a budget far under your floor can be turned away. They score 0 and are offered no time, whatever else they said. To turn nobody away for a low amount, type 0 as the turn-away amount.
Press Save at the top of the page to keep your changes. Then press Preview and ask the AI what a job costs. Check that it gives your starting price.
When is a quote form with no price the better choice?
A starting price is not always honest or helpful. Leave it off when:
- The price depends on what you find. An emergency plumber cannot price a leak before seeing it. A call-out fee may be the only true number.
- Your costs change often. If materials or seasons move your smallest job a lot, an old starting price misleads more than no price.
- Every job costs the same. Then publish the full price. Questions about the job add little when nothing about it changes the price.
- A floor would hide work you want. Some studios take a small first project to win a larger one later. If a starting price would put those people off, leave it out.
In these cases, a quote form with good questions about the job still sorts inquiries. It just cannot show visitors the floor up front.
What is the short version?
Show one starting price so visitors can judge the fit before they write. Let the form ask about the job, which sets the rest of the price. To check it, read a month of inquiries and count how many were far below your floor. The guide to qualifying leads from your contact form covers which questions to ask and how to score the answers.
Common questions
Should the starting price be my cheapest job or my typical job?
Use the price of the smallest job you would gladly take. A typical price sets the floor too high and hides smaller jobs you still want. A price you charged only once sets it too low to help anyone decide.
Will showing a starting price mean fewer inquiries?
It can mean fewer inquiries from people far below your floor. You would have told them the same thing by email. Compare a month of inquiries before and after the change to see what it did for your business.
Do I still need a budget question if I show a starting price?
Not always. If the questions about the job tell you enough to price it, leave budget out. If jobs above your floor vary a lot, a budget question helps, and the answer means more because the visitor has already seen your floor.