What happens when you publish your prices

The standard argument for hiding prices is that every job is different and a number without context scares people off. Both halves are usually true. The conclusion does not follow.

What hiding it actually does

It moves the question, it does not remove it. The visitor still needs to know whether you are in their range, so they either guess or they leave. Most leave, and the ones who stay include everyone who was never going to afford you.

• You spend time quoting jobs that were never viable.
• Serious buyers who need a budget figure filter you out first.
• Competitors who publish look more confident, whether or not they are cheaper.

The middle option

You do not have to publish a rate card. A range, a starting point, or a worked example of a typical job gives someone enough to place themselves. “Most kitchens we do land between X and Y” answers the real question without quoting work nobody has described.

You are not hiding a price. You are hiding whether they belong here.

If publishing a number genuinely does not work for your trade, publish the shape instead: what drives the cost up, what brings it down, and what a first conversation covers.