How to Build SaaS Pricing Pages That Convert, with Bill Wilson

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Every B2B SaaS product needs a pricing page. Period. 

But do you have to show all your cards? Not necessarily, according to Bill Wilson, Founder & CEO of Pace Pricing. While full transparency is best for conversion, showing how you price your product or service is more important than what you charge. For instance, do you bill monthly, annually, per seat or based on usage?

In this episode, we dive into the do’s and don’ts of SaaS pricing pages, including user experience (UX) and copy, drawing from Bill’s extensive experience helping SaaS brands redefine their pricing models and pages.

Clarity > transparency

While it’s true full pricing transparency is the gold standard for conversion, Bill acknowledged during his conversation with Lindsey not all companies are ready for that today — and that’s okay. Instead of avoiding transparency altogether, Bill advocated for a stair-step approach:

  • Step one: Explain how you price (i.e., per set, based on usage, flat fee).
  • Step two: Add a “starting at” price to your landing page (e.g., “plans start at $3,000/month”).
  • Step three: Advertise your pricing based on tiers, such as enterprise plans versus starter plans.

Companies that provide these details will ultimately differentiate themselves from competitors. Why? They’ve prioritized clarity, if not transparency. And B2B buyers are hungry for clarity.

“Especially in a market that doesn’t have transparent pricing, [public pricing] can be a real differentiator. Like you said, you’re going to travel on to the next person who does have public pricing,” said Bill. “We want to build confidence in the buyer. So, that means they need to know they’re making a safe bet.”

Product and pricing must go hand-in-hand

Who owns pricing? That answer will differ from company to company (though Bill said the CEO almost always has a hand in the final decision). Bill urged companies to consider involving pricing decision-makers during the early phases of product development.

Pricing and product design are deeply interconnected. Yet, too often, companies add features without considering how they will be monetized. This reactive approach can lead to inefficient pricing models and product-market misalignment.

“One of the top three questions you should be asking yourself … is, ‘How are we going to monetize [this product or feature]?’ And if the answer to that is really, really unclear, figure that out first. Make sure it’s going to work and then maybe go ahead and build the feature so the customer might really want it,” said Bill.

Keep your UX and copy simple

Bill also emphasized the importance of simple, intuitive pricing pages. When you present too much information in an unstructured way, buyers get confused, diluting the perceived value of your product. (In other words, huge sprawling product grids are out.)

You can avoid buyer overwhelm by prioritizing clear copy and following Bill’s four-block framework: 

  • Clarity: Make it easy for buyers to understand the value proposition and choose the right package.
  • Confidence: Include elements like guarantees, risk reversals and social proof to reassure buyers.
  • Packaging: Clearly define what each tier offers and for whom it’s designed.
  • Action: Provide a clear call-to-action (CTA), like “Start your free trial,” that aligns with the buyer’s journey.

Listen to episode 378 of SaaS Half Full for more of Bill’s insights.