How to Design a Pricing Guide That Wins Customers in Australia: The Complete Playbook for Founders
- Simon. P
- Oct 6
- 5 min read
I’ve sat across from hundreds of founders who had brilliant products but stalled because of one thing—pricing. When you design a pricing guide with clarity and confidence, you stop second-guessing and start giving customers a clear, compelling reason to buy.
Pricing isn’t just a number. It’s communication. It signals value, sets expectations, and shapes how customers perceive your business from day one.
When James launched his SaaS platform in 2022, he priced it at $19/month. He wanted to be “affordable” and thought cheap would mean faster adoption. Instead, signups trickled in, churn was high, and people assumed it was “too basic” for serious businesses. After six months of struggle, he cam to use and we redesigned his pricing guide: a free starter tier, a $59 “pro” tier, and a $199 premium plan. We added side-by-side feature comparisons and highlighted the most popular option. Within three months, his MRR tripled.
The lesson? It wasn’t the product that changed. It was the pricing guide—the way value was presented—that unlocked growth.
What Exactly Is Designing a Pricing Guide?
Designing a pricing guide means structuring and presenting your pricing in a way that helps customers easily understand options, see the value, and choose confidently.
A pricing guide isn’t just a table of numbers. It’s:
The pricing model (subscription, one-off, tiered, freemium).
The positioning (how each option compares).
The design (layout, colours, emphasis on recommended tiers).
The language (benefit-focused descriptions vs. feature lists).
Examples:
Show simple tiered pricing with a bold “Most Popular” highlight.
Use freemium with clear upgrade prompts—pricing design guides users naturally from free to paid.
Emphasises simplicity—“Pay in 4, no interest”—show how plain language beats jargon.
Put simply, your pricing guide is your silent salesperson—it frames your offer before you even get to talk.
Why This Could Make or Break Your Business
Poor pricing design doesn’t just cost sales—it erodes trust and burns cash.
Financial Impact: Confusing or cluttered guides cause decision fatigue. Customers leave instead of choosing, killing conversion rates.
Perceived Value: Price is a signal. Too low makes you look cheap; too high without clarity feels like a rip-off.
Growth Potential: A clear guide supports upselling and cross-selling—critical for scaling SaaS, consulting, and product businesses.
Trust & Transparency: Australian consumers expect honesty. Hiding costs or burying terms creates backlash and churn.
Done well, your pricing guide turns browsers into buyers and protects your margins at the same time.
Before You Start
Set your foundation before building your pricing guide:
Clarify your core offer and target customer.
Decide your primary pricing model (subscription, one-off, tiered).
Benchmark competitors (look at AU and global, but don’t copy blindly).
Map your cost base (so you know your floor price).
Define value drivers (speed, service, features).
Draft your positioning statement (“We’re the best for X customers because…”).
Prepare basic design tools (Canva, Figma, or a simple webpage builder).
Preparation ensures your pricing guide is strategic, not just decorative.=
How to Design a Pricing Guide:
Step by Step
Step 1: Choose Your Pricing Model
The model is your foundation.
Options: flat fee, tiered, freemium, usage-based, project-based.
Match model to industry (SaaS = subscriptions, consulting = tiered packages).
Map model to customer behaviour (are they buying once or ongoing?).
Result: Your model aligns with how your customers prefer to pay.
Step 2: Anchor Your Price Points
Anchor means setting a reference.
Place a high-tier option to make mid-tier look reasonable.
Add a “decoy” tier to guide choice.
Use round numbers for simplicity (e.g., $49 not $47).
Mentor Tip: In Australia, GST-inclusive pricing avoids confusion—state “inc. GST” clearly.
Result: Customers see your prices as fair and logical.
Step 3: Structure Your Tiers Visually
Don’t just list numbers—design matters.
Use a table with side-by-side comparisons.
Highlight the recommended plan with colour or badge.
Keep no more than 3–4 options visible.
Use whitespace to avoid overwhelm.
Result: Customers find it easy to choose instead of freezing.
Step 4: Write Benefit-Focused Descriptions
Features are not benefits. Write the “why.”
Instead of “5GB storage,” say “enough space to store all your client projects.”
Instead of “24/7 support,” say “help whenever you need it.”
Use plain English, avoid jargon.
Result: Customers understand value, not just features.
Step 5: Address Objections Upfront
Your pricing guide should answer doubts.
Add FAQs below pricing (“Can I cancel anytime?”).
Show money-back guarantees.
Be transparent about GST, fees, and minimum terms.
Add testimonials or logos near pricing.
Result: Customers trust you and stop hunting for hidden catches.
Step 6: Design for Mobile First
Most prospects see your pricing on their phone.
Stack tiers vertically for small screens.
Use bold headings and simple icons.
Test readability on iPhone and Android.
Result: No lost sales because your table broke on mobile.
Step 7: Test and Iterate
Like ads, pricing guides improve with testing.
A/B test different layouts or highlighted tiers.
Track click-throughs on “Buy” buttons.
Collect feedback from real customers.
Refresh design every 6–12 months.
Result: Your pricing guide evolves with your business and audience.
Mistakes to Avoid
A Sydney agency listed 12 packages on their pricing page. Customers froze, confused by choice overload. They simplified to 3 tiers, and conversions doubled.
An e-commerce founder buried shipping costs until checkout. Customers abandoned carts in frustration. Transparent “Free shipping over $60” fixed it.
A SaaS startup used complicated charts with technical features nobody understood.
Result: low conversions. Clear benefit-driven copy turned things around.
Real-World Examples
Melbourne-based SaaS firm Airwallex simplified their pricing to clear transaction fees, with a bold “See How We Compare” chart. It reassured customers and positioned them as transparent.
A Perth consultant had “Contact us for pricing” as the only option. Prospects dropped off—nobody wants mystery pricing. Adding clear package tiers ($1,500 / $3,000 / $6,000) increased leads overnight.
The difference wasn’t cost—it was clarity.
What It Costs and How Long It Takes
DIY / In-house: $0–$100 cash (Google Docs/Sheets), but 10–20+ hours mapping pricing models and formatting. Cost = time.
Template/Resource: $50–$300 for pricing templates or frameworks; reduces time to 3–8 hours.
Professional / Done-for-you: $500–$3,000+ for consultants to craft strategy and design guides.
Ongoing / Renewal: $100–$500/year for updates as your offer evolves.
Hidden Costs: confusing pricing = lost sales, brand dilution, or undercharging.
Tip: Start with DIY, then invest in strategy/design when sales scale.
What to Do Next
By moving today, you get pricing clarity that pays back immediately.
➡️ Download a resource from Prodesk. Get momentum you can feel by Friday. Skip it and you’ll stay stuck in planning mode. [ProDeck.com].
➡️ Get it built for you with a Noize Sprint—14 days to a live, trackable system with creative, offers, and measurement done. If it doesn’t move the numbers, you still keep the playbook and assets. Waiting means missed deals, higher CAC, and a slower quarter. [Noize.com.au].
➡️ Grab The StartupDeck—fast prompts that turn stuck projects into assets. Make smart decisions faster; the cost of waiting is lost pipeline. [theStartUpDeck.com].
The Bottom Line
Your pricing guide is one of the most powerful growth levers you control. It influences how customers perceive you, whether they buy, and how much they’re willing to pay.
Leave it vague or confusing, and you’ll bleed conversions. Design it well, and it becomes a quiet salesperson that works 24/7, positioning you as professional, trustworthy, and worth every dollar.
Founders who treat pricing design as strategy—not decoration—scale faster and with stronger margins.
FAQs
Do I need to show all my prices publicly?
Not always. For custom projects, show package “starting from” prices to set expectations. Hiding everything, though, usually scares prospects off.
How many tiers should my pricing guide have?
Three is the sweet spot. Enough to compare, not enough to overwhelm.
What if my prices change often?
Keep a simple structure and update regularly. Customers value transparency—“Prices last updated Aug 2025” builds trust.
Should I put GST in my prices?
Yes. In Australia, consumers expect GST-inclusive pricing. Always state clearly whether GST is included.
What’s the best design tool for a pricing guide?
Start with Canva or Figma for DIY. If you’re scaling, get your web developer to build a custom pricing page.
Comments