Performance Service Pricing
Pricing performance work is mostly a packaging problem: you are selling outcomes (faster UX, higher CWV pass rate, fewer incidents), not time spent toggling plugins. This page provides a set of tiers you can quote consistently, plus guardrails so scope does not explode.
Price by Outcome (Not Hours)
Most clients do not care whether you used Redis, LSCache, or critical CSS. They care about business outcomes.
| Technical work | Business outcome language |
|---|---|
| Reduce LCP and TTFB | "Pages load fast on mobile" |
| Improve INP | "The site feels responsive" |
| Stabilize CLS | "No layout jumping" |
| Reduce downtime risk | "Fewer incidents and faster recovery" |
If you can describe the work as "setup a plugin", you will compete with low-cost maintenance providers. If you can describe it as "deliver a measurable result", you can price as a specialist.
Client Segments (Who Can Pay)
| Segment | Typical budget | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bloggers / small businesses | $50–$350 | Price sensitive; needs clear deliverables |
| Growth-focused founders | $350–$800 | Care about SEO and conversion impact |
| Agencies (white label) | $500–$2,500 | Value speed + repeatability + communication |
| WooCommerce / revenue sites | $850–$3,500 | Performance ties directly to revenue |
| Enterprise publishers | $2,000–$10,000 | Ongoing monitoring + SLA expectations |
Service Ladder (Recommended Tiers)
Tier 1: Performance Audit (Entry Offer)
| Item | Included |
|---|---|
| Deliverables | CWV snapshot (lab + field where available), TTFB checks, top issues list, prioritized roadmap |
| Scope | Homepage + key templates (agreed up front) |
| Format | PDF / doc report + 15–30 minute review call |
| Turnaround | 24–72 hours |
| Typical price | $97–$297 |
Tier 2: Speed Boost (Lite Implementation)
| Item | Included |
|---|---|
| Goal | Quick wins without redesigning the stack |
| Work | Safe baseline configuration, obvious bloat removal, image/asset adjustments |
| Turnaround | 3–5 hours or 1–2 days |
| Typical price | $250–$500 |
Tier 3: Full Performance Optimization (Flagship)
| Item | Included |
|---|---|
| Goal | CWV pass-focused improvements with measurable before/after |
| Work | Server + cache + frontend optimization (scoped), plus regression checks |
| Turnaround | 2–4 days |
| Typical price | $800–$1,800 (content/business) / $1,500–$3,000 (WooCommerce) |
Tier 4: WooCommerce Performance Upgrade (Premium)
| Item | Included |
|---|---|
| Goal | Fast product/category pages and stable cart/checkout UX |
| Work | Dynamic-path tuning, query/caching improvements, script control |
| Turnaround | 4–6 days |
| Typical price | $1,500–$3,500 |
Tier 5: Monthly Performance Care + Security (Retainer)
| Item | Included |
|---|---|
| Includes | Monitoring, regression checks, change review, and monthly reporting |
| Typical price | $150–$350/mo per site |
| Agency white-label | $500–$1,500/mo |
Tier 6: Premium Reliability Package
| Item | Included |
|---|---|
| Includes | Full optimization + server hardening + monitoring + incident response process |
| Typical price | $2,500–$5,000+ |
What Makes a $297 Audit More Valuable Than a $97 Audit
The premium tier is justified by clarity and actionability, not by more screenshots.
| Factor | $97 (Basic) | $297 (Advanced) |
|---|---|---|
| Pages covered | Homepage | Full journey (home + key templates + critical flow) |
| Data sources | Lab first | Lab + field where available + change history |
| Output | Issue list | Prioritized plan with estimated impact and risk |
| Recommendations | Generic | Stack-specific and scoped to your tooling |
Access: Do You Need WP Admin for an Audit?
In most cases: no.
I can deliver an external performance audit without any access. If you want deeper validation of plugin conflicts, database health, and cache rules, we can do a second phase that uses temporary WP admin access.
Sample Anchor Packages
| Package | Price anchor | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Audit Only | $197 | "Show me what's wrong" |
| Speed Boost | $497 | "Quick wins" |
| Full Optimization | $1,497 | "Fix it end-to-end" |
| WooCommerce Pro | $2,497 | "Checkout and product UX" |
| VIP Reliability | $4,500 | "Performance + security + ops" |