Design a website: 6 key pages to get right if you sell services
If you’re a service based company that needs a new website, there are six site pages you need to get right. None of these pages are rocket science, but it is important to think through how they can work for you. The goal is to make a website that becomes your sales engine — not just a box you’ve ticked for credibility.
Page 1: Home
A compelling home page is a must for any site. But for service based websites, many times we see lofty headlines and vague content that leave us guessing as to what service is on offer. It’s especially important when you offer something intangible to make sure your message is clear.
Lead with a clear message, and dedicate the rest of the page to highlighting important pieces of your business argument. Think of your home page as an outline with links to explore the “chapters” of your business.
If you are central to your business as the main service provider, you’ll want people who scan your home page to grasp this. The home page shouldn’t give your life story, but it should introduce you. Each item on the home page can encourage clicks to other pages by offering intriguing tidbits that make users want to read more.
Page 2: About
If you are the specific person offering your service (think yoga instructor, massage therapist, interior designer, and the like), then your about page should represent your personality. In telling your story, give site visitors a sense of what it would be like to work with you.
Of course credentials are important too, but don’t let your about page be a list of your masters degrees. Consider a Q&A style interview, or messaging that speaks to your philosophy or point of view when it comes to rendering your services.
Page 3: Approach
Service based businesses face lots of competition. Offering a page that describes your approach to your services can be a smart way to get across your differentiators. Your service may be similar to hundreds of others — but your way of doing it might be smarter, faster, more convenient, or just more fun.
On an approach page, you can highlight how working with you is different or better than working with anyone else. You can tell people what to expect from your end-to-end experience. Consider a step-by-step “how it works” to set expectations and show how easy you make it for your clients to succeed.
Page 4: Services
If you’re a service-based business it’s fairly obvious you’ll need a page that explains your services. Here, clear communication is key. Make sure you’re stating what each service entails, and if possible, what goals your clients can achieve by utilizing those services.
If you have a range of options, be sure to group the information in a consistent way that allows the different choices to clearly stand out. If you offer a high dollar service, be sure the benefits and gains are plentiful and clearly stated to warrant the cost.
Page 5: Blog
Many business owners worry that they won’t be able to blog frequently or consistently. But a blog is a great way to show that your business is “alive” and to reinforce your point of view on a multitude of subtopics in your profession. Perhaps more importantly, it can help you get more leads.
You don’t have to write lengthy blogs, or blog every week to get more attention — just be sure to incorporate keywords that people who need your services are searching. Using a keyword tool like Google Keywords can help you understand what keywords are most or least competitive. Try to use a mix and incorporate those into your blog posts.
Insider tip: If you don’t see yourself churning out content every other week, tweak the title. While a “blog” suggests regularly updated content, calling it “resources” or “articles” changes expectations. If you have a handful of evergreen topics you’d like to write about, do it and include good keywords. Call the page “Resources” and add to it if you wish. Your audience won’t expect regular updates, and it’s still a way to position yourself as a thought leader.
Page 6: Contact
Make your contact page as engaging as possible. Link to it from every page of your site! You never know at what point in your argument you will have convinced a visitor to reach out and make contact.
Besides the usual email and phone number, if there are any expectations to be set, make sure you communicate them. Say your response time is on the slower side, even temporarily — let people know! A message like “The holidays are a very busy time for us, but give us a shout we will be in touch within the next 48 hours,” sets expectations and offers a human touch. Or, let people know you’ve got spiffy customer service by telling them you’ll touch within 24 hours or “soon” if you can’t commit to a time limit.
Ready to get going building your site?
If you want to gain traction and unlock growth with a new website, but you’re not sure exactly what website you want to build, we can help. The key to saving money on a custom website you’re dreaming about is to do your own discovery.
Discovery is the process where you think through every aspect of your business — your brand, your competitors, your differentiators, your audiences — then create a site strategy and requirements document that lets you know exactly what you want to build. And how much it will cost!
We can help you do it with our mentored program, The Complete Website Requirements Blueprint. You emerge from this program with an expert-guided site strategy plus everything you need to put the web team of your choice to work. Learn more, here.