Last time, we took a look at what you need to put on your About Page, so now it’s time to dig into the next chapter.
Generally speaking, when talking about Services, I’m referring to businesses that sell their time. Easy examples (though there are many) include a business like mine that offers website development and marketing, someone in the trades like a plumber or a carpenter, or someone offering professional advice like lawyers or accountants.
Product-based businesses can also offer services. Think about a car dealership that also offers automotive services like oil changes or tire rotations. While you would normally have a separate page for your product info, there are scenarios where your products and services go together that you would want them on the same page.
Before we discuss what kind of information you should have on there, let’s go over some ground rules:
Be brief
When I talk to my clients about how much text should go on a page, I like to follow opt-in logic. The more people prove they’re looking for specific information, the more you can show them.
For example, your Home Page is a terrible place to have paragraphs of information about your services. Maybe a customer is looking for your phone number. Maybe they’re looking for your team page. At this stage in the journey, it’s not obvious what they’re looking for, so don’t overwhelm them while they skim.
Your services page can be a better place for long information, but only if you have just a few core services. If you’ve got a list of 30 different services, your customer still hasn’t proven they’re looking for all of your information.
- Solution 1: If you have a lot of products, let people click through to individual product pages. At this point, they’ve made it very clear that they’re looking for specific information on a specific service, so now’s the time to give it to them.
- Solution 2: Use an “accordion menu” that lets people expand and collapse sections as they please. This will keep all of your information on one page, but it’s much easier to browse.
**Pro tip: Always use headings to emphasize sections. Even if someone has made it clear that they want to read your information, they’re still going to skim. Create obvious separations so people can pinpoint precisely what they need in seconds.
Most of us grew up having to read through textbooks word for word, but as adults, we would only give those textbooks 6 seconds to give us the answer to our homework question. Sorry Mrs. Anderson; I didn’t finish my homework again.
Target a specific reader
This is one most of us struggle with. Ask yourself right now, “Who is my target audience”? If your answer is “Well, I’ve worked with men, women, older people, younger people, low income, high income… I want to sell to everyone” You’re most likely wrong.
*Just because you’ve sold to a demographic, doesn’t mean it’s your target audience.
We all like to feel unique and prideful, which is why brand names exist selling virtually the same product or services for much higher prices. Psychologically, we’re wired to see more value in something we’ve invested more in. For those of you curious about the psychology behind this like I am, check out this article.
- Solution: Spend as much time as it takes locking down your target audience. Think long and hard about how you sell to them in person or over the phone and use that. Don’t write “professionally” like they taught you in school; give your written word as much personality as your verbal word.
Here’s what goes on your services page
- https://geranskybros.ca/
Your services
If you read the above section, you should already have a pretty good idea of what to do with this. Tell people what you offer, but make sure you’ve made it super easy to find.
- https://advantagecollision.ca/
Your unique value proposition
This one is very difficult for a lot of my clients as well. Unless you’ve carved out a niche for yourself where you actually offer different services than your direct competitors, the truth is that your value proposition is likely your team and your experience. People need to know this so that when they’re comparing apples to apples, your apple is a little shinier.
- https://lexishomes.ca/
Social proof
This should really go on a bunch of different pages, but if your value proposition is happy customers, prove it. Include testimonials and videos to show your readers that you don’t just think you’re the best—your customers do, too.
- https://personalitieshairdesign.com/
Pricing
This one’s not for everyone. If you’re competing for the lowest prices, definitely show them off, but if your competitors are just going to undercut you, you may want to think about keeping your prices to discovery meetings. That said, you should still give people an idea of your pricing by targeting all of your language to people in your price range so you don’t waste time in meetings with people who aren’t the right fit for you. As an example, next time you’re on a website, look for words like cheap, affordable, deal, etc. When you see words like that, you can assume that the target audience is people buying based on price rather than quality or experience.
- https://pulseveterinary.ca/
FAQs
I would recommend including Frequently Asked Questions on a services page if people have a lot of questions about your services. Seems self-explanatory, but if you’re telling people the same information over the phone several times a week, this can definitely help you cut that down. FAQs may also need an entire page to themselves if you have several that reach across multiple aspects of your business.
- https://yastech.ca/
Calls to action
We may think we’re going to a website to gather information, but so many of us are just as guilty for window shopping online as we are in physical stores. When you list all of your information on a page, someone might read it and think “yes, they do what I need. I’ll keep them in mind” BUT you have a huge opportunity to close them right there.
You might not think you have the power to make someone book a meeting by showing them a button that says “book now”, but psychology says they will. The best part is that even people who know how this works aren’t immune to its power!
*To read more about the psychology behind this, read Neil Pattel’s article here.
Wrapping up
There’s no exact science behind what should go on your services page because there are an infinite number of variables between businesses. The trick is to figure out the information that will help with:
- Customers making a buying decision
- Saving time answering frequently asked questions
- Convince customers why you’re the best choice
If your page can do all that without overwhelming or boring your customers, and can get them to do something about it (like call or click or book), you’ve got yourself a successful services page.
