How to Write a Services Page That Gets Found and Turns Visitors into Leads
Pretend like you’ve never visited your website and have never heard of your company before. Now take a look at your website’s home page and services pages. Is it clear right from the get-go on your website what your company actually does? And most of all, is it clear what problems you solve for customers? At our small business marketing services firm, BigOrange Marketing, we often see people struggling with how to write a services page.
Letting People Know What Goods and Services You Offer
First things first. Unless you’re laundering money, you want to let people know what goods and services you offer. Not what year your company was founded, not how many awards you’ve won, not even where you are located. You can include that information on your website, it just shouldn’t be a prominent feature of your home page.
The message in that prime spot should clearly tell customers the problems you solve and the services you provide that solve those problems.
Keep It Simple Services
Most people only spend about 15 seconds on a website. If they don’t find what they are searching for right away they bounce off. Your business’s website has a very brief window of time to set the hook and reel them in. So how do you make the most of those 15 seconds? Here’s a simple exercise to help you understand how to write a services page and a killer home page.
Take a few minutes and answer these questions in writing:
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What should visitors know about my goods and services?
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What do I want visitors to do in response?
Okay, pencils down. Your answer could be something like:
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We make heated ice cream scoops and you should buy one.
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We offer tuba lessons and you should book one.
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We foster rescue gophers and you should donate to our worthy cause.
Is your answer a lot longer than those above? Give it another shot and try to make it very succinct. Remember those 15 seconds? No one’s got time for you to go on and on right now.
How to Write a Services Page with Feeling
Now that you’re laser-focused on the key information your website needs to impart, let’s finesse it a bit. If you walked into a store and the clerk greeted you with, “We sell salmon, you should buy three pounds” it would probably be a turn-off.
Instead, you want to let visitors know what you sell or do, what they should do and--very importantly--what they will feel when you help solve their challenges. The message should still be short, but you can sneak in a second sentence now.
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What problems do I solve for customers?
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What should visitors know about my goods and services?
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What are the most common words used to describe these services?
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What do I want visitors to do in response?
The ice cream scoop example could become...
No more waiting for ice cream with our heated scoops! Order one here.
(The customer is happy, now that their problem of hard frozen ice cream is alleviated.)
Tuba instruction services could sell leading with....
Be the biggest sound in the band! Book a tuba lesson with us today.
(The would-be tuba player feels important and excited about learning something new.)
The gopher homepage could read and draw action with...
Save a gopher’s life! Donate today.
(The donor’s heart is warmed at the thought of rescuing innocent rodents.)
Here’s a look at a few home pages that have gotten it right. The text tells visitors exactly what they need to know and leads them to action: either something they should do or a button they can click.
Bring it Home
You’ve done the hard work of crafting a message. Try running it by a few co-workers, or better yet, someone who’s unfamiliar with your work. Make tweaks as needed, then talk to your website developer about putting your new verbiage onto your home page and services pages.
Not happy with your current provider? Or if all this feels like too much, schedule a free appointment. We’d be happy to help you craft the best message for your homepage. At BigOrange Marketing, we offer small business marketing services that solve the problem of a lack of leads.
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