Imagine someone just decided they need your type of service. They begin searching for providers, maybe through Google or a review site. They visit multiple websites, including yours.
What content should your website include to make them feel your service business is a good match?
It’s best to assume prospects are comparing multiple service providers, and spending little time on each website. Their goal is to decide, as quickly as possible, whether to add your business to their shortlist.
To be shortlisted, your website needs to do more than describe what you offer. It must give prospects the right signals, quickly.
Each prospect has different needs, expectations, and concerns. But to simplify and guide how to respond, I find it helps to imagine prospects asking themselves three core questions:
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Is this business a good professional fit for what I need?
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Is this business a good personal fit for me?
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Why should I choose this business over another?
Addressing these questions can be challenging, but if prospects can’t find the answers quickly, they’re likely to give up and move on to another website. So make it easy for readers to find what they need.
1. Is this business a good professional fit for what I need?
Visitors want to know they have come to the right place. Your website should clearly and prominently state:
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What you do
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Who you help
- Your value proposition
Ideally, this information is at the top of the home page. There is no benefit in making it hard to find. People won’t stay to figure it out.
It may seem obvious to state what you do, but many businesses fail to do it clearly. If you're a mobile app development agency, say so. A slogan like “Digital innovation without limits” is not a substitute for saying what you do.
Defining who you help can also be difficult because it means choosing who you serve and who you do not. But if your audience is not clearly defined, people may assume they are not a fit.
I suspect many businesses struggle with their value proposition too. I’ve analysed many professional service websites and found that for firms with 1 to 10 people, only about 10 percent of websites include anything close to a value proposition near the top of the home page.
It is not just what you say, but how you say it. Visitors will judge your professionalism based on the clarity, structure, images, and design of your site. If your website feels polished and focused, they are more likely to believe your service is too.
2. Is this business a good personal fit for me?
Professional services are based on relationships. Even in larger firms, people want to know who they will be dealing with.
Your site should introduce the key people behind the business. Include names, photos, and a bit of personality. This helps to create a human connection.
It also helps to include your location. Even if your work is remote or global, people want to know where you are based. Listing your city and country adds context and helps your business feel more real.
3. Why should I choose this business over another?
This is often the hardest question to answer. The topic deserves more depth than this article can cover, but vague, generic statements like We are leaders in our industry or We put clients first won't differentiate any business. Prospects will dismiss it as marketing talk.
To stand out, your point of difference should be specific, believable, and easy for visitors to find.
