High Conversion Services Pages
Ah, the obligatory Services page. For many freelancers it’s just something they create to look more professional. And yet, ironically, they put little time or energy into it. Resulting in a lackluster page that underperforms.
The reality however, is that a good Services page is a far cry from wasted time or energy. Instead it’s a unique opportunity for you to convert interested website or blog visitors into paying clients. Something every freelancer must be able to do.
So how do you take a boring, underdeveloped Services page and optimize it for converting new clients?
Well, while I’m sure there are many ways to put together a high conversion Services page, I’ve noticed the best ones I’ve come across tend to have the following four sections.
1. Services & Benefits
In this section the goal should not be to introduce yourself and simply list your services. If you have an about page (which you should) introducing yourself here would be a bit redundant and a simple listing of your services is rather uninteresting as they probably already know what it is you do. So what exactly should go in this section? What are those prospective clients actually looking for here?
Well, obviously the goal isn’t to be vague or mysterious about what you do. So it’s ok to come out and say, “I design websites,” etc. But the main point you make should be about how your services will uniquely benefit that prospective client. You’ll want to put yourself in their shoes. Think about why they would want to hire someone who can provide the services you’re offering and then make them the promises they want to hear.
Of course that’s not to say you should make promises you can’t deliver on, but seeing things from your client’s perspective is going to allow you to speak their language and assure them that you can provide the value (the end result) that they’re ultimately after.
Hint: They’re usually after more money. So if you can describe the ways in which hiring you is a good investment that will give them a dependable return on their investment then you’re doing it right.
2. Testimonials
Testimonials are an awesome way to reinforce the promises you just made in the first section of your Services page. Anyone can talk themselves up but when past clients are willing to go on record and endorse you to others then that goes a long way toward establishing trust – something your prospect will need before making a choice to invest in your services.
In general, the more testimonials you can provide the better. But in some cases you may want to be conscious of how long your services page is getting and stick only to the very best testimonials and only by those with the biggest name recognition.
3. Examples of Work
Now, after you’ve described for your prospective client exactly how working with you will solve their problems and provide unique value, after they’ve read the glowing praise of past clients and become thoroughly impressed with you and receptive to hiring you – now is when you show them your work.
There are a lot of ways you can do this: you can insert a gallery, provide links, etc. Whatever you do just make sure it feels right and looks good. Make sure that they get a crystal clear idea of what exactly you’re capable of. This will ensure that when they move on to the next section that they’ve already got a good idea of how they want to work with you.
4. Call to Action
This is where it’s all been leading up to. The point in time where you invite them to work with you. You’ve already provided the motivation, now you are providing the means for them to reach out and make that connection. I prefer to have a contact form that links directly to my email. Others just list their phone number and/or email address directly. Again, it’s really matter of preference. The most important thing here is that they feel welcome and encouraged to get in touch and begin the process of striking a deal.
It is also at this point that some freelancers choose to list rates. This of course helps to weed out those who can’t afford you right away. But in some cases I think it can spook potential clients who need a little bit of convincing and/or a slight shift in perspective. Also, by not listing your rates you are able to ask a client what their budget is and price accordingly. This can sometimes result in working for much higher rates than you would otherwise get.
Final Thought
So those are the four sections of a high conversion services page. As I mentioned at the beginning, this isn’t the only way to do it but I’ve seen this formula work often enough that I’m confident it will be useful to most freelancers looking to net more clients. What does your services page look like? Feel free to drop us a link in the comments below!
P.S. Here’s my services page if you’d like to see an example.
