11 Website Design Tips for Service-Based Businesses

Website design is important for service-based businesses—it serves as an online storefront for your business. Websites are a marketing tool to help you find a wider audience and give them an easy way to contact you.

They also show visitors the services the business offers and allow people to view past work and testimonials, which increases your credibility and trustworthiness.

Knowing how important a website is for business, let’s look at 11 website design tips for service-based businesses.

1. Prioritize lead generation

The #1 priority of the website is to get leads for your service-based business. Prioritizing lead generation helps you set up the rest of your website.

Focus on making your website user-friendly and direct your copy to your ideal customer.

Encourage visitors to ask about your services by having a way for them to contact you or a next step for them to take on every page.

Aim to guide visitors towards lead generation, such as signing up for an email list, calling your business, scheduling a consultation, or requesting a quote.

2. Utilize a request a quote form

One great method of lead generation is to include a request a quote form on your website. This is easy to use and can be filled out at any time, which makes it preferable for many potential customers compared to having to call a business.

Place this form in a prominent place on your website and make it accessible from every page. You want to make this form as low effort as possible—the form needs to be easy to use and short (only ask for the key information you need so you can respond).

Once you have collected their information, have the confirmation screen or email include when  they can expect to hear from you.

Another alternative is to have a place on your website for visitors to schedule appointments or consultations.

3. Include a call to action above the fold

A call to action (CTA) is a term used to describe the next step a marketer wants the viewer to take. You always want to give visitors to your website a clear next step for them to take.

Create a plan on where you want visitors to go on your website and guide them there. When deciding on your call to action, keep your end objectives in mind (the number 1 priority is lead generation).

The primary call to action for a website may be requesting a quote or scheduling a consultation—place this CTA above the fold on the homepage. This makes it as easy as possible for them to find.

You can also have a call to action for each page. This can be the same as the primary CTA for the website, or it could direct them to another page, ask them to share about the business on social media, or encourage them to call the business.

A call to action can be in the form of direct text, a graphic, button, banner, or form. Whichever format you use, make it clear what you want them to do and make it easy to do.

4. Create individual service pages

While you can have a general service page that lists each service, it is also a good idea to have individual service pages for each offer.

These pages should have an organized structure, professional appearance, and match your brand.

Include a clear, detailed description of the service, the benefits of the service, interesting visuals, client testimonials about the service, contact info, and a clear call to action.

Having a page focused on each service helps with SEO and makes it clear to potential customers what the service entails.

5. Target a specific location

Another way to provide clarity about your services is to clearly define your business’s service area (where you go and where you do not go). Making this clear can save you and potential customers time by discouraging inquiries that aren’t within your range.

For the locations in your area, target 1 specific location per page. This appeals to customers in that area and helps with local SEO because you can focus on relevant location-based keywords.

Create pages for each location in your range.

6. Highlight past work

Use your website to showcase your past work. You can have a page or pages that show your experience, describe what you did, and include images of the final outcome.

7. Showcase testimonials and reviews

Another way to show your experience is through customer testimonials and reviews.

It is important to have a testimonial page so customers can share their experiences. Include the customer’s name and a photo (if possible).

Customer testimonials and reviews serve as social proof  (the idea that when people are unsure, they look to others to copy their behavior).

You can describe the benefits of your services and the virtues of your business all day, but hearing it from other satisfied customers has a much larger impact. Good word of mouth is the best marketing there is.

Positive reviews increase trust, build your credibility, and help convert.

8. Address frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Another important section to include on your website is frequently asked questions. You can make a page specifically for FAQs or include them on the relevant pages.

Answering these questions shows transparency and provides clarity, which makes visitors more comfortable. It also saves you both time since you can answer questions that get asked a lot on your website.

While answering FAQs is great, it is also important to pay attention to frequently asked questions and see if you can make that information clearer in your messaging.

9. Implement a live chat/chatbot system

Another way to answer quick questions and improve user experience is to use a live chat or chatbot system. You can even accept bookings through it.

Make sure to allow the visitor to be able to connect to an actual person if needed.

10. Blog about your industry

There are many benefits to having a blog section for your website, such as:

• building community
• allowing you to capitalize on industry trends
• establishing credibility and authority
• showing you are informed
• bringing traffic to your website
• keeping your website up to date

11. Hire a professional designer and developer

While you can implement these website design tips for your service-based business, it’s a good idea to hire a professional website designer and developer.

It is an investment for your business so you can present the best online image, create a cohesive brand, have a responsive and user-friendly website, and optimize for search engines so that you rank well.

Here at AWEBCO, we offer website design and development. We can also handle all your graphic design needs and search engine optimization (SEO).

We will ensure your call to action is clear and accessible, set up your testimonial and previous work pages, and write your service pages to target local keywords.

Call at 217-903-5999, or contact us online to learn more about how our team can set up the website design for your service-based business!