How to Write a High-Converting Services Page

Imagine this: I’m your dream client and I’ve just landed on your homepage. I’m loving what I’m seeing and you so clearly get what I’m struggling with. Toward the end of the page you lay out a quick roadmap for me — click here to learn more about your services, click here to peruse your digital products, click here to download your free guide. 

I’m looking for 1-1 services so I click over to your services page and…Welcome to McDonald’s.

I’m hit with your packaged options, all neatly lined up across the page like a burger joint menu. I scan the 5-6 bullet points you’ve provided under each package name and my eye goes straight to the price. 

I’m not sure those listed bullets are really worth the price. So I’m going to toggle back over to my search results and continue my research, promptly forgetting about you and most likely finding someone else who fits the bill just as much as you did.

So why’d they bag your dream client and you didn’t? 

Here’s the deal: Your services page should not function like a burger joint menu.

Your services page needs to sell your services. Your clients aren’t buying your services off the shelf like a can of tomato soup and you certainly don’t want to prompt them to start bargain shopping.

Remember: They are buying access to your expertise, which has been honed over years of experience and it’s your job to convey how valuable that is.

Let’s break down the sections and content you need to include to write a high-converting services page. 

• Grab the Brand Strategy MEGA Questionnaire + Trello Brand Planner Template if you’re not already clear on your elevator pitch, audience, vision, values, perception, service offerings, client experience, name/tagline, content and copy style, pricing strategy, and brand promotion. (It’s called MEGA for good reason.)

• Go down the Audience Research Checklist to find the best stealth ways to research your audience and find out what they’re saying when you’re not in the room. 

• Work through the Audience Persona and Brand Messaging Workbook to go three layers deep and pinpoint your target audience’s struggles so you can swoop in to save the day with on-point messaging.

The ground rules

• The key to writing a high-converting services page is to write it from the perspective of your client. A good rule of thumb is to use “you” more than you use “I”.

• Use informative headlines to introduce each section and directly address your client. You can be straightforward, or play with your brand voice. (Example: Choose a package → Choose your adventure)

• Break sections up with subheadlines and bullet points. You gotta’ throw a bone to the skimmers and make it easy for them to find the sections they really care about by creating some layout diversity and keeping things short and simple where appropriate.

• Brand photography and imagery are a great way to add interest but remember, it’s your copy that ultimately sells you to your client.

Service page sections

There are six main questions your client wants to be answered when looking for a coach/copywriter/photographer/florist/[enter your areas of expertise here.] You can absolutely add more but at the very least your services page should include sections that address the following:

1) Do you understand my problem(s)?

I want to know if you can relate to me and I need to see you address this on every single page I read (not just the homepage!) Dedicate an entire section of your services page to listing out your ideal client’s motivations, and three-layer deep problem sets. This will create the runway you need to swoop in and assure them you’re going to make them feel better. 

2) Is the solution you’re offering going to fix my problem?

Tell me how your solution is going to fix my problem. When I work with you, what am I going to be able to do after that I wasn’t able to do before? How is that going to make me feel? Make this a dedicated section and at some point, be sure to clarify who your offer is and isn’t for.   

3) What do I get?

Dedicate a section of your service page to breaking down the deliverables and showing me why they are valuable. 

Here’s an excerpted list of deliverables from a brand photographer course client:

Less valuable:

• Ideal Client Worksheets 

• Content Strategy Worksheets 

• Pricing Calculator

• Value-Add Worksheet

• Price Package Template

• Editing Tutorials

   

More valuable:

• Ideal Client Worksheets so you’re attracting perfect-fit clients who are primed and ready to work with you.

• Content Strategy Worksheets so you finally know what to post and when to do it.

• Pricing Calculator so you can price for profitability and the lifestyle you want to live. 

• Value-Add Worksheet so you can identify ways you can provide an exceptional client experience that gets you rebooked and referred.

• Price & Package Template that demonstrates your value while giving your clients what they need.

• Editing Tutorials for more efficient processing so you can deliver your (stellar) work and head out for happy hour!

You want to make me go, I get all that?!? Daaaaang that is worth every penny of my investment and then some!

I also want to point out a controversial opinion of mine: I get majorly peeved when I go to a website and I’m asked to reach out to someone or request a brochure before getting the opportunity to view what a package entails.

‼️ Unless you are selling something uber proprietary, you never want to create unnecessary barriers or hurdles for your client.

There are better ways to pre-qualify potential clients. Use scheduling software like Acquity or Calendly to have them select a time for an introductory call. This puts the onus on them and they’ll show up educated about your packages, comfortable with your pricing, and will be 99% ready to book you on the spot. Having done it both ways, I am speaking from experience here.

If I have to call you to find out whether you’re a $5,000 or a $20,000 investment I’m coming to the call with zero context and will resent the fact that I have to sit on a call with you while you try to convince me of your value even though you don’t offer something I was specifically looking for or are so completely out of my price range to the point that no amount of convincing is going to change my mind.

Put your prices on your site and use convincing copy like the above example to show me why it’s valuable. This is the hill I will die on.  

4) How does it work?

Gimme the quick and dirty 1-2-3 overview of what happens once we begin. I want to be able to visualize the experience I’m going to have working with you.

If your differentiator or unique selling point is that you’re offering a high-touch/white-glove/luxury experience, tell me what that looks like. If you offer an intensive experience that gets people where they want to go quickly, tell me what that looks like.

You can choose to break things down in several different ways, such as a week-by-week general summary or a high-level before-during-after schedule of events. The goal is to paint the picture in my mind that’s going to get me excited and want to join the party or feel reassured that there is a plan and you’ll guide me along the way. 

5) Are you legit? (Social Proof 2.0)

No one is going to put a negative testimonial on their site. Your testimonials need to do more than state that you were great to work with and would highly recommend. 

Get testimonials that address why someone was concerned or had prior objections to working with you.

Here’s an example from a dietitian client testimonial:

“Being vegan, I was unsure if we would be able to find the appropriate foods that would help me stay full to help me lose the weight, and needless to say we have found more than enough!”

“Part of my foodie issues are emotional and stress-related, and embarrassing. She has a way of guiding you forward, staying with the positive, and helping you see the good you have done so far.”

“I’ve done many, many plans, but I think she simplifies things in a way that anyone can incorporate into any lifestyle.”

See?!? Dietary restrictions? No problem. Worried about opening up to someone? It’s a judgment-free zone up in here. Is this all that different from the zillion other plans I’ve tried? They vouch for it!

You could (and should) list these points out yourself, but you’ll build more trust by letting someone else address the concerns or objections I may have.

Hey, Courtney, what about portfolio work? If you deal in visual mediums (designers, photographers, interior designers, etc.) a pretty image gets my attention, but they are a dime a dozen and I can see all the inspiration I want on Pinterest. Go the extra step to educate me. Tell me what problem you had to work around or challenges you encountered. This helps continue to paint that picture of what I can expect when working with you and why you’re more valuable than the other person I Googled with equally beautiful work.   

6) How do I get started? (CTAs and “The Alternate Route”)

Honestly, I don’t have an opinion on whether you should have multiple CTAs (calls-to-action) or just one at the end of the page. Read through your page and place them where it feels necessary and natural.

I do think it’s a good idea to consider giving your readers an easy path to explore your other offerings or pages (a hyperlinked, “Take me back to the X page” will suffice) or giving them something to take with them if they’re not ready yet, like a freebie opt-in. 

I won’t get into email marketing in this post, but using your email list to nurture your audience is a beautiful thing, especially if you have more than 1-1 client services. 

My experience and pricing mean my 1-1 services are out of range for a large subset of my audience, but my digital products and freebie templates are just the right fit for the DIY solopreneur with a smaller budget. 

I drop new resources, templates, and how-tos every other week for subscribers of my “Letters From Your Editor” newsletter. Most of my tutorials are free and when I do have a product for sale, my nurtured subscribers trust that it’s pretty dang great, worth its price tag, and the next best thing to paying for a professional strategist and copywriter.

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