How to write a services page that makes the next step clear

A services page has two jobs. It helps someone decide whether you can help them, and it shows them what to do next. If it does both clearly, it doesn't need to be long or clever.

This guide is for owners of small service businesses who are writing or rewriting their services page. It covers who the page is for, how to describe each service and its limits, what proof to use, and how to make the next step obvious. It includes a services page brief card you can copy and an illustrative before-and-after rewrite.

1. Start with who it's for and the problem, in their words

Before you write anything, note down:

• who usually gets in touch, such as homeowners, landlords or small offices
• the situation they're in when they look for you
• the words they use to describe the problem

Your emails, call notes and enquiry forms are the best source. Customers might say "my boiler keeps cutting out" rather than "heating system diagnostics". The GOV.UK guidance on using clear language is written for government pages, but its advice works here too: use the language your readers are familiar with and use themselves.

2. Put the most important information first

People often skim web pages rather than read every sentence. GOV.UK's guidance on creating a clear structure says to put the most important information first, then add detail further down.

On a services page, the first few lines should answer:

• what you do
• who you do it for, and where, if you only cover certain areas
• what the next step is

Use headings that say something. GOV.UK suggests headings that are descriptive and frontloaded, and warns against generic ones like "Introduction". For example, "Our services" tells the reader very little. "Boiler servicing and repairs in north Leeds" tells them whether to keep reading.

3. Describe each service in plain words

For each service, write a short description in everyday language. The same GOV.UK guidance gives practical rules you can borrow:

• Use short, common words. "Help" rather than "assist", "buy" rather than "purchase".
• Explain specialist terms the first time you use them, if you need them at all.
• Prefer the active voice. "We test every appliance" is clearer than "every appliance is tested".
• Keep sentences and paragraphs short. GOV.UK suggests splitting sentences over 25 words and keeping paragraphs to no more than five sentences.

Say what's included, what depends on scope, and what isn't included

Limits you haven't stated can leave a customer unsure what they're getting, or surprised later. To make them clear, write three short lists for each service:

• Included: what the customer can expect as standard.
• Depends on scope: what you'll confirm after you know more, such as size, access or condition.
• Not included: what you don't do, so the wrong customers can look elsewhere and the right ones aren't surprised.

If you show prices, that's a decision for your business. If you do, say what the price includes and what could change it. Don't show a price you wouldn't honour.

4. Use only proof you can stand behind

Proof helps a reader trust you, but only if it's real. Good proof includes:

• genuine reviews, used with permission
• accreditations or memberships you actually hold
• examples of your work that you have permission to show

If you don't have much proof yet, that's fine. Explain how you work and what a first visit or call involves. No proof is better than fake proof. Don't invent reviews, numbers or examples, and don't use photos that suggest work you didn't do.

5. Make one next step clear

Decide on the one main thing you want a reader to do, such as "Send an enquiry", "Request a quote" or "Call us". Then make that action obvious.

• Name the action. GOV.UK's button guidance, written for government services, says button text should describe the action it performs. "Request a quote" tells people what happens; "Submit" or "Learn more" doesn't.
• Avoid competing actions. The same guidance says having more than one main call to action reduces their impact and makes it harder for people to know what to do next. You can repeat the same action at the top and bottom of a long page. What causes confusion is several different actions competing for attention.
• Write useful link text. GOV.UK's guidance on writing effective links says to avoid "click here", frontload link text, and start a link with a verb when it starts a task.
• Keep other routes available. If some customers prefer to phone or email, show your number and address clearly as alternatives, rather than as extra buttons.

Say what happens after they take the step

Tell people what happens next, honestly. Sending a form is a request, not a booking, unless a separate booking step confirms one. If you mention a reply time, make sure it's one you can keep in a normal busy week.

If your next step is a form, our guide on what to ask on an enquiry form covers which questions to include. Once it's live, run a test to check that enquiries actually reach someone.

6. Use the services page brief card

Fill in the card before you write, or use it to check the page you already have.

1. Copy the blank card into a document.
2. Fill it in with whoever answers enquiries. They'll know the customers' words and the common misunderstandings.
3. Write "none yet" in the proof row if that's the truth.
4. Choose one next step and write its exact label.
5. Write or rewrite the page from the card, then check it against the card.

For more than one service, repeat the service, included, depends on scope and not included rows for each.

7. Example: a before-and-after rewrite

Illustrative example only: an invented garden maintenance business, not a real company, client or result.

Before (illustrative)

Welcome to our services page. We are passionate about delivering high-quality, bespoke garden solutions tailored to your needs. With years of experience, we offer a comprehensive range of services. Click here to find out more!

After (illustrative)

Regular garden maintenance in north Leeds

We look after lawns, hedges and borders for homes in north Leeds, with fortnightly or monthly visits.

Included: mowing, edging, trimming hedges up to head height, weeding borders and taking away green waste.

Depends on scope: tall hedges, very overgrown gardens and one-off clear-ups. We'll confirm these after we've seen the garden.

Not included: tree surgery, fencing and landscaping.

We're a new business, so we don't have reviews to show yet. On a first visit, we walk round the garden with you and agree what's included before any work starts.

Send us your garden details. Tell us your postcode and what needs doing, and we'll reply to arrange a time to look at the garden. Sending the form doesn't book a visit.

What changed:

• The heading says what and where. "Our services" became "Regular garden maintenance in north Leeds".
• Vague claims are gone. "Passionate", "bespoke" and "years of experience" said nothing a reader could check.
• The limits are clear. Readers know what's included, what depends on the garden and what isn't offered.
• The proof is honest. The page explains how work starts instead of inventing reviews.
• There's one action with a clear label, and it says plainly that sending the form doesn't book a visit.

8. Check it on a phone and read it aloud

Before you publish:

• Open the page on a phone. Can you tell what the business does and what to do next without scrolling far?
• Read it aloud. Long sentences and jargon are easier to hear than to see.
• Ask someone outside the business what you do and what they'd do next. If they hesitate, the page needs work.
• Follow the next step yourself. Press the button, send a clearly marked test, and check it arrives.

Our website redesign checklist includes keyboard and form checks if you're changing more than this one page.

Common questions

Should I have one services page or a page for each service?

It depends on how different your services are and how customers choose. If you offer a few closely related services, one clear page may be enough. A service with its own customers, questions and limits may deserve its own page. Either way, make the next step clear on every page.

Should I show prices?

That's a business decision. If you do show them, say what's included and what could change the price, and only show prices you'll honour.

How long should a services page be?

There's no right length. GOV.UK says there's no maximum or minimum page length, and that writing well matters most. Say what a customer needs to decide and act, and stop.

What if I don't have any reviews yet?

Say so, or simply leave reviews out. Explain how you work and what the first step involves instead. Never invent reviews or examples.

Will clear headings help my page rank?

We can't promise that. Clear headings help people scan the page and find what they need, and that's reason enough to write them well.

ScalePass helps service businesses explain what they do and make the next step easy. If you'd like help writing or rewriting your services page, see how we approach websites.

In short

Write for the people who actually get in touch, in their words. Put what you do, for whom and where at the top. Describe each service in plain words, with what's included, what depends on scope and what isn't included. Use only proof you can stand behind. Choose one next step, label it with the action, and say honestly what happens after it.