9 Best Practices for Crafting a Standout Service Provider Website

Do you feel like you have to work 10 times harder than ever to be seen online and capture the attention of your ideal clients? 

Well, optimising your website using these 10 best practices will save you time, energy and money so that you can move closer to your business goals by creating more than just a pretty website.

Your website is often the first point of contact for potential clients, making it essential to create a compelling online presence that captivates and converts. Here’s how you can do this:

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1. Clear and Compelling Messaging

If it takes people more than seconds to know the value you offer, it’s not a good look. Your website needs to communicate the services you offer and the value you provide to clients effectively. Use concise language and compelling headlines to convey your unique selling points and capture visitors' attention from the moment they land on your site.

‍Actionable Task: Have someone who doesn’t know your business very well to have a look at your website or website copy and ask them to summarise the value you offer people in one sentence. If they don’t know, it's worth revisiting your messaging.

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2. User-Friendly Design

Have you ever landed on a website and can't for the life of you figure out how to take the next step in working with that company? Design your website with the user experience in mind. Keep navigation simple and intuitive, making it easy for visitors to find the information they need. Utilise a clean layout, legible fonts, and high-quality images to enhance readability and visual appeal.

Actionable Task: Implement a sticky navigation menu that remains visible as users scroll down the page, making it easy for them to access key sections.

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3. Mobile Responsiveness

It’s not acceptable to have a website that works on desktop devices only. If your website does not work beautifully across all devices, you’re going to lose business. I recently looked at a local salon’s website to book in a blow dry and as soon as I landed on the page the website was difficult to use, I instantly tapped off, looked at another salon, and booked with them. Their path to purchase on mobile was 1. Simple, but 2. I could book as seamlessly on my phone, as I could on my laptop. I had a good feeling about the brand, and it felt easy to choose them. The first hairdresser may have been great, but their online experience for mobile was not good enough. 

Actionable Task: Use the Chrome extension ‘Responsive Viewer’ which will allow you to view your website across many different devices. 

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4. Showcase Your Expertise

You might be the best service provider in your space, but your website visitors need confirmation of that, so don’t be afraid to demonstrate your credibility by showcasing testimonials, case studies and portfolio examples. Highlighting past successes and the results you've achieved for clients helps instil trust and confidence in your services.

Actionable Task: Research other service providers who are in your industry and make note of how they demonstrate their authority on their website. How can you do something similar, but better? 

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5. Clear Calls-to-Action (CTAs)

You’ve got a visitor to your site, AMAZING! Now you want to guide them to take a specific action. Maybe that’s for them to book a call, sign up to your newsletter or download your service guide. Think about your business and marketing goals, and make sure your website aligns with them. 

Actionable Task: Make it clear on your website what action you want people to take next. If you want people to book a call, make sure that’s the primary CTA on your site. Three or four options on each page will confuse the visitor as to which action they should take next. 

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6. Optimise for Search Engines (SEO)

Now this is a huge, ongoing task that you need to re-visit every few months, so firstly, keep that in mind! One thing you can do weekly, bi-weekly or monthly to support your SEO is to create consistent content. Creating valuable, informative content that addresses common industry questions and pain points will help you when ranking on search engines. 

Actionable Task: Set up Google Search Console and monitor your website's performance in search engine rankings. 

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7. Accessibility of Contact Information

Make it easy for visitors to get in touch with you by prominently displaying your contact information on every page of your website. Include multiple contact options, such as phone numbers, email addresses, and a contact form, to cater to different preferences.

Actionable Task: Consider having your email on your contact page as well as a form for people to fill out. 

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8. Regularly Update Content

Keep your website fresh and engaging by regularly updating content and adding new resources. This could include blog posts, articles, case studies, industry insights, or FAQs. Fresh content not only provides value to visitors but also signals to search engines that your site is active and relevant.

Actionable Task: Just like you would for your social media content, establish a content calendar to plan and schedule regular updates to your website, such as blog posts, articles, or industry insights.

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9. Analytics and Tracking

Set up website analytics tools, such as Google Analytics, to track visitor behaviour, monitor website performance, and gain insights into user preferences. Use this data to refine your website design, content strategy, and marketing efforts to better meet the needs of your audience and drive business growth.

Actionable Task: Create custom reports and dashboards in Google Analytics to track key performance metrics and measure the effectiveness of your website's design and content.

Not quite sure how to do this? Download my free resource on how to read the Google Analytics data for your website. 

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Having a website that engages your ideal clients, and prompts them to take action, whether that's engaging in your services, or simply watching a video, reading your blog, or signing up to your newsletter will be a game changer for your business's success. 

By incorporating these best practices into your service provider website, you can create a professional, user-friendly online experience that attracts and engages clients and sets you up for online success.