How to Create a Website for Your Service Business

When looking to promote your service-oriented business online, you may have questions about the best strategy. While product-based sales websites may be the norm, there are few differences in how you can get attention from potential customers. Your service is essentially the product that you are selling. The most important difference between selling a physical product and a service is your focus on the customer. You need to relate to your customers how your service will solve their problems and the quality of work that they should expect.

Whether you are offering AC repair services like alliedexperts.com, or are a house painter looking for new clients, you will have some challenges when it comes to building a winning website. Let’s take a look at a few factors you will need to consider when building your service company website.

Challenges for Service Business Websites

  Self Promotion

Unlike a business that deals with physical products, you will be forced to excel at self-promotion. While this can be difficult at first, it requires you to confidently market your abilities, build a reputation for fine work, and treat yourself as the product you are promoting.

Measurable Results

While customers have the advantage of determining whether a product works for them, service businesses must prove that they have a valid purpose that can solve a problem. It’s crucial to include customer reviews and real-life recommendations on your website to instill confidence in your service to potential customers.

Time Restrictions

When dealing with a physical product, you can leave your inventory on the shelves as long as needed. As a service provider, your time will be limited. You will need to manage your time within your schedule to meet your customer’s needs.

Local Reach

Your service website will create a global reach for your firm. However, most service businesses deal with a localized customer base. It’s important to research and pursue avenues of local traffic to attract the proper customer base.

Service Business Website – Selling Strategies

Build Credibility

As a service provider, your website should help you to establish your credibility. This will require you to develop a relationship with your clients taking the time to foster trust in your performance and service provided. In the same way, as you would promote a physical product, you will need to prove the value of your service and the expected quality.

To help establish your credibility, you want first to introduce yourself professionally. Post a photo of yourself taken by a photographer or one where you look your best, preferably wearing a company shirt or suit. A professional image will help to build trust with your customers.

Your next step will be to include a complete listing of your credentials and qualifications. Try to avoid providing a simple list but instead relate how your skills and qualifications will benefit your customer. Lastly, you will want to show potential customers that others will respect you. Including testimonials and customer reviews will give your prospective clients an idea of the quality of service that they can expect from your company.

Specific Services

When you are building your service business website, you need to be specific about your services. Start by listing your primary services and continue with examples of work you have done for other clients. You need to let people know if you specialize in any area and what your service procedures include. Always include information about any guarantee that you provide to your customers.

Be Flexible

Once your potential customers have an idea of the services you provide in a general way, they will want to know if you offer any custom work. Most customers have an idea of what they want and will be interested to know that you have the flexibility to accommodate their needs. It can be helpful to divide your customer base into a few different groups so that you can provide more detailed content about your services.

Lead Generation

You need to make it easy for the customers that visit your site to contact you for more information. It may seem obvious, but providing an easy avenue for contact often gets overlooked in the website design process. Along with getting the attention of potential clients through your website, your goal is to encourage them to take the next step by reaching out for more information.

Making it simple for customers to contact you is easier than you think. Creating an online form where your customers can ask you a question and provide their contact email information is a great way to make a connection. The contact portal should be highly visible and present on all pages of your site for the best results.

Local Directories

As a service business, you will want to target customers that are in your area. While the internet allows you to reach out across the world, it doesn’t make sense to target customers out of your range. Taking advantage of local business directories can help you to find customers in your neighborhood. Most internet searches are intended to find local services. When you register with your local and online directories, you are more likely to show up in a random search for services. This is a free and effective way to target local customers.

Networking

To help increase your local business, you can benefit from getting out and networking in your community. Business owners can end up being a good resource for business leads when you request to put an ad connected to their site. You can even open the floor to discuss an awards program where local merchants can benefit from sending business to your company.

Depending on the type of service you are offering, you may want to take advantage of freelancing sites like Upwork and eLance. Posting a brief company summary on LinkedIn may also help bring attention from local companies and customers.

Referrals

One of the most powerful and successful ways to gain more customers is through word-of-mouth advertising. Use the experience of your customers to help build a solid reputation and create leads for new jobs. It’s crucial that you take care of your customers even after the job is done. Following up with clients is an absolute must. Email campaigns are a great way to stay in contact with your past and existing clients. Find out what they thought of your work if there is anything further you can do for them, and request that they submit a review of their experience on your website.

Over 75% of customers claim that they will not choose a contractor or service company until they are satisfied with the customer reviews and testimonials. Through your email service, you shouldn’t be afraid to remind past customers about your services. The ultimate goal of small businesses is to create repeat customers that keep coming back.

Service Business Website – Final Points

Creating a service website is all about promoting your work. It’s important to understand that you are your most important product, and you need to communicate to potential customers what you have to offer through your website. Learn to self-promote, be clear about your services, be flexible, join local directories, and get out in the community for some valuable networking. Follow these tips to help you create a winning service website that will draw in new customers.