With so many professional services firms out there, it can be difficult for prospects to determine which firm will meet their needs. There are many highly skilled, experienced professionals in every market, and their descriptions often seem quite similar. You already know that prospects are going to check you out online. What will they find when they visit your Services page? Self-focused, dull, vague or generic service descriptions don’t separate you from the pack.  They don’t grab clients and tell them what’s different about your firm from other firms. They don’t help you win new business.

Here’s an example. Plumbing emergencies never happen at convenient times, so it’s usually bedtime when you discover a problem. Let’s say a burst pipe flooded the basement. It can’t wait until morning and you don’t have a reliable plumber to call. A quick online search finds two top listings with equivalent Google ratings and a quick description of each. Where are you clicking?

“Pete’s Plumbing started as a family business more than 20 years ago, and provides a range of plumbing services to individuals and businesses in the greater Boston area.”

“From burst pipes to broken water heaters and clogged drains, Boston residents call Paul’s Plumbing in a crisis. We’re here with quick and competent help for all your emergency plumbing problems—even at 3 a.m.”

Both companies provide the services you need. They’re both highly rated and it looks like they have similar rates. All other things being equal, in this scenario most people would probably turn to Paul first. Just a few sentences tell you that this company has experience helping people like you solve problems like yours. 

Using more meaningful descriptions is key for your SEO strategy, too. Google and other search engines want to find the page results that best match a searcher’s query. Generic service descriptions don’t help you get found. When you need an emergency plumber, you don’t search for “plumber that has been a family business for 20 years.” You search “Boston burst pipes” or “Boston emergency plumber.” Paul’s more meaningful descriptions help him win again.

How to Write Meaningful Service Descriptions

Here are just a few things to keep in mind as you think about your messaging. 

Think Client Focused, Not Self-Focused

If your service descriptions start with, “Our firm,” “Our team,” or “At our firm,” you’re probably focusing more on yourself rather than your clients or prospects. 

Don’t tell people what you do—tell them why clients choose you. Someone searching for a new professional services firm is generally more concerned with solving their problem than they are with finding a firm that has the most storied history or the most awards. Put yourselves in the position of the prospective client who’s clicking through your site. They have specific needs to fulfill, and they probably have at least a few (if not dozens) of firms like yours to choose from. Your firm’s website might even be the third or fourth they’ve looked at in quick succession. Can you describe your firm and services in a way that makes you stand out so they choose you?

Ask yourself these questions when crafting your service descriptions: 

• Why do your clients choose you? 
• How do you make life easier or more profitable for them? 
• What would your clients say they love about working with you? 
• What kinds of niche or tricky issues do you help them solve? 

Highlight those details when you describe your firm and services. Read everything from the perspective of a client and think: Would this messaging convince me that this firm can solve my problems?

Use Case Studies

People are always interested in other people’s stories. That’s part of what makes case studies such a powerful marketing tool. They engage readers in a way that a block of dry text about your services never will.  Case studies let you illustrate the ways that your firm has created real value for clients in the past, and let your prospective clients imagine themselves in the position of working with you. Sharing case studies also creates an opportunity to incorporate client testimonials throughout your messaging.

Describe Your Process

Okay, so your team is competent and experienced—a prospective client can figure that out from a quick glance at your bios. But what’s it like to actually be your client? What does onboarding look like? Does each client work with a team, or have a single service provider? Describe your process in a way that helps clients imagine themselves working with you. 

Beyond The Basics

Leverage your Blog

In addition to playing a critical role in your SEO strategy, your blog lets you demonstrate how your services may benefit clients. Use it to deep dive on topics that your clients care about. Use real world examples, case studies and include your unique perspective or insight on the issue. Blog articles can help paint a picture of what it might be like to work with your firm.

A Note on Design

How you display your service descriptions is just as important as the content. Text heavy pages with dense paragraphs and laundry lists of bullet points are less engaging than thoughtfully designed elements that invite the user to interact, click through, and choose what information they want to see. Also, be sure your service pages pass the mobile test. With more and more of the buying process happening online, it’s safe to say prospects are accessing your site from phones and tablets. 

Every page on your website can either help or hurt your chances of winning new business. Is your firm using its messaging to the greatest possible potential? If your messaging needs an overhaul—or even if it just needs a tweak—let’s talk about next steps. Contact me today!