Your website should do more than “look good.” It should build trust, guide action, and generate leads.

Here are 5 non-negotiable must-haves every service-based website needs

1. A Clear Service List

People make decisions fast — users typically spend less than 15 seconds on a website before bouncing. Don’t make your visitors have to hunt around to figure out what you offer.

Spell out your services in simple, skimmable language. Instead of buzzwords, use real phrases your audience is likely to search for — this not only makes your services easier to understand, but it also helps with SEO.

Quick tips:

Use bullets or icons to break things up visually
Include a short description under each service
Link to deeper service pages if you have them

Here are some examples of clear services list we’ve created for our clients:

Corinne Wyard's Services

TruePath Consulting's Services

Garry Sena Group's Services

Viacern's Services

2. Testimonials / Social Proof

Let others do the talking for you. Testimonials are powerful because they show that real people have had great experiences working with you.

Include 2–3 testimonials throughout your homepage and think of including a dedicated testimonial page with recent reviews.

💡 Consider embedding a few client reviews from LinkedIn, Google, or social media.

Here are some examples of testimonials we’ve created for our clients:

Rothman Career Coaching's Testimonials

Spoken with Authority's Testimonials

Find Your Fire's Testimonials

3. Contact Info That’s Easy to Find

It’s surprising how often this gets overlooked. Your contact information should be:

Visible across your site
On a dedicated “Contact” page
Clickable (especially on mobile!)

💡 Include your email, phone (if applicable), location (if relevant), and links to your social media. Make it effortless for someone to reach out.

Here are some examples of contact sections or pages we’ve created for our clients:

Toying with This Idea' Contact Page

Matthew Reneau Consulting's Contact Page

Partners in Communication Inc.'s Contact Page

4. A Lead Form or Scheduler

Don’t just hope visitors contact you — give them an easy next step.

Whether it’s:

A form to request a quote
A clear call-to-action button like “Book a Discovery Call” with a Calendly or Google Calendar link
A lead magnet download (like a free checklist or guide)

Your site should invite interaction. Bonus points if the form is short and sweet (name, email, one simple question).

💡According to HubSpot, clear Call-to-Aaction buttons can increase conversion rates by up to 121% compared to banner ads or images.

Here are some examples of booking pages we’ve created for our clients:

Neuro Consulting Solutions' Booking Page

Copper + Rise's Booking Page

George Haymaker's Booking Page

5. Optimize your website for search engines (SEO).

This is super important. Even a few basic tweaks can help your site show up when your ideal clients are searching online.

Here’s what you should keep in mind:

Titles and meta descriptions on each page
Headings that include your keywords
Image alt tags
Keyword-rich copy (written naturally!)
A mobile-friendly design

💡 Did you know? Google uses mobile-first indexing, meaning it primarily looks at the mobile version of your site for ranking and indexing. If your site doesn’t perform well on mobile, it can hurt your visibility in search results.

Here are some examples of mobile designs we’ve created for our clients: