How to optimise your website for conversions in the professional services sector

Importance of conversion optimisation in professional services

For many businesses providing professional services, their websites act more as a brochure than anything else, and don’t actively convert visitors.

However, every enquiry counts. Unlike ecommerce sales, conversions for service-based businesses typically mean high-value leads over a long period of time. User journeys are also more considered, as clients are likely to research thoroughly before committing to a contract.

For online conversions, these factors can bring unique challenges. As well as the longer decision-making process, there is a high barrier for trust, lack of clarity in any technical terminology, and lots of market competition to consider.

Conversion rate optimisation (CRO) is crucial

Your website should align with your overall marketing strategy, and ensure that visitors feel confident – and able – to convert. It’s surprisingly easy to lose a high-value lead due to seemingly small user experience (UX) or website performance problems.

Here at Ultimate, we’ve helped a portfolio of professional service clients to transform their website performance, including law firm PSG, accountancy brand Saffery, and global recruitment experts Workwell.

Understanding what ‘conversion’ means for your business

For professional services, ‘conversion’ isn’t a one-size-fits-all. Conversion points could include filling in a form, downloading a resource, booking a chat, or even picking up the phone to call you.

This is why understanding your audience’s user journey is so important. If you don’t know how your audience wants to convert, how can you guide them?

At Ultimate, we conduct a discovery session with our clients, to unpack each stage of the user decision journey to see where we can encourage them to convert. Our expert UX team will make sure these conversion points are clear and easy to complete, removing as much friction as possible that might prevent you gaining the lead.

How to improve conversions on your service website

Step 1: Simplify your website’s messaging

If your website is too wordy or confusing, your users are likely to bounce. In short, your website should communicate what you do, who it’s for, and why it matters, as simply as possible.

In professional services, many websites make the mistake of being far too wordy, full of jargon or vague “catch all” statements.

Instead, your business website should:

• Hero a strong value proposition on your homepage (what, who, why)
• Keep copy clear and concise
• Spotlight your benefits and outcomes
• Make sure the tone of voice is aligned with your branding and audience
  • Looking to rebrand? We’ll help you define your look and messaging.

Step 2: Improve user experience (UX)

User experience (UX) is incredibly important for conversion. Again, users will bounce if they can’t find what they need quickly, so your chosen agency should focus on conversion focused website design. Your website will need:

• Fast loading speeds (especially on mobile)
• Clear, logical navigation
• Responsive design across devices including desktop, mobile, and tablet
• Accessibility considerations, like readable fonts and alt text.

Step 3: Use clear calls to action (CTAs)

CTAs are absolutely key when guiding users to the next step in their conversion journey. CTAs should stand out at key conversion points, and use language that encourages action. Just having them on your contact page isn’t enough; they should be included throughout the website including the homepage, service pages, and blogs.

Examples of CTAs include:

• “Book your free consultation”
• “Download our free guide”
• “Sign up to our newsletter”.

Step 4: Add trust-building elements

Trust is so important across the professional services industry, and social proof can make all the difference to increase website conversions. Consider including the following elements to reassure potential clients that your business is credible, experienced, and human:

• Testimonials and case studies
• Client logos and partner badges
• Awards, certifications, and accreditations 
• Photos and biographies for your team

Step 5: Leverage analytics and A/B testing

If you’re not measuring, you can’t improve and optimise your website for leads. Analytics tools are so important for tracking conversions, and painting a real picture of where users are showing up and dropping off. 

We’d recommend user testing with the following tools; comparing different page layouts, CTAs, or copy can help to optimise your site for conversion.

• Google Analytics and Google Search Console
• Microsoft Clarity (offers heat maps for user behaviour)
• CRMs like Hubspot or Salesforce to track lead sources.

Common pitfalls to avoid

With over 20 years in the industry, we’re well aware of the common mistakes that can lead to a drop-off in conversions on professional services websites.

These include:

• Generic, vague, or non-informative content
• Confusing CTAs or user journeys
• Overloaded pages (too much text, jargon, or cluttered layouts)
• Slow or glitchy mobile sites
• Lack of key information like pricing or timelines

Choose a multi-discipline agency

Working with a full-service digital agency – like us! – gives you access to an entire suite of experts, including UX designers, SEO strategists, web developers, content writers, and branding specialists. A full-service collaboration means that your website follows a logical process from design, to development, to testing. This helps to avoid any blind spots and ensures that everyone is working towards the same user journey and conversion goals.

Another perk of taking on a third party agency for the job is that sometimes a fresh pair of eyes (or twenty!) is exactly what you need to turn an underperforming website into a strong platform for conversion.

As a Manchester agency, we’re specialists in website design, UX, and development for professional services, both locally and nationwide. We can help at any stage of your journey – whether optimising an existing site, or starting from scratch with a full redesign. Our team can help you turn your traffic into leads.

Explore our professional services work, or learn more about website design and website development. We’re also more than happy to have a friendly chat – just get in touch.