A small design and consulting firm lists seven services on a single page, each in one line: strategy, branding, websites, content, training, support, audits. A visitor who needs a website refresh reads the list, cannot tell what it would cost in time or effort, and leaves to ask two other companies that describe their work more concretely. The firm does offer a clear, well-run website refresh. Nobody can see it.
This article is for the owner or marketing lead of a small company whose website says what the company does in general but not what a client actually gets. It describes a repeatable page for each offer: who it is for, what you do, what the client provides, how the work goes and how long it takes, plus a short example you can adapt in an afternoon.
Why one page per offer
A single "Services" page has to serve every visitor, so it speaks to none of them. A page for one offer can answer the question the visitor arrived with: is this for me, what happens if I say yes, and what will you need from me?
There is a practical side too. A page per offer gives search engines and people a precise thing to find, lets you link to it from an email or a proposal, and forces you to decide what the offer really is. If you cannot describe it on one page, it is probably two offers or none.
Keep the overview page, but make it a short guide that points to each offer, with a sentence on who it suits.
Start with who it is for
The first paragraph should name the visitor's situation, not your method. Compare two openings:
- "We provide comprehensive website solutions tailored to your needs."
- "This is for companies of five to thirty people whose website is more than four years old, looks wrong on a phone and no longer says what the company does."
The second lets the right person nod and the wrong person move on, and both outcomes are good. Add a short line on who it is not for: "If you need an online shop with hundreds of products, this is not the right offer; see our shop page." Saying no clearly builds trust and saves both sides a conversation.
Say what you do, as results
Describe what the client has at the end, and only then how you get there. A short list is enough:
- Deliverables. The things they can point to: a redesigned site of up to ten pages, a written content plan, a set of email templates.
- Result. What should be different afterwards, in plain terms: visitors can find your contact details in one click; you can edit pages yourself.
- Limits. What is not included, such as photography, translations or ongoing hosting. A short list of exclusions prevents most disputes.
Avoid long lists of activities such as "workshops, analysis, iterations". They describe your effort, not the client's benefit. If a step matters, say what it produces: "A one-hour call after which you receive a one-page summary of what we will change."
Say what the client provides
This section is the one most companies leave out, and it is the one that decides whether the work finishes on time. List what you need, who usually provides it and by when:
- Access. Logins to the current website, domain and analytics.
- Material. Logo files, photographs, existing texts, prices.
- A decision-maker. One named person who answers questions within two working days and approves each stage.
- Time. For example, one hour per week for a call and an hour to review each stage.
Be honest that delays on the client's side move the dates. A sentence such as "If material arrives late, the schedule moves by the same number of days" is fair and protects both sides.
Describe the process and the time
Give three to five steps in plain words and a time range for each, not for the whole job only. For example:
- Week 1: a kick-off call and a review of what exists.
- Weeks 2–3: the structure and texts of the main pages, approved by you.
- Weeks 4–5: the build and a round of corrections.
- Week 6: testing, launch and a short handover session.
A range such as "five to seven weeks, depending on how quickly material arrives" is more credible than a single date. If the time depends on the size of the job, say which factors change it.
On price, you have three honest options: a fixed price, a starting price with what changes it, or a statement of how pricing works and a promise to quote within a set time. Silence on price helps nobody. If you are not ready to publish a figure, write how you quote; the approach is described in writing a one-page proposal for a small client.
A short example
Website refresh for a small company
Who it is for. Companies of five to thirty people with a website older than four years that does not work well on phones. Not for online shops with large catalogues.
What you get. A redesigned site of up to ten pages, rewritten main texts, a contact form that reaches a named person, and a one-hour training so you can edit pages yourself. Not included: photography, translations, hosting.
What we need from you. Website and domain access, your logo and photos, one decision-maker who replies within two working days, and about two hours a week.
How it goes. Five steps over five to seven weeks, from a kick-off call to launch and handover.
Next step. Send us the address of your current website and one sentence on what bothers you most; we reply within one working day with a yes, a no or a question.
This takes about two hundred words and answers nearly every question a serious visitor has.
Finish with one next step
End the page with a single action, not three. A short form, an email address or a booking link are all fine; what matters is that the step is small and the page says what happens after it. If you use a contact form, make sure it reaches a person, as discussed in a website contact form that gets answered.
Common mistakes
- One page for everything. Visitors cannot find their own case.
- Opening with the company. Begin with the visitor's situation.
- Activities instead of results. Say what the client has at the end.
- No client responsibilities. Late material is the commonest reason for late projects.
- No time range. Visitors assume the worst.
- No exclusions. Unwritten limits become arguments later.
- Several next steps. Choose one.
A short plan for this week
- List your offers and pick the one you sell most often.
- Write its page using the five parts: who it is for, what you do, what the client provides, process and time, next step.
- Ask a recent client to read it and tell you what is unclear.
- Link it from the overview page and from your proposals.
- Repeat for the next offer, one per week.
You do not need a redesign to do this. One honest page per offer will help the right visitors say yes and the wrong ones say no, and both save you time.
Sources
- Practical guidance based on common small-company website and proposal practice, offered as a planning aid. The wording, timings and structure are illustrations to adapt to your own company. The opening example is invented. No client results or performance figures are claimed in this article.
