I’ve been seeing a lot of confusion in the online space on the difference between a Sales Page and a Services Page. You might be thinking they’re one and the same, but you’d be wrong. Basically, each page is used in a slightly different way, although from an untrained eye it might be difficult to tell. There are some overlapping elements between the two, but not as much as you think.
To finally clarify this subject, I want to go over the definition of a Service Page and a Sales Page (with examples) and then highlight the difference between the two. That way you’ll know which type of page is being used, why the business is using it, and the intent behind it.
If you’re an online business owner, chances are you know you need a Services Page for your website. It’s one of the staple pieces to a well-rounded website. A Service Page highlights your offer, your brand, the value you provide: AKA all the things that make your people want to buy what you have to sell.
Did I mention your Services Page is one of the most visited pages on your website? So it needs to stand out.
Your Services Page should appeal to your ideal client or target market by providing services or offers they need to improve either their business or life. You are providing a solution to your audience’s problem through your offers, and your Services Page tells them how you can help.
A Sales Page is an individual, stand-alone web page on your site that sells a specific product or service that you are offering to your audience. A Sales Page is there to connect with your potential client, address any questions they might have surrounding your offer, and remove any doubts or objections that come up around your offer. When done effectively, you are easily guiding them towards making a purchase.
They are both trying to persuade you to purchase a product, service, course, program, or any other type of offer by providing your audience with the information they need to take action.
Honestly, the biggest difference between a Sales Page and a Services Page is the urgency behind it and the length of the page.
Typically with a Sales Page, you want people to sign up right then and there. The entire Sales Page is dedicated to promoting immediate action. You’re trying to convince someone to sign up before enrolment closes using timers and expiring bonuses (or a similar urgency element).
For a Services Page, you’re trying to inform the audience about your offers. You’re telling them which services are right for them and letting them lead the way on whether or not they take action or purchase your offers. You’re also letting them reach out when they need help. Basically, you’re putting the ball in their court and waiting for them to throw it back to you.
You can still create urgency on your Services Page. For example, my VIP Days only have one opening per week. This means I am typically booked one or two months in advance. But this isn’t really pressing for them as long as they don’t need any last-minute copy. So my Services Page works almost like an evergreen sales page.
Services pages are also a lot shorter than Sales Pages. While they both try to inform and sell, they do it in different ways.
A Sales Page has a formula to follow that helps readers 1) connect with your offer by 2) addressing everything they need to know about the product or service you are offering. You are removing any doubts they might have about purchasing your offer, and generally, this requires a longer page to accomplish this goal.
There’s a bit more to it than this simplified version, but in a nutshell: your Service Page and Sales Page are not the same things and they require a different approach to crafting offers that your audience can’t say no to.
Hopefully, this post has helped clarify the difference between a Sales Page and Service Page. If you need help writing yours, check out my Services Page to see how we can work together! If you want to write your own copy, but need a little help, check out this Sales Page I wrote for my membership program, The Copy Club. Can you see the difference between the two?