List your services on the homepage without overwhelm

Key takeaways

A services section on a homepage should show three to six services or service groups, each with a clear name in buyers' words, one line on what they get and a link to its own page. Order them by demand and revenue. Showing every service as an equal tile, or using icons without words, makes visitors work to find theirs.

• 3 to 6 services or groups, not every service.
• Each: buyer's name for it, one line of benefit, a link.
• Order by demand and revenue.
• Words over icons; icons alone are often misread.

What is the job of the services section?

The services section tells visitors what you offer at a glance and routes them to the right page. It is not the place to explain each service in full. The menu structure is covered in our services menu guide; this page is about the section on the homepage itself.

• Why your homepage is not converting visitors into customers
• The services menu: how to list what you sell

How many services should be on the homepage?

Three to six is a good range. Fewer and you may hide important services; more and the section becomes a grid that is hard to scan. If you offer more, group them, or show the top services with a link to 'All services'.

• A homepage for a business with many services
• Too many choices on your website? Cut them to convert

How should each service be described?

Use the name buyers search for, then one line on what they get or how you do it differently: 'Boiler servicing: annual check by a Gas Safe engineer, with a written report.' A price hint, such as 'from £85', helps if prices suit your business. Link the whole card to the service page.

• Homepage to service page: the click that matters most
• Should you show prices on your website?

Should services use icons or photos?

Words matter most. Icons can help scanning, but Nielsen Norman Group's research shows most icons are not universally understood without a label. Real photos of the work help more than generic icons. Never use an icon alone for a service.

• Mystery meat navigation: icons and labels visitors miss
• Website images that help visitors decide

When should services be shown differently?

For a single-service business, the services section can become a 'what's included' list. For audiences that think in problems rather than services, such as law firm clients, labels like 'Buying a home' or 'Dealing with a will' work better than service names.

• A law firm homepage that turns visitors into clients
• One homepage, several audiences: how to route them

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see: nine identical icon tiles with one-word labels like 'Solutions', 'Maintenance' and 'Projects'. Rewriting them as five clearly named services with a line each, ordered by demand, usually helps visitors find their service and click through.

• See client work
• Website Design & Development for UK businesses

Services section checklist

• Show 3 to 6 services or groups.
• Use buyers' names for each service.
• Add one line on what they get.
• Order by demand and revenue.
• Use labels, not icons alone.
• Link each card to its service page.

• Homepage to service page: the click that matters most
• Should your homepage show your latest blog posts?

Next step

Read your services section aloud to someone outside the business and ask them to point to the one they would need for a specific job. If they hesitate, rename it.