The services menu: how to list what you sell

Key takeaways

Organise your services menu the way buyers choose: usually by service type, sometimes by problem or by customer group. Show each main service by name, group them under plain headings if you have more than about seven, and link every item to its own page. Order by demand, with the services most buyers want first.

• Group by how buyers choose: service, problem or customer.
• Name each service plainly, as customers search for it.
• Over about seven services, group them under headings.
• Every item links to its own dedicated service page.

How should services be grouped in a menu?

Group services by the first decision buyers make. Homeowners usually know the job they need, so group by service. Businesses with a problem but no solution in mind, such as a slow website or late payments, may find problem-based groups easier. Firms serving very different customers may group by audience.

• By service: 'Extensions', 'Loft conversions', 'Renovations'.
• By problem: 'Fix a slow site', 'Get more enquiries'.
• By customer: 'For landlords', 'For homeowners'.

• How clear website navigation improves user experience
• Audience-based navigation: should menus split by customer?

How many services should the menu show?

A simple dropdown works well for up to about seven services. Beyond that, group them under two to four headings, or use a mega menu if you have many services in clear groups. Hick's law, described by Nielsen Norman Group, means each extra option adds decision time, so cut services nobody asks for.

• How many menu items should a website have?
• Mega menus: when a small business website needs one

How do you name services in the menu?

Use the name customers search for, not the internal product name. Check Search Console queries and enquiry emails. 'Commercial cleaning' beats 'Facility care'. If you must use a branded service name, add a plain description beside it in the dropdown.

• Menu labels: words visitors understand at a glance

What order should services go in?

Put the services most buyers want first, because people scan from the top of a list and the first items get most attention. Alphabetical order helps only with long lists where visitors know the name. Keep the order the same everywhere the list appears.

• Menu order: which item goes first, and why it matters

Should the 'Services' item link to an overview page?

Yes, where possible. An overview page that summarises each service with a link gives visitors who click the parent item somewhere useful to land, and gives search engines a hub. On touch screens, make sure the parent opens the dropdown and a separate link leads to the overview.

• Dropdown menus: hover, click, touch and keyboard
• How to write a service page that wins enquiries

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see: an accountancy practice lists 14 services alphabetically in one dropdown, from 'Audit' to 'VAT'. Grouping them under 'For businesses', 'For individuals' and 'Specialist', with the most requested first, lets each visitor scan four or five items instead of 14.

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

Services menu checklist

• Decide whether buyers choose by service, problem or customer.
• Name services as customers search for them.
• Group under headings above about seven items.
• Order by demand.
• Link every item to a dedicated page.
• Give the parent item an overview page.

• Grouping menu items so visitors see the pattern
• Progressive disclosure: basics first, details on demand

Next step

Rank your services by enquiries over the last year and compare that order with your menu.