The terms “sales page” and “services page” are often used interchangeably. Are those terms interchangeable though? Are they actually the same thing?
Is it a case of potato/potahto, tomato/tomahto (like in that old song)? 🎵
There are actually big differences between sales pages and services pages! It’s not a tomato/tomahto problem at all.
In fact, understanding the difference is really important when you’re communicating with your web designer. 🍅 🥔 (or 🍠 if you’re trying to be low-carb)
But if you’ve ever been confused by this, don’t feel bad. This is a common (and understandable) mistake.
Let’s explore, because understanding the difference won’t just make you a better business owner…it will make you a much savvier consumer, as well.
First, let’s talk about what sales pages and services pages have in common
This is pretty easy.
- They’re both pages on websites
- They both exist to sell something
In my experience, that’s where all the confusion comes from. Business owners have websites that sell things (as opposed to websites for bloggers, or nonprofit organizations, for example).
So what’s the difference? Different goals.
What is a Services Page (or any other website page)?
On your website, you are probably well familiar with your homepage, your about page, your contact page. They are pretty self-explanatory. However, you might have a single page or a few pages that explain your services. A service page or pages can look different for each business.
However the goal of these pages are the SAME for everyone… Persuade and inform.
These pages invite people to explore your brand’s offerings – what do you offer, how are your offerings packaged, what does the process of working with you look like. Then, they ultimately decide if they like you / want to hire you / want to start a conversation with you.
What is a Sales Page?
You’ve probably seen sales pages in the (not so) wild places of the internet. When Marie Forleo’s b-school is open for enrollment, she uses a sales page. Same thing for Amy Porterfield and Digital Course Academy.
Here is the 1, 2, 3 of a sales page:
- ONE – It is a standalone page – typically they have no navigation bar that leads to other pages of your site
- TWO – It’s goal: to to sell ONE specific thing to you, the reader
- THREE – You can only DO one specific thing on the page: buy the ONE specific thing
A sales page is focused on the sale of one thing and one thing only.
They’re also typically really long. Why? Because there’s lots of copy. (And images, and maybe video, and other graphics. But the main reason is that there’s lots of copy.)
Why so much copy? It’s a sales conversation.
Not every sale needs a conversation. Sometimes it’s as simple as: “Person needs a sweater. Website sells sweaters. Add to Cart.” And then you get out your credit card. {This leads us into why a product page could be deemed a sales page, but it would typically be an uber-simplified sales page}
But not every sale is as simple as a store purchase of a simple product, especially if the ticket price is high (in the mind of your target customer). Think about buying a home. Would you buy it without going to see it and asking questions? Probably not. I mean, you can usually return a sweater if it doesn’t fit or you don’t like it. You can’t do that with a house!
What’s the difference between the sales page(s) and the service page(s)?
Welp! Hopefully it is clear by now but while both pages have an intent to sell – it’s how it does the selling that is the main difference.
✔️ A services page informs the reader of the service itself… it educates and encourages a conversion to take place.
✔️ A sales page converses with the reader about a product … it explains everything and asks for the money right there!
Of course, this is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg in terms of the differences— we didn’t even get into the design differences! One of the things we’ll explore soon is the design differences between a regular page of copy and a sales page. Follow us on Instagram to know when the next part of this series debuts!
Did you enjoy this blog post? Pin it for later…
