How to write service descriptions homeowners understand

Why vague text doesn't help

It's easy to write "We offer quality gutter services at competitive prices" and move on. But that line could be on any company's site, and it gives a homeowner nothing to go on. They came with questions. Answer them.

The five questions

1. What is it?

One or two sentences, in words a neighbor would use. If you need a trade term, explain it the first time: "the fascia, the board your gutters hang from".

2. When do you need it?

Describe what the homeowner can see for themselves. "Water pouring over the edge in a storm" is something they can check. "Compromised drainage" is not.

3. What's included?

List the parts of the job: what you remove, what you install, cleanup, haul-away, the final check. Say what's not included if people often assume it is. Mention a warranty only if you give it in writing.

4. What affects the price?

You don't have to publish prices. Do name what moves the number: size, height, materials, access, and repairs that turn up underneath. It shows you're being straight, and it gets the homeowner ready for a real estimate.

5. What happens next?

Give the next step and roughly how it goes: call or send the form, a visit to measure, a written estimate, scheduling. It's easier to pick up the phone when you know what the call leads to.

Before and after

Here is a made-up example for a generic gutter service.

Before: "We provide top-quality seamless gutter solutions for residential and commercial clients. Our experienced team uses premium materials and state-of-the-art equipment. Call today for competitive pricing!"

After: "Gutter replacement. We take down your old gutters and downspouts and put up new seamless aluminum gutters, cut to length at your house. You may need this if water spills over the edge when it rains, the gutters are pulling away from the house, or you see rust or cracks. The job includes removal, new gutters and downspouts, new hangers, cleanup and hauling away the old material. Price depends on how many feet of gutter, how many stories, and whether the boards behind the gutters need repair. To start, call or send the form. We come out, measure, and give you a written estimate."

The second version is longer, but every sentence gives the reader something. Notice what's gone: "top-quality", "premium", "state-of-the-art". Anyone can say those, and nobody can check them.

Rules of thumb

• Write the way you'd explain it at a kitchen table
• Short sentences, and a list for the steps
• Say "you" and "we"
• Add your own photo of that kind of job
• End with the phone number and the form

• Claims you can't prove, like being the top company in town
• Promises about what insurance will pay
• Trade terms with no explanation
• The same paragraph pasted under every service

Test it

Read it aloud to someone outside the trade and ask them to tell you back what the service is and what happens after they call. If they can't, rewrite the part they missed. For where these descriptions go on your site, see service pages explained. For the pictures beside them, see photographing your work.