Web design for professional services: top tips and examples.

For accountants, law firms, architects, consultants and other professional services, your website is often the first impression potential clients get of your company. It’s a place to share your expertise, build trust and persuade visitors to get in touch.

The trouble is, too often, web design for professional services feels generic and overly corporate. Safe colours, stock photos, industry jargon and not much personality. It doesn’t reflect the quality of your work and it fails to drive the number of enquiries you’re looking for.

So what does good web design for professional services look like? Here, we cover design best practices, the key pages you need to include and some standout examples that get it just right.

What is web design for professional services?

Web design for professional services is about building credibility and trust and showing that you know your stuff. Unlike e-commerce or B2C websites that aim for quick sales, professional services websites work more like B2B sites. They’re about starting conversations and building relationships.

That’s because your visitors aren’t usually impulse buyers — they’re cautious decision-makers looking for reassurance. They want to know:

• Can I trust this firm with something important to me or my business?
• Do they understand my challenges?
• What makes them different from other providers?

A well-designed professional services website answers all three questions. It’s structured to support longer, more complex buying journeys. And it helps to get more leads and conversions for your business.

What makes a great professional services website?

The best websites for professional services have many of the same characteristics in common. Beyond the basics — like fast site speeds, responsive design, accessibility and a smooth user experience — here’s what separates the good from the bad and the ugly.

1. A clear value proposition

The first must-have on a web design for professional services is a clear sense of what you’re offering. Within seconds of landing on your homepage, visitors should know who you are, what you do, who you do it for and what benefits they can expect.

Avoid corporate jargon and stuff that any company could say. Instead, get specific about the things that make you different.

2. Trust signals

In professional services, you live and die on your reputation. And trust signals show that you’ve delivered results before. These can include:

• Case studies showing measurable results
• Testimonials and client logos
• Accreditations or professional memberships
• Awards and press mentions

These elements act as social proof. They reassure website visitors that other people rate your services, so they help to build confidence in your brand.

3. Educational content

Many people in the market for professional services start with research. They want to better understand the problem they’re facing and the potential solutions available to them.

So offer content that helps them on this journey. Provide useful resources that attract them to your website and nudge them in the direction of your services.

High-quality content pieces — like blog posts, webinars, research papers and how-to articles — demonstrate your expertise, support SEO and bring organic traffic to your site. And when a potential client eventually comes to choose a provider, your name is already familiar.

4. Quality images

Selling services rather than products can make it tricky to choose visuals. But we strongly advise against doing what some professional services companies do — turning to stock images.

Authentic, professionally-taken photos or videos of your team at work show that there are real people behind your brand. They help to build trust and an emotional connection with website visitors, making them much more likely to get in touch.

5. Distinctive branding

Web design for professional services doesn’t have to be boring. In fact, strong, distinctive website branding sets you apart from other businesses in your industry — and sticks in the memory of potential clients.

Work with a web designer to develop a colour scheme, typography and imagery that reflect your company values. You can still have a professional website — just one that helps you stand out from the crowd.

6. Info on your process

Uncertainty can lead to lost business. And visitors are far more likely to fill out your contact form if they know exactly what happens next. Will you email a quote? Call for a chat? What happens after they sign up for your services?

Map out your process clearly, from initial enquiry to service delivery. When your process is laid out, potential clients can be confident about taking that next step.

7. Easy ways to get in touch

Don’t make visitors hunt for your contact details. Your contact page should have a short form (fewer fields = higher conversions), plus a phone number and email address. That way, potential clients can choose their preferred method of communication.

For extra convenience, include a calendar link so visitors can schedule a call instantly, or add a live chat feature so they can get answers in real time.

8. A well-signposted customer journey

When a user lands on your website, they should know exactly where to go next. So keep navigation paths simple and tailored to audience needs. You might have different routes for B2B and B2C customers — or separate journeys for each key service.

Either way, it should be easy for users to find what they’re looking for in a couple of clicks. And every page should feature clear calls to action that guide visitors to the next stage of their journey — whether that’s your contact page, a downloadable resource or a calendar tool.

Key pages for a professional services website

Professional services websites are essentially brochure websites. They explain what you do and make it easy for people to get in touch. And most web design for professional services assembles the features listed above across a handful of must-have pages.

Homepage. Your homepage is where most visitors start. It should clearly explain who you are, what you do and why you’re different. Highlight your main services and include strong calls to action that guide people deeper into your site.

Service pages. Whether you offer one service or many, dedicate a page to each. You may also want to create different pages for each client sector. This allows you to create relevant content that really speaks to the problems of your audience, promotes your solution and explains the outcomes clients can expect.

Case studies/Projects. Use examples of your work to show your impact. Put these together on a case study or project page. Great case studies include a short client overview, the challenge they faced, the approach you took and the results you achieved for them.

About. An about page helps show the human faces behind the brand. It’s another opportunity to build trust and personality, and give website visitors a sense of what it’s like to work with you. Include photos, team bios and even a short website video to show what you’re about.

Blog/Insights. Regular website content helps your site stay fresh and discoverable in search engines. Use your blog to answer questions, solve customer problems and share expertise.

Contact page. This is where you want website visitors to end up. Make it easy for them by giving them a range of contact options to choose from.

5 examples of web design for professional services

So now we know what goes into a great professional services website, let’s take a look at some examples.

1. Estate Research Learning Hub

The Estate Research Learning Hub is a site designed and built by Radical. It shows that service providers can still have engaging imagery on their websites. The homepage features a hero section video that shows the team in action, turning the abstract concept of legal training into something real and relatable.

2. Wavenet

Wavenet provides IT and technology support for businesses. The company website ticks all the best practice boxes. We’ve got a Trustpilot rating and client case studies to instil trust. Clearly outlined services and sectors. And a resource hub packed full of useful tech news. So even if a business owner isn’t ready to work with Wavenet just yet, there are lots of reasons to believe in this brand and return to the website.

3. People Legal

Another Radical design, the People Legal website conveys the law firm’s professionalism and approachability with a rounded font and pops of colour. The site breaks down its services over separate pages — great for SEO and for website visitors looking for specific information. It also has pages for its two customer segments — businesses and individuals — so everyone knows exactly where to click.

4. Clover HR

This site from HR consulting firm Clover is another excellent example of web design for professional services. On the homepage, we find client satisfaction stats, photos of the team and information about the services the firm offers. We particularly like the “4-leaf process”, a lovely bit of on-brand copy that explains to website visitors exactly what it’s like to work with this consultancy.

5. Truffle

Truffle Social is a social media marketing agency, and there’s a lot to like about the brand’s website. It incorporates a carousel of client logos, eye-catching animation and high-quality images. We particularly like the “Work” section, which features some excellent case studies, packed with stats and stories that show that the Truffle team are great at what they do.

What to expect when you work with a professional services web design company

Inspired by the examples above? Itching to redesign your professional services website? Then you may be wondering what it’s actually like to work with a web design agency.

When you work with Radical — a web design company in Manchester — the first stage is an enquiry. Once you’ve got in touch, we help you fill out a website brief, then send over a quote. Then, if you’re happy to go ahead, the process looks something like this:

1. Learn.

First, we get to know you and your business. We find out about your goals and what you want your website to achieve. We also learn everything there is to know about your customers and competitors.

2. Plan.

We identify the web pages you need and their relationship to one another. We also document all the things your website will do — and give you an overview of tasks and due dates.

3. Design.

We design and create every page of your website as an online prototype, in desktop and mobile versions. You review these mockups and we make changes as necessary.

4. Build.

Once you’ve approved our prototype designs, we build your website for real. Our web developers code your website to match our designs and with all the functionality you need.

5. Testing and launch.

Quality assurance is the next stage in the process. We test your website to ensure it will perform perfectly once it goes live. Once we’re confident that any issues have been ironed out, we launch your site.

6. Ongoing support

If you want help maintaining your website, we offer support with this too. We offer website maintenance packages to keep you on top of updates, SEO, website content and even new functionality.

Web design for professional services that works hard for your business

The best professional services web design communicates who you are and what you do. It makes a lasting impression on website visitors. And it helps to win leads and get more enquiries.

If you need a new site or to redesign an old site, the team of designers and developers at Radical can help. We’re specialists in bespoke web design — and we offer design, development, branding, content and animation services.

That’s all the expertise you need for an exceptional professional services site.

Want to chat about your project? Get in touch with the Radical team today.