10 Must-Read Web Design Tips for Better Coaching Websites
Let me start by saying:
What is your website doing for your coaching business?
I hate to be blunt but if your coaching website is not helping you convert visitors into clients, then it’s not doing its job.
Gee, thanks Website. You had one job, one job damn it!
You see, a great coaching website will help you share your wisdom with the world, make you visible, and allow you to showcase your service. BUT, it also needs to help you book more clients.
Luckily, there are a few design tips for coaching websites that you can follow -- and I’ve laid them out in this post.
01. Include a CTA on every page
The first tip I have for you is to include a call to action (or CTA) on every page on your site. Your call to action can be to book a free discovery call, fill out an application form, download a checklist, a cheat sheet or an ebook, get in touch with you -- in short, whatever aligns with your business goals the most.
02. Make use of your Thank You page
This tip aligns with the one above -- create and use a thank you page. Once someone clicks your call to action button, don’t leave them wondering what the hell just happened. I know I don’t like to be in the dark -- neither do your clients. Redirect them to a thank you page and acknowledge that their email, message, sign up went through. A few suggested ways to make your thank you page knock their socks off:
Get them to share the freebie on social media - this is a great way for your optin to get in front of more eyeballs.
Invite them to schedule a free consultation — if you offer a lead magnet that ultimately leads to your paid offer, giving them the option to schedule a free consult call is a great way to get that convo going. Plus you’re catching them when they are already engaging with you ;)
03. Keep your navigation minimal
By this, I mean don’t add more than 5-6 links in your main navigation area. This can confuse your visitors and cause them to leave rather than investigate what all you have to offer. You also want to make sure that your site is easy to navigate which means there should be a logical flow between the pages of your site. Don’t lead them straight to your services page and then bounce them back to your About page. Put yourself in their shoes and imagine how you’d like them to move through your site, from first landing on it down to converting into clients. Keep asking yourself - What happens next? Where do I want to lead them next?
04. Use video
Speaking of video, add video to your site. You knew this one was coming, right? You can use the video in several ways -- as a welcome message on your homepage or instead of your blog posts. Or you know, use it together with your blog posts. On the plus side, you can film and edit your video once and reuse the content for blog posts, social media posts, exclusive content -- multiple times.
05. Place your most important CTA ABOVE the fold
As a business coach, you have to decide what is the most important goal for your website. I’m willing to bet it’s to get more leads or to enroll more people into one of your programs. You have to decide how will you turn people from visitors to leads to clients and then make sure your call to action aligns with that business goal.
06. Add your photo to the header area
Adding your photo to the header area allows potential clients to connect with you and see there is a real human on the other side of the screen.
07. Keep your homepage free of clutter
While it’s tempting to include all the information right on the homepage, this will have the opposite effect (and kind of make for a very messy first impression… kind of like walking into a packrat’s apartment). Show them a brief intro of your services and include CTAs to learn more, include a few testimonials, and give them a way to sign up for your email list so you can begin nurturing them. Remember, you do have other pages on your site that can give them more information.
08. Avoid using industry jargon
Instead, show your expertise and what you offer by using language your ideal client can understand and relate to. Otherwise, you’re going to alienate them and attract your peers and fellow coaches instead.
09. Use images that match your brand
I understand that you probably don’t have time to take photos for your website. That’s why stock photos are so popular. There’s no harm in using them, as long as you’re using images that match your brand. For example, if your entire website has an airy and bright look and feel, you don’t want to use images that are dark or that depict content that has nothing to do with your industry.
10. Create all the styles at once
You can easily do this by creating a page on your site, inserting most important blocks such as your headings, your regular text, your buttons, and any other element you plan on using. Then, head to Site Styles (previously Style Editor) and tweak the styles to your liking. This will make it easier to focus on creating the pages of your site.
Bonus TIP 1
Choose your template wisely. What I mean by this is to choose your template based on the functionality you want, not necessarily the way it looks. For example, if you want a sidebar, choose a template that supports it. If you want large banner images that have call to actions, choose a template from a family that allows you to add them. To see which template offers what, consider visiting Squarespace template comparison chart or use one of the following links:
Bonus TIP 2
Lastly, optimize your images before uploading them to your site. Use a service like TinyPNG.com (accepts both JPG and PNG images) to compress them before the upload. This will help your site load faster and we all know fast websites lead to better conversions and better SEO rank.
And if you’re on the lookout for a new website, be sure to watch my free DIY website training that walks you through creating a website that looks good and actually converts.
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