I’m thankful to have worked with many, many coaches for website design — both in my template shop and for custom design work. If you do any type of coaching, mentorship, courses, or anything educational, you’ll love this episode for your coaching website! I’m sharing 8 things you need on your website that I’ve learned as a designer for coaches.
I’ve worked with life coaches, career coaches, business coaches, health coaches, nutritionists, counselors, yoga teachers, executive coaches… seriously so many coaches! I love this industry, and it’s work that I believe in. For this episode, we’re talking about what works for coaching websites so you can crush it in your industry!
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1. You need photos of you, not just stock images.
Now, you might be thinking “Doesn’t this apply to all websites, Elizabeth?” Well, not exactly. Some business websites can get away with using only stock images or very few images in general. But, as a coach, this is not the case! Your coaching website needs to show your face! People need to see WHO they are working with. It isn’t as effective when they are reading about you and your services but can’t even put a face to the name! Plus, getting a new website or a website update is a great time to update your images to ensure you are presenting professional photos.
Nervous about planning a photoshoot? Listen to episodes 15 and 16 for photoshoot planning ideas and tips!
2. You need your coaching specialty stated clearly and
simply in your tagline.
Working with coaches, I have found that some often don’t want to call themselves “coaches” because they feel they are doing a lot more than just coaching. And while this may be the case, you still need to SAY IT. Instead of creating a nickname for the word “coach”, it’s important to be clear with your audience that you are a coach! The key is to use words like, “life coach”, “business coach”, “career coach”… whatever it is you actually do!
This statement needs to go on your coaching website in the logo section. If you use one of my EM Shop templates, there’s always a logo spot and each logo has a smaller text under it for you to type this statement. Using a word like “coach” that people actually know and use is also great for your SEO because people aren’t searching for a “life transformer” they are searching for a life coach.
You want to keep things simple because if you confuse you lose!
3. You need a clear and aspirational message about what results you are creating for clients.
You want this statement to be VERY aspirational, not negative. There is a fine line between the two and this can be tricky, but it is very important. You don’t want to be cruel in this statement, when people feel less than you, made fun of, or unwelcomed, they won’t want what you’re selling. This can be harder in coaching because you’re often dealing with tough things like relationships, career shifts, depression, or weight loss — things that aren’t easy to deal with. But, putting an aspirational spin on it will be helpful for your clients to believe they can have a positive outcome working with you.
You want to be aspirational in your message.
Here are some examples from some of my past clients
who have done a great job at this:
Laurin Seiden: “Become the most inspired, connected and productive version of you.”
Jena Viviano: “Become an irresistible hire and build your dream career.”
Brooke Kalan: “Become who you really are, so you can be a magnet for what you really want.”
Simply Defined Fitness: “Create the healthier body and lifestyle you crave.”
Nicole Talks Love: “Embody your femininity, confidence & self-worth to attract & keep the relationship you deserve.”
All of the templates in my shop come with a spot to do this on the home page, and even great examples of these brand statements in the template. The goal of this statement is to be concise, clear, and aspirational.
Make them want to be a part of what you’re doing, not put down by what you’re doing.
If you struggle with creating your aspirational message, look at your testimonials and inquiries. What problems are you solving and where are you taking people to?
4. You need a blog where you share free knowledge.
I believe content creation is VITAL in the coaching space. Whether it’s blogging, podcasting, or youtube, you need a way to educate people, give them wins, and show your skills. By creating content, you are creating relationships with your potential clients before they ever reach out to work with you or buy from you.
Content Creation Goals:
- Offer actual “wins” to your audience. Give broad coaching advice that will help people have a win within your expertise.
- Let them get to know you! Content creation is a great way to make a personal connection with your audience on the one to many levels.
- Push your services. Yes, you can blog or podcast about your services, the wins your clients have, new things coming up, and so much more!
Blogging and podcasting are so important in the coaching space! If you’re new to this field, just start with blogging! If you’re not ready for blogging yet, starting with an email marketing freebie that is directly related to your expertise is another great way to get started.
5. You need a call scheduling page.
This is one key ingredient that is not talked about very often, but it is oh so important for an excellent client experience. By having a call scheduling page, you can send clients to YOUR website to schedule a call via an embedded form versus sending them out to a link on Calendly or Dubsado. This is easier for you and the client and leads to an awesome experience! You will find a call scheduling page on all of my templates because I believe that any business scheduling meetings needs this type of page!
6. You need to tell your own story with both authority and empathy.
I talk all about this concept on an earlier episode about speaking to your customer’s pain points in your marketing. People want to know “Why are you an expert to coach me on this?” and “Do you actually understand my problem?” So, it is very important that you answer both of those questions on your website! Tell your story as it relates to what you do now and show why you’re an expert. A great example of this is Corrine Crabtree. She’s a weight loss coach specializing in women who need to lose 100 pounds or more. I love the way she incorporates her story into her messaging. Her website reads: “Are you sick and tired of diets? I was. I lost 100lbs. I’ll teach you how, too.” She tells her story of going from overweight to fit, and it’s awesome! It connects to both of these levels because she understands the struggle of losing weight, but has also accomplished the goal of losing weight. She has empathy and authority.
Another great example, already referenced, my friend Jena Viviano — on her about page she starts out by saying: “I’m Jena Viviano. I’m your go-to girl when it comes to all-thing career. A Wall Streeter turned tech startup junkie - I know what it’s like to feel stuck in a soul-sucking job and what it’s like to feel invigorated, inspired and excited to go to work every day. My goal is to get you from stuck to thriving in your job.”
This has it all! It shows authority that she knows what she’s doing, she’s experienced what her ideal client is wanting to experience, and she has empathy. In my templates, you’ll find that the about page is set up PERFECTLY for you to this, I even put in prompts for what goes where when telling your story.
7. You need to niche down.
You need to have a niche and stand for something. If it’s a product for anyone it’s a product for no one. Figure out who you want to work with very specifically. One thing I love about the coaching industry is how specific you can get and how getting crazy specific literally helps you be more successful because it becomes so obvious whether or not someone is right for you.
This goes beyond labeling yourself as a life coach or business coach. Using Corrine as an example again. She’s in the coaching space and her niche is weight loss coaching, but more specifically, weight loss coaching for WOMEN who need to lose 100 pounds. This is SO specific and creates so much clarity on whether or not you’re right for her programs.
I also think you need to stand for something. Maybe even something that goes against what other people say or believe to be true. When you go against the typical ways, you attract the right people who need to hear that message.
8. You need an offering structure that makes it clear what people need.
This doesn’t restrict you from offering more than one service, but it needs to be crystal clear which service is right for each person.
Most of the time as business owners, we give our programs quirky names (which is fine), but when someone is exploring your service page, it might be hard for them to tell what each thing is.
If you have a lot of program options, you need to first of all know who you think the program is for and then present it very clearly. Another option is to list services by price. Typically, people start out with a lower-paying program and then will transition into your more expensive offerings. Someone may take a $297 course from you, and then months later be ready to join your membership site at $100/month, then later be ready to join your mastermind at $8,000 a year. It’s a progression, so try to show the progression by clearly telling who is right for what and what the specific service is!
That’s it! If you’re a coach and still feel nervous
about applying these steps to your website, I have website templates that are
going to literally set you up perfectly to do this exact list of things! 🙂
To recap:
- You need photos of you, not just stock images.
- You need your coaching specialty stated clearly and simply in your tagline.
- You need a clear and aspirational message about what results you are creating for clients.
- You need a blog where you share free knowledge.
- You need a call scheduling page.
- You need to tell your own story with both authority and empathy.
- You need to niche down.
- You need an offering structure that makes it clear what people need.
To close us out, a quote from one of my favorite coaches — James Wedmore:
“I’m not saying building a business is easy, but making it hard
doesn't mean you’ll be successful.”
You guys know, I’m a website designer, and I love creating easy to use Showit5 website templates that are strategically designed to help you book more clients. That’s my goal, and I love watching everyone in the EM Shop fam do just that! In a couple of weeks, I’m launching a brand new collection of templates to the shop that are PERFECTLY MADE for people just like you — coaches. This launch is going to be huge. I’m packing in some awesome gifts and bonuses for you to go along with your purchase!
You don’t want to miss this. To get the details, head to elizabethmccravy.com/launch and sign up to be the first to know when the new templates go live. You can preview some of the bonuses and get exclusive pre-launch info when you sign up! I can’t wait to celebrate launch day with you soon!
September 3, 2019
Great advise! I’ve noticed that the most professional looking coach websites have high quality photos of the coach on the front page. I think I need to find a photographer and get one done before I launch my new coaching website. I also love the tip about including an aspirational statement.
such a Beautiful Article is very nice and helpful for me and others too, and it’s appreciated. Thank you for sharing such information.
Great post thank you very much (I really enjoyed your writing and no bu… spirit 😉