You have your socials up and running but that super important website……? Not so much.

Why is a coaching website so important? – Websites are your digital storefront and a representation of you and your business. It is the online home for your business that YOU own, unlike your social media profiles & pages which could disappear at any time. 😳

A (professional looking) website will elevate your online presence, boost your credibility, and make you look more professional, high quality, established, and trustworthy, & stand out over your competition. A coaching website is key to building your coaching business, getting more clients, and making more money.

We help women entrepreneurs level up in their business and online presence by creating custom tailored, and strategically designed showit websites 💻 that help them book more (dream) clients and grow their business 📈. You can check out what we do here.

Without further ado, let’s dive into the essentials you need for your coaching website if you’re going to DIY-it. ➡️

1. Your coaching website needs professional photos of YOU, not just stock images.

Unlike other company websites, the business of coaching largely depend on you, your face, and your personality. 😉

And that is why your coaching website cannot get away with a bland website template and stock photos. Crappy low quality photos taken off your phone won’t do it either. If you want to look like the high value, high worth professional you are, you need high quality professional looking photos. AND you want a variety of photos that now only show you in a professional light, but also shines your personality and lifestyle so your audience can really connect with you (and are drawn into working with you).

➡️ For some brand photo ideas and examples, check out Emily Kim’s post here and Bethany’s post here.

2. Before you design your coaching website, you need to have a personal brand foundation

Your business’s visual brand identity, personality, & vibes are what will draw in your dream clients and create that super important first impression. They’ll either feel emotionally connected to you and your brand and stay to learn more & engage, turning into leads… or they will pass you by for another.

That’s why it’s important to have a brand foundation before designing your website. Your website’s design will follow your brand foundation (colors, fonts, mood boards, logos, brand photography… all that good stuff).

*Note – once you have a personal brand foundation built, you want to make sure you’re staying in alignment with it everywhere you show up online, from social media to email marketing and (of course) your website. This way, you’ll appear super professional, high-quality, established & trustworthy, and higher value 💰.

3. You need to niche down and communicate right away exactly who you serve and the results /transformations you create

In a world where there are coaches who coach coaches who coach coaches, and ‘best selling authors’ around every corner, it’s more important than ever to strategically position yourself in the coaching market by niching down.

If your niche is too broad, you’re going to be trying to appeal to too many people, and you’re not going to appeal to anyone. You’ll sound like every other coach / therapist they’re searching through.

Visitors need to be able to understand what you do, who you do it for, and what transformation they get as soon as they land on your site. So be clear and concise with your messaging. In fact, this is something that needs to be worked on even before you have a website created, this is a cornerstone part of your brand.

Examples:

• I provide EMDR therapy to victims of narcissistic abuse who feel isolated and depressed. I will help you learn coping strategies, practice setting boundaries, and rebuild your sense of self.

• I provide counseling to transgender youth who are discriminated against and feel misunderstood. I will help build the confidence to be your true self.

• I provide coaching to men feeling dispassionate, bored, or frustrated with their careers. I will help you go after your dream job and look forward to Mondays again.

Always state the transformation on the homepage header area (the very top area of the homepage).

In our Brand Clarity Guide for our Showit Website Package, this is something my Clients dive deeper into.

4. You need to tell your own story with authority and empathy on your site

People want to know  “Why are you an expert to coach me on this?” and “Do you actually understand my problem?” Tell your story as it relates to what you do now and show why you’re an expert. Why should they trust you? How can you connect with them and make them feel heard and seen and empathized with? Remember it is always about them. Your whole website is about them and how you help them achieve their goal.

5. You need a blog on your coaching website where you can share free helpful knowledge

Building a website is just one part of the whole online presence. Adding consistent and HELPFUL content on to your website will improve your authority and their trust in you, as well as keep your website fresh (not to mention so many SEO benefits so your people can find you). You want them thinking “Wow, I’m gaining incredible value from her blog. This is clearly her domain of expertise.” This will build their trust in you and illuminate your authority in this niche.

Your content will not only educate and inspire your followers and visitors, but by writing in a personable way and letting your personality shine through, your readers will feel more attracted and connected to you.

Some ways to create content for your site:

• Write a series of how-to posts and e-books
• Share past client success stories as a post
• Include some resources like checklists and templates relevant to your niche
• Add some fun quizzes and challenges
• Videos and podcasts are great additions too.

6. You need to show social proof on your site

Testimonials and reviews are a great way to convince that your methodology works. Especially for a service offering like coaching, which depends a lot on trust and authority testimonials from past and present clients.

Perfect things to include in testimonials are results they’ve seen or changes that have affected them. Wherever possible be sure to include a headshot type of photo of them with their review. This makes the quote more relatable and increases a client’s trust in its’ validity.

Personal case studies and tangible/photographic evidences (of course with the required consents) will inspire your visitors to take the leap with you because it allows them to clearly and transparently see your past client’s results.

Adding a logo bar “as seen on” or “logos of past clients” to your home page (the top half) can instantly improve your standing and build trust.

7. You need clear call to actions through out your site

It’s important to include clear calls to action on every page of your website. For example, “let’s chat”, “Start the process”, “Learn more”, “book a complimentary consult call.”

Whether you’re offering something free or asking visitors to book a consult call, it is necessary that they know what their next step should be. Get them from one page to another and into your funnel so they can move from simple viewers into warm leads!

8. You need to make it easy for clients to book a call (call scheduling page inside your coaching website)

This is a must for coaching websites. You want to make it easy for clients to take the next step and book you or start the process to become a client. This also reduces your workload of managing multiple communications platforms and appointment bookings manually (Instagram…Facebook…emailing, direct messaging….). Make your life a thousand times easier and streamline all booking appointments to one page on your website.

By having a call scheduling page (contact page), you can send clients to your website to schedule a call via an embedded form.

How? Add an in call scheduling app on your site. My clients often use Acuity or Calendly for this. With the Showit website platform we build our client websites on, it’s as simple as creating the calendar and functionality we want in the chosen scheduling app, then copying and pasting it directly into the Showit website. Easy. Peazy. 👌

To Recap:

1. You need professional photos of YOU, not just stock images.
2. You need to have a personal brand foundation
3. You need to niche down and communicate right away exactly who you serve and the results /transformations you create
4. You need to tell your own story with authority and empathy
5. You need a blog where you can share free helpful knowledge
6. You need to show social proof
7. You need clear calls to action
8. You need to make it easy for clients to book a call (call scheduling page)

👉 Remember, you are ultimately designing your website for your target audience who are coming to your site to find out who you are, if you can help them with the transformation/results they want, and how you can help them.

Put yourself in their shoes as you design your website.