Is your coaching website attracting clients? If it isn’t, then it could be you’re making one of these 5 common website mistakes that chase potential clients away.
You’ve no doubt invested a lot of time, money, and effort into your website – even if you did most or all of the work yourself. And I know how disappointing it can be when you end up with a beautiful new site and no income or clients. It’s frustrating when you work hard at marketing your services and sending traffic to your website but see little results from that effort.
Well, it doesn’t have to be that way!
The the good news is that each one can be fixed – often without creating a new website. In fact, some of these website mistakes can be corrected in one day with just a little bit of effort.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of website mistakes. Instead, below you will find some of the worst offenders at chasing potential clients away. And they are all easy to correct. In fact, they are so easy, I’m amazed to see these mistakes on so many coaching websites.
Here are the 5 website mistakes coaches make that chase clients away – and what you can do to fix them.
Website Mistake #1: No Transformation Offered
You want your entire site to send a crystal clear message about who you work with and what results they can expect to get when they hire you. In other words, the transformation you offer. This is especially true for the main page of your website.
You want your ideal client to immediately resonate with the content on your landing page. And often, you will only have a few seconds to do it. If they don’t see what they are looking for, they will leave.
Ask yourself: Does your content, free offer, testimonials, and programs consistently identify your ideal client and the transformation you deliver? Or do you claim to help “everyone” with their health, life, or business?
For example, does your site only state that you will “help them achieve their healthy lifestyle goals”? Or does it say that you “show women how to lose those last, stubborn 10-20 pounds in just a few weeks – and keep it off for good”? If you were a woman who was trying everything to lose weight but nothing worked, which transformational message would appeal to you?
Here’s what to do instead:
First, get clear on your ideal client, niche, and transformation. Then consistently put that information all over your site and in all your marketing. You’ll be amazed at how easily you begin to attract clients once you do that.
Website Mistake #2: No Personal Connection
It’s essential that your website offer the opportunity for prospective clients to get to know, like, and trust you. Otherwise, you’ll chase them away. They’ll leave your site and find another coach they can relate to.
This is so easy to do, I’m amazed that so many coaches don’t do it.
Remember that coaching is typically a one-on-one relationship. Your prospective clients want to know more about you before they will contact you about your services. And one of the fastest ways to chase clients away is to have a site that is too generic or impersonal.
Here are a few ways to create a real connection on your site:
- Include content about YOU on your site: why you do what you, who you most like to work with, why working with you is different.
- Let people know your communication style – how you interact. You can do this by writing your own web copy and articles, and by interacting with blog comments.
- Create a free offer that shows your expertise and the results that your clients get when woking with you. This can be a report, audio, video, ebook, checklist, etc.
- Include testimonials so prospects can read what other people say about you and about the results they achieved.
- Include audios so people can hear your voice or videos that help people get to know you.
Website Mistake #3: No Recent Activity
This is personally one of my biggest turn-offs – a site with very old blog posts, outdated site design, no active newsletter, or no way to tell if the coach is actively engaged in their business.
Lack of recent activity (anywhere on your site) will chase away clients. It tells them that the site is old and probably not even being maintained anymore. I personally look for recent posts or articles, a newsletter, or something to let me know they were still in business.
And many of your potential clients feel the same.
Today, there are a ton of sites online with content that hasn’t been updated in years. But make no mistake; people aren’t dumb. They’ve caught on that a coaching website without recent activity is likely a business that is inactive.
Here’s what to do instead:
The easiest way to do this is with a WordPress site that allows you to easily add articles to your blog. If you aren’t adding regular content to your site – at least every month – plan it on your calendar so you can do so. And don’t let 6 months (or more) go by without a new blog post or article.
If you don’t have a blog on your site, offer a free subscription to your newsletter that you publish at least once a month.
Website Mistake #4: No Pictures of Yourself
This is related to the “know, like, and trust” factor. People want a coach they can relate to and connect with. Mistake #2 above explains how to do that.
But lack of a picture – or lack of good pictures of yourself – is one of the fastest ways to chase people from your site. Would you hire a life coach if you couldn’t see what they look like and sound like?
Without a good picture, your site will not look professional. And with no picture, people won’t connect with you.
Here’s where to add pictures of yourself on your site:
- add an image of you in the header graphic
- put your image on your about page
- add your image within the content of your site, especially on the main page
- have your image appear on graphics for your programs or offers (like the cover of a report or newsletter)
Feel free to use more than one image, especially on your About Page. It helps readers to see you as a real person and make a personal connection with you.
Website Mistake #5: No Testimonials
It doesn’t matter how good your web copy or marketing is, many people simply won’t hire you without references or testimonials. And the higher the program investment, the more you need referrals or testimonials.
And this is one area where weak testimonials are as bad as no testimonials.
The most effective testimonials clearly identify who gets the best results when working with you and what they achieved. They let others know you what makes you an exceptional coach. And without that “social proof” that testimonials provide, you’ll likely chase clients away.
Here’s are a few tips for getting great testimonials for your website:
- Ask ANYONE you’ve worked with (as a coach) for a testimonial – even if you’re just getting started and coached for free.
- Ask for a testimonial even if they didn’t yet achieve their ultimate goal. If they have worked with you and liked you, the testimonial can mention what results they achieved so far: clarity of purpose, they don’t feel so overwhelmed, they lost 12 lbs., they are more focused and getting more done in less time, they have 50% less fights with their kids, they’ve already had 10 potential clients contact them about their programs, etc.
- Offer to write the testimonial for them and send it to them for their approval. This is a key to getting great testimonials. It’s a little more work for you, but you’ll get 3-4 times more testimonials, and they’ll be much better.
- If you have trouble writing the testimonial, ask them for one and request permission to tweak it. This is especially important when you know your client got great specific results but they didn’t include that information in their testimonial.
- Avoid testimonials that are too short, too vague, or ones that have no specific results listed.
Here’s are examples of weak testimonials:
“Kelly rocks! I highly recommend her.”
“I’ve really enjoyed working with Kelly. She kept me focused and gave me the support I needed along to way to reach my goal of a healthy lifestyle. I’m feeling better today than I have in a long while and look forward to continuing to work with her.”
Here’s an example of a great testimonial:
“I didn’t think it would be possible. After 10 years of low energy and dragging myself through each day, I thought I’d never feel “normal” again. But in just 4 weeks of working with Kelly, my energy tripled! I lost 10 pounds, dropped 2 dress sizes, and started tennis lessons. My relationship with my kids is better than ever. And my husband and I are planning a 2nd cruise honeymoon! It’s like my life has done a 180 turn-around. And it’s all as a direct result of working with Kelly.”
Summary
If you haven’t yet created your coaching website, you now know what to avoid and what to do instead. As you can see, most of these fixes are easy to incorporate as you are building your website.
If you already have a website, look over your site and see if it includes any of the above mistakes that could chase away clients. If so, pick the easiest one to work on first. Correct it on your website. Then move on to the second easiest one to fix.
Most of these website mistakes can be corrected in just a day.
A website that gets coaching clients will communicate clearly who you work with and the transformation they are likely to get when working with you. It will allow potential clients to get to know, like, and trust you. And it will establish you as the expert they want to work with.
And that not only attracts clients, it gets them calling for appointments!
Don’t chase coaching clients away – it’s so easy to create a coaching website that gets clients, instead.
wow that’s good!