3 Keys to a Coaching Website That Attracts Clients
For most coaches, the first goal on their business journey is getting to a full list of clients. An awesome goal!
They typically want 5-10 ongoing clients that pay a good fee so the coach can either add income to the household, go part time in a less desirable job or completely shift into coaching full time.
The first order of business for many is to get their website up and running to help them look like a professional and hopefully bring in new potential clients. In reviewing over 1,000 websites in the last 10 years, the reality is that most coach websites are messy (unprofessional) and never generate a single lead. It’s a total bummer when you spend a lot of time and fork over hard-earned cash to end up with a website that doesn’t do much.
To avoid making another boring coaching website that sucks up your time and does nothing but gather cyber-dust, here are three essential keys to creating a coaching site that works.
1. Focus on the visitor’s interests
Too many coaching websites try to explain coaching and talk too much about how it works as well as modalities and techniques.
These things are cool, but they don’t get the visitor jazzed up about wanting to contact and hire you.
They are too focused on the word coaching.
A better move is to frame things from the client’s perspective.
Are your visitors struggling with overwhelm and stress at work yet need to be focused and productive? Write about that.
Are your visitors sensing a deep dissatisfaction with life, an emptiness or a feeling unfulfilled and want to be on an exciting path towards worthwhile pursuits? Then, include this in your content.
Are they struggling to fit a new leader-like managerial role having come from a more technical or follower position? Then, talk about that stuff.
Kenn’s Secret Move: Try eliminating the word “coaching” from your website and see if it still makes any sense. If not, you need to start thinking about things from your visitor’s perspective.
2. Build your credibility
I would argue that doing #1 above will give you the most credibility because when your content is focused on the visitor, they will believe you understand them and instinctively feel that you can help them.
In addition, the following items help build your image:
- Showing success stories of others who you have helped.
- Sharing your personal story of succeeding or overcoming challenges.
- Having a system, process or set of beliefs that guide you as a coach—this says you have methods that work.
- Letting your personality come through in your content. It shows confidence and realness, which people love.
- Publishing educational articles, well written blogs and videos.
Just think about the gurus, thought leaders, authors and bloggers you trust and follow. Haven’t they exhibited much of the above?
3. Invite visitors to take action
Visitors to your website want to start making changes towards a better future. They want to overcome struggles and realize important goals.
And to do that, action is necessary.
Just like a good coach, your website must steer visitors to taking action—namely to contact you for a coaching session, whether a free short call or a paid, longer session.
Action is good both for the client to reach their goals AND for you to earn money as a coach.
Advanced move: Make your call-to-action to sign up for your email list. Doing so gives you the power to reach out to them over time, which builds even more credibility.
Remember, a website is all about the visitor
While it’s certainly true that your website must serve your business, in order for it to work, it needs to be all about the visitor.
To get them to contact you from your website, it must speak to their needs, build your image as a great coach, and inspire them to take that first step and contact you.
Kenn Schroder
Kenn Schroder has enjoyed creating on computers since her was eight years old. He left corporate America in 2000 to do his own thing as a web developer. In 2006, Kenn decided to focus solely on coaching websites to make things more exciting--namely to deliver more value, run a better business and have lots of fun with cool people like you.
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I agree. Thank you for such affirming and insightful information. Shared like a good coach!
Great article Kenn!! And I can honestly say these key points work! Kenn’s keen insight into what really drives client traffic on one’s website has been super helpful for me.
I’ve been taking Kenn’s advice and it works!
Kenn has been my go to guy for years. Thanks for helping the coaching community.
Simple improvements
Thanks Kenn
Ken is phenomenal! His advice and tutorials are second to none. I am loving my new website and am learning how to build my business.
Thanks everyone – so many kind words. I appreciate it.
What I appreciate about Kenn is that his advice is practical, it does not go against ICF values but combines his knowledge about websites and marketing. He also provides pro-bono advice to coaches which is appreciated. Keep up the good work!
Great advice as ever from Kenn. He’s a really sensible, no nonsense guy who gets to the heart of what’s useful when creating a coaching site.
Absolutely. Its so true…. we are coaches… we make our coaching all the about the client … doesn’t this make sense? The website all about them too… thanks Ken…
Great article Kenn!
I always add a “so what?” To the end of all my statements. What’s the value for them?
Good insights
Three powerful tips that will truly transform one’s website’s “client-attraction power” – the key is to keep learning how to improve one’s website, and keep implementing. Even in my 15th year of business, I’ll still check out these articles, see if I can learn something new 🙂
G
Hey Kathy … love that question. And asking it a few times over adds to the fun 😉
Thanks for the positive words everyone.
Big deal difference to focus on the pain driving the potential client. Real and personal.
Kenn understands websites, coaches and marketing. A winning combination!
Great blog Kenn, will take your comments on board as I’m building my website. I’m on the same page already – the site has to be focused on solving the clients needs and allow my personality as a person and as a coach to come through
Glad you mentioned personality Chris … in the copy, the site should
1. Focus on the needs of the client
2. Build your credibility high
3. Let your personality come through
Would you say personality = authenticity?
The biggest change I made in my new website was to focus on the client’s needs and wants without explaining the coaching process. Folks who are ready to change aren’t nearly as interested in the process as they are in feeling better/making change. It made a huge difference in the overall tone of my site and it’s connectivity with those looking for my coaching services.
This is very helpful, thank you Ken!
Such a great start acquiring this information as I am developing my site. I completely agree, the main focus are the visitors and their needs and will certainly take it on board.
In my opinion, the website too should also focus on the coach’s passion and service that the targeted visitors can relate to and are looking for.
Thank you Kenn for your wise words. I love the simplicity with which you write, getting right to he heart of the important matter 🙂
Thank you! You really know what you are talking about!
Another on spot article Kenn,
I like the idea of not using the word coaching. I’m in the process of redoing my site (again) and thinking of using the term ‘advice calls’ because in my case that’s really what the calls will be about. Is that realistic?
Thanks again for all your help.
I implemented the first change immediately and removed the word “coaching” from my site. It was an amazing transformation. I haven’t finished implementing the second one. My Call to Action was already there and easy for a potential client to do. You packed a lot of very powerful steps into this post. Thanks, Kenn.
Very welcome. You’re quite the student Scott. It’s great to see you take action. Nice!
Excellent article Kenn with great information!
Kenn, your insights are always so clear and positive. You have such a great combo of web skills, coaching skills and marketing skills. I really appreciate your articles. Christi
Hey Christi, thanks a bunch for the kind words.
Hello, after reading this amazing post i am as well glad to share my familiarity here
with colleagues.
All great points Ken and I would add that a website that attracts clients needs to have more than looking good and great content. You have to get traffic there and keep them interested with easy navigation and up to date with Google.. Here are some more points to keep in mind http://www.lifecoachingprofessionally.com/life-coaching-websites.html
Great one Wendy … it is a surprise to many that websites are NOT like shops in a mall that come with foot traffic or ads in a magazine that go out to a subscriber list.
Nope! Rather websites are more like cabins in the woods and you need to make paths to it for folks to come visit.