If you’re a coach who serves people online or in-person (whether you’re a life coach, business coach, or fitness coach), a website can be a vital marketing tool in your business.

Trust me, I’ve been designing websites since 2017 and I’ve seen clients make double their investment back and rank on Google within a couple months.

The truth is that your website doesn't need to be complicated.

But there are some important aspects you need to be aware of if you want your website to work for you, not against you.

Before we dive into my top website design tips for coaches, I want to address why you need to have a website for your business.

You may be reading this and thinking “I don’t need a website. I get all my clients from social media.”

But here’s something to think about…social media is a great tool to engage with others and attract your ideal client.

But if you don’t have one foundational place for people to go to where they can view all your offerings, it makes it very difficult for people to actually understand how they can work with you.

And no one wants to sift through dozens of Instagram Reels to piece it all together.

They want easy access to a hub where they can see everything you have to offer so they can identify the best options for them

Cue your website!

If you’re looking for tips to improve your digital presence with a strategic and intentional website, this post can help you get started.

1. Decide on colors and fonts

Your website should match the branding of your business.

Think about who you are trying to attract as a client…

What emotions do they want to feel when they land on your website? Are your services serious in nature (like legal support) or fun and quirky (like a copywriter for spiritual entrepreneurs)?

The colors and fonts on your website should connect with that audience and the vibe you want clients to feel.

Choose 4-6 colors for your website. Once you have those colors identified, incorporate them throughout your website.

A cohesive color scheme is important because it makes your website look professional and polished. It also helps you establish a brand identity that is unique to you.

 To help guide you in choosing colors and fonts, use the following resources:

• Coolors

• Pinterest

For fonts, focus on 2-3 options. The font you choose for your headings and paragraphs should be very easy to read - either a sans serif or serif font.

If you’re going to incorporate a third font, I recommend something fun like a script or playful font that (again) aligns with the visuals.

Here are my favorite font options:

• Google Fonts (free)

• Creative Market (paid)

Having cohesive visuals like colors and fonts helps create a uniform look that makes it easy for visitors to navigate through your site.

2. Add compelling copy that connects with your ideal clients

While website visitors notice design first, the words on the page are what get them to take action.

This is why copy is just as important as design. Because having a pretty website alone doesn’t lead to more sales.

Your website copy should demonstrate that you know your ideal clients - where they are and where they want to go.

You can address their pain points and desires so that readers will feel seen and understood.

If you’re not a strong writer, consider hiring a copywriter. I’ve worked with a couple copywriters and I’ve never regretted my decision.

I always recommend a professional copywriter to my clients who hire me for website design projects or my VIP design day intensive. It ensures that your website is truly working for you.

3. Use professional imagery that speaks to your ideal audience

An important yet commonly overlooked website design tip for coaches is to use images that accurately represent what you do in your business.

For example if you’re a business coach, you could include images of you taking a client call, writing in a journal, and using a social media app on your phone.

Or if you’re a fitness coach, you could have photos of you writing a workout plan, the weights/equipment you use, and you doing hands-on work like fixing a client’s form.

I cannot stress enough how impactful professional images are from a brand photographer. It is never too early to hire a photographer - I waited until I was 1.5 years into my business full time and I regretted waiting once I saw the incredible images.

There is nothing wrong with using stock photos on your website, but make sure they are high quality and relate to your content.

What’s most important is using relevant images that complement your content and help tell your story.

4. Set up a streamlined navigation

Your site should have an easy-to-use navigational system that allows visitors to find the information they need quickly and easily, without having to search through multiple pages or click on too many links.

I know that a general thought is to include all the pages for your offerings in the top navigation. But the truth is that this can be extremely overwhelming to a user and create analysis paralysis.

For that reason, you should only have 4-5 pages in the top navigation if possible. All other pages can go in your footer.

5. Use clear calls to action on your website

Take visitors on a journey through your website.

First, identify what your goal is. Is it to set up a call? Or buy a product?

You want to lead visitors through your website with calls to action. It’s best to incorporate these as buttons instead of text links so that they stand out and grab the attention of readers.

If your goal is to have a client set up a call, you could…

• Have a CTA at the top of your home page that leads visitors to your services page

• Have a CTA at the bottom of your services page that leads visitors to your contact page

• On your contact page, there’s a link to schedule a call

You need to tell people where to go next, which is why calls to action are so important.

6. Build trust on your website

There's a few different ways to build trust throughout your website.

Testimonials

Feature words of praise from past clients. You can not only showcase these on your homepage but also on the specific services or sales page that the testimonial relates to.

Podcasts/publications places you’ve been featured

Adding features to your website can also increase your authority. It’s common practice to add logos of these press features to your homepage.

Blog or podcast content

Blogging is not dead - in fact, there are so many reasons to start a blog for your business.

Or if you have a podcast, you can transcribe the audio and turn it into a longer form piece of content like a blog post. Yes, I’m saying to ditch the show notes!

With this content, you can pair it with SEO, search engine optimization. This will help your website show up in Google search results when people are searching for terms related to your content.

7. Optimize your website for Google

This pertains to the concept of SEO I mentioned in the last section. Make sure all pages are optimized for search engines like Google.

You can do this by incorporating keywords into important areas of your website, such as:

• Title tags

• Meta descriptions

• Image file names/alt text

You also want to ensure that all your images are resized below 500KB so that they load fast. This is because site speed is a Google ranking factor, and having a slow website can negatively impact the user experience.

To recap, here are my top tips for coaches who want a strategic website:

• Decide on cohesive colors and easy-to-read fonts

• Add compelling copy that connects with your ideal clients

• Use professional images of you that represent your business

• Set up a streamlined navigation

• Use clear calls to action throughout your website with buttons

• Build trust and authority on your website through testimonials, press features, and blog content

• Optimize your website for SEO to further boost your chances of ranking on page 1 of Google

There you have it! I hope you found these website design tips for coaches to be helpful :)

You can build a successful coaching business by creating a website with simple design, SEO strategy for your blog content, and strong copy that converts visitors into clients.

Looking for support in taking the website design process off your hands? For more than 5 years, I’ve loved helping coaches and creatives build a website that helps them reach more people online.