2013 Web Design Trends for Health Coaching Websites

 

It’s the beginning of a new year, and if you’re like most health coaches, you are either thinking
about creating a website or updating the one you have. You want a website that is
usable, beautiful, and marketable – not one that will look old-fashioned in a few months.

If you’ve tried researching web design trends online, you probably found your eyes
glazing over as you read information specifically written to programmers, graphic
designers, and developers. But don’t worry, you won’t get that in this article.

Below is a summary of the web design trends that are especially relevant to health coaching
websites for solo-preneur or small business coaches. And there’s lots of good news for
you in 2013.

Trend #1 – WordPress Sites

This isn’t a new trend, but a continuation of a transition that started in 2008 from custom
designed HTML sites to WordPress sites. The beauty of a WordPress coaching website
is that it will usually take care of all the other trends below, especially if you use a great
WordPress theme.

Today’s WordPress themes can be customized with your graphics to give you the same
premium look that custom HTML sites did 5 years ago. And you’ll get the same great
look at a fraction of the price and with tons more features.

If you want a beautiful, easy to use website that clearly reflects your branding and
services, WordPress is the way to go.

Trend #2 – Mobile Friendly Sites

This trend started in 2010 with the launch of the Apple iPad. According to Apple, they
sold more iPads in the fourth quarter of 2011 than ANY manufacturing company sold in
PCs – including desktops, laptops, and other tablets. That’s a lot of iPads.

What does this mean for health coaches? If you are sending any emails with links back to
your website, you need a mobile friendly site. Why? Because a lot of your prospects
are checking their emails on mobile devices. (I know I do.) And if they can’t view your
site on it, they’ll leave.

Most of the better WordPress themes are now incorporating mobile friendly site design.
They call it “responsive web design”; you may have heard of it. The WordPress themes
I use have been mobile friendly since 2009.

Which brings us to the next important trend for coaching websites…

Trend #3 – Multi-device Design

Before 2010, I used to design site content very precisely – carefully wrapping text and
sizing images to look just right on a desktop monitor. The biggest challenge was getting
it to look good in multiple browsers.

Now the challenge is even harder. You want your site to look good on lots of different
mobile devices, laptops, and computers. Some people will view your site on large
desktop monitors. Others will view your site on their smartphone or tablet.

Thankfully, I have found that responsive ready WordPress themes handle this problem
for you pretty well. They resize the text automatically so that your content can be read
even on very small screens.

But resizing text alone isn’t enough. You also want a site that incorporates web site
trend #4.

Trend #4 – Grid Based Layouts

We are seeing more and more sites with a grid-based design using building blocks that
allow for better viewing on various mobile devices. You’ll find many WordPress themes
that incorporate this look.

You’ll also want to combine the grid-based layout with a minimalistic look. This trend
continues to be popular, and Microsoft’s Metro design and Pinterest’s layout are good
examples. But you’ll also see them on many coaching websites with content divided
into 2 or 3 columns and with the use of sidebars.

Trend #5 – Branding

You’re going to see more sites focusing on a company’s branding rather than on being
“trendy.” Your health coaching website should definitely do the same. Branding allows you to
stand apart from every other coach offering similar services. And great branding
attracts clients to you.

Examples of how branding will be more prominent on coaching websites include:
• homepage featured sections that use the entire top portion of the screen
• slider presentations with large images, typography, and/or videos
• featured logos and site designs that enhance the branding message

Trend #6 – Larger Buttons and Text

This is definitely a trend towards mobile friendly websites. Your navigation links and
buttons should be easy to access on a small screen.

Regarding text, you may have noticed that text size on sites started getting smaller in
2008 and 2009. That turned around in 2010 with the launch of the iPod. Today, you
can find many sites with font sizes of 14, 16, and even 18 pixels. I currently use a
medium size, 14 pixel Verdana font for my paragraphs because it is much easier to read
on Mac computer screens.

Trend #7 – Typography, Video, and Pictures

Large typography is still hot. This is an ongoing trend that looks like it will continue
strong in 2013.

Large, clear pictures are still very popular. However, you want to reduce file sizes so
the pages can load into the browser quickly.

Because video is so easy to insert into most WordPress themes, you will see an
increase in the use of video on coaching websites. It’s a wonderful way to help people
get to know you and the services you offer.

Summary

If you’re looking to create a new site or simply update your own site, you can do so with
a good WordPress theme that has a responsive design so it is mobile friendly. That
alone will incorporate most of the above trends.

In the ten years I’ve been designing websites, I’ve seen a lot of changes in design
standard, site features, and coding. The good news is that building a great looking
website with tons of features has never been easier, thanks to the WordPress platform
combined with a great theme.

Best wishes on creating your fabulous and trendy new coaching website.

For a list of themes that I like and recommend, see my article “How to Choose a Great
WordPress Theme for Your Health Coaching Website.” https://healthcoachweekly.com/web-marketing/how-to-choose-a-great-wordpress-theme-for-your-health-coaching-website/

For more tips, strategies, and articles on how to create irresistible branding and
marketing for your coaching practice, visit http://www.KarenBrunet.com. From Karen
Brunet, The Irresistible Marketing Coach, “It’s not just a website…It’s the Mother Lode!”