
Checklist for Creating a Client Attracting Website
You want to offer your holistic coaching services online and attract clients from around the world. But your website isn’t getting as many inquiries from prospective clients as you would like – or had hoped. You’re wondering what’s wrong.
Or maybe you haven’t yet created your website because you’re just getting started as a coach. Everyone is telling you that you NEED to have a website, but the process seems overwhelming – where do you start? And to make matters more complicated, you know that most other coach’s websites aren’t bringing them clients, and you don’t want to make the same mistakes.
In this article, I’ll reveal what to focus on step-by-step in order to attract ideal clients with your holistic practice website. And these steps can be used on an existing website or as the foundation for a new website. It works either way.
I’ll get into those steps in just a moment, but first let’s bust through some of the myths about what really makes a client attracting website. Why is it that one site attracts ideal clients like crazy and another sits like a billboard in the dessert?
Is it the colors or the graphics used? Do you need great web copy? Does it matter what font type you use or whether you include videos? Do you need to use WordPress? Or do you offer amazing programs?
While all of those website features can play a big part in attracting clients, none of these are what actually makes a website a client attracting magnet.
Here’s what I mean. I’ve seen plain looking websites that successfully sold four and five-figure coaching programs. I’ve also seen websites with cutting-edge online technology and great graphics that attracted no clients.
So while having an attractive website with videos and great graphics can definitely help you get clients, it’s not the first thing you need to be focusing on.
Think of it like this: Those website features mentioned above are not the cake; they are the icing on the cake. Most websites fail at attracting clients because they are like a well decorated rock – lots of icing, but no cake. Before you think about the decorating, you need a good (or great) cake recipe.
In the same way, before you hire a graphic artist, copywriter, web designer, and/or videographer, you want your website content to clearly answer the following 3 questions for your website visitors:
- What’s in it for them?
- Why should they listen to you?
- What should they do next?
When I create a Mother Lode Website™ for my coaching clients, everything on the site will address one of those questions. (This is how we get website conversion rates of 42% and 52% on coaching websites!)
Here is a 10 point checklist to help you, too, create a client attracting website for your holistic coaching practice. And many of these can be done in just 1 day or less!
Step #1 – What’s in it for them?
When someone visits your site, you need to clearly communicate what you do and what’s in it for them. I call this your branding message. The content on your site needs to convey this in 15 seconds or less.
Here’s how to do that:
1. Are you solving a specific problem for a specific group of people? This is the easiest way to attract clients with your website. Be clear on this first before doing anything else.
2. Are you solving a problem that people are desperate to have solved? If you attract a lot of traffic to your site but no one is hiring you, this may be the reason. You may be offering a fabulous solution to a specific problem. But if people aren’t desperate for help, they won’t invest in hiring you.
3. Do you have a captivating headline? Your headline should speak directly to your ideal client and identify a) WHO this is for, b) the PROBLEM SOLVED, and 3) the RESULT they get. The best headlines will be short and include all three.
4. Are you offering a transformation? It’s not enough to offer a practical solution, like losing weight. You want to combine the solution with the emotions of why this is so important to them. For instance, women don’t want to just lose weight, they want to drop 2 dress sizes in 30 days, or look great in their swimsuit this summer, or look and feel 10 years younger.
If you’re struggling with creating your transformation and branding, learn my 4 step process to creating an irresistible brand (in just 1 day) here.
Step #2 – Why should they listen to you?
People buy from people they know, like, and trust. This is where your credibility comes in, and it’s vital that you do this correctly. Here’s a checklist for doing this on your website:
5. Did you introduce yourself as a specialist or expert? People want to work with a coach or consultant who knows how to help them get fast results. They value expertise and will choose to work with a specialist over a generalist. You can give yourself a title or say you work with people just like them to get specific results. Either or both of those will work.
6. Did you include testimonials? The best testimonials include specific results your ideal clients got from working with you. For most coaching websites, testimonials will have a much bigger impact for attracting clients than credentials of where the coach went to school.
7. Did you tell your story? Even if you don’t have an About Page on your website, you should include content that shares your heart and passion about why you do what you do.
8. Can you describe your ideal client’s problem better than they can? If there is a shortcut (or secret) to creating irresistible marketing, this is it. People want to work with someone who really understands them. When you use words and phrases to describe your ideal client’s situation better than they can themselves, they immediately see you as the perfect coach for them.
Step #3 – What should they do next?
In marketing, this is called the “Call to Action.” The key to success is to ask website visitors to take ONE specific action. Each time you ask them to take another specific action; you will dilute your efforts and attract less clients.
9. Do you have a call to action on every page? For your landing page, your call to action will probably be a web form to get your free irresistible offer. You want site visitors to fill that out so you can follow up with them. But on a services page, your call to action might be instructions to call or email to learn how they can work with you.
10. Is your call to action prominent and clear? Have you ever wondered why people use big yellow buttons on their website? It’s because it stands out and you know exactly what to do – click on the button. While you don’t have to use a big, tacky button on your website, you do want your call to action to be very clear. Keep it simple, use larger font sizes, and use colors like red, orange, and yellow that attract attention.
Summary
Understand that your website is only one part of your marketing system where you attract potential clients, offer them the transformation they desperately want, generate leads, and sign them up for your coaching program.
For the typical health coach or holistic practitioner, the purpose of your main website is NOT to sell high-ticket programs directly from the website itself. Instead, you want to capture the attention of ideal clients and have them contact you to learn more about working with you. This is where the actual client enrollment happens. And if you’re just starting your coaching practice, client enrollment in private programs is the fastest track to cash and success.
Look at your current website and go through the 10 point checklist above. Then start implementing the steps one at a time, in the order that you see them. And if you’re like my existing clients, you’ll notice that you begin attracting clients more easily as soon as you get started.
Please leave a reply and share which checklist item you found most helpful – or which one you plan on implementing first on your site. We’d love to hear from you.