4 Things Every Coach Needs on Their Home Page - International Coaching Federation
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4 Things Every Coach Needs on Their Home Page

Posted by Julia Sydnor | February 11, 2016 | Comments (13)

Coaching is a skill in which you’ve invested time to learn, practice and improve. You’re an excellent coach, but sometimes it may feel like a constant struggle. Being an amazing coach doesn’t automatically translate into also being an amazing website designer, accountant, social media manager and all the other things that go along with running a successful coaching practice.

As a web developer and digital strategist who primarily works with coaches, I see A LOT of coaching websites. I’ve noticed that almost every coach who comes to me for help is missing the same key elements on their home page.

Today it’s my turn to be of service. Just as you help identify and resolve your client’s issues, I will shine a light on your website and reveal core issues so you can work to resolve them.

Here are four questions every coach’s home page needs to answer:

1. Who Are You?

Coaching can be an intense personal experience. Potential clients will look to connect with you on a personal level before working with you.

Your home page should include your name and a recent photo of you. This is the equivalent to introducing yourself to someone in person. It starts a relationship with the website visitor and makes them feel more comfortable exploring the rest of your website.

If you don’t have photos of yourself, set up an appointment with local photographers or photography students. Or, just grab a friend and a smartphone for an afternoon photo shoot.

2. Who Do You Serve?

Get clear on who you want to work with and say who that is on your home page. For example, you might be a business coach who works with engineers or a health and wellness coach who works with new mothers.

Not everyone who visits your website is going to be an ideal client. Being clear will attract the right people for you and nicely show other people the door. It allows you to focus your time and energy on the dreamy clients you most want to work with.

3. What’s In It for Them

In a world of instant gratification, your website needs to immediately grab visitors’ attention and hold it long enough to get your message across.

The best way to do this is to tell people what’s in it for them. Why should they care who you are and what you do? How does it benefit them?

Try to stay away from high concept phrases like “Become your most authentic self” and “Clear your limiting beliefs.” Website visitors struggle to see how they apply to the specific problem they want to solve.

Instead of using coaching language to express what’s in it for them, try everyday language that your dream clients use. Adopt their words to describe the problems they have and the results they’ll get from working with you.

Think: “Sell them what they want, give them what they need.”

4. What Should They Do Next

96 percent of website visitors won’t be ready to hire you the first time they visit your website. They need to get to know, like and trust you first.

If someone has stuck around to read through your home page, they’re probably interested in finding out more. What should they do next to better get to know, like and trust you? They might sign up for your newsletter, download a free worksheet, schedule a free consultation or join your Facebook group. Whatever that next step is, make sure you clearly ask people to do it on your home page.

Now that you know what you need to include on your home page, it’s time to take action. Are any of these things missing on your website? Leave a comment and tell me what you’ll be adding to your home page.

Julia Sydnor

Julia Sydnor makes websites for coaches at Pixel Frau. Her goal is to help you look like a pro, attract the right people and convert them into paying clients. Download her free website planning kit to figure out what to put on your website and where to put it.

The views and opinions expressed in guest posts featured on this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of the International Coach Federation (ICF). The publication of a guest post on the ICF Blog does not equate to an ICF endorsement or guarantee of the products or services provided by the author.

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Comments (13)

  1. Julia brought up key points, which are perfect for building long-term relations…
    If you want to test them in the real world just search for coaching services and browse through the sites that come out. Pay attention to the following:
    1. What seems to be inconsistent?
    2. Are you given an example or a storry?
    I am using those questions and a few more to rewrite my own website. Do keep in mind that coaching seems to be obvious for you as a coach or someone who benefited from coaching. For everyone else it is a very vague and wattery concept. You will be showing up together with other sites with serious and not so serious content.

    Greetings,
    Pawel Urbanski

    • Julia says:

      Great comment, Pawel. Consistency and proof (examples, stories, testimonials) are both needed to build trust with website visitors. Avoiding coaching jargon and using the words/phrases that everyday people use to describe their problems and how they’re feeling will also help them better understand what you do and how you can help them.

  2. Julia, i’ve started my website and i’m not a web designer or someone with marketing skills. Tks for your tips. I am very grateful for sharing!

  3. Suzanne says:

    Hi Julia, I think where we go wrong is on #4. If you don’t tell them what to do next, they hit the back button on their browser. Thanks for the great info.

    • Julia says:

      So true, Suzanne! We often forget to tell people what to do next because it’s so obvious to us. The more people have to think, the less they’ll stick around. Glad this was helpful for you.

  4. VS Kumar says:

    useful tips for beginners like me . Thanks for sharing .
    VS Kumar

  5. seun says:

    hi

    can you please help me with my website on how can I make it attractive to my clients or anyone browsing it.

    thanks

  6. Hannah says:

    Hi there! Just wondering if anyone has suggestions for the ‘proof’ portion prior to having clients? Starting out, it’s like looking for your first job to pad your resume, without a resume! What would be best to lend credibility before there are stories and testimonials to share?

    Thanks!

  7. Great Article and tips, it’s time to make changes in my homepage.
    تانک ازت

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