So you have a website for your personal training business. Great! Now ask yourself this question: "What is it achieving?"
Your answer will probably be something like: "It lets potential clients find out about my services". And this makes perfect sense. But do you know if your website is actually achieving this goal? How many of your current clients found you via your website? If it's a low number (or you don't know the number) then keep reading.
A website should be like your wingman. A 24 hour sales assistant that complements your face-to-face efforts in the gym with it's access to a much wider audience of potential new clients. A good website should convert website visitors into new enquiries which then become new clients.
We're going to assume you have people visiting your website already. If your site is low on traffic, consider reading our other guide: Drive More Traffic To Your PT Website.
First things first: Be able to measure
Before we do anything, it's vital that you have some monitoring in place so you can review the changes you are making and gauge their impact.
Install some analytics
If you do not already have analytics setup on your site, then this is the first job. Head on over to Google Analytics now and create yourself an account. It's free and it won't take long. They do provide some instructions on how to install the tracking code on to your site, but if you need a bit more handholding to get up and running, check out this handy beginners guide from Moz.com.
Ask clients how/where they found you
Every time you get a new client enquiry, be sure to ask them where they found out about you. You can drop this into conversation casually later rather than it sounding like an initial interview question, but be sure to ask, and keep some kind of record so you can refer back to the numbers later. It will help you to establish what's working and what's not.
Website checklist
1. Send people to the right page
Sending a potential client to your home page and expecting them to find the specific content relevant to them is naive. It's much more likely they will get distracted or lose interest first. Instead, send them directly to a page that will get their attention immediately, and with the least effort. It's a very simple thing, and it's easy to do.
If your site is a bit lacking in the content department, read the first of our 8 ways to increase traffic to your personal trainer website.
2. Ensure every page has a primary action
Even if your site is full of quality content about you and your services, if it doesn't provide convenient ways for people to get in touch then readers may not turn into leads. On every page, ensure there is a clear method of contact available, whether it's a simple phone number or a contact form (ideally the choice of both). Try to include your contact details in an expected place on every page (at the end of each article for example), as well as on a dedicated contact page.
A page's primary action may not always be direct contact. You might provide a link to an event or class registration system, give people the option to share the page with others, or provide a call-back option (more about this below).
3. Make your pages appealing
Few people are visiting your site to read an essay. You might be the perfect trainer for someone's needs, but if they don't feel compelled to read, then they'll never know.
If you have a lot to say, try breaking big passages of text into smaller chunks. Use subheadings, lists and images and make your pages easier to digest, especially important in a world where people increasingly scan content rather than reading from start to finish.
4. Display clear pricing
Are you looking for lead quality, or lead quantity? Are you fed up with offering a free consultation only to discover they can't afford you? Would you prefer to meet potential clients for the first time knowing you don't have to build up to the awkward 'money chat'?
If you are up-front and transparent about your hourly and package rates, then you will know that people making contact with you are prepared to pay. The less time you waste on bad leads, the more you can spend nurturing quality additions to your client roster.
5. Include client testimonials/reviews
The power of reviews and testimonials cannot be underestimated. When was the last time you made a purchase without reading the online user reviews first? The same applies to your personal training services.
If you helped a client called Julie to change her life, and she is happy to share her story with the world, it will do more for your credibility than anything you could write about yourself. Try to choose clients that had success in the areas you'd like to expand your client base in. People will relate to these stories and visualise themselves in the same position. And include pictures if you can. Pictures make things real!
6. Give people an incentive
A sense of urgency can be incredible at convincing people to take action. If you can remove a person's tendency to 'put it off until tomorrow', then you can gather leads you might otherwise have lost.
Try using a time or money based promotion to encourage people to contact you now. For example: "Get in touch/Start training before XX and qualify for YY." You might decide to keep running the promotion, just make sure you update it so the dates are correct for future site visitors.
Also, try surrounding your contact details with motivational phrases like "What are you waiting for?", "Getting started today is easy" or "Be the next Julie!".
7. Make the first contact as easy as possible
The least friction in a contact process, the more likely it is to be completed. If you provide an email address and phone number as the only methods of contact on your website, you are relying on people to compose a new email, or pick up their phone and start dialling. Instead add a simple contact form to your site which removes 50% of the effort required to get the ball rolling.
Offer call-backs
For those people that are too shy (or unwilling) to make the first move. Try taking this burden on yourself by offering a callback service. Simply ask for a name and number, and you can become the one making the first call.
8. Send automatic follow ups
If you have a contact form on your website you can add the email addresses it gathers directly to your audience on email marketing platforms such as Mailchimp. You can then send an automated message (or sequence of messages) to them providing background and encouragement in your field of specialisation. This helps to share more information about yourself and keeps you in their mind after they have made the initial contact.
Use thank you pages to drive further awareness
Once someone has completed a contact form on your website, they may well have reached a natural dead end in their journey with you. Remove this problem by using your thank you screen to promote any other channels or services you have available, such as a latest blog post, or your social media profiles. This gives people the chance to discover more about you and form further connections.
Once your lead is hooked and converted, you must be ready to onboard! Check out our free, downloadable and practical guide of Client Onboarding Essentials.
