8 Steps to Build a Professional Coaching Website And Get High Paying Clients

Having an amazing coaching website is one of the pillars of building your personal brand online. 

With that said, there are ways to do it right and to do it wrong.

The last thing that you want to when building your website is to waste your time and energy and make a lot of mistakes.

Even though mistakes are a part learning, they can definitely cost you money if you do them.

In this article I would love to share with you 8 steps to building a coaching website that position you as an authority in your niche.

You might also like: What makes a perfect landing page? [5 best practices]

1. Pick a Domain

When it comes to building any kind of brand online, the first thing you should do is pick a domain name.

You want to own your own name online. 

Assuming it is Martin O'Neal, you should purchase martinoneal.com. If it's not available, try looking for .net, .org other kinds of domains.

The other thing that you should keep in mind when buying any kind of domain is that it should be readable and clear.

When you say it, people should have no problem remembering it.

So if your first and last names are long, you might consider only using your last name as your domain name.

2. Be Personal

As a coach, you're working and connecting with people one on one. It's a part of your job, isn't it?

Well, if that's true, your website should reflect it. Just like your social media profiles.

People love to do business with people. 

The first and arguably the most important thing you can do to accomplish it is to add a picture of you to the first section of your homepage.

If you have a video - even better.

Take a look at these examples below to see what I'm talking about:

3. Add Your Positioning Statement

What's your why? Why do you do what you do? Who are you helping?

If you've been in business for quite some time, you probably understand the power of a very clear and narrow positioning statement that speaks directly to your potential clients.

And this is something that you definitely want to feature on your website. It doesn't necessarily has to be placed on the first screen of your homepage. 

You can add it lower on the page or even in the about page if you have one.

But make sure that you have it on the website.

Amber Chlaus does a great job talking directly to her target audience on her about page:

4. Tell Your Story

"Facts tell, stories sell", right?

Storytelling is a very powerful technique when it comes to marketing because it resonates with people.

We, humans, love to read the stories of others that overcame challenges. These stories inspire us.

That's why your website should have your story. Don't be shy.

Give it all out. Tell others what it took for you to become a person that you are.

One of our previous "heroes" Lewis Howes has his story featured on his website:

5. Add Social Proof

When people buy something, especially if it's a premium service they want to get results.

They want to be confident that what they spend their money on is worth it.

And one of the best ways to do it is to add social proof - testimonials, case studies, etc.

Video reviews work even better that written ones. But if you don't have those - that's ok, used the text ones.

Another powerful trick that you can use is to add a list of companies that you've worked with.

Sometimes life coaches work not only with one person, but a whole group of people.

These can be employees of a particular company that has a known brand out there in the world.

If happen to have worked with one of those - you definitely have to leverage it and show it on your website.

And last but not least. There is one more powerful trick that you can use.

If you are growing your brand, you probably have been featured in magazines or video shows.

Showing those on your website is an another great way to convince your prospects that you deliver results.

Here is an example of what I'm talking about by Dan Lok:

6. Capture Leads

Email marketing is one of the most powerful marketing channels that there is. Did you know that?

I bet you did. 

Getting leads is getting more expensive every day. 

So why not use your website that already has the traffic to capture some of those leads?

Offer them some kind of a "freebie" that would be valuable to them in exchange for their email.

Or if you're hosting a webinar, use your website to get people to register.

Whatever your offer is - add a popup or a form to your website to capture emails.

7. Qualify Your Clients Hard

Now, this might go against what you've been told: "Make it easy for clients to reach you".

But this is not the way that you build a very profitable online business.

Why do you want to work with everyone?

Why do you want to convince people that don't have money to pay you?

It's hard and it's not worth it.

Think about it. Experts are busy. 

If you're really good, you can't be easily reachable.

How do you do it on your website?

It's simple: clearly say who you work with.

And who you will not accept as clients on any circumstances.

If you have an on boarding form on your coaching website where people can book a call with you - it shouldn't be as simple as just name and email.

Include questions that will help you qualify your prospects.

You'll probably ask that information during the phone call anyway.

So why not save yourself some time and disqualify those who won't do business with you.

You can ask them to take a personality test or whatever it is that you're using to determine if this prospect is going to be a good fit.

Here is what Hubspot does to qualify their leads (even though it's not a coaching website, it's still worth to use it as an example):

8. Add Your Personal Media Platform

Let me clarify something: Personal Media Platform (PMP) is essentially a place where you do your marketing.

I am a strong believer that every coach these days has to do content marketing to attract clients (and not just coaches).

It's a place where you educate your prospects, give them value upfront and show your expertise.

It can come in many forms and channels: blogging on your website, making videos on YouTube or creating podcasts.

Whatever that is, make sure you have it on your website.

Adding a blog to your coaching website is quite simple.

What you can also do is to embed your podcasts or your YouTube videos.

If your prospects are already on the website - why not make it easy for them to find your content?

And trust me: the more marketing that you do - the easier it will be for you to sell.

Neil Patel's blog is a great example - he has it all: podcasts, YouTube videos and even blogposts on his website.

And you can listen and view to all of them without leaving his website.

Awesome, isn't it ?

Conclusion

Building your personal brand and positioning yourself as an authority is not easy and takes a lot more that just building a website.

However, having a good website should not be neglected.

Use these 8 principles above to make sure you maximize your marketing efforts and you get good clients from the web.

If you need help building your website - feel free to contact us: