1 – Clarity
The core of any profitable website is a clear message. This message should include what you do, what you offer, and the benefits for your clients. Many coach websites have a smart-sounding slogan in the centre of their well-designed header. But if you as a website user have not heard of the coaching or consulting services provided before, you can’t guess what they are actually could be doing for you.
Only a few users will then make an effort to try to find out more, e.g. by clicking the “About” tab or scrolling through the “Services” pages. And if those subpages aren’t super clear to make up for the lost opportunities on the starting page, then these last few brave website visitors will be lost too.
So, my C no 1 for a coach website is clarity: the clarity in your messaging, in the descriptions of your coaching services, in the benefits for your prospects. What you would learn in a good marketing course is this: “People don’t buy the best product. They buy the ones they understand best.” This piece of marketing advice should be applied to your website too! Be absolutely clear about what you offer.
2 – Connection
The second C is particularly important to coaches and consultants. It’s the connection with your audience. People don’t just buy your services but also you as a person. They need to build trust and connect with you emotionally before they make the commitment and book sessions with you. This also means to target and attract the right audience for you. Connect with people you want to work with! If they are right for you and you are right for them, selling your services will be a breeze.
A connection with your audience can only be created when you understand exactly your website visitors and what they are looking for. What are the emotions they feel when they arrive at your website searching for coaching or consulting? What are their pain points? What are their hopes and wishes? What problems can you solve for them? What solutions do you offer for their specific situations? How will they feel during or after your coaching and consulting?
A connection with your audience can be created through shaping your core message, refining the wording and also a suitable choice of colour palettes and images.
3 – Content
In the first place, your website content is the copy that describes your coaching or consulting services. It also includes any images or videos. Because clarity is of utter importance, your coach website copy should be clear and precise.
However, if you want to connect with different people, refer to their pain points and attract more visitors to your site, blog posts or free content resources are a must. Therefore, articles with a catchy headline, a clear message, connection, call-to-action (book a call, sign up to a list, etc.), and equally important keywords for SEO optimisation are an essential part of C no 3. In addition, you need free content that attracts and engages people. If people spend some time on your coach website, they improve your google ranking and at the same time become warm traffic, meaning they are more likely to buy from you eventually.
4 – Capture
You are going to provide your content for free. Your readers will be grateful, but most likely, they won’t buy from you on their first visit. This is why C no 4 is capture. You will need to capture their details, e.g. their email address, so that you can send them more content and steadily create a deeper connection.
A coach website captures email addresses by offering a quick and easy way to sign-up to a mailing list, a newsletter or a free give-away, such as an ebook, template or guide. The latter is called a lead magnet. You offer more free content in return for an email address. GDPR rules can sometimes hinder us from building up an email list fast, but there are still many ways to do so legally.
5 – Conversion
Converting website visitors into clients is the top objective of a profitable coach website. C no 4 was all about capturing details which is already a big step towards conversion. So, by offering content, you are generating leads. Leads are people who are potentially interested in what you offer. The next step is making a sale, which can be the second, third or fourth visit to your coach website.
Each of your subpages should convert people to do something, either leave their details (capture), book a call, go through checkout to buy something, join a Facebook group, sign up for a workshop …
Depending on your objectives, each page that we create converts visitors to that wanted outcomes. There are many ways to achieve this, from targeted copy to call-to-action buttons to a smooth sign-up or checkout.
Recap
Let’s recap the 5 C’s of a coach website to remember them better:
1 – Clarity: core message, service description, call-to-action
2 – Connection: Connect with people you really want to work with
3 – Content: Content is king. Offer free, keyword optimised, targeted content to get noticed by Google and visitors.
4 – Capture: Capture your website visitors details so that you can stay in touch.
5 – Conversion: Your website needs to convert visitors into clients.
