Here’s what I have learned about copywriting websites and working with developers to launch them: website design agencies are not so keen on the details.
Even now, several months after I’ve rebranded, I find issues here and there that definitely don’t jive with my vision of my brand.
And while my expectations might be too high for my own good, I thought I might give you a quick checklist of the things every coaching website needs to have:
Juicy, targeted opt-in
If you aren’t getting all the opt-ins you desire, and you have website traffic, it’s probably your headline.
Do not be too generic with what you offer. You can’t be everything to everyone, so narrow down exactly who you want to coach, and tell them something that isn’t common knowledge:
- 3 Exclusive Sales Actions I Take Every Day
- 6 Advanced Social Media Strategies to Try This Year
- The Ultimate 20 Item Checklist for Marketing Any Business
Clear directives
Review your site to make sure it is very clear what you want your sales prospects to do. These are fondly referred to as calls to action. They may include:
- Sign-up for Our Newsletter
- Grab Your Free Resource
- Join My Next Seminar
Easy email process
While getting this set-up on your website is all fine and dandy, the process by which your recipients get your content has to be smooth like Sunday morning.
Test your process to make sure auto-responders are times properly, content is easy to read, and that the email you enter is showing up accurately on your backend list.
Mobile responsiveness
To share my own blunder; not all website designs are mobile responsive. You can employ a plug-in that gets you close, but a full-on website to phone design has to be chosen out of the gate…or costs you more on the backend to have it optimized.
Before you start on your website design, ask if the theme you chose is mobile responsive. If you already have a website, ask friends with different phone systems to pull up your site so you can see how it works.
Effective screen resizing
Additionally, check to see what shows up on computer screens of different sizes; my 13″ Mac shows me different things than my 17″ Dell. The site may also look different on a Firefox browser vs. a Chrome browser, etc.
Solid About Me page
“After my job laid me off” should never, ever be part of your about me page. Did you really become a sales/marketing/health/life coach just because you lost your day job?
Instead, focus on why you have a passion for what you do, how you founded your company, and what makes you unique to work with. Write it like a story, not a “and then” narrative.
Payment buttons that work
My programmer stole my thunder. She didn’t mean to. But I ran a webinar and the payment buttons went kaput. So, check yours before you launch – and check them again periodically just because.
Wait, do you not have payment buttons? Then you need them. Paypal, Intuit, or another third-party source – just make sure it’s easy for anyone and everyone to give you money.
Unobtrusive sign-up
While you have every right to request website visitors engage with your brand, you don’t want to slap them in the face with a full screen pop-up without a visible close-out ‘x’.
Your website should offer something awesome so they want to grab it. To see what not to do, go to Forbes or Social Media Examiner; they inundate the visitor with spam, holding content hostage until the user has clicked several items.
Social media plug-ins
On blogs and on pages, your reader needs to be able to share what they love and promote you as they wish. Make sure they are prominent on your blogs as, well, that’s the point of blogging.
Established social media profiles
Here’s the other thing; before someone buys coaching services, they will probably shark you by circling you, your story, your brand, and your networks.
Your website is the calling card of your business, but your social media profiles are the next bus stop. Fill yours out as completely as possible for the world to see – here’s what I do, here’s who I am, and grab this free thing (plus a face picture and consistent use of colors.)
Tiered product offers
Sheena Iyengar from Columbia University did a jam study. She found that three was the ideal number of choices to offer a buyer. Today, we call her theory the Paradox of Choice.
You cannot have one item priced at $997. Instead, offer one at $599, and one at $1,399 too. While I made up these numbers, as a coach, you want to give a taste and then offer the buyer more more more !!!
The flow looks like:
- Come to my free webinar / grab my free thing
- Join my mini-series / entry level program
- Get more expertise in my advanced offering
- Here’s the next tier of the advanced offering
- Oh, and this is my new program…and so on
Multiple points of capture
Your home page may be the money shot for grabbing a contacts information for your newsletter. Don’t forget to put your opt-in on the blog, and every other non-squeeze page of the site.
Easy to scan website pages
Copywriting is my thing. And most of you stink at it (I tell you this with love! Just book a Powershot if you’re really stuck.)
Pages need to be chopped down into scannable headline / benefit formats with 3 – 5 main brand messaging take-aways per page.
Increase Your Sales by 50% or More
<benefits go here / what’s it like to work with me>
Have More Fulfilling Relationships
<here’s what I do that’s amazing and no one else does>
Analytics on the backend
Google Analytics is free. Google Webmaster tools shows you what people are searching that Google Analytics doesn’t.
So, at the most basic level, have your analytics set-up. Take a look at what blogs people like and which networks are sending you the most traffic. Your marketing dollars should follow your revenue.
An updated blog
If you’re going to have a blog, write for your blog. If you have no time to write for your blog, hire a write to draft and publish content for you.
Stagnant blog content makes you look like you’re out-of-business. The bigger benefit is that when you have a blog you can start promoting yourself and your products to your audience to increase sign-ups. Read: double awesome.
Elspeth Misiaszek uses her writing and online marketing skills to help vegan businesses, coaches and entrepreneurs increase sales on their websites and blogs. Is it SEO? Get our FREE blogging resource today.