Website Design for Coaches & Consultants. The Ultimate Guide.

Page Contents

The last 5-8 years has seen an increase of people starting their own coaching or consulting business.

Many are ex corporate executives who decide to take charge of their future and become their own bosses.

There are many types of coaches:

  • Business coaches
  • Finance coaches
  • Sales coaches
  • Life / personal coaches
  • Health and wellness coaches
  • Fitness coaches
  • Family coaches
  • Spiritual coaches
  • Career coaches
  • Web design coaches

And also consultants

  • Management consultants
  • Human resource consultants
  • IT consultants
  • Strategy consultants
  • Financial consultants
  • Risk & compliance consultants
  • Marketing consultants
  • Image consultants
  • PR consultants
  • Social media consultants

Do you feel like you’re in a vast ocean, surrounded by competitors, all vying for the attention of potential clients?

Are you struggling to make waves and stand out among the sea of websites and social media accounts?

Imagine, what if you had a lighthouse, a beacon that could guide clients to your services and expertise?

This guide will help you build that lighthouse, illuminating your unique qualities and attracting the clients you want.

Whether you’re just starting out or looking to revamp your online presence, having a professional website can make all the difference in attracting and retaining clients.

Regardless of whether you choose to create the website yourself or outsource it, you will need to be involved in many of the steps along the way.

That’s where this guide comes in. I’ll walk you through the essential elements of a successful website, explain the various technical and design choices you’ll need to make, and provide tips for working effectively with web designers and developers.

By the end of this guide, you’ll have a better understanding of what goes into creating a website that not only looks great, but also helps you achieve your business goals. Let’s get started!

Do I really need a website?

The simple answer is YES, definitely!  Even if you have a social media profile such as LinkedIn, your website should be the centre of your business universe.  You have no control over what happens with social networks, whereas you do with your website.

For example, look at what happened with Google Plus – over 200 million users and it got shut down.  MySpace used to be the place to hang out, until Facebook came along.  If your business mainly depended on either of these platforms, you would have been in a lot of trouble.

Your website should connect your marketing and lead-generation efforts and help you build credibility with your audience.  It allows you to form long- term connections and to tell your story.

It saves you time and works for you 24/7 – potential clients and key decision makers can find out more information about you, even when you are asleep.

There are so many reasons to have a website – some of these include

  • Central hub for information about your business
  • Lets you sell products, courses and services 24/7
  • Answers potential customer’s questions
  • Provides leads different ways to contact you
  • Links to your social networks, podcasts and videos
  • Lets you accept bookings for workshops, speaking engagement, seminars, classes
  • Provides opportunity to showcase your portfolio
  • Can be a library of resources, articles, downloadables and links
  • Gives you opportunity to interact with customers in real time
  • Set up a sales funnel and landing pages
  • Collect customer emails and phone numbers
  • Offer special deals and promotions
  • Reach customers around the world
  • Lets you share your story

What makes a good coaching website?

A good coaching website addresses your customers’ concerns and provides them with a road map to resolving their issues.

The website should be:

  • easy to navigate
  • provide resources for your visitors
  • include calls to action
  • prove your credibility and trustworthiness

How do I create a coaching website?

Here are 15 steps to setting up a successful coaching and consulting website

1. Decide on your business name

For most coaches and consultants it makes sense to set up a personal brand and trade under your own name.  However, if you are setting up a partnership or a company, then you might want to consider a business name.  For example if you are setting up a business coaching website, you could consider names such as these, providing they are still available:

  1. Catalyst Coaching
  2. Thrive Consulting
  3. Success Mentors
  4. Momentum Coaching
  5. Rise Up Coaching
  6. Empower Business Coaching
  7. Visionary Consulting
  8. Growth Mindset Coaching
  9. Flourish Business Coaching
  10. Ascend Consulting

Discover how to find the perfect name for your business.

2. Register your domain name

If you are trading under your name, then simply register that, eg. JennySmith.com (for a global brand) or JennySmith.com.au if the majority of your clients are based in Australia.

Since we are at over 1.8 billion websites, you may find that your preferred domain name is taken.

Here are some tips to find the perfect domain name for your business.

3. Decide what software to use for your website

You have a lot of choices when it comes to website design platforms – Wordpress, Squarespace, Wix, Jimdo, etc.

Wordpress is the most popular tool because it is:

  • Flexible and adaptable – it allows you to easily add functionality through the use of plugins
  • User friendly – if you select the right theme
  • Search engine friendly and can help you rank high
  • Mobile responsive
  • Supported by Wordpress community

4. Select a Wordpress theme

Wordpress theme is a tool that helps you create your website without knowing how to code.  There are thousands of free and paid themes and I would strongly recommend using a paid theme as it gets regularly updated by the developers.

If you choose a free theme, you may find it stops working after a while, as the developers have no incentive to keep updating it since they are not getting paid.

Two great themes to check out are Enfold Wordpress Theme  and Divi Theme.

5. Decide whether to create the website yourself or get someone to do it.

You have several options.

  • Do it yourself
  • Get a developer from India / Philippines to design the website for you
  • Hire a local website designer

If you decide to create the website yourself, you may need to spend weeks / months learning about website design, webhosting, integrations, search engine optimization etc.  This will slow down your progress your business set up.

The advantage is that you will have complete creative control and may save some money.

If you hire a developer from overseas, you may save some money, however, you may find that they have different cultural and work ethics, there may be a language barrier, time differences can be an issue and they don’t often have local market knowledge.

For most coaches and consultants I would recommend hiring a local web developer.  It may initially cost you a little more, but the advantages are:

  • They have knowledge of the local market
  • Understand website design trends and security
  • Can develop more advanced websites with shopping carts and various automations
  • Can help with website marketing and search engine optimisation
  • They can troubleshoot and fix up problems and help with updates and upgrades

In order to create your website, your developer will need various details about your business and products / services.

Here is a link to Website Design Brief to help you put the details together

6. Choose a webhosting company

If you are designing the website yourself, you will need to choose your own webhosting company.  I highly recommend using SiteGround – they have affordable hosting plans and exceptional technical support.

Learn more about webhosting

7. Design your logo

Your logo is the cornerstone of your brand, so make sure your logo is designed by a professional graphic designer.

Learn more about logo design

8. Craft a tag line

When someone arrives at your website, they need to know within 7 seconds that you can help them resolve their problems.  A good tagline does that – it encourages people to read more about your business and what you can offer.

Here are some ideas for coaching / consulting taglines:

  • It’s time to clarify your direction
  • A journey that begins with self discovery
  • Stop feeling lost and let’s set your path together
  • Moving forward is a state of mind
  • Every journey starts with a first step
  • From strategy to delivery, on time every time
  • Accelerating your growth
  • Change the way you change your world
  • Goal-oriented solutions
  • Help our clients reach their full potential

For more inspirations check out Life Coach Slogans and Consulting Slogans

9. Be clear on what problems you solve and for whom

Ensure you are very clear on who you help and what problems you help solve your clients.

Trying to be everything to everyone does not work.

Choosing a niche helps you attract the right group of people who will be interested in your services because they feel you get them.

For example, if you are a health coach, specializing in women over 40, your communication via your website and social media is going to be different than if you are targeting men in their 20s.

Learn more about how to select your niche.

10. Gather information

Creating one page website is not going to help your business – you need to include the information your potential clients are looking for.  If you don’t, they will go to someone who will.

As a coach / consultant you should include the following pages at minimum:

Other pages to consider

  • Resources / articles
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Links
  • Media
  • Photo / Portfolio Gallery

11. Write high-converting content for your website

The content on your website is a reflection of your brand and can have a significant impact on your online success.

When crafting content, think about the needs and interests of your target audience.

What are their pain points?

What are their goals?

How can your content help them?

When writing content for your website, keep in mind the following tips:

  • Use clear and concise language – avoid jargon and technical terms that may be difficult for your audience to understand.
  • Make it scannable – Use headings, subheadings, and bullet points to break up text and make it easier to read.
  • Use visuals – Incorporate images, videos, and infographics to help illustrate your points and break up text.
  • Optimize for search engines – Use relevant keywords throughout your content to help your website rank higher in search engine results.
  • Be original – Avoid copying content from other sources. Instead, create original content that provides value to your audience.

12. Social proof

Credibility is a big problem for many coaches and consultants when it comes to their online presence, especially if their services, programs, courses, products and brands are not well-known in the marketplace.

Lack of trust is one of the main reasons visitors don’t convert into paying customers. The good news is, there are several things you can do to prove your credibility:

  • Include testimonials and product reviews from happy customers.
  • Provide as many contact details as possible.
  • Share case studies of people you have helped – outline the problem, the process you took them through and the outcome they achieved.
  • List details of any reputable trade associations you belong to.
  • Add any media articles that have been written about you or your business, both online and offline.
  • Provide details of any awards you have won.
  • List community projects and charities you are involved in.
  • Share your numbers – have you sold thousands of copies of your book, has your course assisted hundreds of people? Include the details on your website
  • Celebrity / Influencer endorsement – if your brand has been mentioned by an influencer, include it on your website
  • Speaker profile – if you’ve ever spoken at a networking event or at a conference – share photos and videos from your presentation

For other ways to prove your credibility, check out 27 Valuable Ways to Boost Your Website Credibility 

13. Calls to action

You need to be very clear about what you want your visitors to do when they land on one of your pages.

Do you want them to:

  • book an appointment
  • join you on a webinar
  • download a report
  • subscribe to a mini course

Tell them where and how.

Make sure your calls to action are on all your pages, as visitors will not always arrive at your website via your homepage.

With every piece of content you write, put yourself in your visitor’s shoes and ask “What next”.

In other words, if you have written a blog post – what is the next step they should take?

Here are 44 powerful calls to action for you to consider.

14. Photos and videos

Visual content such as photos and videos can play a crucial role in enhancing the overall look and feel of a website. They not only make the website more appealing to visitors but also help in conveying information and building trust.

However, it is important to carefully choose and use visual content on a website, as poor-quality or irrelevant visuals can have the opposite effect.

Think of using photos and videos on your website like adding seasoning to a dish. The way seasoning can enhance the flavour of a dish, visuals can enhance the message and appeal of your website.

However, just as too much seasoning can overpower a dish, too many visuals can overwhelm a website. It’s important to find the right balance and use visuals strategically to enhance the user experience.

  • Use high-quality images and videos: Low-quality visuals can make your website look unprofessional. Ensure that the images and videos you use are of high quality, clear, and in focus.
  • Use relevant images and videos: Ensure that the visuals you use on your website are relevant to the content on the page. This helps to reinforce your message and make it more memorable.
  • Avoid using stock images: While stock images can be convenient, they are often overused and can make your website look generic. Consider taking your own photos or hiring a photographer to create custom visuals for your website.
  • Use images and videos to break up text: Walls of text can be overwhelming and discouraging to read. Break up your text with images and videos to make it more digestible and engaging.
  • Optimize image and video file sizes: Large files can slow down your website’s loading time, leading to a negative user experience. Optimize your images and videos by compressing them to reduce their file size.
  • Use captions and alt tags: Captions and alt tags can improve your website’s accessibility and help with search engine optimization. Ensure that your captions and alt tags accurately describe the visuals they accompany.

15. Website layout

An effective website layout is critical to the success of any website. It’s the first impression your audience will have of your brand, and it can make or break their decision to stay and engage with your content. A well-designed layout can improve user experience, increase engagement, and ultimately drive conversions. In this subsection, we’ll explore key tips and strategies for creating an effective website layout that will capture your audience’s attention and keep them coming back for more.

Here are some tips for creating an effective website layout:

  • Keep it simple and consistent: A clean and simple layout can improve user experience and help them find what they’re looking for quickly. Consistency in design elements such as fonts, colours, and spacing can also make the website more visually appealing.
  • Prioritize content: Prioritize important content by placing it prominently on the page. Make sure to also break up content with headings, subheadings, and bullet points to make it easier to read.
  • Use white space: Don’t be afraid of white space – it can help create a clean and organized design, and make important elements stand out.
  • Make it mobile responsive: More and more people are accessing websites from their mobile devices, so it’s essential your website is mobile responsive. This means the layout should adapt to different screen sizes, making it easy to navigate on both desktop and mobile.
  • Use visual hierarchy: Visual hierarchy can help guide users through the website and highlight the most important information. This can be achieved through the use of size, colour, and placement of design elements.
  • Keep it easy to navigate: Make sure your website is easy to navigate by using clear and concise menus and navigation bars. Users should be able to find what they’re looking for in just a few clicks.
  • Test and refine: Finally, be prepared to test and refine your website layout over time. Monitor user behaviour and make adjustments based on their feedback to improve the user experience.

16.  Compelling Homepage

A homepage is the first impression that a website makes on its visitors, and it sets the tone for the rest of the user experience. Therefore, designing a compelling homepage is critical for the success of a website. Here are some tips on how to design a compelling homepage:

  • Clear and concise messaging: The homepage should have a clear and concise message that tells the visitors what the website is about, what it offers, and how it can benefit them.
  • Compelling visuals: Use high-quality visuals, such as images and videos, to grab visitors’ attention and convey the brand’s message. Make sure that the visuals are relevant to the brand and the website’s content.
  • Easy navigation: The homepage should have easy navigation that allows visitors to find the information they need quickly and easily. Use a clear and consistent navigation menu that is easy to understand and use.
  • Clear call to action: The homepage should have a clear call to action that encourages visitors to take the next step, whether it’s to sign up for a newsletter, make a purchase, or contact the brand.
  • Mobile responsive design: With the increasing use of mobile devices, it’s essential to design a homepage that is mobile responsive. Ensure that the website’s layout is optimized for smaller screens, and the content is easy to read and navigate on mobile devices.
  • Loading speed: A fast-loading homepage is essential to keep visitors engaged. Optimize the website’s images, videos, and other content to reduce the loading time.
  • Consistent branding: Ensure that the homepage’s design and branding are consistent with the rest of the website and the brand’s messaging.
  • Social proof: Use social proof, such as customer testimonials and reviews, to build trust and credibility with visitors.

17. Additional functionality

WordPress lets you add extra functionality through the use of plugins.  There are thousands of plugins available – most have a free version, which is often sufficient.  Some plugins which may be useful if you are a coach or consultant include:

  • Booking calendar for one on one consulting/coaching sessions
  • Workshops/seminar registrations
  • Online courses
  • Membership portals
  • Email software
  • Automation software
  • eCommerce for selling products including books
  • Live chat
  • Podcast integration

18. Set up Google my Business Listing

Getting your website ranked high in search engines takes time.  For new small businesses that can be 12-18 months.  Alternatively you can run Google Adwords, which can cost a lot of money, while you test different ads and offer.

One thing you can do is to set up Google My Business listing.  The listing is free and allows you to reach customers in your local area.

Make sure you complete all your details and ask customers to leave a review, as this can help attract new customers.

Set up Google My Business Profile.

19. Optimise Your Website for Search Engines

Optimizing a website for search engines is a crucial aspect of building a successful online presence. By following some basic principles, you can ensure that your website ranks well in search engine results pages, bringing more traffic to your site and increasing the visibility of your brand. In this section, we will discuss some key strategies for optimizing your website for search engines.

One of the most important things to keep in mind when optimizing your website is that search engines are looking for relevant, high-quality content that provides value to users. This means that you should focus on creating content that is informative, engaging, and useful to your target audience.

In addition to creating high-quality content, you will also need to pay attention to the technical aspects of your website, such as its structure, page speed, and mobile-friendliness. By optimizing these elements, you can ensure that search engines can crawl and index your site effectively, leading to higher rankings in search results.

Overall, optimizing your website for search engines is an ongoing process that requires attention to both content and technical elements.

  • Conduct keyword research to identify popular and relevant search terms for your industry or niche
  • Use your chosen keywords strategically in your website content, including titles, headings, meta descriptions, and throughout the body copy
  • Create high-quality, engaging content that is valuable to your target audience and naturally incorporates your chosen keywords
  • Ensure your website is mobile-friendly and has a fast loading speed
  • Use descriptive and keyword-rich file names and alt tags for all images on your website
  • Build high-quality backlinks to your website from other reputable websites in your industry or niche
  • Ensure your website has a clear and organized structure, including a sitemap, to make it easier for search engines to crawl and index your pages
  • Regularly update your website with fresh content to keep it relevant and engaging for both users and search engines
  • Monitor your website’s analytics and adjust your strategy as needed to improve its search engine ranking performance.

20. Monitor and Analyze Your Website’s Performance

Monitoring and analyzing your website’s performance is essential for ensuring its success. With tools like Google Analytics, you can gain valuable insights into how visitors interact with your site and use this data to make informed decisions about how to improve it. Here are some reasons why monitoring and analyzing your website’s performance is so important:

  • Understanding your audience: By monitoring your website’s performance, you can gain a better understanding of your audience. You can see where your visitors are coming from, what pages they are visiting, and how long they are staying on your site. This information can help you tailor your content and marketing efforts to better meet the needs of your target audience.
  • Identifying areas for improvement: By analyzing your website’s performance, you can identify areas that need improvement. For example, if you notice that visitors are leaving your site after only a few seconds, you may need to reevaluate your homepage or navigation to make it more engaging and user-friendly.
  • Measuring the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns: By tracking your website’s performance, you can see how well your marketing campaigns are performing. You can track how many visitors are coming to your site from each campaign, how long they are staying, and how many are converting into customers.
  • Making data-driven decisions: By using data to inform your decisions, you can make more informed choices about how to improve your website. Instead of making changes based on guesswork, you can use data to identify areas that need improvement and make changes that are more likely to be effective.

Coaching and Consulting Website Examples

Sally J Rundle

Setting up a strong online presence is crucial for your business if you want to succeed in today’s digital world.

By following the tips and strategies outlined in this guide, you can create a website that not only looks great but also effectively communicates your brand message and value proposition. Remember to focus on user experience, optimize for search engines, and showcase your expertise and credibility.

With the right approach and mindset, your website can become a powerful tool that helps you attract and convert leads, grow your business, and ultimately achieve your goals as a coach or consultant.

Want to discuss getting your coaching or consulting business online?
Schedule a free website design strategy session with me today.

Website strategy session

Ivana Katz - Website DesignerIvana Katz from Websites 4 Small Business is an award-winning web designer who builds websites that build your business.  She provides unbeatable web design services to fit your budget.  The end result? Professional, custom-made sites that give your business the extra oomph it needs to stand out from the competition and make an impact.

Whether you’re a brand-new business or an established one ready to improve your digital presence, Ivana makes it easy to get your business online very quickly.  Her websites are professional, tailored to fit your budget, and give your business a serious boost.

Download your FREE copy of “Ultimate Website Design Secrets Blackbook – 10 Bulletproof Strategies for Designing an Outrageously Successful Website

Ultimate Website Design Secrets Black Book

Ultimate Website Design Secrets Blackbook

Insider secrets and simple tweaks you can make
to your website today that will make a huge
impact on your bottom line …

Download Ultimate Website Design Secrets