8 BIG Mistakes Personal Trainers Make On Their Website

Ok, so you don’t have to be a genius to work out that more and more people are buying products and services over the internet theses days. In my experience, the two most effective ways to get personal training clients are through a smokin’ website and through lots of well-executed referral strategies.

Today I am going to focus on the websites because if you can get your website generating lots of traffic and converting well, your life becomes a whole lot easier.

Mistake #1: You decided to save some money and do it all yourself.

Big mistake. Your website is your business identity and you want your identity to portray the exact image of your personal training business (whatever that is). There are a bunch of companies that produce template websites that look really professional, but still give you the freedom to pick and choose design features.

Check out www.magicdust.com.au for sites that won’t break the budget (I don’t get anything for that referral, they are simply a business that have served me well in the past).

Mistake #2: Your website has way too many pages for your prospects to navigate around.

Your website should have one purpose. That purpose could be to get leads to call you, to email you, to buy from you on-line. Whatever you decide the purpose of your site, you must steer the visitor in that direct right from the home page.

Having a bunch of pages to navigate around with non-essential info might look great to you, but it is not going to generate any more client leads. Your site is here to makes sales so keep the number of pages to a minimum.

Mistake #3: You site doesn’t have a curiosity-grabbing headline.

If you already have a website, a stat worth checking out in your analytics is the amount of time that people spend on your site. It is VERY common that over 50% of people that visit alot of sites leave within 30 seconds.

That means they take a glance, if they don’t like what they see they keep moving. People like to surf fast and if you can’t entice them in the first 15 seconds you have lost them. This is where an awesome headline comes into play.

Putting a big, bold, curiosity grabbing headline at the top of your page puts a stop to the fast mover and makes them think “what am I missing if I move on here?”

For example:

“See How Real People Get Real Results Fast By Training With ……..”

Mistake #4: You don’t have lots of photos of other people using your service.

This one is a gimme. Don’t use stock photos of sportswear models throughout your entire site. People want to see real people (like themselves) using your service and having a good time.

Ask some of your current clients if they would mind being photographed during their sessions but make sure that you have a good representation of your demographic (not all hot young girls or boys).

Mistake #5: You don’t have other people (clients) telling your prospects how good your service is.

Anyone business owner can write down words on a website and explain what a great service they have BUT it is only when your clients describe in their words what your service does for them, that the real power of the testimonial happens.

Be sure to also include a profile photo or if you can, before and after photos to further back-up your client’s words. This type of social proof that your business helps real people everyday is BLOODY PRICELESS.

Oh, and don’t hide it away on a testimonials page. Work it into your home page copy so EVERYONE gets to read it.

Mistake #6: You don’t tell your prospect how they are going to feel after they have achieved their goals.

We all get carried away with what we as trainers can do for people yet it still amazes me the amount of personal training business websites that don’t actually explain to the potential client or reader how they are going to feel after they use their service.

Going into great detail on your site about the many different ways of how you are going to punish (I mean train) your clients is not meeting the needs of the potential client. They are shopping around for trainers because they have a need. Tell them on your website that after using your service they will lose weight, tone up, get fit, have more energy, have a better sex life, smile more, fell more attractive. Whatever you want to say but just sell the dream – not the torture.

Mistake #7: You don’t have a massive call to action.

This is probably one of the biggest mistakes that first-time website owners make. You do not have a call to action sitting loud and proud on your home page. What is a call to action? Something that makes your prospect act and for you it is simply the doorway to the next step of the sales process.

For example, in my business I have always used with great success a complimentary personal training session as my call to action because I know that when one of my trainers does a comp that we have a high chance of converting the sale. So we are more than happy to give out comp session as our call to action.

This is a simple tool to encourage the buyer to take motivated action in your business, rather than with someone else. If you have a website that simply states your services and expects people to call, then I hope you are a patient business owner.

Call to action is a MUST

Mistake #8: You are not capturing people who visit your site and don’t purchase with an opt-in form and auto-responder series.

Let’s look at the psychology of a potential client surfing the web for a personal trainer. They can be at varying stages of the process from “just starting to look” to “I need a trainer today”. So if your only action on your site is to call you to begin training, you will be potentially missing out on a bunch of potential clients.

These clients might not have been ready to buy then and there, but if you offer a e-book, free report, weight loss secrets or something similar (you will be amazed with what you can put together) in exchange for their name and email address you can then build a relationship.

Now you have their details, you know that they are interested (to a degree) in what you offer and you can then begin your e-mail auto-responder series. There are a bunch of companies that run both paid and free auto-responder software (www.aweber.com, www.constantcontact.com, www.mailchimp.com ) and these programs allow you to write a series of emails that are scheduled and automatically delivered to a new subscriber. Therefore building trust in you and putting your brand in front of people who might not have been ready to buy before but soon will be.

So, there you have it. The 8 big mistakes most trainers make. The truth is that a lot of people see their websites as a great way to pump up their own tyres; thinking that by being better than the next personal training business the prospect will choose them.

If your site doesn’t speak to your prospect, make them feel like you understand their needs and have a solution – then you will be missing out on a lot of potential business.

Look through the clients eyes, not your own.

So how does your website shape up?

Let me know what has worked and what hasn’t worked for you and your site.

I look forward to your comments

Rick