Chances are, you have a website for your health coaching business, but maybe you’re not sure it has what it needs so that it stands out and attracts the right clients. Your website should evolve as you evolve in your business, so that means occasional updates to your website copy to keep it fresh and current.
But, how do you do this, and what should you include?
My guest today is a wellness copywriter who specializes in helping wellness professionals create website copy that translates into sales.
Her name is Margo Caroll, and think you’re going to find her tips incredibly helpful.
Here’s Margo…
Whether you’re new to coaching or you’ve been in the industry for decades, an outstanding website is definitely at the top of your must-have list for marketing your business.
If you’re allowing social media to be the only place clients can learn who you are and what you offer—or you have an outdated website that desperately needs to be reorganized—it’s time for you to put a plan in place for writing a website that will convert visitors into clients.
But how should you know which pages to include, how to format them, and what to say on each page?
I’m Margo, and I’m a professional copywriter for wellness business owners. I help health coaches and other wellness business owners launch authentic, profitable websites and I’m here to share with you the lessons I’ve learned along the way.
In this article you’ll learn:
- The essential elements of a highly effective website from a copywriting perspective
- How to write your website copy in a way that feels authentic (not sales-y or demanding)
- How providing value first—before asking for anything in return—will draw your ideal clients to you.
Oh, and be sure you stick with me to the end of the article, where I’ll be sharing a free resource I’ve created for you to help you get your website copy written the right way!
Think of Your Website as a Fine Dining Experience
From the moment you first walk into a new restaurant, you’re already judging whether you’ll spend your money there based on the sights, smells, and sounds around you.
When you look over the menu in the lobby, the offerings need to be immediately clear or you’ll walk right back out without even asking for a table.
This is because as a customer at a restaurant, you expect a certain level of quality and consistency from your buying experience.
And just like a dining experience, your well-crafted website will draw readers in from the moment they begin reading if you do it right.
I’ve whipped up a delicious meal for you to explain the essential elements of a highly effective health coach website, so let’s dive right in for the first course!
The Menu: Website Navigation + Design
From the moment a reader opens your site in their browser, they need to have their focus directed to the action you want them to take, and to direct their focus it’s important to keep your navigation (the listing of the various pages on your site) streamlined and minimal.
1. Website Navigation + Design
On your website, your site navigation is your “menu”, and the design and layout of your website are like the first sights and smells walking into a restaurant.
Your call to action (a “Book Now” or “Schedule a Call” button, for example) needs to be completely obvious to visitors, and then the rest of your site navigation should stay simple and organized so it doesn’t distract from that action you’re guiding them to take.
The Appetizers: The Home Page + About Page
Now that your website visitor has warmed up their appetite with a review of the menu (your elegantly simple site navigation!), it’s time to start feeding them some of your best morsels.
Every business will require a slightly different website organization, but it’s safe to say that just about everyone will need both a Home and About page.
2. Home Page
The Home Page (or Landing Page, depending on the layout of your site) offers the first few bites of the appetizer that your readers are going to chew on in order to decide if they like your style and approach.
Remember that we’re playing the long game here, so try to make your homepage a resource, not a sales pitch.
Your Home page needs to be thoughtfully created, easy to navigate, and incredibly valuable.
Above all, don’t be stingy!
Any way that you can offer valuable free content to your reader before asking them to book a call with you or check out your packages is a great way to build trust and be authentic with them.
You know the crunchy difference between lettuce chopped by hand and the wilted pre-bagged stuff, right? Well your readers have a built-in “authenticity” radar as well, so make it clear when you write your homepage copy that you’re here to give value, instead of trying to close the deal with them the moment they arrive.
3. About Page
Considering that the About page is one of the most visited pages on websites, you’ll need to pull out all the stops to make this course one they’ll want to tell all their friends about!
One of my favorite soulful copywriters, Marian Schembari, once said that an About page should make readers want to open up a million tabs to read everything you’ve written, because they “feel like they’ve just stumbled across the internet’s best kept secret.”
That’s why I use a very specific strategy for organizing the copy, bio, and testimonials for my client’s About pages, because these pages truly can make or break the relationship you’re building with a potential client!
Think of the About Page as your “Aunt Suzy’s Secret Sauce” that you always slip into your best recipe, and that all your friends are dying to know about after they taste it.
This is what makes your recipe for success stand out from all your competitors.
The Entrée: Services/Products Page + Blog Page
Now we’re finally getting into the main course!
4. Services/Products Page
Whether you offer 1-on-1 coaching services or pre-packaged programs, this page is the one you’re probably most nervous about getting right.
After all, if you truly care about your clients (and I know you do!), you know that they’ve worked hard to earn the money you’re asking them to exchange for your offerings, and you want to ask them to invest in a way that feels authentic.
The Services (or Products) page is the one I spend the most time on in my Wellness Websites 101 copywriting course, because there are so many emotions tied to asking clients to invest in you that can block you from getting it written.
Your Services page is the centerpiece of your whole site, and you want to be sure that each word tastes good to your reader’s palate.
5. Blog Page
If you’ve been doing your research, you know that publishing regular blog content on your website is a great way to improve your search engine optimization (SEO) over time.
Writing great blog posts ties back into what I shared earlier about being a resource instead of a sales pitch.
If you choose to include one, your blog is the place you’ll share articles, information, and resources that will help your clients to succeed.
Remember, just like a delicious meal, what you write needs to appeal to your audience (the dinner guest!), not just to you. So write about what they want you to write about!
The Dessert: Lead Magnet
Mmmm, dessert! My favorite part of any meal!
This tasty treat feels like the icing on the cake of value and trust that you’ve just built in the reader’s mind as they explored your website.
6. Lead Magnet
A lead magnet (also called an opt-in freebie or content upgrade) is a great way to grow your email list by offering a valuable tool in exchange for the reader’s email address.
Whether it’s a checklist, e-book, 5-day Juice Cleanse, or any other type of valuable downloadable content, make sure that you take the time to finish your website off right with a helpful opt-in that grows your email list.
Closing Thoughts
I hope this breakdown of a highly effective health coach website made you hungry for the deliciously organized, simple website copy your wellness business deserves.
Please share any of your own copywriting tips or questions in the comments!
Need more help writing your website copy?
Join the FREE, beginner-friendly email course Wellness Websites 101 to swipe a wellness copywriter’s step-by-step guide to writing your website the right way.
JOIN YOUR FELLOW WELLNESS ENTREPRENEURS IN THE COURSE RIGHT HERE.
About Margo:
Margo Carroll is a wellness copywriter and licensed massage therapist from Seattle, WA. She runs the show at Your Wellness Website Blueprint and Remedy Writing, helping wellness professionals write profitable website copy that sells their services while still feeling like they’re writing a note to a friend.
Margo enjoys trail running, spending time with family, and sampling new tea flavors on the weekends.
