5 Common Mistakes on Wellness Websites: How to Avoid or Correct Them
Prefer to watch a video? I’ve got you covered with my companion video over on YouTube. Otherwise, keep on reading friend!
Let me start by saying that everyone makes mistakes and it’s not the end of the world or your business. I know I’ve made more than my fair share of them (including some of those listed) and will undoubtedly make more in the future!
The purpose of this article is not to make you feel bad if you’re making any of the mistakes I mention. Rather, it’s to highlight common issues that I see on many sites that can be easily remedied.
Also, if you haven’t started your website yet, you’ll know in advance what to do when that time comes.
So without further ado…
1. Too Complicated/Cluttered
This is something I see a lot, and you probably have too with websites you’ve visited. Maybe you went to a website for a very specific reason, but when you get there, all you see is a bunch of “stuff” but not a phrase, button, or link to that one thing that you are looking for.
Instead, you’re overwhelmed with photos, graphics, pop-ups, and wordy text that don’t seem to flow together logically. Perhaps the main navigation menu is unclear or missing altogether! As a result, you don't quite know where to go from there to find what you need.
If a website overwhelms the visitor visually, either through layout, image choices, ineffective copy, or a combination of these, there’s a good chance that the visitor will leave. You have about ten seconds to grab and keep a person’s attention once they get on your site. So you need your site to be dialed in!
Keep your website simple. Keep it uncluttered.
If you read/watched my previous article/video about the must-have elements for your website, I spoke about your homepage and how it needs to offer a clear journey for your visitors.
You need to lead your customers on a very clear journey through your website. You're responsible for making sure it's laid out clearly visually and through your copy.
Don't overcomplicate it by trying to throw everything at people the second they land on your site. Put yourself in their shoes. Layout your website using your images and copy to show them a clear path to navigate that leads them to what you ultimately want them to do, which is to book your services.
Use your images and graphics to your advantage. We are visual people, so many folks will be taken in first by the images and layout of your site. You want them to match your brand/vibe and be a reflection of you and your business, but you need to be strategic about it. Your photographs, graphics, fonts, and color palette should complement each other, not compete.
You want to draw your potential client in, to be interested visually, and for them to follow the path you’re clearing for them.
For example, if you teach yoga classes, having relevant pictures of you aligned with the description of each type of class you teach would make sense. Especially if they are of you teaching that class.
On the flip side, having an entire website that's overflowing with pictures of you teaching or posing in a myriad of yoga postures or of stock photos with no clear connection to your intended message for that particular page or section will lead to confusion.
The same goes for your copy. Your page copy needs to be clear and get to the point. People are skimmers these days and aren’t likely to stop to read a full page of copy. They don’t want to hunt for information. Use clear headings and short paragraphs (2-3 sentences) to highlight the key information, followed by a clear CTA (Call To Action) with a link or button directing them where they need to go next.
Less is more. Keep it simple. Keep it clear.
2. Not Speaking to Your Ideal Client
It’s important to remember that while your website and your business is about you, it is not about you. It's about your ideal client.
Who are you trying to attract to your website and what do you want them to do once they are there?
Book a class/service?
Schedule an appointment?
Watch a video?
Read your blog?
Listen to your podcast?
Buy a product?
What problem or issue is your ideal client experiencing and how can your services help them?
You need to speak to them in words that resonate with them.
Don't make your website one long ego trip that goes on and on about the virtues of your training and certifications, or the coaching you provide and why you're wonderful.
Of course, you're wonderful! And you do want to share why, but you want to share that with them in a way that makes them feel seen.
They want to know that you understand them and care about them.
So present yourself as their problem solver. Put yourself in their shoes, and in your copy, ensure that you're writing in a way that attracts them. Speak to them using their words, and share with them how you can help solve their particular problem.
And remember, if you’re speaking to everyone, you’re speaking to no one. So saying, “But I want to help everyone and anyone!” is not doing you any favors. Get more specific and focused so your clients can find you!
Not sure who your ideal client is? That’s ok. Sometimes it takes a little time to figure that out, and it can change over time too. A quick google search for “Ideal Client Avatar Exercise” will give you many resources to help you. It’s well worth your time.
In fact, I have my clients fill out a short exercise/questionnaire about their ICA when we start our design projects together.
3. Not Keeping Your Site Updated
Raise your hand if you ever visited a website only to find that the content was out of date!🙋🏻 Pretty annoying and disappointing, right? You probably left that site with a poor impression of its owner too.
Don’t fall into the ‘set it and forget it’ trap with your site! A little maintenance goes a long way! And fear not, this doesn't mean you're redesigning your website and redoing all your copy. What I’m talking about is a few things in the overall content of your website such as making sure all your pages are published, all of your links work, and that linked legal policies are all up to date.
But what I want to focus on here is the pieces of content that may change more frequently.
Your schedule or appointment availability
Whether you’re using scheduling native to your website platform or a third-party booking software that you're linking to from your website, you need to ensure that it is current!
Now, maybe for you, this is something that only changes once a year, or maybe it's multiple times a year. Regardless, make sure that you're going in regularly and keeping the basic information that your clients are coming to you for up to date. You don’t want people landing on your page ready to book only to find your schedule is old or lists places you no longer teach or services you don’t offer anymore.
Also, keep in mind that if you link or embed a schedule from a third party, it’s a good habit to check your site every so often to be sure it’s showing up properly! Hey, things happen, and sometimes links or code breaks, but it’s usually very quick and easy to fix.
You don’t want clients seeing a schedule that’s gobbledygook or worse, leaves them unable to book your service/class.
There’s no excuse for not keeping your services, schedule, and pricing up to date! So pencil in that small maintenance task into your to-do list regularly.
4. Not Collecting Email Addresses
This is something you're gonna hear from me a lot. I'm gonna harp on it. But it's true.
You need to make sure you're collecting people's emails when they come to your website.
Yes, you may already be collecting emails when clients book a class or appointment, but I’m sorry, it's not enough. It's great. But it's not enough, and here’s why.
When you only collect emails that way, you're missing out on the potential clients (and income!), the ones who have come to your website who are intrigued but aren't ready to commit just yet.
Don't let them leave your site without something. Give them a reason to sign up for your email list. Whether you have a newsletter, a special discount, or a free download, whatever works for you, but make sure you have something on your site that says, give me your email, and I'll be in touch with you.
This way you can keep communicating with them via your email. You can keep them up to date on what's going on with you and your business, changes in your services, any specials or sales during the holidays, or any other time of the year.
You can keep the line of communication open with that person who has expressed interest at one time and nurture them along until hopefully one day, they decide they're ready to book with you.
When you don't collect those email addresses, you are leaving those potential clients off the table, and you’re risking that they may never remember you or come back to your site. You don't want that. So make sure you have a way somewhere on your website to collect them.
5. No Terms of Use and/or Privacy Policy
Finally, coming in at number five is a personal pet peeve, but I see this so much, or rather I should say I don't see this enough on wellness websites (yoga teachers, massage therapists, coaches, etc.). And that is down in the footer of your website, there are no clearly listed/linked Terms of Use(or Terms & Conditions) and/or a Privacy Policy.
Why are these important?
Let me start first by saying these are not necessarily required legally; the laws can vary a lot if you're in the United States, depending on what state you live in. And requirements vary around the world as well.
However, these are best practices and are important for a variety of reasons which I’ll explain.
Disclaimer: I am not an attorney, and this should not be considered legal advice. You should always consult with a legal professional to ensure that you follow the appropriate legal requirements for your particular situation.
Terms of Use/Terms and Conditions
Having this policy clearly linked on your site offers protection for you and your potential consumers on your website because it lays out the terms of use or conditions for using and engaging with your website. While it may not be legally required, it's a very important policy to have, so I highly recommend it.
You can get templates for these, or you can work with your own lawyer to create one, and they're pretty straightforward.
Privacy Policy
Privacy policies are very important and are often a legal requirement to have on your website(hello California!). Here’s an example of why…
If you're collecting any information from people when they're on your website, email addresses, credit card information, or anything that is considered personal information, then you need to have a privacy policy. This policy should clearly lay out how you handle and deal with that information.
Also, some third parties that you may be working with such as software you use to host classes or to book appointments, to process payments, and even for analytics(like Google!), or for an online storefront that you use to sell/ship your products, etc.; those third parties (as a part of their terms of use) may require that you have a privacy policy on your website, so it's clear how you use that information and how you interact with those third parties.
So if you do use any third-party software, you really need to read their terms of use/agreement to ensure you're not violating them by not having a privacy policy on your website.
In my opinion, you should have both of these policies listed on your site. In the long run, these don't hurt you and can actually help you and your customers by establishing clear definitions and rules around the use of your website and how you use data right up front.
It’s also a lot cheaper to get these set up and going than it is if unfortunately come up against somebody who wants to take issue with you over something, and you don't have these policies to back you up.
Again, I’m not an attorney so I would suggest you consult with one if you have questions or are unsure about your legal obligations.
If you are interested in DIY legal templates, I do have two excellent resources for legal templates shown below.
First is Lisa Fraley. She’s a lawyer who specializes in working with holistic professionals. Her DIY legal templates are written in plain English, come with thorough and easy-to-understand instructions, and they're specially created for folks in the wellness business. I’ve used them myself; they’re a great investment and value. I highly recommend them!
Another great resource is Termageddon which provides auto-updating policies and a cookie consent tool. Never worry if you’re up on the latest privacy policy laws. Easy to get started, and the customer service is top-notch!
Final Thoughts
So those are the five mistakes that I commonly see on wellness websites. Of course, I see these same mistakes on other sites too, but this is where I spend a lot of my time working and looking.
To be fair, I’ve seen these on websites designed by pros and DIY-ers alike, so these are easy things to overlook. But now you’ve got a heads up on what to look for!
If you have a website, you might want to go through and take an objective look and see if you're making any of these mistakes and set aside some time to correct them. And if you haven't built a website yet, then either jot these down or bookmark this article to refer back to when you do start building your website.
Please leave a comment if you have any questions or if there are other topics you’d like to know more about!
