build-online-coaching-website-illustration

Build an Online Coaching Website Step-by-Step


Do you want to share your knowledge with other people? That’s what coaching means. Getting your business online is common, and the coaching business has transitioned to the online model relatively fast in recent years.

Imagine what you could achieve in that, or any other field, with today’s tools like the internet and social media, two of the most important things that bring people together in modern times, especially during the recent pandemic.

If you’re readying to get into coaching for helping others, or you’re already doing it and trying to find a place in the digital space, this blog post has everything you need to get you on track. 

A winning marketing plan and the right coaching tools are one of the first challenges you’ll face in building an online coaching website. Is it a website builder? How can your life coaching program reach more people? These are some of the questions we are here to answer.

Life coaching focuses on personal development through experiences usually gained over many years, and it refers to experiences gained outside common institutions like schools or universities. Coaches of all kinds fit into this category, but life coaching is undoubtedly the one that stands out in the past few years.

An Introduction to Online Coaching and Online Courses

Countless coaching businesses mostly rely on online courses and social media to generate traffic. Coaching is conveying the knowledge you have gained over the years to other people, and having a website to show your work and attract new clients is an essential step toward success. Especially nowadays, life coaching is one of the most famous coaching businesses online.

Talking about each coaching business would take us hours, but we’ll break down the most important ones so you can get the idea.

Web design coaches are professionals who teach everything around web design, how to start, programming languages, and introducing newcomers to popular CMS software like WordPress. Web design coaching isn’t new, but it’s gone one step further in recent years by offering ideas, easy ways to create a website, and how to maintain it. The designers behind these coaching businesses are usually acclaimed professionals who work for prominent companies, sharing their knowledge that scales even beyond web design.

Life coaches are wellness professionals who aid people with their everyday lives. And because their objectives cover many aspects of our lives, life coaches can be broken down into professionals who specialize in particular areas, such as business coaches or career coaches.

These specialists focus on improving work-related issues and well-being. Physical health coaches are another example; their focus is to help you get fit and support your mental and physical health. All these professionals help people achieve meaningful things and, in our modern era, rely much on the internet for their exposure.

A coaching business must have a dynamic, valuable, and trustworthy online presence. You can drive incredible growth by creating and sharing content that tackles your clients’ needs and interests while positioning yourself as an expert. 

Traditionally, coaching and counselling services were held in person, although worldwide events brought them into the online realm. Online courses have been around for a long time, but the pandemic made us adapt our schedules, work from home, and even learn from home. Schools, universities, and many work environments have adapted to this new way of living. Without the internet, none of these online courses would’ve been possible. 

Combining in-person coaching with online courses will help other people who want to take precious information from your expertise all around the world. The ability to coach online greatly relies on your website.

Advantages of a Coaching Website

There are many advantages to a coaching website. First and foremost, it acts as your online professional profile. Having all the critical information on your website ensures that all the inbound visitors get a chance to know you and understand your work. This is a way of turning your visits into clients and thus into profit.

Another unique way of growing your audience is through newsletters. Reaching out to your subscribers through email campaigns is a great way to inform them perhaps of a new service or product and make sure they will use your services again in the future. 

The ability to sell products and services online is far more effortless when you have a website set up. Things you could sell online are:

  • Books you have written
  • Video courses you have prepared
  • Personal coaching sessions rather than group coaching

These are ways to attract even more clients and build an inventory for passive income.

What Should a Coaching Website Include?

Do you want a coaching website that works for you? Correctly compiling and arranging the content is crucial if you want your website to be as successful as you are. It would be best to keep the right amount of information to your visitors, as it helps keep it clear and concise. Your website should look like a business card at first sight. Cleverly designed menu navigation leads your visitors toward what they want faster and more effectively.

An online coaching business has many potential marketing channels. While every coach should be on social media, you shouldn’t underestimate the importance of having a website of your own. It simply adds status to your business to have a place online for your clients to visit, which also helps growth. 

A coaching website should have a couple of key design elements: simplicity and ease of use. Easy-to-read text, a sufficient amount of images and soothing colours are things every website builder can help you with, even if you are doing this all by yourself. Visiting your website should be a pleasant experience; everyone should find all they need without getting lost.

Your website should allow you to:

  • Introduce yourself and share in-depth content about your area of expertise
  • Showcase testimonials from satisfied clients
  • Book and host online courses
  • Allow clients to contact you via a contact form 
  • Sell products like video courses and books

Do Life Coaches Need a Website?

Life coaches are much like any other coach. They need online exposure, and apart from having a marketing plan on social media, a well-structured website is of utmost importance for them. Regardless of your coach type, website visitors should see what you do and how they can reach you. 

Many life coaches, and coaches in general, started just by word of mouth but eventually developed a broader presence by creating an online coaching platform that works for them. A website allows someone to browse before booking a session with you and read other clients’ testimonials.

That helps decide whether you are the perfect coach for them. And if the website is structured correctly, visitors will learn more about what you have to offer. This, of course, applies to life coaches as well.

How are Coaching Websites Different from Regular Websites?

Coaching websites have a specific structure allowing visitors to reach all the information without a hassle. Coaching websites are mainly based on static pages and differ in how the information is presented. For example, coaching websites tend to have the About page first instead of having it by the end of the navigation menu. Your work as a coach is the centre of your website rather than a specific product or a blog. You can learn more about the coach before exploring the rest of the website’s content.

Whether we are talking about online tools or web developers, website builders will always guide you in creating and providing drafts of the end result. A coaching website has a streamlined look and static pages to drive visitors, the most important being the About page. 

Important Pages for a Coaching Website

To keep your content clear, you can divide your website into pages and the pages in sections. Here are some page examples you can use on your own coaching website.

Landing Page or Homepage

A landing page or a homepage is a must for a coaching website. On a landing page, you could briefly introduce yourself, provide an overview of your projects, and add testimonials from satisfied clients. It’s an excellent first impression for everyone that visits your website, and as such, visitors create a connection with your image. 

The About Page

Looking at the online coaching business, we understand that it is usually built around a person whose expertise is valuable among people. The most important thing a coaching website should have is an introduction of yourself, the knowledgeable professional that your visitors will be meeting with. This is usually the About page, which could also play nicely with a How-to process.

Services Page

But what about the other pages as well? Coaching websites tend to have all the attention centred on the professional, but that’s not all. Another important page is the services, where visitors can find exactly what you can provide them. Along with informational material like a PDF brochure, it’s considered a plus and helps build your online coaching platform.

Contact Page

Another significant page should be the Contact page, where visitors can get in touch with you, book online sessions or ask questions regarding your programs and methodology. A contact form that asks users questions before submitting is a good practice and makes your website look more professional and well put together.

Blog Page

One way to add validity and depth to a coaching website is to have an active Blog. Through it, you’ll be able to share articles or thoughts on various topics related to your coaching business model. A pure insight into the mind behind the coaching website reveals that the professional is indeed human.

Bookings Page

While a services page is significant; you can also create a Bookings page. The bookings page lets your clients book your free time for coaching sessions. This page could be accompanied by online courses you’ve prepared so visitors can pay and download them right from your website.

Create a Coaching Website on WordPress

Using WordPress as a building tool is very common, and indeed there are plenty of themes related to coaching, even on the official WordPress website. We counted over 150 free coaching-related themes on the official website, and there are many more free and paid themes online from various theme creators. 

Then you need to find a trustworthy web hosting provider to host your site, so you can upload your content and make it available online.

Can’t build it yourself? Ask for a freelancer’s help. The world is filled with passionate people that can help you develop your coaching platform online, and you can find plenty of freelancers willing to make your dream a reality. While WordPress might initially feel challenging, we recommend it for its ease of use.

A Managed WordPress Hosting plan, on the other hand, will let you skip the maintenance hassle and start building and uploading your content immediately while our experts make sure everything is in order!

The most notable advantage of WordPress is the support of plugins, many of which are specifically designed for coaching websites. Due to the popularity of WordPress as a platform, related plugins are thriving, making the creation process easy.

MemberPress, for example, is a tool that helps keep track of your members, subscriptions, discount coupons etc. Plus, it works perfectly with online courses with its built-in Learning Management System while supporting digital downloads, a great way to help your passive income from your content.

Creating engaging contact forms is essential for turning your visitors into clients. WPForms is a well-known plugin that can help significantly with growth. It helps create contact forms you can place on any of your pages, or make your visitors reply to automated questions before sending their comments. Getting users to contact you via a separate page will drive your conversion rate, bringing more possible clients.

Website Builders for WordPress

If you find that creating all the necessary website components yourself takes a lot of time, why not use a website builder? Countless website builders work well with WordPress nowadays, enabling you to create beautiful websites.

There are more than a handful of website builders for WordPress. Divi or Astra are some well-known examples. These come as WordPress themes and have many templates you can use as a starting point for your coaching website.

There’s also Elementor, a popular page builder plugin for WordPress used by millions of creators. These help you create your website using visual editors that make any coding requirements an optional step. After all, you’re a coach, not a web developer!

Another fantastic page builder plugin for WordPress is Visual Composer, which comes as a paid solution only, while Elementor has a free option for you to start. 

Other Website Builders 

If WordPress isn’t your thing, why not try the service that suits you better?

Online website builders like Wix or Squarespace are great alternatives that work directly from your browser, and they remove the need to set up your website, purchase a hosting plan and deal with domain names.

Although they can produce results very fast, these platforms have limitations SEO-wise that you need to consider before making a move.

It’s a perfect starting point for someone inexperienced. Website builders are undoubtedly the easiest option to explore while creating online as they don’t need much experience, and you can reach excellent results in little time.

Freelance writer and designer based in Buenos Aires. Helping build memorable brands through content & UX.

decorative squiggle

Skyrocket your online business with our powerful Shared Hosting

Shared Hosting from HostPapa is suited for all your business needs! No‑risk 30‑day money‑back guarantee. 99.9% uptime guarantee. 24/7 support. Free setup & domain name.†

Related Posts

HostPapa Mustache