First impressions count.

Your website is usually the first experience or impression a (potential) member has of your business. A poorly designed website can give the wrong impression and mean that you miss out on a chance to get new members. Today we're going to look at what actually makes a bad website so that you can do...well..the opposite!

• Confusing to Navigate

 We've all experienced it. Websites that send you crazy trying to find the most basic information: Contact information, pricing, how to purchase etc. And I don't know about you, but I'm not that patient. If I don't have the information I was looking for in the first minute or so, it's on to the next option (your competitor!).Make sure your website is easy to navigate by including links at the top of every page. And make sure that the most important details, information, and promotions are obvious to new visitors.Depending on the size of your website, you can even include a site search feature that your visitors can use to find the content they need within seconds rather than having to scour your website.

• Difficult to Find

 If your website is not properly listed on the popular search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo then people who are looking for a personal trainer will never be able to find you in the first place.Well structured websites with well-written copy (see our next point below) will always receive the majority of visitors while more haphazard pages fall by the wayside.

• Poorly Written

 To receive plenty of traffic to your website, you must follow good Search Engine Optimisation protocols.The content you provide, first and foremost, needs to be good quality content. But it must be well written with good structure, spelling, grammar, and should contain plenty of relevant keywords.Consider hiring a professional copywriter who can finely tune your content to maximise the impact it has on your search engine rankings. If you are a new gym who is just starting up and don't have a huge budget for this, that's ok. You can find excellent and affordable freelance contractors through services such as Elance or oDesk. 

• Unprofessional in Appearance

 The best content in the world is not going to help you if your website looks like it was made by a small child, or if it utilises a default generic template such as is found when you first install WordPress. Keep it simple. Adopt a consistent colour scheme throughout your website with plenty of high-quality images, well-spaced paragraphs, clearly defined links, and not too much clutter. No crazy GIFs or solar flare effects please.

• Non-Actionable

 You'll be shocked by the number of websites for gyms or personal trainers that do not provide a Contact Us page or some kind of booking form which potential clients can use to submit inquiries or sign up for services. Call To Actions are a great way to engage your visitors and you can see some great examples and tips on how to do these well here. Make sure your Contact Us page or form is front and centre so that your visitors can clearly see it and easily get in touch with you. A decent Contact Us form will require minimal information such as a name, email address, and the customer's query.

Make the extra effort to provide your potential and existing clients with a professional website that looks great and is easy to use and you will enjoy the peace of mind that you are at least on par with your competition, if not ahead of the curve!

• Difficult to Find

 If your website is not properly listed on the popular search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo then people who are looking for a personal trainer will never be able to find you in the first place.Well structured websites with well-written copy (see our next point below) will always receive the majority of visitors while more haphazard pages fall by the wayside.

• Poorly Written

 To receive plenty of traffic to your website, you must follow good Search Engine Optimisation protocols.The content you provide, first and foremost, needs to be good quality content. But it must be well written with good structure, spelling, grammar, and should contain plenty of relevant keywords.Consider hiring a professional copywriter who can finely tune your content to maximise the impact it has on your search engine rankings. If you are a new gym who is just starting up and don't have a huge budget for this, that's ok. You can find excellent and affordable freelance contractors through services such as Elance or oDesk. 

• Unprofessional in Appearance

 The best content in the world is not going to help you if your website looks like it was made by a small child, or if it utilises a default generic template such as is found when you first install WordPress. Keep it simple. Adopt a consistent colour scheme throughout your website with plenty of high-quality images, well-spaced paragraphs, clearly defined links, and not too much clutter. No crazy GIFs or solar flare effects please.

• Non-Actionable

 You'll be shocked by the number of websites for gyms or personal trainers that do not provide a Contact Us page or some kind of booking form which potential clients can use to submit inquiries or sign up for services. Call To Actions are a great way to engage your visitors and you can see some great examples and tips on how to do these well here. Make sure your Contact Us page or form is front and centre so that your visitors can clearly see it and easily get in touch with you. A decent Contact Us form will require minimal information such as a name, email address, and the customer's query.

Make the extra effort to provide your potential and existing clients with a professional website that looks great and is easy to use and you will enjoy the peace of mind that you are at least on par with your competition, if not ahead of the curve!