Are you making these Website Mistakes? A Holistic Health Copywriter Reveals 5 Easy Fixes to Boost Your Business
Let’s take a few minutes and dig into the most detrimental, yet easily correctable website mistakes. Just a little attention to these details can get your site set up so those people who really need you can find you.
As a holistic health copywriter I click on a lot of websites. I am constantly studying the market so that I can better help my clients. I like to keep track of trends and I pay close attention to what’s working and what isn’t.
I love to see all the websites that have popped up in the holistic health industry. I see the tide in our culture turning away from “gimme a pill”. People are starting to recognize the difference diet and lifestyle make in both their health and quality of life.
But not all websites are created equal. I cringe when I click on a holistic health practitioner’s website and see easily correctable mistakes that are likely costing them clients. Our world is in desperate need of foundational nutrition and lifestyle help. Whether you are a nutritional therapy practitioner, a midwife, a chiropractor, or functional doctor, people need you.
But they can’t access the help you provide if issues on your website get in the way. Is your website:
Client-centered?
Easy to navigate?
Equipped with ways for your client to take action?
Clear on what your client needs to do to work with you?
Up-to-date and relevant?
Mistake #1 Making it all about you
Many practitioners in the holistic health space feel the need to prove themselves. This “imposter syndrome” generally takes hold when you doubt your abilities.
This is particularly common when someone is just starting out in their practice. When imposter syndrome rears its ugly head, the practitioner’s website tends to be more about them and their accomplishments than about their clients and what they need.
Here’s the hard (but good truth): your clients don’t care that much about your qualifications. They care about what you can do to solve their problems.
Now, I’m not saying that qualifications aren’t important. And it can be useful to have them on your website. Seeing your qualifications can help your client feel safe enough to decide to work with you. But don’t lead with your resume.
When someone chooses you it’s because of the transformation you provide, not the certifications you’ve earned.
Action Step
Take a look at your homepage. Anyone who finds your website should immediately know:
What problem you specialize in solving or transformation you provide
What type of people you work with
The pain points that you address
When a potential client clicks on your page, you want them to feel like you get them. If they feel a glimmer of hope that you have the solution to their pain, they are more likely to say ‘yes’ to what you offer.
Mistake #2: Lacking a clear CTA (call-to-action)
Once your website is speaking directly to your client, it’s time to make sure they have clear direction on what to do next.
This is where a CTA comes in. We are constantly bombarded by information. So our attention spans have gotten shorter. And we get frustrated when the information we need isn’t right at our fingertips.
The last thing you want is for a potential client to click away from your site because they aren’t sure how to get started with you.
When I write website copy I make sure there is a clear CTA on every single page. It doesn’t have to be obtrusive. A simple button at the bottom does the trick.
What action do you want your potential client to take next? Should they:
Fill out your contact form?
Book a free Discovery Call?
Opt-in for your email list?
Buy a product or service?
You want to make sure that your CTA is aligned with the level of familiarity your potential client has with you. Not sure how to approach this? A skilled holistic health copywriter can help you strategize each page of your website.
Action Step
Click through each page on your website and look for the following:
Is there a clear CTA on every page?
is the CTA something that the potential client is likely to do at this stage in your relationship?
Then add an appropriate call-to-action on every page to make sure your potential client knows exactly what action to take no matter where they are on your site.
You may need to rethink your marketing funnel so someone new can get to know you. It’s important to capture their information before they click away and forget they found you. A holistic health copywriter can help you plan this out as well.
Mistake #3: Lack of Clarity
Here’s a tough stat to swallow: 55% of internet surfers spend fewer than 15 seconds actively on a page they click to.(1)
That means you only have 15 seconds to capture your reader’s attention and convince them to stay on your site. If a potential client clicks on your site and doesn’t immediately understand who you are and what you offer, they will likely click away.
So what do you do? Make sure your website is clear.
I have visited many holistic health practitioners’ websites only to have to try and figure out what they do and who they help. If someone comes to your site looking for your help, they may not have the patience to click around and figure it out.
According to copywriting coach David Garfinkel, “he who does the work gets paid.”(2) If you do the work, then you get paid. What work? Create a clear website where your reader can see:
which problems you solve
why you are the best choice for them
how to get started
Then your potential client takes out their credit card and pays for your services.
But if the reader does the work by figuring out what you offer, what they need to do to get it, and why they should choose you, then you don’t get paid. Their credit card stays in their wallet and they keep the money that they might have given you.
When I write website copy I start with a statement at the very top of the homepage that tells the reader exactly what you do. You don’t want a potential customer to click away in confusion!
My website starts with the words, “Expert Copywriting for Holistic Health Practitioners.” When a practitioner clicks on my website, they immediately know what I do. This way I connect with the right potential clients without them getting frustrated and looking elsewhere.
Action Step
Take a look at your homepage with fresh eyes. If someone clicked on your site, what would they learn about you in 15 seconds?
Add a banner to the top of your homepage telling your readers exactly what you do.
Mistake # 4: Making it too easy to click away from your site
Including links on your site is a good thing. Linking out to other reputable websites tells Google that you are legit. But be careful with how you handle these links.
When I include a link on my website:
I make sure the link opens in a new tab. The last thing I want is for my reader to click the link and get whisked away from my website. They can click on the newly opened tab and read the article later.
I use endnotes in your blog articles. If someone is taking the time to read an article on my website (like you are now) I don’t want them to click away until they finish the article and see the CTA at the end. So any references in my articles are always linked out at the bottom, rather than in the text itself.
Action Step:
Test the links on your website and make sure they open a new tab. If they don’t, you can go into the back end of your website and make the switch. In Squarespace there is a toggle switch that you can activate with each link that says, “open link in new window.”
Check your blog articles. Make sure you list the references at the bottom endnote style, instead of in the text.
Mistake #5: Not updating your content
You got your website published. Hooray!! Now you’re done, right? The clients will just come rolling in. Unfortunately, it probably won’t work that way.
The more often you update your content, the more frequently Google will crawl your site. And the more often Google pokes around, the more likely it is that it will find relevant content and bump you up in searches. (3)
This can include updating old content or adding new content. The best way to add new content to your website is by consistently posting blog articles. I recommend posting weekly. But if that’s too much, at least twice a month will have an effect.
Posting consistent blog articles accomplishes a lot:
You continue to add value to your site
You can showcase your knowledge and help your readers know, like, and trust you
You can add more links to reputable sites so that Google take you seriously
You encourage Google to crawl your site more frequently
Don’t have time to do all that writing? Fortunately, this is an easy area for outsourcing. A holistic health copywriter (like me) can take that work off your hands.
Action Step:
Take a look at your site. How recently have you added new content?
Add or update your blog and create a posting schedule you can stick to
Reach out to a holistic health copywriter to help you out
If you take the time to implement these steps, your website will be more appealing both to Google and your clients.
Need some help with your blog or website? Book a free consultation.
(1) https://time.com/12933/what-you-think-you-know-about-the-web-is-wrong/
(2) https://www.billybroas.com/garfs-law-of-work
(3) https://neilpatel.com/blog/updating-old-content-to-boost-ranking/
