Although it is not absolutely necessary to have a website to run a nutrition practice, you may want to consider having a website if your goal is to build a lucrative business. Potential clients are increasingly turning to the Internet to find out more about you before they decide to spend their money on your services.
When you contribute original content to your website on a regular basis, such as when you have a blog or other content like recipes or announcements that you update weekly or at least a couple of times a month, your website has a higher likelihood of showing up in search results. You can include a link to your website on your LinkedIn profile, Twitter account, Facebook page and any other social media applications you use. That way, your website will promote you even when you are sleeping.
It is easier than ever to build yourself a simple, yet effective website. Gone are the days you either needed to know HTML coding or have a few extra thousand dollars to spend on someone to build a website for you. Now there are some user-friendly platforms available for this purpose that are very affordable, especially if you are willing to spend some time learning how to do it.
Once you’ve decided to have a website, ask yourself what you would like to see if you were looking for a practitioner like yourself. Describe clearly what your ideal client can expect from a consultation with you. Highlight your strengths and/or your specialties — what makes you different? Although you do want to toot your horn a bit, so to speak, be careful to keep your language humble, friendly and approachable. Try to write like you are speaking directly to your dream client.
Your potential clients are also very much interested in your story. What made you decide to study nutrition? What were you doing before? How have you helped yourself be healthier? Why do you want to help others? What need have you identified that you have a solution for?
Allow for interaction with your potential clients on your website. The best way to do this is to have a blog or vlog (video blog) right on your site, with a social media plug-in to allow for comments leading to a dialogue. A blog is a great spot to highlight some of the common questions you are asked by your clients, or to address questions potential clients email to you, or even to share some questions you had when you were using yourself as a guinea-pig for all kinds of protocols and cleanses (yup — you weren’t the only one) during your nutrition education.
Have a clear list of your services, with a description and your fees for each. Describe how potential clients can book appointments with you. If you have set hours, include these on your website also.
It might be helpful to decide ahead of time how many pages you would like on your website and to outline the focus of each.
Once you’ve figured out what components your website will have, only then will you decide on what goes on your home page. Your home page should show potential clients what the website is all about (you and your services) and direct them to the right tab (with a clickable link) for more information. Include a picture of you and a bit about what your services are, where you are located (city, country), and a couple of your best testimonials. Consider your home page a cross between a sales page and a content directory.
The cleaner your website is, the longer potential clients will stay on your website. The clearer you communicate what you are all about and what’s in it for them, the higher your chance of getting potential clients to contact you.
Andrea Sevsek built the original fitnut.ca website on Wix (not available for viewing anymore), but used WordPress with Divi builder for nutritionpromentor.com because of the additional features needed. Follow her on Twitter @AndreaFitNut
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by Andrea Sevsek, Director of NutritionPro Mentor.