Worst health & wellness website mistakes (2021)

So, your website's up, it's looking great, but it's not quite bringing in business like you'd hoped.

If that sounds familiar, don't worry!

You're not a failure... it just means you're probably making one of three VERY common mistakes on your website.

Stick around to find out what they are + how you can fix them!

1) Treating your website like a cv or resume

Look, I get it.

You've gone to school forever.

You've put hard work and a lot of care and commitment into reaching your goals and
you've arrived! So, it kind of feels like you ought to be able to just post your credentials, where you went to school, all the certifications and trainings you spent so much time accruing and that should be enough!

But, here's the truth:

This is not the Field of Dreams. It's not enough just to build it and expect the clients to come.

We have to actually put thought and care into crafting our website words.

And I know this firsthand: We don't learn about this in our training as health and wellness professionals! 

We're really not given much guidance on what our clients, patients and customers need to see on our website.

So, if you're recognizing this tendency on your website, please know you're in really good company!

And the reason it doesn't work to write our websites this way?

• a regurgitated CV/resume is no fun to read
• you risk having a website that's jam-packed with professional jargon (i.e., the in-group terms and vocabulary that are likely only meaningful to you and your professional peers-- NOT your clients, patients, or customers!)

So, think about your people for a minute:

If they're landing on your site and they're seeing all these terms that are totally unfamiliar to them without any context to explain what they mean, they're either gonna think huh...? and bounce (which we definitely don't want!)

Or worse: They're going to feel distanced from you. Like there's no connection. And then they're going to bounce.

Now, it's not about burying your credentials on your side. (You worked hard for those!)

It's simply about finding the right way to fold them into the words on your site.

See, when you lead with your credentials, you miss out on a really powerful opportunity to form a connection with your clients.

So, how to fix this?

It all comes down to empathy.

Imagine you're your dream client on the internet, searching for a solution that you needed, like, yesterday.

Just imagine:

• what are you feeling?
• what are the thoughts running through your head?
• what questions do you have?
• what are the essential pieces of information you're looking for?

That's what you need to be serving up on your website!

So, to help with this, I recommend starting with what I call the Communication Trifecta.

2) Monologuing when you should be dialoguing

(Psst! Are you over there, totally distracted because I used "monologue" as a verb when it's actually... "monologize"?  If so, you're absolutely right, gold star for you! Now, take that vibe and throw it away, because that's exactly the kind of rigidity that has no business on your website! ;)

Now, this one goes hand in hand with mistake number one because think about it if you're using your website to simply regurgitate your professional credentials, it's gonna come off like a really long, really boring monologue.

And the problem with this?

It's all about... you.

If the person landing on your website doesn't recognize themselves in any part of what you've written, they're not going to stick around.

Fortunately, there's a clear fix for this:

You simply need to infuse your website words with lots of conversational copy!

Conversational copy's exactly what it sounds like:

A conversation between you + the person you're trying to reach.

And a really easy way to figure out how to start writing this way?

Just picture yourself in a live conversation with the person you're speaking to!

Imagine you're on a consultation call or a discovery call or in your first sit-down together:

What would you do?

You wouldn't launch right into a monologue about yourself.

You'd probably start by turning things over to your client or patient, letting them tell you what they're struggling with, what they've tried, what they hope for...

And you'd be listening closely, asking clarification questions, but mostly you'd be encouraging them to keep talking.

You'd be building a relationship.

Then you'd forecast what's possible for them. You'd try and instill some hope that
this is actually a reality they can access.

Then (and only then), you'd position yourself as the bridge between what they're currently struggling with and where they want to go.

And that's exactly what you want to be doing on your website!

Now, on your website of course you're the one writing all the words, so it's almost like you're mapping out a screenplay for a scene.

You're writing both parts, but when you write your client's part, you really want to use the words that they would use.

This way, when they land on your site, they'll immediately see themselves in the words there.

And if you're not quite sure what those words are, find out!

You can:

• ask your past and current patients/clients/customers
• poll your audience online
• go back through emails, notes, and other documentation, looking for themes and words and phrases

And then make sure you have one clear place to corral them all.

We call that a "copy bank" and it's a gold mine for finding just the right words that'll resonate with your people!

3) Sacrificing clarity in favor of ____________

Maybe you're an exceptionally creative thinker, brimming with ideas for how to be
clever and distinctive and unforgettable on your website.

The only problem?

All of that might make sense in your beautiful brain, but your client does not live inside
your beautiful brain!

Often, what we think is going to be just knock-it-out-of- the-park connection is actually... crickets-and-tumbleweed confusion.

Or it could be that you're just so excited to serve your people that you want to tell them EVERYTHING. You want to give them the world! 

I hear this from health and wellness professionals all the time: 

We love what we do and we can't shut up about it! It's a lovely quality... except when
you're writing the words on your website.

What ends up happening is that we drown our website visitors in words and they're overwhelmed.

So, when it comes to the words on your website, just remember:

clear is kind + less is more!

The fix in this case is to get supremely precise about:

• who you're speaking to
• what struggles they're facing
• why you're uniquely positioned to help navigate those struggles, and
• how to get started on a path to something better by taking 1 action right there on your website

Now, if this has got you wondering about your own website words, I'd love to have you join the hundreds of health and wellness professionals who've completed my FREE #5DayAboutPage Challenge!

Thanks so much for being here, friend! 

Mistake making is inevitable + it's also one of the most powerful ways we learn, I promise.

So, get out there, try out what you've learned, and meet me back here for more communication tips to help you preach what you practice!