by This article is from our friends over at Wix.com and is republished here with their permission.
Building your digital presence is a lot like building muscle: it takes time, but the results are worth the effort. It all starts with your fitness website.
A professional fitness website can set you apart from the competition and give you the edge you need to surpass your business goals. Whether you’re a bootcamp trainer, an indoor cycling instructor, a Pilates studio owner or a fitness influencer, creating a fitness website will help you grow your business and show prospective clients what you’ve got.
Why you need a fitness website
It doesn’t matter how awesome your kettlebell class is if no one knows it exists. As much as you hate sitting at a desk, you’ve got to admit that potential clients are looking online for their next workout—and you need to meet them there.
That's where your fitness website comes in. A strong fitness website serves as a marketing tool and educates potential clients about your offerings. A super strong website also streamlines your payments and scheduling, so you can focus on the fun stuff: your clients.
How to create a fitness website in 9 steps
01. Choose a fitness website template
You don’t need to learn code or become a designer, you just need to find the right website builder. With Wix, you can build a customized site for your fitness brand or business with easy-to-use features and professional tools.
For starters, you can use a ready-made template to do all the heavy lifting. Browse these sport and fitness website templates, which are especially designed for fitness professionals. Pick the one you love, then customize it to suit your brand’s colors and voice. You can check out the best fitness website templates to see some of our favourites.
As you explore, you’ll find everything you need to highlight your services, sell merchandise, schedule classes, upload images, add videos and so on. Look through professionally designed templates to find one that suits you and your brand.
02. Secure a domain name
Next, choose a domain name. If you own a yoga studio called, “The Sutra’s Fitness Studio,” your domain name might be thesutrasfitnessstudio.com. If you’re just starting out and need help finding a name, use this handy Business Name Generator to choose both a company name and a corresponding domain name.
Remember to choose a domain name that’s easily identifiable, includes your business name (if available) and isn’t hard to spell. Your domain name should feel cohesive with your brand. Try not to include numbers in place of letters (like “2” for “to,” or “4” for “four”) and avoid dashes in your domain name. Both can make it harder to say your website name.
You’ll also need to choose an extension: the ‘.com’, the ‘.org’ or the ‘.biz’ that will follow your domain name in the website address. There are many more extension options to choose from, and you can read more about available domain extensions to understand which is right for you.
Just an FYI: You get free web hosting when you create your site on Wix, plus advanced security the second you hit Publish.
03. Build your site
Now, the best part: designing your fitness website and bringing your business to life online. Your fitness website needs to make an immediate impression to keep visitors engaged with your content. Make sure to include...
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A welcoming homepage: Think of your homepage like the foyer of a house (or gym). It's an inviting entrance that showcases the style and vibe of the home. This is the first page that visitors will see, so make it count.
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An informative “about us” page: Highlight your purpose, values, vision and mission statement. What's your business all about?
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A products or services page: Whether you’re selling pre-recorded workout videos, branded merchandise, gym memberships or one-on-one sessions, you need to make sure your products and services page is clear, accessible and engaging. Include eye-catching visuals and informative product descriptions to highlight what you’re selling.
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An online booking system: Integrate scheduling software directly with your website so customers can book classes, schedule appointments or services and easily pay online. As the gym owner, you’ll be able to manage calendars for both your staff and your clients.
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A “plans and pricing” page: Like a products or services page, a “plans and pricing” page showcases your membership packages. Consider a brief description to outline who might benefit from a specific package.
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A clear “contact us” page: This is one of the most important pages on your fitness website, so make sure it’s clear and visible. Include relevant info, such as phone numbers, email addresses, a physical address, a social bar and any other methods of getting in touch. Also include necessary contact information in the footer of your fitness website. To encourage communication, consider a contact form, which makes it easy for visitors to email you directly from the site.
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A testimonial page: If you promise results, prove it with user testimonials. Keep in mind that “success stories” are more than just weight loss before-and-after photos. Encourage happy clients to share a range of experiences: a boost in confidence, more energy to keep up with their kids and the like.
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A friendly staff bio page: Create a page to highlight the other trainers on your team. Include their expertise and show off their personalities with a brief bio and favorite workout songs.
04. Pump up your branding
You’ll need to consider your website’s visuals to build your fitness brand online. Here are some branding elements to think about.
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Color: Your favorite color might not be the best one for your brand. Consider the psychology of colors. Example: Yellow is correlated with happiness, warmth and optimism; green represents health, earth and prosperity; blue evokes trust and peace; orange is confident and approachable. What color will convey the feel and value of your fitness business? Color also impacts the user experience on your site. Select a white or black background and integrate no more than two additional colors.
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Fonts: The font you choose should align with your overall image and help convey your message. Is your brand bold and energizing? Sleek and fuss-free?
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Logo: Your logo instantly represents your fitness business. If you don’t already have a logo, use this free logo maker. Include your logo on all your branding assets, like merchandise, business cards and—you guessed it—your website. Check out these fitness logo ideas to help you get started.
05. Add video, live chat and other features
Now that you've told your customers what your business is all about, consider a few other features to add value for your clients.
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A live chat feature helps you speak directly with clients and answer questions in real-time.
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Learn how to shoot a workout video like a pro. Integrate Zoom to host live workouts or beef up your video library with on-demand content. The Wix video maker can help you create demo videos and the social cuts to promote them.
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Create a free blog to engage readers and show off your expertise. You can also invite external writers, staff members of other industry leaders to publish on your fitness blog.
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Add a members-only area to your site to offer exclusive discounts, educational videos or private workshops. With Wix, users will create unique accounts to access this content.
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Online programs and fitness challenges will keep clients engaged and bring in passive income for your fitness business.
06. Download your app
A mobile app makes life easier for everyone. The Wix Fit Owner app helps you manage all facets of your fitness website conveniently from your phone. Here are a few of the features.
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Easily manage your site from anywhere: Update your site and send marketing emails directly from your phone.
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Chat with your clients: Use the live chat feature to talk directly to your visitors.
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Manage your online store: Update inventory, accept payments, upload product images, take customer orders and track sales.
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Track your progress: See live stats to measure the success of your fitness website.
FYI: Your clients will use the Fit by Wix app or the Branded App by Wix. They have the same functionality, but the latter allows for your own branding.
07. Learn some SEO best practices
Between HIIT (high-intensity interval training) and BMI (body mass index), you’ve got plenty of acronyms to remember. But don’t sleep on SEO. Also known as search engine optimization, SEO is all about improving your site’s content and layout to rank higher in search engines like Google. The higher your fitness site ranks, the more prospective clients will visit your site. Include keywords (the specific words or phrases people search for) within your text, headings and images. Read more in our guide to SEO.
To make things easier, Wix SEO can support your optimization efforts with a customized plan for your fitness website. This free and handy tool will personalize your SEO strategy to help the right people find your site.
08. Promote your fitness website
There are many ways to promote your site, and you can try different methods to see what works best for you. Consider fitness marketing strategies, like working with influencers, hosting an event or sending a fitness newsletter. Keep in mind, people want value from your content, no matter the marketing method. Always ask yourself, what am I giving my audience?. If it's just a sale's pitch, dig deeper.
09. See how your site is performing
Finally, maintain those gains and keep your site up to date. Use Wix Analytics to measure your site’s performance and review valuable insights, like booking statistics. This will help you see what's resonating with your clients: Which classes do they prefer? At what time? Who's their favorite coach? If knowledge is power, data is the advisory board. Consult it often.
