User experience (UX) can be defined as the internal experience that a person has as they interact with your personal training business and your fitness services.
If you have ever bought an Apple product, you may have recognised that Apple have painstakingly thought about the user experience of every single touch-point you have with the business.
This includes things like the store design, product design and even the packaging design. Interestingly, cognitive scientist Don Norman was the person to coin the term “user experience” when he worked at Apple during the 1990s:
This includes things like the store design, product design and even the packaging design. Interestingly, cognitive scientist Don Norman was the person to coin the term “user experience” when he worked at Apple during the 1990s:
“User experience encompasses all aspects of the end-users interaction with the company, its services, and its products.”
One aspect of a fitness business that UX is extremely important to take into account - is a website. In this article, we'll break down the 7 factors of good user experience so you can get more leads from your fitness website.
The 7 factors include:
- Usefulness
- Usability
- Findability
- Credibility
- Desirability
- Accessibility
- Value
1. Usefulness
The first (and arguably the most important) thing about UX for your personal trainer website is to ensure your product or service seems useful.
The role of your site is to communicate a service to a target audience. One of the best ways you can communicate your service is having clarity in both your copy and images. Especially for someone landing on your site for the first time.
Like this home page we designed for Body Specs Personal Training:
The role of your site is to communicate a service to a target audience. One of the best ways you can communicate your service is having clarity in both your copy and images. Especially for someone landing on your site for the first time.
Like this home page we designed for Body Specs Personal Training:
Upon landing on the site you these guys can provide a personal trainer, online trainer or group fitness.
As another example, let’s say you’re a trainer that specialises in training pregnant clients. If your website is showing imagery of young, topless bikini models with no bumps, the pregnant client isn’t going to think your site, or service is useful to her.
So the first step to making your site useful, and thus improving the user experience, is to ensure that the copy and imagery are relevant to the service you offer.
2. Usability
Usability is how easily, efficiently and effectively a website visitor can achieve the end goal while browsing your site.
When a website visitor lands on your site, they're usually looking for something specific depending on their hierarchy of needs. That might be service, pricing, location or a way to get in touch immediately.
If, for example, you are a personal trainer and a potential client lands on your site, it is important to clearly communicate how the client can take the next steps to book a consultation with you or display a low barrier intro offer so the visitor can try your services without too big of an initial commitment.
Like our client, Steve Smaridge did here on his Canadian Lifestyle Coaching website:
When a website visitor lands on your site, they're usually looking for something specific depending on their hierarchy of needs. That might be service, pricing, location or a way to get in touch immediately.
If, for example, you are a personal trainer and a potential client lands on your site, it is important to clearly communicate how the client can take the next steps to book a consultation with you or display a low barrier intro offer so the visitor can try your services without too big of an initial commitment.
Like our client, Steve Smaridge did here on his Canadian Lifestyle Coaching website:
3. Findability
Findability refers to how easy it is for someone to find out about a product or service. If you picked up a dictionary and it wasn’t in alphabetical order, you’ll probably put that dictionary where it belongs - the bin.
Your website should be well organised and the key content should be within a couple of clicks away from the home page. That means that your site needs to be clearly laid out with relevant pages such as home, about, services, results, contact, blog and so on.
Not only does your site need to be designed so the content is easily located, but the best fitness websites will also be optimised for search engines, so clients can find the fitness website on Google, Bing and so on.
Your website should be well organised and the key content should be within a couple of clicks away from the home page. That means that your site needs to be clearly laid out with relevant pages such as home, about, services, results, contact, blog and so on.
Not only does your site need to be designed so the content is easily located, but the best fitness websites will also be optimised for search engines, so clients can find the fitness website on Google, Bing and so on.
4. Credibility
Credibility, on a fitness business website, refers to how credible the business is at delivering their service. If you’re a personal trainer, you could achieve this on your website in a number of ways.
Some personal trainers choose to add an “About” page to their website which often lists their credentials and experience as a trainer. In addition to an “About” page, another effective way to show credibility is to include a “Results” or a "Success Stories" page, where you showcase your client’s results they have achieved, along with any testimonials.
Our Managed Website client, Aidan D'Arcy has created this page to showcase video and written success stories and testimonials:
Some personal trainers choose to add an “About” page to their website which often lists their credentials and experience as a trainer. In addition to an “About” page, another effective way to show credibility is to include a “Results” or a "Success Stories" page, where you showcase your client’s results they have achieved, along with any testimonials.
Our Managed Website client, Aidan D'Arcy has created this page to showcase video and written success stories and testimonials:
5. Desirability
Businesses pour millions of marketing dollars into making their business seem desirable each year. It is often conveyed through things such as branding, imagery, aesthetics and emotional design.
Many fitness business websites do a poor job of communicating desirability with average design and poor quality images. On the other hand, some do an excellent job.
Some of the best practices include having an up-to-date and modern overall design, having high-quality images, either shot yourself or using stock imagery and having various forms of social proof including testimonials and before and after images.
Many fitness business websites do a poor job of communicating desirability with average design and poor quality images. On the other hand, some do an excellent job.
Some of the best practices include having an up-to-date and modern overall design, having high-quality images, either shot yourself or using stock imagery and having various forms of social proof including testimonials and before and after images.
6. Accessibility
When it comes to making the accessible segment of your user’s experience phenomenal, there are two approaches you can take - optimising the site and being mobile responsive.
Optimising the site involves making sure your clients know things like the location of your business, what your opening hours are and where the nearest parking is. This could be communicated on your “Contact” page.
In addition to that, you may wish to integrate Google Maps into your site. And, if you want to go a step further, you could actually add your business to Google Maps following these 3 simple steps.
Optimising the site involves making sure your clients know things like the location of your business, what your opening hours are and where the nearest parking is. This could be communicated on your “Contact” page.
In addition to that, you may wish to integrate Google Maps into your site. And, if you want to go a step further, you could actually add your business to Google Maps following these 3 simple steps.
7. Value
The final UX step is about value. This is all about communicating that your fitness business provides massive value. A lot of the previous steps have been providing intangible value by providing an excellent user experience, but one of the best ways to showcase your tangible value is through written content.
You may choose to do this through a series of blog posts posted directly to your website. Not only will this make your website more credible by delivering additional value, but it will also make your website more findable through the SEO benefits blogging comes with.
The success of your fitness business website isn’t just a matter of throwing up a website in 15 minutes. It comes down to creating a website that takes the user experience into account. Ensuring that all 7 of these things are integrated into your website is the best way to ensure you start getting more inquiries and more clients.
You may choose to do this through a series of blog posts posted directly to your website. Not only will this make your website more credible by delivering additional value, but it will also make your website more findable through the SEO benefits blogging comes with.
The success of your fitness business website isn’t just a matter of throwing up a website in 15 minutes. It comes down to creating a website that takes the user experience into account. Ensuring that all 7 of these things are integrated into your website is the best way to ensure you start getting more inquiries and more clients.
