By guest blogger Mike Wilner
At Compass, we’ve had hundreds of conversations with new business owners and launched nearly a hundred websites. We wanted to use our experience and what successful nutrition entrepreneurs have done to find the answer to a simple question: what makes a great nutrition website?
Reading: How to create a nutrition website
The most important thing a nutrition website can do is build trust . Because a visitor will make decisions about how to treat their body based on what they find on your site, they must trust the person giving that advice.
We have hundreds of nutrition websites and food blogs to find the top 4 things you can do to build trust through your website.
If you’re interested in further scaling your wellness business, click here to learn Learn how Healthie’s practice management software can help your practice grow, all for $0.
1. Put the focus on you
A nutrition practice is very personal, and the dozens of top nutrition websites we’ve looked at have reflected that.
One of the quickest ways Building trust with visitors is showing them the people behind them. By seeing who you are, visitors can create a personal connection with you, which is a much stronger bond than visiting a website that only offers content or offers services.
Almost every website from successful nutritionist features prominently with a portrait and brief biography of the owner on the home page.
Check out Andrea Castellanos’ website, yourdietmethod.com:
While not the first what’s on the site, scroll down reveals the “who” behind the nutritionist.
The other way many nutrition sites or food blogs highlight the person behind the site is with a portrait photo and insert a bio on the right sidebar. This is especially useful if you are considering a blog-centric website.
2. Offer free content with your newsletter signup
See also: How to Create Email Groups in Gmail
Not everyone who visits your site will want to hire you right away. It’s important to offer visitors a way to get involved in a no-obligation way. While social media followers are great, email is still the most valuable marketing channel. Even the most active Facebook Pages reach ~10% of their fans1, while the average marketing email has an open rate of 22.5%2.
Most websites check this box by allowing visitors to add a Subscribe to newsletter for “future updates.” While this may help get a few email addresses, the vague promise of future content is not a compelling reason for a visitor to give you access to their email.
To get more conversions, offer free content the visitor gets right away. The promise of an instant reward will increase your conversion rate and build more trust as they can instantly read what you sent them. Plus, they can quickly read your content and learn from you which will strengthen the relationship.
Check out foodheavenmadeeasy.com, the blog by Wendy Lopez and Jessica Jones. They go beyond offering a newsletter and offer a copy of their “7 Day Smoothies Book.” Now I’m curious about the 7 different smoothies and want to see what they are!
They explain the visitor very well that they sign up for a newsletter but offer an ebook in return, which gives instant gratification. Providing value to your visitors first can differentiate you.
Healthie can even help you create educational content that will actually resonate with your customers. To learn how to set up a free Starter account today, click here.
But what if you don’t feel like creating a new eBook just to get some more email to get addresses? You can use existing content you already have and give it away for free.
For example, Christa Orecchio, a clinical and holistic nutritionist and founder of The Whole Journey, is giving away some chapters of her eBook to her website thewholejourney.com .
3. Social Media Integration
If you use social media platforms like Instagram or Pinterest, integrating that content into your website is an easy way to achieve three really important goals:
Providing fresh content to show off An active presence
Having timely content on your site is a great signal to site visitors that you are active and paying attention. We always tell our customers that no blog is better than a blog that was last updated 6 months ago and the same goes for your social channels. Engaging with social media is a quick way to show potential visitors that you’re active and that you care about their needs.
Build more trust by bridging your personal life
Your website will market you as an individual and the services you provide, but integrating social media feeds can make visitors feel like they are interacting with a real person and not just a brand.
Make it easy for visitors to get in touch with you Other ways than a newsletter
See also: The Email Sequence That Earned Us 100,000 in 30 Days
Getting an email address from a visitor is the most valuable thing you can get from a visit.If a visitor isn’t willing to provide their email address, they may be more than happy to follow you on Twitter, Instagram, or another channel of their choice. For those who are already subscribed to a newsletter, social media offers another way to get involved. The better you resonate with your audience, the better.
Here’s how it looks in practice
Keri Gans, a NYC-based nutritionist, does a great job showcasing her Instagram Feeds on their home page for kerigansnutrition.com:
For blog-oriented sites that place more emphasis on blog content, like brookebrennanwellness.com (run by Brooke Brennan, a Jacksonville Beach health coach), you can social media uses sidebar integrations so visitors can interact without being distracted by the blog content.
4. Simple Explanation of Services
Even if you do all of the above well, it is important to get potential customers to trust the services you provide if you want them to eventually become customers.
To build trust in your service offerings, it’s important to explain each simply and thoroughly. We’ve seen two ways this can be done effectively:
Productized service offerings
Turning services into digestible product bundles gives potential customers a clear sense of what they’re getting and what they’re paying for . You can see what that looks like on Jennifer Cassetta’s website, jennifercassetta.com.
While not every potential client fits perfectly into these packages, those who do will feel more comfortable if they keep going. Plus, you know they’re willing to pay your fees without negotiation.
In-depth explanation of how it works
Whether you prefer to speak to a customer first or not share your prices want, that’s perfectly fine! A detailed How It Works section explains your process to a potential client to make her feel more comfortable. With Healthie, you can foster customer relationships by logging in through handy customer messages, or by setting up food, lifestyle, or activity journals. Click here to learn how to set up these features today with Healthie’s free starter plan. Andrea Castellanos’ website, yourdietmethod.com, does a fantastic job of clearly and simply describing how the process works and how it benefits a client.
Final Thoughts
Any Nutrition website needs it to make it easy for a visitor to get involved. However, before that can happen, the website needs to establish trust with its visitors.
Would you take advice on how to treat your body from someone you don’t trust?
Visit Compass.com for more articles by Mike Wilner.
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