Do you wish you had a super fancy, beautiful yoga website that stuns and amazes people when they see it?
I totally get it. We all fall into this trap. When we’re creating our website, we think we need all the lavish bells and whistles. But when we pay attention to our actual buying habits, we see that the fancy stuff is not what we really need. The only thing that matters is that the words on the website resonate with you, and it’s easy to use. Period. End of story.
So say it out loud with me, my friend: “I don’t need all the bells and whistles on my website; I just need it to communicate clearly with my dream students.”
Once you say that and believe it, you are already doing amazing. That mindset shift alone will help you. But to take it one step further, let me walk you through what you actually need to put on your yoga website...and trust me, it’s really simple.
The Intended Benefit of Your Website
First of all, let’s take a look at the intended benefit of your website. What’s your website’s purpose?
The intended benefit of your yoga website is to be your home base where people can go to find out more about you.
You want them to be able to: (1) register for your yoga classes, (2) buy your stuff, and (3) sign up for your email list! I know it’s so easy to get caught up in all the bells and whistles in the website, but really, this is all we need.
**This was also a podcast episode (episode #82). Use the player below if you'd rather listen to this message.
The Actions You Want People to Take on Your Website
Keeping the intended benefit in mind, what actions do we want to lead people to take on your website?
Looking at your website, ask yourself these questions:
Can someone learn more about you?
Can someone sign up for your classes or yoga offering?
Can someone pay you for your yoga offering?
The Pages You Need On Your Website
When it comes to your website, if there’s too much information on there, it can get confusing.
All you need are the basics: (1) Home Page, (2) About Page, (3) Offerings, and (4) Contact. You can include a blog as well, but it’s not necessary, so you don’t have to start there. You can add that later.
Think about the GOAL for each of these pages. I encourage you to consider the goal for each of these pages before you actually write the words. This will keep your content clear and focused.
Home Page
Your Goal: To get them on your email list.
I know it is incredibly tempting to go for the sale on the homepage. But it is better to establish connection with someone on your homepage than it is to go straight for the sale.
Tip: Talking about your freebie is a great thing to do here. Give something free and ask for their email address in exchange.
About Page
Your Goal: To get them to click through to another page on their website.
You want them to learn more about you and hang out on your website a little longer.
The really good news is that your “About” page isn’t really just about you: It’s about your dream student! I know this is the toughest lesson to learn, and this is usually the toughest page to write.
Tip: Write your “About” page in a way that will resonate with your dream student.
Offerings Page
Your Goal: To get them to sign up for something.
Make it as easy as possible for them to register and pay!
If you’re using Offering Tree, then your schedule will show up on your Offerings page and you don’t actually have to do anything else. If you’re using a different system, you can usually embed your schedule right on this page.
Think about how you would communicate with your dream student. What does the student need to know to sign up for the class or workshop? And how would you actually describe this in real life? That’s how I want you to write about your offerings.
Tip: Use words that your students would understand. For example: If you’re working with beginners, using Sanskrit or describing your classes as Vinyasa or Ashtanga may not be the best idea. Be very clear and assume that they don’t know the yoga lingo.
Contact Page
Your Goal: For them to contact you.
This will most likely be the shortest page on your website! You can include a list of contact information or a form, whichever you prefer. You get to choose your method of communication.
Tip: Pick just one or two ways for someone to connect with you. It’s better to have less.
Your Next Step
Create or update your website with this intended benefit in mind. Keep it simple and clear so you can welcome in more students.
Until next time, give yourself permission to have a simple, yet effective, website and grace along the way. I’ll talk to you soon!
“You don’t need all the fancy bells and whistles on your website; you just need it to communicate clearly with your dream students.” - Amanda McKinney