LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
Who did your website? 
Reply With Quote
I created my own! It took me about 3 years to learn the proper way to maintain, market, and properly format a website for SEO. But I was able to do it. In my territory, I am in the number two position for my keyword search, as well as top 5 for local business results on Google.
All of the information I got, I found online for free. I understand some of you may not have the time to search around for all of the information, but if you are willing to do the leg-work, it will pay off for you. My website brings me 75% of my business. The rest of my business comes from word of mouth. And guess who the word of mouth comes from? Clients I got from my website. So in essence, my website has brought me pretty much 100% of my business.
When I first started out, I was working a full-time job in another field and didn't have the money to buy a website, nor did I have the time to invest. I started out with a simple blogger.com blog and made a few simple posts. In each of those posts, I laid it out like a website, with my name, what I do, contact information, etc. The best part was that this was free. It was also not the most professional option in the world, but hey-- it worked at the time!
Another way to attract clients to your website for free would be to utilize social networking! Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace are the best tools. Facebook is actually the number one way, especially since you're trying to advertise locally. Make sure everything you post on your Facebook account is professional. Don't post inappropriate pictures that wouldn't reflect well on your business. I re-directed clients to my blog by creating status messages similar to this one:
"I just helped Sheila lose 50 pounds over the spring! Find out how she did it here!", then add the link to your blog. Very easy. At that point, you tell the story of Sheila and how you helped her get to where she is on the actual blog. At the end, give your readers information on how to get started with you if they want the same results!
After I started making a little extra money, I invested in a GoDaddy.com domain and created my first actual website. I had it hosted by Godaddy on their "Website Tonight" package. Looking back, my first site was atrocious! I'm not going to post a novel about how to properly lay out your website (because I'm still learning a few things myself!) but the number one piece of advice I can offer is simple:
POST YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION ON THE VERY FRONT PAGE AT THE VERY TOP OF THE PAGE. Also have your contact information on EVERY SINGLE SUB-PAGE on your site!
Customers don't stay on a website very long! If they are searching for a trainer and happen upon your website and they don't see what they're looking for, they will hit the back button on their browser and find another trainer. You don't have to be the best trainer to have the most clients!
I don't recommend you host your website with godaddy.com, as their hosting fees are outrageous compared to what you could do on your own. If you don't know how to properly code a website, then either learn how or shell out a few bucks to have a local college student do it. Ask them to explain to you how you can update the page whenever you need to add something, so you don't have to hire someone every time you want to add something to the web-page.
I'll add more later, as I've only lightly touched on a few topics. Sorry for the novel, Christina!
Bookmarks