5-things-to-keep-in-mind-before-building-a-fitness-siteBuilding a fitness site is a lot more than just putting together regimes and routines to post online. There’s a lot more to blogs and sites than just content. Today, I’m here to give you a few pointers on creating an efficient fitness platform to help you build your ideal fitness site!

1. Looking good and being easy

Customers are not willing to look through a poorly-made, laggy website, doesn’t matter what you offer or how great your content is. That is why, you should hire a good designer and consult them regarding the design process of your website. Do not cheap out on your web designer and get the very best available for your site. This investment will be beneficial for you in the long run. In addition to looking good, a good website should be easy to navigate through and should be clear of excessive ads. Too many ads are frustrating for the customer and this is why a lot of users tend to exit without even browsing through. It also makes you look like you’re trying too hard. Well, are you?

2. Promotions, Emails and Social Media

Social media is now the most popular way to reach customers of all markets and fitness businesses are no exception. Along with your website, you should keep posting and updating your social media pages. These pages are surefire ways to lure customers into your website. While all these ‘likes’ and ‘follows’ are important, don’t forget to send out emails too! Collecting email addresses is very important to keep your customers around. Try to include sidebars or pop-ups that say “Let us know where to send you our monthly diet plans” or “Enter your email address and get a free copy of The Dieters’ Cookbook”. Now you have a list of potential customers whom you can keep updated about your site and who can bring you new customers.

3. Give them what they want

Post quality content. Make sure the purpose of your website is loud and clear. Don’t bombard your visitors with offers and ads only; give your customers’ blog posts, good reviews, inspirational pictures and video clips. Go through other fitness blogs and review sites such as Nerd Fitness, Greatist and Indoor Ellipticals to see how they present their contents. Get to know your audience and try to understand what it is they demand from your business. Monthly polls, comment sections, rating and feedback systems will help you gain your customers’ trust and give you an understanding of their needs as well.

4. Re-designing and Updating

Building a website is not enough. You must keep reviewing it and optimize it for superior performance and speed. Make website maintenance a crucial part of your business and if necessary, doll out a few extra bucks to keep this machine running smoothly. Consult with experts and listen to your customers. This is where those polls and feedback systems come in handy. Reviewing can help you learn the faults of your website and you can update the system to fit your guests’ needs.

5. Quality Content and Consistency

Good quality content is what drives this business. Your posts bring customers and your posts can drive them away too. Myriad of readers are going to look for an assortment of contents, so you won’t run out of options. You can always ask your readers what they want to see on the website and do just that. Don’t slack off and stop posting. You definitely don’t want to go off topic and tick-off your customers. It takes hard work and determination to make online businesses work. Be consistent with your work and keep up with the fitness community so you are updated and have new experiences to talk about on your site.

Hopefully these tips have given you an idea to handle your business and move forward. Use your creativity and communicate with others to build the website you want. The key to everything is hard work!