How to Build the Best Fitness Website in WordPress

March 23, 2021

The most important goal of a gym website is to get NEW customers. A good website for a gym will of course have all the relevant information about the gym: location, phone number, services offered, events, etc., but the number one success factor for a gym website is conversion. The gym wants to make money. They do that by convincing site visitors that they are their best option for getting thinner, stronger and more healthy.

So you have to create a site that has conversion as its number one goal. From the first pixel, the focus is on appealing to the goals and needs of the person who wants to get healthier and convincing them that it is worth the effort to take the first step with this gym or fitness center. Keeping this focus in mind as the site is built will ensure that the gym owner will be thrilled with the results. We recommend using a WordPress theme that is well tested and kept up to date.

Fitness Photo

Start with the Configurator

Get straight to the point and put a custom configurator right up front. This is not difficult. Simply use this element and ask the potential customer what their number one goal is... (Just like you just saw on this page). The magic is in removing distractions so that the visitor sees that the main thing they are supposed to do is to interact with the site. Getting a visitor to just click once begins to remove barriers to entry and brings them into the experience and moves them toward their goal and the gym owner's goal of getting them to take a step.

Remember that the average visitor is not ready to "register now" or "book a class" or whatever other scary commitment the gym owner wants them to make when they first arrive on the site. They have to be wooed and enticed first. The key to this is to present to the customer a penalty-free, customized experience. If they are struggling with their weight show plans and pictures of slightly overweight people working out and hanging out with each other. If they want a CrossFit-type experience take them to a page where you show off the gym’s equipment, full of pictures of people of varying fitness working out (with smiles on their faces). If they are looking for a class experience (Spin cycle, yoga, step aerobics, etc.), show photos of these classes, again including people with a wide variety of body shapes.

Move the visitor through the configurator with purpose and intention. Ask questions like:

  • What are the times you have available to work out?
  • What are your most important fitness goals?
  • Do you want to work with a personal trainer or do you prefer working out alone?
  • What types of classes appeal to you?
  • Are you interested in learning more about healthy eating?
  • What are your biggest roadblocks to a healthier lifestyle?
  • Do you have a specific goal you are trying to attain?

End the configurator experience with encouraging messages about how the visitor is not alone and that many other people have the same concerns. Ideally, you will want to share a testimonial at this point from someone who had similar goals as the visitor. Include a photograph of this person.

Finally, present the visitor with an offer for a free introduction to the gym and ideally a free guided workout. No obligation. Penalty-free. All you want to do is to get the visitor to commit to a visit to the gym for a specified free appointment.

Minimum Pages Needed

The Configurator

Explained above. If the primary goal is new customers, this is the single most important page/function of the site.

Event Info and Class Registration

Fitness Classes

Most of your existing customers want to know about upcoming classes to plan their gym visit and get the most out of their membership. By creating an easy to access table or calendar that gives the visitors an instant overview they will love interacting with the site and coming to the gym frequently.

Trainers pages

Fitness Trainers

Besides the gym equipment, the trainers are an essential part of the gym experience. Many people want to have personal training sessions and are looking for just the right trainer. By giving customers the chance to get a glimpse of all the trainers and their specialties it’s easier for them to get in touch and ask for a trial training session. Also having a team that is transparent and experienced increases trust and signup conversions.

This page should also allow the visitor to book a session with any of the trainers.

About Us

Fitness Contact

Don’t bore the customer with the history of the gym. Every word should be copy. Use the Pro content builder to tell the quick story of why the gym was envisioned and created and how many people have achieved their goals by working out at the gym. Everything is marketing.

High Quality Photography

Current design trends are toward a minimalistic style that employs high quality images. The images on the site are key. Large images with overlay text make the site accessible and easily consumed. Highly relevant, high quality images of training equipment, trainers and the specific facilities of your gym are key. You can’t afford shoddy photography. A great site must have great photography. You are putting your best foot forward to get a prospective customer to take the risk of entering the doors of the gym. Images have to look great. People want to preview and get a glimpse on what to expect by just visiting your page so investing in a professional photo shoot is money well spent. This is the number one way a customer differentiates your gym from the half-dozen others they’ve already viewed.

Why a Website Increases Your Membership Rate

While word of mouth is still the best type of marketing, a well designed, encouraging website is the next best thing. People want to quickly navigate to your site and get information about your gym so they can decide whether you are a good fit for them or not. If you provide the potential customer with professional photos, encouraging copy and a private configurator, this combination is the key to making your site a revenue generator.

Newsletter Power

Since your members will be paying on a monthly basis you want to nurture and provide significant value for your existing customers. This can be easily achieved by giving them the option to sign up for your newsletter and send out special offers, training sessions or fitness evaluations which shows them the value in the membership. The key is relevant information that the member will look forward to reading. The Pro theme can easily embed any email marketing tool to implement a newsletter in minutes.

Events Calendar Extensions

Modern Events Calendar

As outlined earlier, having an overview of all upcoming classes and events is essential and this can be created with ease by using the Modern Events Calendar extension that comes with every Pro purchase. This extension allows you to easily keep your events updated embedded on relevant pages and sections without having to edit them individually.

Conclusion

For a fantastic gym site, it all boils down to a configurator serving up custom results, simple, mobile-customized design and great photography. Put those principles into the site and create it with Pro and you’ve built the best stinkin’ gym site on the planet!

What are you waiting for? Give Pro a try today!