To find out if you are missing this website pillar, ask yourself: Does my website look professional and trustworthy? Or take the website assessment.

If your website is missing this pillar, it can show up in several ways.

Maybe your scattered website layout is giving off “DIY” vibes, the photos are a bit blurry, or the inconsistent use of colors is creating a disheveled look.

Maybe you honestly don’t know what’s off. And it’s more based on an “icky” feeling every time you open it on your browser.

But you KNOW that somehow your website is making your coaching business look less established than it is.

And you don’t want that to be why potential clients underestimate your credibility or hesitate before inquiring, ESPECIALLY when your results are clearly good.

WHAT to do ABOUT IT

First, start with who.

Who is your ideal client? Are they young, hip millennials? CEOs who care about who they associate with? People who don’t care about design at all? What visually do they need to see from you to trust you as the expert?

Who are you? How do you show up for your clients? Does how you dress for a client meeting match how your website looks?

Side Note:

When thinking about visual credibility, consider what inspires you to do your best work.

If it’s really important to you how your business shows up in the world visually, take note of that. For some of us—visually attuned people—our own visual presentation of our business can really impact our motivation and how we show up for our clients.

Start bookmarking designs, photos, websites that feel like how you want to show up for your clients.

My favorite place to store ideas is Pinterest or a simple Google Doc. Once you have a few items collected, notice if there are any patterns in the fonts, layout, colors, photos. Are they giving a particular feeling or vibe? What about them do you like—is it a personal preference, or would it also resonate with the message you want to portray to your ideal clients?

Side note:

Sometimes when I collect ideas, I can become a bit of a magpie and want to implement ALL the ideas. But that can make a brand look all over the place versus curated.

A strategic decision to use the SAME 1-3 colors and 1-2 fonts and the same photography style EVERY SINGLE TIME you design anything in your business can make your site (and overall brand) feel more professional. No joke.

Before making any drastic visual changes to your website, start talking to other business-savvy friends and designers. Show them what you’ve bookmarked and tell them what you like about the designs and how you are thinking of implementing them in your own business.

Get them to look at your current site too. Can they help you pinpoint what’s visually not working currently on your site? Is it the layout, fonts, colors, photos? A bit of everything? Or is it okay for now?

Tell them what your business goals are, and how you want to be perceived. Ask them if your website is missing the mark or doing well in this area. Ask if there is something else they would consider.

If you don’t have anyone to talk to about your ideas, you’re always welcome to book a Brand & Website Compass call; this is my jam.

one ACTION STEP

My favorite way to improve a website visually is to get a professional photoshoot. This will do wonders for your website!

If it’s been a few years or your pictures are not doing you justice, your action step is to book a photoshoot with a brand (or wedding*!) photographer today!

*Wedding photographers are very good at getting in-action and portrait shots—just like a brand photographer.