How's my website? 1.5k Reps for good advice/feedback.

[Cuhh]

It's my personal training website.
http://www.aestheticfitness.com/

I really don't know what to put on the main page... I cover everything in the other tabs so if you have any advice on what to add to the home page I would appreciate it.

Should I keep the flash intro or let it go?

Is the picture in my "About the Trainer" section fine? I don't have many pictures where I'm smiling and look approachable. It's honestly one of a very few where I'm smiling and don't look like I'm full of myself flexing super hard in a mirror and I can't afford professional pics for the time being.

I didn't put prices and rates on the website because it will encourage people to contact me.

Should I keep the forums or let them go? I put it on there because I live in a close knit community where people wouldn't mind conversing and in turn they would be checking my website to get there... Or is this not such a good idea? I don't really see any cons about it but it just seems kind of weird in a way. Kind of like it wouldn't hurt, but you don't see that kind of thing everywhere so it's awkward. Ehhh maybe I'm just thinkin' about it oo much.

Is there anything you think I should modify?

Thanks.

[Nate R.]

It's my personal training website.
http://www.aestheticfitness.com/

I really don't know what to put on the main page... I cover everything in the other tabs so if you have any advice on what to add to the home page I would appreciate it.

Should I keep the flash intro or let it go?

Is the picture in my "About the Trainer" section fine? I don't have many pictures where I'm smiling and look approachable. It's honestly one of a very few where I'm smiling and don't look like I'm full of myself flexing super hard in a mirror and I can't afford professional pics for the time being.

I didn't put prices and rates on the website because it will encourage people to contact me.

Should I keep the forums or let them go? I put it on there because I live in a close knit community where people wouldn't mind conversing and in turn they would be checking my website to get there... Or is this not such a good idea? I don't really see any cons about it but it just seems kind of weird in a way. Kind of like it wouldn't hurt, but you don't see that kind of thing everywhere so it's awkward. Ehhh maybe I'm just thinkin' about it oo much.

Is there anything you think I should modify?

Thanks.

I think the flash intro should go, pretty corny. I would also definitely get a different picture then you graduating high school... haha just my opinions though

[Lasharm]

It's my personal training website.
http://www.aestheticfitness.com/

I really don't know what to put on the main page... I cover everything in the other tabs so if you have any advice on what to add to the home page I would appreciate it.

Should I keep the flash intro or let it go?

Is the picture in my "About the Trainer" section fine? I don't have many pictures where I'm smiling and look approachable. It's honestly one of a very few where I'm smiling and don't look like I'm full of myself flexing super hard in a mirror and I can't afford professional pics for the time being.

I didn't put prices and rates on the website because it will encourage people to contact me.

Should I keep the forums or let them go? I put it on there because I live in a close knit community where people wouldn't mind conversing and in turn they would be checking my website to get there... Or is this not such a good idea? I don't really see any cons about it but it just seems kind of weird in a way. Kind of like it wouldn't hurt, but you don't see that kind of thing everywhere so it's awkward. Ehhh maybe I'm just thinkin' about it oo much.

Is there anything you think I should modify?

Thanks.

First, lose the flash intro... The one you got up there doesn't even look like it relates to fitness, or specifically the type of fitness you are selling. Also, unless you have a custom flash, most stock flashes suck.

Feel free to look at my site for some reference for text www.ironlooks.com . Keep the front page simple and to the point. If it gets long winded, then people wont be encouraged to click on anything else.

Also, you could always put a "sign up for our mailing list and receive a free fitness report" contact block on the front page and set up the thing for auto-response (so you don't have to do much work other than setting it up.)

As for the pics, get a couple of friends and go to the gym. Wear a nice fitted polo or a company shirt and get some "action pics" of you showing them the proper form, or spotting them. Mine on my website are long overdue for a change. Also, get a picture testimonial page as soon as you can, and get before and after photos of clients who have made a transformation. Once you have some good transformations, post them on your front page to draw people in.

You could keep the forum, but you should go ahead and "seed" it. Post some things like "10-tips to losing fat", "What about supplements", and "Build muscle" to get it going. Also, don't forget to post the forum rules. Get some people you know to start using the forum and get them to email others about it.

You could post a blog instead of a forum. Also, get a "contact me" page instead of just listing your email address and info. A simple form can sort out any spammers or spambots and also people way out of your reach (like I don't train outside of NC. So If I get an email from a person in TN, I already know not to spend much time on it unless their first sentence is "I'm moving to Franklin NC..."

You are right to keep the costs off of the site, get the client in your office and SELL SELL SELL! A lot of people will be discouraged if they see the cost right off unless you put it to them just right.

I ran a special for a week, "5 days of training for $5". The clients got to join a group (bootcamp) for 5 days for $5. The bootcamp was HIIT for 30 minutes each day. They had to sign a contract that included a health waiver, image use waiver (more pics for you), and a deal that if they did this program for all 5 days, they got a 5% discount on their first training package (minimum purchase applies).

Also a big issue on your Service page. You discuss nutrition. Not a problem if you keep it simple, but the way you are describing your service puts it way out of your scope of practice and into the realms of Licensed Dietitians. Remember you can give basic nutritional advice (like explaining BMR or explaining macronutrients so they can make the food decisions on their own. You cannot give them specific foods to eat and you should drop this sentence-->"We will determine the vitamins and minerals that are required for your optimum health"<-. This is just for liability sake.

I noticed you are certified through ACT. How was the test (getting prepared to take it for th hell-of-it)? Were you able to get insurance through it?

[Keltron]

I like the logo..

actually I just recently decided to leave the globogym so I was brainstorming website ideas and was perusing design/creativity based resource websites all day yesterday.. check these out for ideas

http://www.positivespaceblog.com/arc...type-of-marks/

http://www.fuelyourcreativity.com/do...ut-these-tips/

http://webdesignledger.com/inspirati...ul-web-designs

http://www.creattica.com

[Cuhh]

I think the flash intro should go, pretty corny. I would also definitely get a different picture then you graduating high school... haha just my opinions though

Took the flash out. I would love to change the pic but I don't have any good substitutes.

First, lose the flash intro... The one you got up there doesn't even look like it relates to fitness, or specifically the type of fitness you are selling. Also, unless you have a custom flash, most stock flashes suck.

Feel free to look at my site for some reference for text www.ironlooks.com . Keep the front page simple and to the point. If it gets long winded, then people wont be encouraged to click on anything else.

Also, you could always put a "sign up for our mailing list and receive a free fitness report" contact block on the front page and set up the thing for auto-response (so you don't have to do much work other than setting it up.)

As for the pics, get a couple of friends and go to the gym. Wear a nice fitted polo or a company shirt and get some "action pics" of you showing them the proper form, or spotting them. Mine on my website are long overdue for a change. Also, get a picture testimonial page as soon as you can, and get before and after photos of clients who have made a transformation. Once you have some good transformations, post them on your front page to draw people in.

You could keep the forum, but you should go ahead and "seed" it. Post some things like "10-tips to losing fat", "What about supplements", and "Build muscle" to get it going. Also, don't forget to post the forum rules. Get some people you know to start using the forum and get them to email others about it.

You could post a blog instead of a forum. Also, get a "contact me" page instead of just listing your email address and info. A simple form can sort out any spammers or spambots and also people way out of your reach (like I don't train outside of NC. So If I get an email from a person in TN, I already know not to spend much time on it unless their first sentence is "I'm moving to Franklin NC..."

You are right to keep the costs off of the site, get the client in your office and SELL SELL SELL! A lot of people will be discouraged if they see the cost right off unless you put it to them just right.

I ran a special for a week, "5 days of training for $5". The clients got to join a group (bootcamp) for 5 days for $5. The bootcamp was HIIT for 30 minutes each day. They had to sign a contract that included a health waiver, image use waiver (more pics for you), and a deal that if they did this program for all 5 days, they got a 5% discount on their first training package (minimum purchase applies).

Also a big issue on your Service page. You discuss nutrition. Not a problem if you keep it simple, but the way you are describing your service puts it way out of your scope of practice and into the realms of Licensed Dietitians. Remember you can give basic nutritional advice (like explaining BMR or explaining macronutrients so they can make the food decisions on their own. You cannot give them specific foods to eat and you should drop this sentence-->"We will determine the vitamins and minerals that are required for your optimum health"<-. This is just for liability sake.

I noticed you are certified through ACT. How was the test (getting prepared to take it for th hell-of-it)? Were you able to get insurance through it?

Excellent feedback.
I went ahead and removed the flash.
You have a very nice website; Thanks for showing me. It gave me some ideas on how to improve mine.
The free fitness report for subscribing sounds like a good idea that I'll use. Do you know anywhere to get something like that? I seen we have the same hosting service but I didn't find something like what you're describing.
The transformation page sounds good but since I'm just starting out I never had a client yet. I've helped out people when I wasn't certified but not training. Do you think it would be ok to use my transformation? A sample pic would be like the one in my avi.
Great idea on the "action pics". I'll be taking some of those today.
I took your advice and set up a "Contact Me" page and also added a form like you recommended.
The boot camp sounds like a good idea; Something I could definitely get the community involved in.
I edited the nutrition section on my services page. Instead of, "We will determine the vitamins and minerals that are required for your optimum health", I changed it to, "Together we will develop a plan for healthy eating. I will provide you with valuable nutritional advice, clear up any misconceptions you have, and keep you motivated through the process."
The ACT exam was pretty basic. It consisted of 100 questions.
10 - Exercise Science
10 - Biomechanics
15 - Client Assessment
14 - Program Design
5 - Flexibility
10 - Program design elements
10 - Warning signs
8 - Special Populations
10 - Nutrition
8 - Legal Business
70% was needed to pass. I answered 96/100 correctly. I'm pretty sure as long as someone has a decent knowledge overall of the material they can pass with 70%. I've been studying for the NASM exam for a few months and came across the ACT. I figured I'd take it since it was so cheap. I passed it my first time with only my knowledge from my NASM material. I plan on taking my NASM exam in early December. This all happened within the past week so I don't have any insurance yet. Any recommendations on where to start?
Thanks for all the feedback. Repped.

I like the logo..

actually I just recently decided to leave the globogym so I was brainstorming website ideas and was perusing design/creativity based resource websites all day yesterday.. check these out for ideas

http://www.positivespaceblog.com/arc...type-of-marks/

http://www.fuelyourcreativity.com/do...ut-these-tips/

http://webdesignledger.com/inspirati...ul-web-designs

http://www.creattica.com

Thanks.

[usere1565611561]

We'll I'll give you my perspective (from someone who isn't a personal trainer but IS an internet nerd with several somewhat decent websites).

1. Ditch "Website Tonight". I know Godaddy pushes it to everyone that signs up but the last thing you want is a mandatory ad for something else on your homepage. A decent hosting account with Godaddy is around $36 a year. Godaddy is great with refunds, if you signed up recently they will refund you for "website tonight" and you can put the money towards a normal Godaddy hosting account. With that you will be free to do whatever you want and won't have a Godaddy ad on your page.

2. There are several freelance programming/design sites where you can post your project for free and people will bid on making a site for you. The two big ones are Elance and Scriptlance. Just look for someone with a good portfolio and good feedback. A huge portion of the programmers are in India and work CHEAP. Some of my sites only cost me $40?! That was $40 for a homepage, contact us, and about page.

3. Listen to Lisharm about the photo, anyone with a decent digital camera can take some good shots of you for the homepage. People want to see who they are dealing with, I'm guessing even more so with a personal trainer. Those sites I mentioned above also have designers who can make you an awesome logo and work magic with the pictures you have your friend take.

4. A forum seems like a good idea at first but unless you monitor it constantly it can turn into a headache REAL quick. The reason I say this is there are armys of spammers/hackers that have bots surfing the internet constantly looking for anything they can join or break into. If you don't lock it down like Fort Knox you will log into your forum one day and find 6,000 ads for Viagra.

5. Learn everything you can about Google and search engine optimization. If it wasn't for Google most of my sites would be dead in the water.

Just my 2 cents.. oh and good job on the domain name, that's a keeper!

[theGuy045]

It's possible to hide the POWERED BY website tonight logo. fyi

[wallbuilder]

I like the idea of adding a blog of some sort to the site. Be sort of a value added type thing for your current clients. Putting up blog posts can also be a way to sell yourself to prospective clients. Putting some rather general info on there about training, nutrition, etc. can be a great way to show to customers that you do in fact know your stuff.

[Cuhh]

We'll I'll give you my perspective (from someone who isn't a personal trainer but IS an internet nerd with several somewhat decent websites).

1. Ditch "Website Tonight". I know Godaddy pushes it to everyone that signs up but the last thing you want is a mandatory ad for something else on your homepage. A decent hosting account with Godaddy is around $36 a year. Godaddy is great with refunds, if you signed up recently they will refund you for "website tonight" and you can put the money towards a normal Godaddy hosting account. With that you will be free to do whatever you want and won't have a Godaddy ad on your page.

2. There are several freelance programming/design sites where you can post your project for free and people will bid on making a site for you. The two big ones are Elance and Scriptlance. Just look for someone with a good portfolio and good feedback. A huge portion of the programmers are in India and work CHEAP. Some of my sites only cost me $40?! That was $40 for a homepage, contact us, and about page.

3. Listen to Lisharm about the photo, anyone with a decent digital camera can take some good shots of you for the homepage. People want to see who they are dealing with, I'm guessing even more so with a personal trainer. Those sites I mentioned above also have designers who can make you an awesome logo and work magic with the pictures you have your friend take.

4. A forum seems like a good idea at first but unless you monitor it constantly it can turn into a headache REAL quick. The reason I say this is there are armys of spammers/hackers that have bots surfing the internet constantly looking for anything they can join or break into. If you don't lock it down like Fort Knox you will log into your forum one day and find 6,000 ads for Viagra.

5. Learn everything you can about Google and search engine optimization. If it wasn't for Google most of my sites would be dead in the water.

Just my 2 cents.. oh and good job on the domain name, that's a keeper!

I'm ok with website tonight. I actually specifically asked for it because I'm not good with scripts and it's pretty much drag and drop. For my situation I think it serves it's purpose really well. I am aware I can take the website tonight ad off but it doesn't bother at all so I kept it on. Unless there was some way it would discourage people from contacting me I don't have a problem with it on there thanks though.
I will be asking some buddies if they have a digital camera I could borrow. I had my own but I lost it somewhere. Not a problem getting people to pose with me either. I couldn't do that tonight because I don't have a camera but I will asap.
Yea that didn't even cross my mind about the forum. I think if anything happens to it I might just let it go... Not really a big deal. I don't think someone would take the time though to fill out forms and CAPTCHA's to spam my small community forum lol but thanks for bringing that to my attention.
I appreciate your compliment on the website name! Definitely a keeper! Hard to believe it wasn't taken... ha. Repped.

It's possible to hide the POWERED BY website tonight logo. fyi

Yea I know. It doesn't bother me though.

I like the idea of adding a blog of some sort to the site. Be sort of a value added type thing for your current clients. Putting up blog posts can also be a way to sell yourself to prospective clients. Putting some rather general info on there about training, nutrition, etc. can be a great way to show to customers that you do in fact know your stuff.

Yea a blog sounds like a great idea.!! I can't believe I never thought about it before! (srs). Thanks.
Repped.

[askthetrainer]

It's my personal training website.
http://www.aestheticfitness.com/

I really don't know what to put on the main page... I cover everything in the other tabs so if you have any advice on what to add to the home page I would appreciate it.

Should I keep the flash intro or let it go?

Is the picture in my "About the Trainer" section fine? I don't have many pictures where I'm smiling and look approachable. It's honestly one of a very few where I'm smiling and don't look like I'm full of myself flexing super hard in a mirror and I can't afford professional pics for the time being.

I didn't put prices and rates on the website because it will encourage people to contact me.

Should I keep the forums or let them go? I put it on there because I live in a close knit community where people wouldn't mind conversing and in turn they would be checking my website to get there... Or is this not such a good idea? I don't really see any cons about it but it just seems kind of weird in a way. Kind of like it wouldn't hurt, but you don't see that kind of thing everywhere so it's awkward. Ehhh maybe I'm just thinkin' about it oo much.

Is there anything you think I should modify?

Thanks.

Your site is a work in progress I can tell....

Design: I would recommend making the site a certain width and center it rather than keep it how it is now... I am looking on a 24" monitor and it's detracting to have it stretched all the way across the screen. I would also get rid of the black header.. website for a luxury service should be inviting in most cases and black is not inviting...

Your site seems pretty slow for modern day standards... with mostly text, it should be lightning quick...

Forums are okay but don't make it a primary link (Get rid of the forums on the main navigation)... keep it as a link on the bottom or just remove it until you get a bunch of clients on it.... I'd also change the name to community or something...

Photos: You need more photos and professional ones at that. I'm a pretty serious photographer so I may be biased but people will usually skip away from all text and look at the photos first so it would be a huge help if they had a "wow" factor.

More Stuff: I see no ******** or twitter or linkedin, or myspace, etc. links on there... these days almost everyone is part of a social network... jump on the bandwagon and get a page up on those sites and have them on your contact page just in case potential clients are social network whores

[SgSpartan]

Am I the only one who feels you should include a price range? I mean it's good when you have tons of people contacting you, but then again, if people can't afford/not willing to pay, then there's little point in them contacting you either.

[MsSindy]

Okay, I’ve just opened your page and I’m treated to a Welcome page that has one line of text?? -- Aesthetic is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature, creation, and appreciation of beauty. Don’t make me click around to find out at least some information. This home page is boring and I would immediately move on assuming that your workouts were also boring (sorry about being so blunt).

The order of your tabs seem wrong, they should be something like: Home, About, Services from left to right.

When I mouse over ‘About’, I see CONTACT ANTHONY. I don’t want to contact you, I want to know something about you. It should say Meet Anthony, or something like that.

About page –
Unless you have just graduated with your PhD in Exercise Physiology, lose the grad pic – it screams ‘newbie’! and I’m not trusting my health to someone fresh out of HS. Why did you decide to write it in the ‘third person’ – it should always be, “I believe…or my philosophy is...” –otherwise it feels like you got someone to write it about you, and I still don’t get a feel for who YOU are. – also noticed on other pages that you use Anthony some places and ‘I’ other places. -- be consistent.

As for the certifications, most clients don’t know the difference and listing those don’t really tell me anything – I don’t really know what a ‘Corrective Exercise Specialist’ even is – so either tell me what it is and what you can do for me, or just say you’re certified and leave it at that.

Services—
The way you listed them separately makes them seem like they are a menu and I have to select each one. You want to ensure the reader knows that you do all these things as part of your sessions with them. Also, I can't really tell if you do group training, one-on-one or what you specialize in.

Forum—
Ditch this until you have a very active client list. Nothing worse than signing up for this and then seeing that no one uses it. – do a blog instead.

Spelling
customized based on that persons specific abilities – should be:
customized based on that person’s specific abilities

Send an email anytime of day, any day of the week. – should be:
Send an email any time of day, any day of the week.

is a right way, and a wrong way, too exercise. – should be
is a right way and a wrong way to exercise. (not sure about comma placement, but seems unnecessary)


Start looking at other PT websites to see what works and what doesn’t. Your site serves as a basic contact site, but it’s really not going to draw anyone in. Keep at it and continue to refine. Your biggest hurdle is going to be to convince people that at your young age you know what you're talking about -- your website should be as professional as possible to help that image.

[steven1977]

Is the picture in my "About the Trainer" section fine? I don't have many pictures where I'm smiling and look approachable. It's honestly one of a very few where I'm smiling and don't look like I'm full of myself flexing super hard in a mirror and I can't afford professional pics for the time being.

As others have said, I would suggest some other picture. You don't need a professional photographer--only someone with a digital camera. One suggestion is to take a picture of you working with a client, or alternatively, just a picture of you in your training attire. To me, a graduation pic doesn't "scream" personal trainer. Good luck.

[SteelCurler]

Make the services the website, will make the website atleast a lil more welcoming

[Kelvandros]

Add some text to the front page and possible a picture. Don't put too much in, but at least a 4 line paragraph to give me an idea of what's going on.

Put the "contact me" link as it's own tab, rather than a subtab under the information about you. If I want to get in contact with you, I want to see an easy way to do it quickly. It might not be a bad idea to put a link to the contact me page in small font on the bottom of each other page. That's where people go to look for copyright information that often includes names, addresses, emails and phone numbers.

You may also want to get rid of the "All inquires are handled directly, securely, and expressly by Anthony. He is made aware of your submission within 5 minutes." statement on your contact me page. That says to me that you will know, within 5 minutes of me submitting my request, that I sent something. That means if it takes you 2 hours to get back to me, I'll be annoyed.

[Luffers]

What MsSindy said!!

The home page tells me nothing about what and who you are or even what the site is about!

The catch line at the top tells me nothing, it is confusing.

You need a good sales copy, go to www.kickbacklife.com to learn more.

Good luck.

[oncewasfatty]

Maybe someone said it before, but you need a better pic.

One in workout gear, showing you in action, preferably where you can be seen training others.

In your current pic you just look like a geeky average joe. You wanna look like a cool, smooth pro.

[Chi-Towns-Finest]

We'll I'll give you my perspective (from someone who isn't a personal trainer but IS an internet nerd with several somewhat decent websites).

1. Ditch "Website Tonight". I know Godaddy pushes it to everyone that signs up but the last thing you want is a mandatory ad for something else on your homepage. A decent hosting account with Godaddy is around $36 a year. Godaddy is great with refunds, if you signed up recently they will refund you for "website tonight" and you can put the money towards a normal Godaddy hosting account. With that you will be free to do whatever you want and won't have a Godaddy ad on your page.

2. There are several freelance programming/design sites where you can post your project for free and people will bid on making a site for you. The two big ones are Elance and Scriptlance. Just look for someone with a good portfolio and good feedback. A huge portion of the programmers are in India and work CHEAP. Some of my sites only cost me $40?! That was $40 for a homepage, contact us, and about page.

3. Listen to Lisharm about the photo, anyone with a decent digital camera can take some good shots of you for the homepage. People want to see who they are dealing with, I'm guessing even more so with a personal trainer. Those sites I mentioned above also have designers who can make you an awesome logo and work magic with the pictures you have your friend take.

4. A forum seems like a good idea at first but unless you monitor it constantly it can turn into a headache REAL quick. The reason I say this is there are armys of spammers/hackers that have bots surfing the internet constantly looking for anything they can join or break into. If you don't lock it down like Fort Knox you will log into your forum one day and find 6,000 ads for Viagra.

5. Learn everything you can about Google and search engine optimization. If it wasn't for Google most of my sites would be dead in the water.

Just my 2 cents.. oh and good job on the domain name, that's a keeper!

Thanks for the tip on freelance programming/design, I'm definitely checking those out! If you need to have something updated in the future is it a hassle?