Help please, looking for constructive criticism on my new site

23 replies
Hey Guys, need some help. I'm lost and am not sure where to go from here with my new site.

I've recently launched my web site for my 'personal training' business. The launch was on the 31st of December 2012. I was hoping that the site would help me generate new leads. So far it has not performed well. I'm not sure what's going on. People seem to like it, but they're not taking action.

It's also not ranking on Google for 'ottawa personal trainer' or 'ottawa weight loss'. I get that SEO takes time, but when your business is hanging on a single thread, there is no time. If I don't make this work, i'm doomed.

I value your expertise, please take a look at the site www.fatlosssolutions.ca and let me know what you think may be the problem. Is the site to intimidating? Is there too much information? Not enough information?

I'm looking forward to your feedback and collaborating on a potential solution.
#constructive #criticism #site
  • Profile picture of the author donkdogg
    Hi - It's a good looking site, for sure. I guess the first thing I'd say is - if you're not generating the leads you want, how do you know it's the site and not the VISITORS that is the problem? Are there enough and are they targeted in the right way. But that aside, maybe have a popup (pop down? whatever) opt-in form to capture leads so their focus is only that until they close it. Then play / test the copy to get the best performance.

    Yup re-reading your post actually I'd say for sure it's not the site that is the source of the problem. SEO does take time... I'd strongly consider trying localized AdWords if you aren't already and of course Facebook (both paid and natural).

    Good luck! Full disclosure: I am chubby and hardly a marketing expert.
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    • Profile picture of the author ruslanfls
      @donkdogg, thanks for the reply!

      I've tried adwords and google shut me down, they told me that the site doesn't preserve the terms of their User Safety and Information Harvesting policies. They asked me to take down the 'sweet tooth solution' or offer it as is without asking for e-mails. They've also requested some other changes which don't make much sense to me....as a last resort I may do that, but for now I'd like to explore other options.

      I do like the pop up option, will test with that. Thank you!
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  • Profile picture of the author angshuy2k
    You definitely have a good site. All I can suggest is that, if you can add actual articles on weight loss and some, evidence based articles on them to keep your readers informed, then surely you will get a lot of customer start trusting you. Because, you are posting science based articles on weight loss.

    That will as well help you to rank and get more visitors as you will be having unique content which is well researched and your visitors will find it interesting.
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    • Profile picture of the author ruslanfls
      @angshuy2k, we have a 'blog' page that is hidden right now that will link to an external FLS blog, we're currently working on it. The reason why we've decided to separate the main FLS site (which is the one we're discussing here) and the blog site is that the main site was stricly focused on local community/in person lead generation. The blog site will be with a focus to establish myself on-line, both sites will be linking back on to each other. Not sure if that's a good idea? The reason being is that the blog site will have a few other functions and i did not want to clutter this site with some of what I have in mind for the blog site...
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  • Profile picture of the author buffnstuff
    I think the overall site design is good. I'd recommend a video at the top instead of that static photo. Video is where it's at now. Just have a look around at many of your competitors and see what they're doing. Also do some stealthing on the competition and see what keywords they are using. Take apart their campaigns. Do some PPC. Use Youtube to put up training videos, etc. You have to think outside the box.

    Also don't just rely on Internet Marketing. Use conventional methods as well, such as flyers, post cards, print media, Craigslist, and the old tried and true business cards and face to face marketing.

    Go to businesses in your area and market to the boss. Businesses are always looking for ways to save money on health care costs. Sell it that way to them. How nice would it be to pick up a bunch of personal training clients from a medium size business concerned about the heath and well being of their staff?

    Network with gyms in your area, they can help you too because maybe you'll refer business their way as well. Also maybe offer current clients a discount or free sessions for referrals of family, friends and coworkers.
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  • Profile picture of the author retsced
    It's difficult to tell whether it's too much, or too little if we don't know where your traffic is coming from. To me, it looks like a fitness website rather than a weight loss site. I will tell you one thing for a fact though, if you get targeted traffic to that site, it will definitely convert. But, as it stands, a lot of your visitors might be intimidated if they're just looking to drop a couple of pounds.

    If I'm a housewife for example (which I'm not) I wouldn't be interested in what's on offer. I probably wouldn't even stay on the site for longer than a few seconds. The first few images are of people with ripped abs, now, what kind of person is realistically thinking they are going to get abs like that? Certainly not your average shmo anyway. So, the question really comes down to tour audience.

    Who are you targeting? the average Joe and Jane? or the young whipper snapper who wants to get ripped? I'm not suggesting for one second that your service can't help the average weight loss seeker, but first impressions say a whole lot - and in the first few seconds, at that.

    Again, it's your traffic that's the problem at the moment. If no one is signing up on that really professional website, then there's no doubt about it, you're targeting the wrong demographic.

    If you placed a PPC ad related to "weight loss" you are already way too broad and at least half of the people will be just looking for a simple home solution to their problem. You need to get very, very specific about who EXACTLY your market is. It's not "weight loss" that's for damn sure. It's waaay too broad. So, it's not really surprising you're losing a lot of people from the get go.
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    • Profile picture of the author ruslanfls
      Originally Posted by retsced View Post

      It's difficult to tell whether it's too much, or too little if we don't know where your traffic is coming from. To me, it looks like a fitness website rather than a weight loss site. I will tell you one thing for a fact though, if you get targeted traffic to that site, it will definitely convert. But, as it stands, a lot of your visitors might be intimidated if they're just looking to drop a couple of pounds.

      If I'm a housewife for example (which I'm not) I wouldn't be interested in what's on offer. I probably wouldn't even stay on the site for longer than a few seconds. The first few images are of people with ripped abs, now, what kind of person is realistically thinking they are going to get abs like that? Certainly not your average shmo anyway. So, the question really comes down to tour audience.

      Who are you targeting? the average Joe and Jane? or the young whipper snapper who wants to get ripped? I'm not suggesting for one second that your service can't help the average weight loss seeker, but first impressions say a whole lot - and in the first few seconds, at that.

      Again, it's your traffic that's the problem at the moment. If no one is signing up on that really professional website, then there's no doubt about it, you're targeting the wrong demographic.

      If you placed a PPC ad related to "weight loss" you are already way too broad and at least half of the people will be just looking for a simple home solution to their problem. You need to get very, very specific about who EXACTLY your market is. It's not "weight loss" that's for damn sure. It's waaay too broad. So, it's not really surprising you're losing a lot of people from the get go.
      Are you suggesting I change up those images to something a bit more 'market specific'? I do coach both men and women, and thought that these images where not too 'intimidating'...perhaps i should try something else?
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      • Profile picture of the author retsced
        Originally Posted by ruslanfls View Post

        Are you suggesting I change up those images to something a bit more 'market specific'? I do coach both men and women, and thought that these images where not too 'intimidating'...perhaps i should try something else?
        The images are completely fine - and so is the website The problem is your market. Who are you targeting? When someone (other than yourself) thinks of "weight loss" they're not thinking of lean, tight, toned muscles and six pack abs. You need to narrow your focus from the super broad 'weight loss' to a much more specific demographic.

        The theme of your website seems to be more targeted to people who want to tone up, build muscle and get fit. That's NOT "weight loss" - at least not what the majority of people are thinking anyway. Therefore, your focus is not super specific enough.

        All I'm suggesting you focus on, is who EXACTLY are your target audience. The website, theme, and content are fine (that's your focus) but what about the people coming to your website? Are they interested in dropping a few pounds, or getting into peak condition? It's easy to associate both with the same end goal, but in marketing terms, they;re worlds apart.

        Just to make it clear. Your service is fine (of course) but the people you're targeting with the keyword 'weight loss" may not be at all interested in six pack abs, getting fit, and/or gaining muscle, which is exactly the theme of your website, at least from the perspective of the visitors perception when they land on your site.
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        • Profile picture of the author ruslanfls
          Originally Posted by retsced View Post

          The images are completely fine - and so is the website The problem is your market. Who are you targeting? When someone (other than yourself) thinks of "weight loss" they're not thinking of lean, tight, toned muscles and six pack abs. You need to narrow your focus from the super broad 'weight loss' to a much more specific demographic.

          The theme of your website seems to be more targeted to people who want to tone up, build muscle and get fit. That's NOT "weight loss" - at least not what the majority of people are thinking anyway. Therefore, your focus is not super specific enough.

          All I'm suggesting you focus on, is who EXACTLY are your target audience. The website, theme, and content are fine (that's your focus) but what about the people coming to your website? Are they interested in dropping a few pounds, or getting into peak condition? It's easy to associate both with the same end goal, but in marketing terms, they;re worlds apart.

          Just to make it clear. Your service is fine (of course) but the people you're targeting with the keyword 'weight loss" may not be at all interested in six pack abs, getting fit, and/or gaining muscle, which is exactly the theme of your website, at least from the perspective of the visitors perception when they land on your site.
          What is giving you this sort of vibe? The theme of your website seems to be more targeted to people who want to tone up, build muscle and get fit. That's NOT "weight loss" - at least not what the majority of people are thinking anyway. Therefore, your focus is not super specific enough.

          If you look at my clientele there are people that had dropped 30-50+ pounds, that's not toning, that's weight loss.
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          • Profile picture of the author buffnstuff
            Other than maybe needing an into video on the site I don't agree. I'm not confused about the offering. I just think it's your marketing strategy that's the problem.

            However I am also a personal trainer and bodybuilder so I may be blinded to it. There is some merit to finding your targeted demographic and going after them.


            Originally Posted by ruslanfls View Post

            What is giving you this sort of vibe? The theme of your website seems to be more targeted to people who want to tone up, build muscle and get fit. That's NOT "weight loss" - at least not what the majority of people are thinking anyway. Therefore, your focus is not super specific enough.

            If you look at my clientele there are people that had dropped 30-50+ pounds, that's not toning, that's weight loss.
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            • Profile picture of the author ruslanfls
              Originally Posted by buffnstuff View Post

              Other than maybe needing an into video on the site I don't agree. I'm not confused about the offering. I just think it's your marketing strategy that's the problem.

              However I am also a personal trainer and bodybuilder so I may be blinded to it. There is some merit to finding your targeted demographic and going after them.
              @buffnstuff where do you suggest i place an intro video? Replace the 'sweet tooth solution' offer for a video?

              I'm working on another web site - my personal which will lead to this FLS site, i made a quick colleague of testimonials for it, is this what you have in mind? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzxmFtZl3D0

              What exactly do you mean by 'marketing strategy that is the problem'? Not specific enough?
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          • Profile picture of the author retsced
            Originally Posted by ruslanfls View Post

            What is giving you this sort of vibe? The theme of your website seems to be more targeted to people who want to tone up, build muscle and get fit. That's NOT "weight loss" - at least not what the majority of people are thinking anyway. Therefore, your focus is not super specific enough.

            If you look at my clientele there are people that had dropped 30-50+ pounds, that's not toning, that's weight loss.
            Really?? Look at the pictures on your website. Now think of the average American who is over weight. Do you honestly believe that the majority of people have the time and dedication to get those results? Yes, it's doable, but we're talking about lazy people who sit around on their fat asses all day eating junk food and watching T.V.

            I'm suggesting that if you are targeting the broad market of "weight loss' then you are targeting these lazy people by default. Unless you get super specific about your demographic, you will always lose a lot of the visitors who land on your website. Is it possible that this is what's happening right now? Because either that's the case, or your website sucks. I'm suggesting that it's the people you're targeting that's the problem, and you need to address it.
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            • Profile picture of the author MikeTucker
              Originally Posted by retsced View Post

              Really?? Look at the pictures on your website. Now think of the average American who is over weight. Do you honestly believe that the majority of people have the time and dedication to get those results? Yes, it's doable, but we're talking about lazy people who sit around on their fat asses all day eating junk food and watching T.V.

              I'm suggesting that if you are targeting the broad market of "weight loss' then you are targeting these lazy people by default. Unless you get super specific about your demographic, you will always lose a lot of the visitors who land on your website. Is it possible that this is what's happening right now? Because either that's the case, or your website sucks. I'm suggesting that it's the people you're targeting that's the problem, and you need to address it.

              Keep in mind that he is not selling products or solutions online.
              This website is a lead generation tool for his actual offline service,
              which he provides in his local area.

              Completely different beast!
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  • Profile picture of the author MikeTucker
    Originally Posted by ruslanfls View Post

    Hey Guys, need some help. I'm lost and am not sure where to go from here with my new site.

    I've recently launched my web site for my 'personal training' business. The launch was on the 31st of December 2012. I was hoping that the site would help me generate new leads. So far it has not performed well. I'm not sure what's going on. People seem to like it, but they're not taking action.

    It's also not ranking on Google for 'ottawa personal trainer' or 'ottawa weight loss'. I get that SEO takes time, but when your business is hanging on a single thread, there is no time. If I don't make this work, i'm doomed.

    I value your expertise, please take a look at the site www.fatlosssolutions.ca and let me know what you think may be the problem. Is the site to intimidating? Is there too much information? Not enough information?

    I'm looking forward to your feedback and collaborating on a potential solution.

    1. The site looks fantastic-- I really like what you've done with it.

    2. How are you driving traffic to it? That will be the #1 determining
    factor of whether or not you are getting leads, and whether or not
    they are getting quality.

    3. Twenty-five days is not enough time to determine how the site
    is performing... It's really just not.

    4. You are going up against corporations with huge budgets
    in a very competitive market-- People who try to dominate the
    market in every single city. SEO not only takes a long time,
    it is also extremely time-consuming when it comes to popular
    keywords... It really should not be your strategy if you are a
    small business hanging on by a thread.

    5. Just a thought on "taking action" here. There are probably
    millions of weight loss books, videos, pills, programs, they are
    everywhere. Some are quality, some promote magic solutions,
    and some people jump from one to another. But Americans
    are still one of the fattest nations in the world, despite the
    fact that most of them already know they need diet and exercise.

    ...So you are already in a market of people who just do
    not take action!



    If I were you, I would focus on two things:

    1. Spending 80% of my time driving only the highest quality
    kinds of traffic that I can possibly get.

    2. Consider targeting a specific type of people... You have
    a superb site and probably a good program to go with it, right?
    Do you really believe in what you are offering?

    If so, target people who are upper middle-class, who are just
    working too much to really keep up with their fitness goals.
    People who are already "taking action" in other parts of their
    lives, and maybe their health is slipping or being sacrificed.

    You can hit on hot buttons on everything from keeping up
    with their competitors to setting a good example for their
    children.

    That's what I would do, if I were you... Hit up your local
    Chamber of Commerce or local associations and network
    with successful people. Make friends, learn about people,
    and be low-key. You have a great website, so use it!

    Give them a business card with ONLY your website
    and phone number, not even your name. That's what
    I would do, if I were you, haha


    Then later, once you are no longer "hanging on by a thread",
    go back and get some good articles published, especially
    in medical journals, and when you have some money,
    invest it in some good, steady, white hat SEO if you
    feel like you need to do that.


    Good luck!
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    • Profile picture of the author ruslanfls
      Originally Posted by MikeTucker View Post

      1. The site looks fantastic-- I really like what you've done with it.

      2. How are you driving traffic to it? That will be the #1 determining
      factor of whether or not you are getting leads, and whether or not
      they are getting quality.

      3. Twenty-five days is not enough time to determine how the site
      is performing... It's really just not.

      4. You are going up against corporations with huge budgets
      in a very competitive market-- People who try to dominate the
      market in every single city. SEO not only takes a long time,
      it is also extremely time-consuming when it comes to popular
      keywords... It really should not be your strategy if you are a
      small business hanging on by a thread.

      5. Just a thought on "taking action" here. There are probably
      millions of weight loss books, videos, pills, programs, they are
      everywhere. Some are quality, some promote magic solutions,
      and some people jump from one to another. But Americans
      are still one of the fattest nations in the world, despite the
      fact that most of them already know they need diet and exercise.

      ...So you are already in a market of people who just do
      not take action!



      If I were you, I would focus on two things:

      1. Spending 80% of my time driving only the highest quality
      kinds of traffic that I can possibly get.

      2. Consider targeting a specific type of people... You have
      a superb site and probably a good program to go with it, right?
      Do you really believe in what you are offering?

      If so, target people who are upper middle-class, who are just
      working too much to really keep up with their fitness goals.
      People who are already "taking action" in other parts of their
      lives, and maybe their health is slipping or being sacrificed.

      You can hit on hot buttons on everything from keeping up
      with their competitors to setting a good example for their
      children.

      That's what I would do, if I were you... Hit up your local
      Chamber of Commerce or local associations and network
      with successful people. Make friends, learn about people,
      and be low-key. You have a great website, so use it!

      Give them a business card with ONLY your website
      and phone number, not even your name. That's what
      I would do, if I were you, haha


      Then later, once you are no longer "hanging on by a thread",
      go back and get some good articles published, especially
      in medical journals, and when you have some money,
      invest it in some good, steady, white hat SEO if you
      feel like you need to do that.


      Good luck!
      Wow that is some incredible advice there!

      To answer your question - how am i driving traffic to the site? Right now with facebook and craigslist (kijiji in Canada).

      Mike, this is a very good pint - ...So you are already in a market of people who just do
      not take action! -- couldn't agree with you more! That's why the site hopefully inspires them and motivates them into entertaining the possibility of hiring me and helping them out with living out their dreams!?

      1. Spending 80% of my time driving only the highest quality
      kinds of traffic that I can possibly get.
      How?

      2. Consider targeting a specific type of people... You have
      a superb site and probably a good program to go with it, right?
      Do you really believe in what you are offering?
      I was hoping that the success stories and social proof would be enoguh to show how effective my coaching is. The only other competitors whom display such high rates of success with clients are published authors who run massive gyms with multiple employees. I'm a one man show working with a selected few each year. I do belive in my program but I was never comfortable asking for money, something that stems out of my childhood and a core belief that i've adapted (working on it lol)...

      I love this:
      If so, target people who are upper middle-class, who are just
      working too much to really keep up with their fitness goals.
      People who are already "taking action" in other parts of their
      lives, and maybe their health is slipping or being sacrificed.

      Thank you!
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  • Profile picture of the author chrisj9ball
    The first thing you need to do is add a site map to your site, as well as a privacy policy this will help your google rankings.You also need to get more links coming into your site as you only have two. The other things is your site is really new and your in a very heavy nich,it will be hard to rank, but it can be done. Check your bounce rate as i can't find much data on it. You need to get good backlinks, and don't buy them from fiver it will do you no favors. Have you added your site to google,bing/yahoo,as well as other sites? How many meta tags have you added. What you need to do is add good content, as well as updating your site regularly.This will help. I hoped this helped. Also look at advertising in local dictionaries,this will help as well. Use sites like brandyourself.com will help a bit.
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  • Profile picture of the author howtogurus
    Here are my basic thoughts on traffic to your web site. Organic SEO takes months, I usually figure at least 6 months for a site to begin to rank well, everything else being equal. For that you need the best SEO you can get.
    Looking at your Alt Tags, they don't have any keywords in them. Make sure the alt tags include your main keywords.
    Do Article marketing, and a Blog. Both will help organic positioning.
    You really don't need those watermarks on your pictures.
    You have to pay for fast traffic, I like Bing, cheaper than Google Adwords.

    So bottom line:
    Fast Traffic requires $.
    Long term traffic requires SEO and marketing
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    • Profile picture of the author ruslanfls
      Originally Posted by howtogurus View Post

      Here are my basic thoughts on traffic to your web site. Organic SEO takes months, I usually figure at least 6 months for a site to begin to rank well, everything else being equal. For that you need the best SEO you can get.
      Looking at your Alt Tags, they don't have any keywords in them. Make sure the alt tags include your main keywords.
      Do Article marketing, and a Blog. Both will help organic positioning.
      You really don't need those watermarks on your pictures.
      You have to pay for fast traffic, I like Bing, cheaper than Google Adwords.

      So bottom line:
      Fast Traffic requires $.
      Long term traffic requires SEO and marketing
      I wanted to watermark the images to protect them, i've had some ripped off a few years back and don't want to go through that again.

      Thank you for the input.
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  • Profile picture of the author Gengis
    I love your site, i think it looks amazing! The only thing i think you should change is the picture on top..

    As far as you being doomed if this doesn't soon work out financially for you all i can tell you is not to focus solely on this.. Go out and make money doing whatever it takes in the mean time until your site blows up..

    I don't care if you have to work at a fast food joint.
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    • Profile picture of the author ruslanfls
      Originally Posted by Gengis View Post

      I love your site, i think it looks amazing! The only thing i think you should change is the picture on top..

      As far as you being doomed if this doesn't soon work out financially for you all i can tell you is not to focus solely on this.. Go out and make money doing whatever it takes in the mean time until your site blows up..

      I don't care if you have to work at a fast food joint.
      Thanks. Appreciate the feedback.
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  • Profile picture of the author buffnstuff
    Yes, I'd recommend moving the Sweet Tooth ad to another part of your page and insert an exciting attention grabbing video that auto plays on page load. The YouTube video is alright for testimonials but I think you need something a bit more attention getting for you primary video.
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  • Profile picture of the author paj_mccarthy
    What is your primary conversion goal? Sweet tooth video subscription, phone consultation or special offer subscriber? I'd suggest choosing one and really focussing on that.

    If you're confident that the type of traffic you're getting is quality, targeted traffic then the problem is the offer.

    I'm not a fat loss expert and haven't been in the niche, but I'm not sure about the benefit that you're trying to sell on that sweet tooth creative. I haven't done any research on this, so could well be wrong, but I'd imagine that most people don't care about why they are addicted to eating sweet foods.

    My guess is that someone coming to your site just wants results and they want results instantly and with no effort. Of course, instantly and with no effort aren't possible but I'd wager to say that an optin incentive with benefit oriented copy that's closely related to this ideal would perform better.
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    • Profile picture of the author ruslanfls
      Originally Posted by paj_mccarthy View Post

      What is your primary conversion goal? Sweet tooth video subscription, phone consultation or special offer subscriber? I'd suggest choosing one and really focussing on that.

      If you're confident that the type of traffic you're getting is quality, targeted traffic then the problem is the offer.

      I'm not a fat loss expert and haven't been in the niche, but I'm not sure about the benefit that you're trying to sell on that sweet tooth creative. I haven't done any research on this, so could well be wrong, but I'd imagine that most people don't care about why they are addicted to eating sweet foods.

      My guess is that someone coming to your site just wants results and they want results instantly and with no effort. Of course, instantly and with no effort aren't possible but I'd wager to say that an optin incentive with benefit oriented copy that's closely related to this ideal would perform better.
      To be honest with you I did not feel right about the 'benefits' to the sweet tooth solution. Could have said something along the lines of 'curb your sugar cravings now'... I may just swap that opt-in for a 'consultation request' as I have through the site, may be a bit more 'task specific' since that is the primary goal of the site - to get people to call.
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