To grow your coaching business, you need to have a website that showcases various things—testimonials, course offerings, free resources, even video—it all needs to be accessible right away and visually appealing.
But building a website can be challenging, especially one robust enough to handle all the information you want to show. Unless you’ve got years of experience as a web developer, designer, or moonlight as an HTML coder, it’s a huge mountain to climb.
That’s where website builders come in. No matter what coaching niche you’re in, a good website builder will give you all the tools you need to scale your business while eliminating all the technical fluff that can get in the way.
In this article, we’ll talk about five of the best website builders for your coaching business.
What Is a Coaching Website Builder?
A coaching website builder is a platform that helps you create and design a website for your coaching business.
While almost every website builder can technically be used for coaching websites, a good coaching website builder will have design options and functionalities specifically catered to the needs of coaches.
Since coaching is largely about relationship building, the features you’ll need will be directly related to interfacing with your clients. Some elements to consider:
- How many templates are available specifically for coaches?
- How easy is it to customize the website to your liking?
- Can you create a blog on your website?
- Does the platform have a native scheduler or integrate with a scheduling software?
- What marketing features, such as social sharing and list building, are built in?
- How does it play with other software you might use, such as payment processors or email-marketing tools?
- Can you deliver (pre-recorded or live) sessions along with relevant downloadables?
- Can you create a member’s area to provide personalized group support or gated content?
You may only need some of these features, but you should ensure the website builder can provide what you need. That’s why we took a deep dive into the top five coaching website builders and analyzed them based on all these elements.
1. Squarespace
With nearly five million websites currently active, there’s no question that Squarespace is one of the market leaders in the website-development space.
Its drag-and-drop interface and hosted platform make it a great out-of-the-box solution for any content creator, including online coaches.
Starting a website on Squarespace is a snap. Once you sign up for one of its plans, you have dozens of templates to choose from, including several templates for coaches. Pick one, change the copy, add your images, tweak the design, and your website is ready.
Additionally, here are some key features that will be especially useful for coaches:
- You can easily create and maintain a blog section on your website.
- You can build landing pages and popups to capture leads and build your email list.
- It offers a scheduling application that makes it easy for clients to book sessions directly from your website.
- You can use Squarespace’s membership features to provide exclusive content and resources to your coaching clients.
One of the objections many people have to a turnkey solution like Squarespace is that you can’t create a fully customized site uniquely representative of your coaching style.
That doesn’t seem to be an issue for Alli Rizacos, whose life coaching site is a great touch point for all future and current clients. She’s able to blend pictures, testimonials, podcasts, and blogs all in one package that looks like a professional built it.
Part of her sales funnel includes a free masterclass that she offers through a popup. If a client decides to take the next step, she asks them to book a free discovery call.
Pricing
Squarespace’s starter plan costs $23/month and includes access to the website builder. However, if you want to process payments, you’ll need to be on the Business plan ($33/month) and above.
Also worth noting is that these plans don’t include Squarespace’s scheduling or membership features. They are available as add-ons for an additional fee.
Overall, Squarespace is an excellent option for coaches looking for a straightforward website-building solution. It’s user-friendly, requires minimal technical knowledge, and can handle all aspects of a coaching website.
2. Kajabi
Kajabi is the most complete, out-of-the-box solution for coaches on this list.
It has a powerful website builder that includes several website themes and dozens of landing page templates. It also has a powerful yet easy-to-use page builder, so you can easily customize the pages.
Specifically for coaches, Kajabi Coaching has built-in features that make coaching delivery and client management a breeze. You can create coaching packages, lets clients schedule sessions, deliver sessions through live video, and more.
Kajabi also has powerful tools for building online courses, membership sites, and online communities. So if you want to roll out a more comprehensive program, the platform can handle it.
On top of this, Kajabi has all the marketing tools you’ll need for your coaching business:
- You can start a blog and a podcast on your website.
- You can create end-to-end marketing funnels.
- You can manage your email list and automate email marketing.
- You can start an affiliate program for your business.
Dr. Dawn Strom uses Kajabi to power her business leadership and mentor-coaching business. Her website is much more elaborate than others, offering several resources directly on the website (blog, podcast, and tools). She also has a quiz that generates leads—another feature Kajabi offers on its platform.
Pricing
Kajabi has three pricing plans, ranging from $149/month to $399/month. The plans have little differences regarding platform features, but the more expensive plans allow you to have more members and create more products.
If you want to build just a website, you’ll find Kajabi’s pricing steep. However, if you want to run your coaching business from one place, there’s no better option than Kajabi, and you can easily justify the cost.
3. WordPress
Building a site on WordPress is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, you’ll have the most flexibility and customization options from any platform on this list.
On the other hand, building a site with all the necessary functionalities requires a learning curve (or the money to hire it out).
There are several moving parts in play—hosting, domains, plugins, themes—but there are also a lot of options that will get you up and running quickly:
- A theme like Astra offers a ton of starter templates to choose from.
- Elementor is a great page builder and offers ultimate flexibility in designing websites. It even has managed plans with hosting included.
Some managed options like Showit provide a simpler version of the WordPress experience, but we recommend the self-hosted option.
Apart from building a website, you can use WordPress for anything and everything—marketing funnels, membership sites, eCommerce stores, and more.
While WordPress itself is free to use, you’ll need to pay for hosting, theme, and plugins, and the costs can quickly add up.
Dr. Anamika Chawhan has done a fantastic job with her professional life-coaching website. Her site is based on WordPress and offers scheduling capabilities as well as marketing tools like lead generation and social sharing.
If the idea of having complete control over your website appeals to you, then WordPress is most likely the option you’re looking for. It can initially be intimidating, but apps like Elementor make the process much easier.
4. Wix
In terms of functionality and flexibility, Wix is a step down from both Squarespace and WordPress. It’s a website builder, which means you’ll still get to build your own website from scratch, but it’s not nearly as user-friendly as Squarespace.
For starters, many people have found the user interface clunky, and it requires more work to create the slick look most users want from their website.
There are a few areas in which Wix shines, however.
The first is in its template library. Wix has over 900 templates that you can automatically import onto your website—42 specifically “coaching” related—so if you’re happy with one of those, setting up a site can be a snap.
Second, Wix has an app store with hundreds of apps (free and paid) that you can add to your website. From scheduling to memberships, there are apps for just about any purpose.
When it comes to pricing, Wix’s starter plan costs $23 per month, while the Business plans (built-in eCommerce functionality) start from $34/month.
Frank Vignola has used it to build his life coaching website. Though he might not have some features that would be nice to have (e.g., courses, booking capabilities), it’s a solid website that creates leads for his business.
Overall, you can consider using Wix if you want a website builder with an extensive library of templates and apps.
5. Weebly
The great thing about Weebly is that it knows what it is. It’s not trying to be the next Squarespace or WordPress—an industry leader with an enormous market share.
It’s a simple, easy-to-use website builder that lets you create your website quickly.
Weebly caters to creators who don’t have the time or interest to develop a robust website. Its drag-and-drop builder is easy to use, video capabilities are built in, and the site is mobile responsive.
And if you want extra flexibility, Weebly has integrations with several third-party apps you can also use.
If you look at EI Executive’s website, for example—a business consultant based in Australia—you’ll find a very capable professional website. EI can deliver e-books, collect leads, and even has a chatbot on the homepage.
The biggest advantage of Weebly is its pricing. It has a generous free plan, and the paid plans start from $13/month. The free plan even includes eCommerce features; this is a surprising—but welcome—bonus.
Final Thoughts
What is the best website builder for your coaching brand? What you decide for your business is up to you, but try to weigh your time investment and technical ability.
Do you want a simple, effective solution that gets your brand online as quickly as possible? If so, Squarespace is your best bet.
Otherwise, if you want a solution that not only lets you build a website but also goes beyond with features for building a powerful marketing engine and delivering your coaching program, Kajabi is the way to go.
Finally, suppose you want complete flexibility in your website design and functionality and are willing to put in more effort. In that case, WordPress (Elementor) might be your perfect choice.
You may need more than just a website builder to create your coaching website, so we have put together some tips for designing an effective coaching website. Do check that out too.
Good luck with your website-building journey! Did we miss a platform you think needs to be on this list? Let us know in the comments below!
