Top Web Design Tricks for Gyms
WebFX advises gym owners to boost their online presence with a high-quality website offering a great user experience. Key tips include a minimalist design, mobile optimization, quick loading times, clear navigation, and relevant photos.
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insights from 98,500+ hours of health & wellness marketing experience
When you own a gym, achieving success goes beyond stocking your space with fitness equipment and offering different workout classes. These basics can get you started, but they don’t set you apart from the other fitness centers in your area.
Something that can help your reach and pull in loyal gym goers is a quality website. Learn more with WebFX — and subscribe to our free weekly newsletter for more digital marketing tips!
Why web design for gyms matters
In the modern age, an online presence is key for any business. While online marketing tactics like social media and paid ads can make a positive impact on a company, your website makes a big difference, too. A potential customer might find you through well-crafted social media posts, but that’s all for naught if they make it to your website and are less than impressed.
The truth is that 94% of first impressions tie back to your website’s design. If your website is hard to navigate, unattractive, or won’t function on a mobile device, users are more likely to exit the page and never look back. Ensuring your website offers an intuitive user experience (UX) allows you to convert more leads into loyal customers who will rave about you to their friends.
If you’re still not convinced that web design can make or break someone’s decision to visit your gym, take a second to consider your own online experiences. Have you ever visited a website that wouldn’t load or made it impossible to access the information you needed? In the moment, you may have only felt briefly frustrated before moving on, but you likely never tried to access that page again.
When users access your website to find your operating hours or enroll in a yoga class, you want to make their experience as positive and useful as possible. That all begins with quality web design.
5 web design tips for gyms
Whether you need to create a new website for your company or want to spruce up your existing one, you can follow a few tips to get started.
1. Use a minimalist design
While graphics and videos can help sell your gym, you’ll want to save them for your social media profiles. Most users prefer websites with minimal visual clutter. Too much content can be overwhelming and prevent them from finding the information they need.
Ensure your website features enough whitespace, clean lines, and easy-to-read fonts. If you want to include images of your gym space, create a dedicated page for them or select a few to showcase. Keep paragraphs short and straightforward, breaking them up into small sections for better readability.
2. Be mobile-friendly
When your website works for both desktop and mobile devices, you’ll reach more users and increase your revenue. Nearly 75% of online users are more likely to return to a website when it’s optimized for mobile. Keep users coming back to your website with a clean and concise mobile design.
The mobile version of your website should be more minimal, given the limited capabilities of mobile phones in comparison to desktop computers. Make it your goal to highlight only the most important information, like placing your phone number and operating hours clearly on the landing page so people can access exactly what they need in seconds.
3. Optimize load time
With all of the modern technology we have at our fingertips, people expect their browsing experiences to be fast. Navigating to a website that takes more than three seconds to load can be a bother. To keep people on your website, you must prioritize its load time so each page loads in a snap.
There are a few variables that determine website load time. Get familiar with them so you can create a website that loads almost instantaneously. As you tweak different aspects, use an online tool like the Pingdom Website Speed Test to see how the load time changes. Your goal is about one to two seconds of load time.
4. Consider page navigation
When you start formatting your website’s navigation features, consider how it’ll affect the UX. Here are a few starting points:
- Highlight the navigation menu: Whether it’s horizontal or vertical, your navigation menu should be easy to find. Organize it according to each page’s importance. For example, you might add links to the following pages — About, Location, and Classes.
- Use your logo as a link: When users want to return to a website’s home page, they’ll intuitively click on the business’s logo in the top left corner. Be sure your website features the same logo button to keep the UX consistent.
- Place important links in the footer: At the very bottom of your website’s pages, you should add links to your email and social media accounts. It’s also a good spot for your gym’s address and phone number.
If you need some inspiration when planning the navigational aspects of your website, check out other gyms’ websites, like Equinox or LA Fitness. What drop-down sections do they have? Where do they put their navigation menu? This research can help you reflect on UX and how users might feel on your website.
5. Upload the right images
While your website should have a minimalist appearance, it still needs to show your gym’s personality and features. Take some time to capture real pictures of your gym’s equipment and amenities, from the weights area to the locker rooms. If you can, ask permission to take pictures of your customers working out. These pictures can help users feel a connection to your gym.
Feature the images you take throughout your website. For example, you might use one or two on the home page to create an eye-catching first impression and then create a dedicated gallery for the rest of them. Again, consider looking at competitor websites to see how they use images and other visual content and gather some inspiration.
We’ll help you create a website that stands out.
“WebFX has been instrumental in helping us develop a new website, allowing us to be a leader in our industry.”
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Design the perfect website with help from WebFX
Even with the above tips in mind, you may not know where to begin when designing a website for your gym. Fortunately, we’re here to help. WebFX has over 28 years of experience with all things digital marketing, including website design. With a stunning and functional website, your fitness business can benefit in numerous ways.
Browse our website design services and get in touch with us by calling 888-601-5359 today!
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