Do I Need a Website Before I Can Get Clients?
No. You don't need a website to get your first clients. You need conversations with the right people and a simple way for them to book a call with you. A website can come later, once people are actually showing up and looking for one.
That's not a theory. It's how I started.
"I built a full practice with no website, a phone, a booking link, and a real conversation."
I opened our most recent Strategy Café with that line, because it answers a question we hear a lot. Coaches, hypnotists and hypnotherapists who are brilliant with clients keep pausing everything else to "fix the website first." Months go by. The site gets prettier. The calendar stays quiet.
So let's walk through the questions people actually ask us about this, and what we tell them.
Who's actually going to your website right now?
This is the first question my co-founder Chris Thompson asks when someone says they want to work on their site. Here's how he put it on a recent Café:
"…you wouldn't believe how many people… go, I want to work on my website, and we're like, really? Who's going to your website right now? They go, I don't know. Or if they do, they go, well, like almost nobody. So don't touch your website, right? Like, doesn't make any sense to be investing time where there's no problem."
On that same call, a practitioner told us she had already collected a stack of testimonials and put them on her website. The problem was that nobody ever looked at the site.
That's the trap. A website is a place people go after they already know about you. If nobody knows about you yet, a better website changes nothing. It's a beautiful shop on a street with no foot traffic.
Chris actually congratulated her, because she had spotted the thing that wasn't her problem. That's half the battle.
So where do clients come from, if not my website?
From conversations. Real ones, with real people who have the problem you solve.
Here's how I explained it to a member on one of our member calls:
"It is much easier to have conversations with people without anything besides, like, a booking widget, than it is to build an entire website and then expect people to find you and book with you, never talking to them."
Think about how you chose your last dentist, accountant or massage therapist. Odds are someone mentioned them, or you talked to them, and then you booked. The website, if you looked at it at all, was a quick check.
The simple version looks like this:
- Share something useful where your people already spend time (a post, a short video, a talk, a group).
- Invite them to message you for a free resource or to ask a question.
- Have a real conversation. Ask good questions. Help a little.
- When it feels right, invite them to book a call with your booking link.
If starting those conversations feels awkward (it does for most of us at first), our free Conversation Starter Cheat Sheet gives you simple, non-salesy openers for a DM, an email reply or a text.
Isn't a website just another way for people to check me out?
A fair pushback, and one a member raised with us recently. The point: when you meet someone, you'd like them to be able to look you up and see what you're about. Shouldn't the site and the conversations work together?
Yes, eventually. But notice the order. The conversation comes first. The website is the second touch, for someone who is already interested. If you're having very few conversations, the website is supporting almost nothing.
And when there is a mismatch between what you say in person and what your old site says, the fix is usually smaller than a rebuild. Which brings us to the next question.
How do I know what to fix first?
Chris uses a phrase he credits to Ryan Deiss of DigitalMarketer:
"How do customers happen? How does someone go from being a stranger to a buyer?"
Write down the actual path. For example: someone sees your content, they message you, you have a conversation, they book a call, you make an offer, they say yes or no. Then count each step for a week or a month. The step where the numbers fall off is the one to work on.
A quick way to start is one number. Chris asks people how many people messaged them, or asked about working with them, in the last 30 days. Then:
"So it's either not enough conversations, or you may get a conversation, but you kind of have a… crappily worded offer, and people don't really understand what they're getting, or maybe you're just not confident in making that offer."
Very often, as Chris said earlier on that same Café:
"Oh, it's freaking obvious I'm not having enough conversations. That's a lot of the time what it is."
None of those three problems gets fixed by a new homepage.
If you're not sure who those conversations should be with, start with the free Niche Clarity Worksheet. It helps you decide who you get the best results with and where you can actually reach them.
Where should my testimonials go if nobody visits my site?
Put them where people are deciding. For most practitioners, that's the page with your booking calendar.
"That is where I would put the testimonials. I wouldn't put them on your homepage, necessarily. You do put them there, but also put them on that calendar page…"
When someone lands on your booking page, they tend to scroll a little before they pick a time. That's the moment a few kind words from past clients help. The homepage is fine too. But the booking page is where it counts.
When does a website make sense?
Once conversations are happening and people start asking where they can read more about you. Even then, keep it small.
On the same Café, Chris answered a related question, whether you need a full website: "most practitioners don't need a very full and detailed website." A simple homepage that points people to their next step, an about page, a how-to-work-with-me page and a booking page will cover most of it. In his words, "You do not need to have some ridiculously complex… complicated website."
Build it when it solves a problem you can see. Not before.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a website to start getting clients?
No. A booking link and real conversations are enough to start. Add a simple site later, once people are asking for one.
What do I use instead of a website?
A booking link people can use to schedule a call with you, plus wherever you already talk to people: messages, email, text, groups, events.
Do I need photos, testimonials and a free guide ready before I start?
No. You don't need a lead magnet, photos, testimonials or even your web address sorted before you start talking to people. Start the conversations now, and build each piece when you actually need it.
Where should I put my testimonials?
On the page with your booking calendar, where people decide whether to book. Keep them on your homepage too if you like, but the booking page is where they do the most work.
How do I know if my website is my real problem?
Ask who is visiting it right now. If the honest answer is "almost nobody," it isn't the problem yet. Count your conversations from the last 30 days instead.
Want a second pair of eyes on yours?
Bring your question to the Strategy Café, our free live group call on Zoom, every other Friday at 11am Eastern. Chris and I answer as many questions as we can, live. Camera on or off, your call.
