As a business coach, building a following on LinkedIn can be a great way to reach people who are already interested in what you do and stay visible to your audience without turning your whole week into “marketing”. But there’s a risk when your main “asset” lives in someone else’s space.
Even if you have a website as well, it’s common for it to get left behind. Not because you don’t care, but because LinkedIn is immediate. It asks less of you: you post, you respond, you’re seen - even when that post is a photo of your dog.
Your website, on the other hand, only helps when someone lands on it, and that moment of discovery doesn’t always go the way you’d want it to.
LinkedIn gives you attention. Your website makes the decision.
LinkedIn can help someone:
notice you (a post, a comment, a recommendation)
recognise your point of view
trust your tone
When the person clicks through to your website, though, that has a different job to do. Your coaching website has to hold up on its own, in one sitting, without the background trust that comes from your regular posting or a recommendation.
It might be that what they find is fine, but is it clear, engaging, and reflective of who you are now? A homepage that still sounds like it was written when you started your business and didn’t realise who your ideal clients are, a service page that doesn’t explain your current offering and tries to be everything to everyone, or a tone that doesn’t match how you write and speak on LinkedIn.
Nielsen Norman Group’s research on how people read web pages found that people often make fast judgements based on what they see first, not what they later discover. Your website needs to be where uncertainty gets resolved - not where people decide not to contact you.
How do people actually find a business coach?
While you might be busy with referrals and LinkedIn leads (many coaches are), online search is still key.
And it’s not just people following up from a prior recommendation or social media connection; once they’ve realised they need a coach, the search will likely widen. You might be grateful Steve recommended the coach he worked with to get better results from his team, but if that’s not the situation you’re in, or if their website doesn’t resonate with you, you’ll likely do your own search.
It’s important to think about what your potential clients are searching for:
“business coach near me”
“leadership coach UK”
“business coach [Peterborough/Market Harborough/etc.]”
“executive coaching for [technology startups]”
“business coaching fees” / “how much does coaching cost”
It's important, then, that your content is answering these questions clearly - for both visitors and search engines to find.
Whatever brings someone to you, your website needs to be the place where visitors confirm they’ve found the right coach. This is why asking “is LinkedIn enough?” is the wrong question. The real question is: When someone lands on your site, do they feel confident enough to contact you?
Your coaching website has a lot to do
The beauty of LinkedIn is that it helps you build up a picture for your potential clients, you’re creating a presence - regular posting, personality sharing, and building trust gradually across many small interactions. As we’ve just been exploring, your website has a different, harder job. It has to convey your personality and skills, and build trust all in one place for someone arriving cold, without six months of posts behind them to soften the introduction.
For many coaches I speak to, their website was built early on in their business - before any LinkedIn presence really took off - and sometimes it hasn't been touched since. The site can feel more like a business card than somewhere a prospective client will see how you actually work.
If you were to review your website now, are you happy that it accurately reflects:
the types of people you work with (and what they’re trying to solve)
what your coaching process feels like
what someone can expect after they get in touch
what makes working with you different?
Becoming the clear choice
If your website reads like it’s offering something generic: “ambitious professionals”, “personal growth”, “unlock your potential”. It may sound positive, but it doesn’t help the reader see their own struggle or recognise you as the right fit.
What you want is for your website to help them make a clear judgement:
“This is for people like me.”
“This is how working with them actually works.”
“Their message sounds like they understand my situation.”
“I know what to do next.”
To help your reader engage, be clear about what they can expect from you. Show them with case studies, testimonials, pictures, and examples of work you've done, always showing what shifted for the client, and how they described the change afterwards.
And a short, honest "is this you" section will give your reader far more clarity than your biography - a story where you’re at the centre. While credentials matter, that feeling of finding someone who fits is much more important.
Also, provide one clear way to get in touch, rather than five competing calls to action; it makes the decision easier at the exact moment someone's ready to make it.
A quick example - meet Priya
I’m going to give you an example: a business coach I’ll call Priya (she’s an example drawn from a few conversations, not any one client). Priya has a strong LinkedIn following; she’s warm and focused in her writing, and her diary is busy with clients. On Priya’s website, her message focuses on helping "ambitious professionals reach their potential". While it’s true, it’s also true of several hundred other coaches. It’s not wrong; it just hasn’t kept pace with how much clearer Priya has become everywhere else.
Anyone who talks to Priya in person or follows her on LinkedIn will know she loves working with young tech professionals moving into management roles, but her website doesn’t say that. Priya is fun and dynamic, wears colourful clothes and makes everyone who meets her feel at ease - but her website is flat and bland, generic stock photos and the professional blue/grey colour scheme of the corporate organisations she used to work in.
For a coach like Priya, unfocused messaging that doesn’t reflect where you are now, and outdated or unspecific services will lose you clients.
Taking the next steps
For most business coaches, the issue isn't visibility. LinkedIn is already doing the work of finding people and building trust in small moments.
Your website’s job is harder: it has to hold trust in one place and help someone decide whether you’re the right coach - quickly, confidently, and without stress.
If you aren’t sure whether your website currently reflects what you do (and what clients need to see), get in touch - I’d love to help.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do business coaches need a website?
Usually, yes. Even if most of your clients come from referrals and LinkedIn, your website is where people check you, confirm fit, and decide whether to contact you.
Is LinkedIn enough for me to build my coaching business?
For visibility, possibly. For decision-making, rarely. People still want to confirm details and understand your process when they click through.
What should a coaching website include?
At minimum: who you work with, what you help them achieve, how your coaching works, proof, and a clear “Get in touch”.
Should my coaching website target local areas?
If you work with clients locally or offer sessions in specific regions, reference locations naturally. If you work nationally, you can still make your messaging UK-relevant without forcing it.
How often should I update my website?
When your messaging changes, or at least once a year. A site can look “fine” while quietly falling behind your current clarity. Regular updates in the form of blogs can be incredibly useful, providing informative content for your audience and helping search engines and AI see that your site is fresh.
article by
Natalie Trembecki
Share this post: