Today we’re talking about blog sidebar examples for coaches, because if you’re gonna blog, you need to do it right. You need to consider the strategies that professional bloggers use to turn idle visitors into raving fans.
Blogging is an amazing way to reach your clients and share things that will make them understand the value of coaching. You know, those stories and examples that’ll make them want to hire their own coach…perhaps you?
But using your run-of-the-mill blog sidebar (whatever comes with your theme or template) won’t necessarily do you any good. So we’re giving you a head start by sharing the top things to put in your sidebar, and giving you some blog sidebar examples pulled directly from the website templates we create for coaches.
The Top 4 Things You Should Put in Your Sidebar
Search Bar
People expect to see a search bar in your sidebar. It’s a usability thing.
A search bar makes your website more accessible for your readers. And that should be the first thing you think of when designing your site. If your visitors are looking for a search bar to help them find exactly what they’re looking for, they better find one.
It shows that you think about your clients and their needs. And while people may not consciously think about it when they find that search bar, they’ll certainly think about it if they don’t.
About Blurb + Photo
This is potentially the most important thing you can include on your sidebar. When a new visitor comes to your website to read a blog post that you’ve shared, they might have no clue who you are. So this is your chance to introduce yourself, and share something that’ll get their attention.
Include a friendly, on-brand photo of you. A photo that would be recognizable or seen again if the person then went to your social media accounts. Remember, you’re trying to get people to recognize you again the next time they see you.
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The reason you share a photo is because it shows that there’s a person behind the knowledge you’re imparting. This is so important, because when you pair a well-written blog post with your photo, you start to build an image of yourself as an expert in what they’re reading.
For the blurb, keep it short, but hit all the important stuff:
- Your name
- Your title or what you do
- How you help others with what you do
Categories
I don’t know about you, but I like to be able to get straight to the point when I’m reading someone’s blog. I only want to see articles about what I’m interested in, and being able to filter the posts with categories is extremely helpful. So you should definitely include your categories on your sidebar. Or somewhere else on your blog page.
Opt-ins
Getting people on your email list (if you have one) should be a major goal for your coaching biz, and if you’re not pushing that strategy at every turn, you’re missing out.
If someone comes to your post from a search engine and they’ve never heard of you before, you want to give them every chance to join your list so they can get to know you better. Having the option to opt-in from your blog sidebar gives them that chance.
Other things you can add to your blog sidebar:
Recent/Popular Posts — Have great content you want to get fresh eyes on? Put your recent or popular posts on your sidebar so that people who are reading other posts have a chance to click into the posts you really want them to see.
Social Feeds — If your goal for your blog is to get more people to your social feeds because that’s where you convert people into clients, definitely include links to your social media accounts.
Links to your Products — If you have info-products or ebooks or something that you sell, you can put links to them with a short description on your sidebar. If you do this, make sure they’re lower price point products. High-priced items (over $50 or so) will break the trust you’re trying to establish.
Ads or Affiliate Links — Place ads or affiliate links in your sidebar if it’s an important part of your income strategy.
We definitely recommend using the blog sidebar examples we’ve shared above as inspiration for creating your own. But if that seems like too much work, go check out our website templates for coaches.
We’ve created everything you need for a highly-converting coaching website. All you have to do is install, change a few things around, and you’re ready to start bringing in clients. And if that’s not an option, check out our recently launched Template Restyling service.
About The Author
Hey! I’m Cass, a Certified Brand Coach and a Co-Founder at Lovely Impact. I help coaches elevate their businesses with beautiful branding and websites. Here on our blog, my content focuses on branding, web design, and storytelling.