The Client Session That Changed How I Build Websites

Sometimes the most useful thing a client says to you isn't the thing they intended as a revelation. It lands quietly, almost as an aside, and then something shifts in the room and you realise everything is going to have to change.

That's what happened with a client I was working with a few years ago. We were well into building her Kajabi site together: her colours, her messaging, her credentials and her accolades, a genuine showcase of everything she had accomplished over a long and impressive career. It was looking polished. It was starting to feel like her.

And then she said something that stopped me mid-flow.

"I am at least ten years ahead of the clients I serve."

She said it almost casually, as a point of context, explaining why certain things she took for granted might need more explanation for her audience. She was in a specialist field, working with people who were earlier in their professional journey, and the gap in experience and knowledge between her and the people she served was significant.

I sat with that for a moment.

And then I realised: we had been building the wrong website.

Not wrong in terms of aesthetics or technical execution. Wrong in terms of who it was actually for.

Who is the website really for?

Here's the thing I had to say to her, and it's one of those things that sounds obvious once it's been said but genuinely isn't, until it is:

I don't need you to feel good about this website. I need your clients to feel safe.

A beautifully curated showcase of everything you have achieved is deeply reassuring to your peers. To someone ten years behind you, who is still finding their footing, still not entirely sure they deserve to be in the room, it can be quietly intimidating. The very things that prove your credibility to one audience can create distance with another.

Your clients don't need to be impressed by you. They need to feel understood by you. They need to believe, from the moment they land on your site, that you know what it feels like to be where they are right now, and that you can help them get to somewhere better.

Going back ten years

So we did something I've since done with a number of clients in similar positions. We went back.

Not back in terms of dumbing down the content or diminishing her expertise. Back in terms of language, in terms of empathy, in terms of the specific fears and doubts and questions that her clients are carrying when they first start looking for help.

We asked: what was she worried about, ten years ago? What did she not know yet? What did she wish someone had said to her? What would have made her feel safe enough to take the next step?

Those questions became the foundation of the website copy. Not her story of triumph, but her clients' story of hope. Her expertise still shone through, but through the lens of what it could do for them rather than as a testament to where she had been.

The site felt completely different. Warmer. More inviting. And far more effective at converting curious visitors into people who felt ready to reach out.

What this means for your website

If you're a therapist, coach or practitioner who has been doing this work for a long time, this one is worth sitting with.

Your clients are not looking for someone who is where they want to be. They are looking for someone who remembers what it was like to be where they are. They need to feel met, not impressed.

Your credentials, your experience, your accolades: all of that matters, and there is absolutely a place for it. But it works best when it's in service of reassurance rather than performance. When it says "I know this territory deeply, and I'll guide you through it" rather than "look how far I've come."

The question to ask yourself, looking at any piece of your website copy, is: who is this for? If the honest answer is that it's for you, or for your professional peers, it may be worth revisiting.

If you'd like help looking at your website through your clients' eyes, that's one of the things I do in a 1:1 mentoring session. Sometimes an outside perspective is all it takes to see what's been there all along.

And if you're still in the earlier stages of thinking about your online presence, Start Here: Welcome Home inside The Nest is a quiet and gentle place to begin.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I write website copy that resonates with my ideal clients? Start by getting deeply clear on who your ideal client is, not just demographically but emotionally. What are they afraid of? What do they hope for? What language do they use to describe their situation? Write your copy in response to their world, not as a showcase of your own.

Should a therapist or coach's website focus on their credentials? Credentials matter and should be included, but they work best as reassurance rather than the centrepiece. Clients choose practitioners primarily because they feel understood, not because of a list of qualifications. Lead with empathy and understanding; let credentials support the case rather than lead it.

What is the purpose of a therapist's website? The primary purpose of a practitioner's website is to make the right person feel safe enough to reach out. Everything else, design, copy, structure, should serve that goal. A visitor should leave feeling that they've been understood, that help is possible, and that this particular practitioner is someone they could trust.

How do I know if my website is speaking to the right person? Read it as your ideal client, not as yourself. Better still, ask someone who resembles your ideal client to read it and tell you what they notice. If they feel impressed but not personally spoken to, the copy may be doing its job for the wrong audience.