Website design for gyms
Website design for gyms
Most gym websites look fine and do very little. The problem is usually not the design — it’s that the site never answers the questions a first-timer is actually asking. What class should I start with? What do I wear? Is this right for a complete beginner?
I build gym websites that answer those questions before anyone has to ask.
I’m TJ. I’m based in Mellor Brook, near Blackburn. I trained for 12 years across martial arts and spent five years in conversion-rate optimisation. I build websites for combat sports gyms and martial arts clubs across Lancashire. I’ll come to your gym and tell you straight what needs fixing.
The job of your website
Your website should make the first step easier
Someone finds your gym on Google or Instagram. They click through to the site. They have about 30 seconds to decide whether they are going to enquire or close the tab.
Most gym websites do not answer the things nervous beginners and parents are thinking about. Where do I park? What happens on the first night? Will I be the only one who does not know what they are doing?
A good gym website removes the friction. It explains the experience before anyone arrives. It makes the enquiry feel low-stakes. And it works on a phone, because that is what most people are using when they find you.
The goal is not a pretty website. The goal is a website that makes more people take the next step.
I work with gyms and martial arts clubs across Lancashire. Most of the work is for BJJ academies, boxing gyms, MMA gyms, Muay Thai clubs and karate dojos, but the same principles apply to any combat sports or fitness gym.
I’ll come to your gym, look at the site with you and tell you straight what is making enquiries harder than they need to be.
What’s included
What a gym website needs to do
- A homepage that explains what you do and who it is for. Not a generic welcome message. A clear, direct answer to what the gym offers and who should come.
- Class pages for different audiences. Beginners, kids’ classes and different disciplines should each have their own space, not share a single “classes” page that confuses everyone.
- A timetable that reads clearly on mobile. Not a screenshot of a PDF, not a table that requires horizontal scrolling.
- A trial enquiry route that does not ask for too much. Name, email and what they want to try. That is usually enough.
- First-session information. What to bring, what to wear, how early to turn up. This removes the fear that stops people from enquiring in the first place.
- Local SEO basics built in from the start. Page titles, headings and location signals that help your gym show up for local searches.
- Copy written for your gym. Not a template. Not AI-generated filler. Real copy written around what your gym offers and who it is for.
- A proper handover. You should be able to update your own timetable, add photos and make basic changes without calling anyone.
Platforms
WordPress, Shopify and Wix
I work with WordPress, Shopify and Wix websites. The right platform depends on what your gym needs the site to do, not what sounds clever.
WordPress is the most flexible option for gyms with multiple class types, a blog, multiple locations or complex page structures. More control in the long run.
Shopify works well if the gym sells merchandise or supplements alongside memberships. Wix is a simpler option for smaller gyms that want something easy to manage themselves without help.
I’ll recommend the right platform after understanding what you need the site to do.
Scope
How I scope the project
Every gym is different, so I scope the project around what your site actually needs to do.
Some gyms need a cleaner homepage, class pages and a better trial enquiry route. Others need more detail — instructor bios, kids’ classes, timetable pages, competition content or local SEO.
I’ll look at what you have now, talk through what needs fixing and give you a clear proposal before anything starts. No vague agency package. No surprise extras halfway through.
Coverage
Where I work
Lancashire and the parts of Greater Manchester within 45 minutes of Blackburn. Preston, Burnley, Bolton, Accrington, Chorley, Clitheroe, Darwen, Nelson, Colne, Rossendale and everywhere between.
More detail for your discipline
Specific to your gym type
Each discipline has its own page with specific details about what that type of gym needs from a website.
Website design questions.
Free 30-minute site review
Worth a conversation.
Drop me a message or give me a ring. I’ll come to your gym, look through the site with you and tell you straight what is making enquiries harder than they need to be. No pitch.