What do you look for in a MA website?

[Yondanchris]

Hello all,

I am creating a website for a new martial arts organization, and I wanted to see what ya'll look for when you go to other organizations websites.

So far I have pages for:

Home/Welcome!

About Us

Mission/Vision

Statement of Faith

Leadership

Members

Certified Schools/Instructors

Join Us (Membership Application)

Events

Media (video, audio, printed material)

Contact Us

 

[Carol]

Personally I look for location, schedule, class descriptions, instructor bios and tuition rates.

 

[jezr74]

I like seeing photos of the school as well.

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[harlan]

I go right to 'About Us' and look for detailed explanation of style, lineage, teachers and syllabus. If anything about them are vague, or fails the BS meter, I move on. Any hint of 'faith' based training/context - and I write it off completely.

Hello all,

I am creating a website for a new martial arts organization, and I wanted to see what ya'll look for when you go to other organizations websites.

So far I have pages for:

Home/Welcome!

About Us

Mission/Vision

Statement of Faith

Leadership

Members

Certified Schools/Instructors

Join Us (Membership Application)

Events

Media (video, audio, printed material)

Contact Us

 

[Bob Hubbard]

My name in the credits?


Seriously, it's a good start. Question is, what is your site's purpose? New student recruitment, student resources for existing students, expanded brochure, sales, etc.

If the answer is "a little of all of those", you run the risk of being unfocused and not getting the best impact for your efforts.

 

[Cyriacus]

Personally, when i look at a MA site i look for interesting information that makes me interested enough to want to know more of it.
By that i mean, everyone puts up their mission, photos, whatever else. What i look for is something to validate all of that.

For example, if i look at a boxing site (this is just the easiest analogy i can come up with. i dont want to reference any real sites. Ive never actually looked at a boxing site) and they have a picture of a punch being done with perfect precision, that tells me precisely nothing. Show me a picture of the equipment youll have available to you. Tell me about the teacher and his experience pool. Tell me what it is youre actually teaching in more than just sweeping overviews (like, sticking to the analogy, just saying youll learn to box is preferable to saying 'youll learn how to throw a punch!' or something like that. Now just take that example and apply it to whatever youre doing. If youre teaching karate, just saying karate wont do because of how much karate there is. A history lesson might draw some people, but just basically covering what the system is actually made out of actually gives you an idea of what youd be going to look at, rather than just 'karate'.)

Thats how my interest is caught, anyway.

 

[Gnarlie]

I'm going to look at this question from a slightly different angle and tell you everything I loathe about the MA club and association websites I've visited. Essentially making a list of everything to avoid. If you successfully avoid all of these things, then your website will be awesome.

1) The website does not tailor the content to the target audience. I've been in MA for a while. I know what it is, and what benefits I get from doing it. I need different information from a newbie. Most websites have all the information on the front page, when really all it needs is a welcome message and 3 choices: newbie, experienced or member.

2) The website has animation sequences that can't be skipped. You lost me via the back button.

3) The website forbids use of the back button. You lost me via the X.

4) The website has music or intrusive advertising. Seriously, why?

5) The website uses Comic Sans. We are a professional organisation, not a child's lemonade stand.

6) Information on the website is out of date or otherwise incorrect. A cardinal sin, especially for contact details and calandar of events.

7) I can't find a phone number. I'll go to a website where I can.

8) The website FAQ's are not actual FAQ's, but rather an excuse to tell you how awesome we are. Damn it I wanted an answer to my question.

9) The site requires registration before you can access anything. Forget it.

10) Registration or contact forms are so hard to use that it takes 8 attempts filling in the same data over and over before you realise that you don't have a space in your phone number and that's why.

11) I can't see where you are. I'm looking for a club within X miles of my home/work

12) The website does not tell me when you train or does not invite me to visit. If your website is convincing I'm going to want to meet you face to face.

13) The website is so cluttered I can't find what I am looking for even if I know what it is. You have less than 5 seconds to show me what I am looking for clearly and without effort on my part. Otherwise, my finger is hovering over the back button. Be careful with the use of colour, background patterns, fonts, alignment of lists and use of space.

14) The site gives no indication of cost. Assumed expensive.

15) The site gives no indication of primary focus. Not important to a newbie perhaps, but for someone already in the game, paramount.

16) The site gives no indication of how the association fits into the big picture. How do I know that what you're doing is not some kind of hocus pocus snake oil quackery?

17) The website 404's on any sub page. Unforgivable unless accompanied by a message giving the reason.

18) The website has no search function/a search function that is as useful as using a metal detector to find a buried rubber duck in the Sahara. Again, unforgivable.

19) The website has no site map. Aargh.

20) If you give me too much information, I will judge you and make assumptions about you based on it, and probably not visit you. If you give too little information, I will probably come and investigate if you're close and you invite me.

If the website is not in the first page of Google results for martial arts + location, it's probably only going to be read by the desperate. Choose metadata and key words carefully, and speak to someone knowledgeable about increasing your positioning in the Google results list.

Final point: if you add photos and or video, number 20 applies. I will judge you, so what you post better be representative of the top end of what you can do.

Hope your website is successful, good luck.

Gnarlie

 

[Yondanchris]

Wow, thank you all for your great replies. Your input is being implemented as we speak.
I am putting the finishing touches on the site and if the powers that be approve I will
be announcing the new organization tomorrow evening! I am super excited!

 

[chinto]

Information on: style, what art and what style of said art if it has several styles, History, linage, what aspects are taught as far as armed or unarmed, for sport primarily or for self defense mostly. What organizations or associations they are part of, rank structure, who is in it and where the art is from. what the instructors linage is. that kind of thing.

 

[Ediaan]

I generally look at suitability for women, some of us have female partners that are looking for something that is not "too aggressive".

 

[Rich Parsons]

Hello all,

I am creating a website for a new martial arts organization, and I wanted to see what ya'll look for when you go to other organizations websites.

So far I have pages for:

...

Statement of Faith

...

To be honest, you lost me right here.

 

[jezr74]

To be honest, you lost me right here.

Depends on who your target audience is I guess. Of if your targeting like minded members than makes sense to have it on your site.

If you have it as part of your classes in some way, ie. A prayer before training begins, then you should have that 100%.

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[Rich Parsons]

Depends on who your target audience is I guess. Of if your targeting like minded members than makes sense to have it on your site.

If you have it as part of your classes in some way, ie. A prayer before training begins, then you should have that 100%.

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From http://usconstitution.com/

The link for the Bill of Rights: http://usconstitution.com/bill-of-rights

Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

I support the US Constitution and all of its Amendments. So I never said he COULD NOT list this, only that Faith based systems I find to be an issue. To argue over which knee should be dropped to the ground when you bow your head to a entity that exists in faith, I find to be an issue personally. If one wishes to practice a faith go practice your faith but do not combine the both.

Why?

1) It is limits your potential clients
2) You waste time people are paying you for on something they may not want or may not like
3) If they truly want a deep philosophical discussion Conversation By the Sword or Turning the other Cheek or the belief of an ancestor or guiding spirit (animal/person) I enjoy, but as a philosophical point. Not as one for trying to recruit people and or spread the teachings of said Faith System.
4) I have personal issues as well with the usual type of person who needs followers aka a cult.

As to teaching, yes teach meditation, and relaxation. Teach the body and how it works. If the person wants to learn more about the culture than they will ask and you can do so. But to have a Western based faith system combined with an Eastern Martial Art is neither. It is not longer the Eastern Martial Art, and it is no longer the Western Faith Based System.

And as the original poster stated What do you look for in a web site. I assumed he wanted my personal opinion. Although I will grant you that ya'll could have a different meaning then what I took it for.

 

[jezr74]

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From http://usconstitution.com/

The link for the Bill of Rights: http://usconstitution.com/bill-of-rights
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I support the US Constitution and all of its Amendments. So I never said he COULD NOT list this, only that Faith based systems I find to be an issue. To argue over which knee should be dropped to the ground when you bow your head to a entity that exists in faith, I find to be an issue personally. If one wishes to practice a faith go practice your faith but do not combine the both.

Why?

1) It is limits your potential clients
2) You waste time people are paying you for on something they may not want or may not like
3) If they truly want a deep philosophical discussion Conversation By the Sword or Turning the other Cheek or the belief of an ancestor or guiding spirit (animal/person) I enjoy, but as a philosophical point. Not as one for trying to recruit people and or spread the teachings of said Faith System.
4) I have personal issues as well with the usual type of person who needs followers aka a cult.

As to teaching, yes teach meditation, and relaxation. Teach the body and how it works. If the person wants to learn more about the culture than they will ask and you can do so. But to have a Western based faith system combined with an Eastern Martial Art is neither. It is not longer the Eastern Martial Art, and it is no longer the Western Faith Based System.

And as the original poster stated What do you look for in a web site. I assumed he wanted my personal opinion. Although I will grant you that ya'll could have a different meaning then what I took it for.

If the class format has a faith based inclusion, definitely have it on the site. I would want to know that before hand. (as would you) But that might be the target audience, and there is nothing wrong with that either.

I'm not arguing with you, I'm agreeing.




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[Cyriacus]

(=

If the class format has a faith based inclusion, definitely have it on the site. I would want to know that before hand.

See now, i wouldnt want anything to do with a faith based class. But if i did, id have just found what i was looking for. Which sort of works in with my original reply about getting a taste and wanting to learn more.

 

[jezr74]

See now, i wouldnt want anything to do with a faith based class. But if i did, id have just found what i was looking for. Which sort of works in with my original reply about getting a taste and wanting to learn more.

Yep, totally agree. It should be part of the site if that's the theme, is important.

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[Yondanchris]

To be honest, you lost me right here.

hopefully this clears it up for you:

www.christiankenpofellowship.com

 

[harlan]

I suspect you have either missed the point entirely, or it's a matter of selective hearing.

hopefully this clears it up for you:

www.christiankenpofellowship.com

 

[jezr74]

He is targeting like minded participants, so he's on the money.

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[jezr74]

Not sure who it was, but I got bad rep for commenting on this thread, anyone wish to explain why? Curious, as the rep comment had no text.

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