Going Pro: Building A Website For Your Tarot Business

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So you have decided to make that step towards reading professionally. In our pro series we are covering a lot of the basics you need to get started. This week, we go beyond our first article and start talking about the meat and potatoes of what your website should include. These are not hard and fast rules, just things that I have picked up through experience, trial and error and various seminars. Keep reading to get to work on your website today!

Domain Name, Check! Webhost, Check!
Now What?The first thing to think about is how are you going to get paid? This one seems like a no brainer, but it really needs some thought before you get too far into the design process. If you use a site like Weebly to create your site then you have the option of using their e-commerce function to use PayPal or Stripe for payments - and it integrates nicely into the page. You also have the option if you are doing your own coding you can also code PayPal buttons for checkout. The benefits of PayPal is that it is universally recognized and money is deposited instantly. Stripe has really low fees, integrates seamlessly and gives that extra level of security, but funds can take up to 7 days to deposit into your account. Once you have decided how you will get paid it is time to think about the site itself.

Basic Design
For a business that has a little bit of a "mystical" factor to it there seems to be an overwhelming urge to use starry backgrounds, crystal balls, etc... My personal pet peeve is a black background with white writing. While you may think it looks good, the truth is that it is hard to read and you will see your bounce rate skyrocket. Also, please for the love of god DO NOT have your page set to play any kind of music automatically! This is also a huge turnoff for people, especially if there is no easy way for them to mute it. It is best to have white space with dark colored writing, which allows buttons and pics to pop off the background, all without assaulting potential clients eyeballs.

Landing Page
Here is where my opinion differs from those out there who look at websites and critique them. I've been told that as a tarot reader the first thing on your site should be all about you. How you came to start reading, your personal beliefs, etc... I think this is crap advice. This information belongs on an ABOUT ME page. If a person is stumbling across your page they want to see what you offer. You have about 10 seconds to make a good impression on a person and convince them to stay. A good landing page should allow your potential clients to make that choice to stay or go in the first few seconds.  Make it easy for them to find how to book a reading with you.

What are you offering?
Are you offering classes? Products? or just readings? If you offer more then just readings then those other hings should really have a page of their own. You should have a page dedicated to just readings. Start with 2-3 offerings, because it can be VERY overwhelming for a client to come onto a site and the reader offers 30 different spreads. I would rather work with a reader that is AMAZING at a couple of spreads then just ok at 30 of them. You can always add more offerings later if customers request them. You can also do what I do where I offer some basic spreads, a signature spread and then an option for a "custom" spread if they need a spread I don't advertise. Make sure that you have prices with your offerings as well. There is no bigger turnoff as a client then to go onto a site, see a reading that I think would be perfect only to find that I have to email or call for the price. I'll just leave. First, I hate to talk on the phone and second, if I decide not to get a reading with you because it is too expensive I have just wasted your time and mine. It's annoying. Don't do it!

What ARE your prices?
Think about this one long and hard before you make any decisions.  The temptation may be to search other readers, take a look at their prices and then price yourself just a little lower. BAD IDEA! All this does is gradually cheapen the industry as a whole as everyone has to resort to undercutting everyone else to get any business and pretty soon you won't be able to GIVE your readings away. Now think about what you are offering. Let's say that your signature reading on your site is going to be a 5 card relationship spread. How long does it take you to do the reading? Not just laying out the cards, but interpretation of them as well. Also take into consideration the time to type it up if you are delivering by email, or the time/cost of delivering via Skype or video. So let's say that your 5 card reading, typed up takes you half an hour. Let's compare the pricing strategy of two different readers:

Reader A: $5.00
Reader A decides to price low at $5. While that may not seem horrible, think of it this way: This reading take 0.5 hours to complete for which you get paid $5 (let's not even talk about PayPal fees,etc). That means that this reader is making $10/hr. Not bad right? Maybe - but not a great wage for someone who wants to be a full time reader.

Reader B: $10.00
Reader B decides to go a little higher at $10. The reading still takes a half hour to complete for which the pay is $10 (again not even accounting for PayPal fees etc...) That means this reader is making $20/hr. Much better - but is it enough? Think about this. Pricing is very important. Clients are paying you for a service, not some bobble they can get from China for pennies.

Think about what your ideal pay per hour is. If you want to operate full time this should be what you need to charge in order to replace your current income level.  Go through your offerings and time how long each one takes you to complete. This will help you determine a rate base don ideal pay per hour. We will go much more in depth into pricing with a future post, but for now these are the things to think about.

The 5 pages that EVERY tarot site should have
You can have more pages then this (especially if you are offering classes or actual products too) but these are the bare essentials in my opinion. Other then your landing page you should have

• Services Page: What do you offer for readings and how are they priced?
• Ethics/Terms of Service: What will you read about? Who will you read for? Do you offer refunds? What is your cancellation policy? Do you require payment upfront? etc... These are all things that you should consider.
• Testimonials: This is where you should be able to show potential clients the value of your readings. Mix glowing reviews with maybe not so great reviews. It makes you more trustworthy and allows the client to see that you aren't just blowing smoke up their ass.
• Blog: Ok, so this one isn't for everyone, but if you are serious about developing your site it is a must have. Not only does a blog allow clients to see your personality but it also keeps the site content fresh which is important for search engine optimization. A site that is updated regularly will show up higher then one that has all the right keywords but hasn't been updated in 5 years. You can talk about favorite decks, spotlight a card in depth, etc..
• About Me/Contact Page: THIS is where you should write up the big blurb about who you are, where you are from, why you started reading tarot etc. It is also a good place to talk about any certifications or special qualifications that you have. Be sure to include a contact form so clients can ask questions, and consider a newsletter signup as well.

Hopefully this helps give you some direction. We will dive a little deeper into pricing strategies next time. In the meantime, if you have any questions be sure to comment and we will answer each one as best we can!