The Complete Guide to Setting Up Your myMA Website for Conversions
Practical, jargon-free advice from the team behind hundreds of martial arts websites — on turning more visitors into enquiries, trial bookings and new members.
JUMP TO A SECTION
- Introduction: Every Website Has a Job to Do
- 1. Your Website Is More Than an Online Brochure
- 2. Think Like a New Student (or Parent)
- 3. Tell Your Story, Not Just Your Sales Pitch
- 4. Make the Next Step Obvious
- 5. Your Website Shouldn't Work Alone
- 6. Make Joining Just as Easy
- 7. Build Trust Before They Walk Through the Door
- 8. Answer Questions Before They're Asked
- 9. Keep Your Website Alive
- 10. Preparing Your Website for AI Search
- Your Website Health Check
Introduction: Every Website Has a Job to Do
Every week we see martial arts schools make small changes to their website that have a real impact on enquiries and trial bookings.
The good news: those improvements rarely need a full redesign. More often, it’s about making it easier for prospective students and parents to understand your club, trust it, and take the next step.
We’ve built and supported hundreds of martial arts websites, which gives us a fairly unique view of what works — and what doesn’t. This guide shares the ideas we’ve developed from that experience, to help your website work harder at attracting new students and converting visitors into trial bookings.
There’s no marketing jargon or technical SEO here — just practical ideas you can apply whether you’re launching a new myMA Website or improving the one you already have.
1. Your Website Is More Than an Online Brochure
Years ago, a website was little more than an online leaflet: class times, a phone number, maybe a few photos.
Today, it’s often the first interaction someone has with your club — before they call, before they visit, before they book a trial. It’s already answering questions and shaping first impressions.
A parent might be comparing several clubs before deciding where to take their child. An adult thinking about starting martial arts may be nervous and looking for reassurance. Your website should help both of them feel confident about taking the next step.
Rather than trying to impress visitors with lots of information, focus on helping them. Can they quickly tell:
- What you teach?
- Who your classes are for?
- Where you’re based?
- How to get started?
If yes, you’re already ahead of most club websites.
NEST Tip: Imagine you’ve never heard of your club. Visit your homepage and give yourself ten seconds — could you answer those four questions? If not, start there.
How myMA Helps: Every myMA Website is designed to help visitors find what they’re looking for quickly, on a computer, tablet or phone.
2. Think Like a New Student (or Parent)
One of the biggest mistakes we see is clubs writing for existing members instead of new visitors.
Your members already know what “Little Ninjas” means. A parent visiting for the first time doesn’t.
Instead of just listing your classes, explain who they’re for and why someone should choose them.
Rather than:
Little Ninjas
Try:
Fun martial arts classes for children aged 4–6 that build confidence, improve listening skills and burn off plenty of energy in a safe, supportive environment.
You’re not just describing the class — you’re helping parents picture their own child taking part.
The same goes for adult classes. Don’t assume everyone wants to become a champion — some people simply want to get fitter, meet new people, or try something completely different. Help visitors see themselves training with you.
Common Mistake: Using club terminology that only existing members understand.
NEST Tip: Ask someone outside your club to read your class pages. If they have questions afterwards, your website probably needs to answer them.
How myMA Helps: Our website templates make it easy to create a dedicated page for every class, so you can explain exactly who each programme is for.
3. Tell Your Story, Not Just Your Sales Pitch
Every martial arts club has a story. Unfortunately, many websites hide it behind polished marketing phrases:
“We’re the leading martial arts academy…” “World-class instruction…” “Changing lives…”
There’s nothing wrong with those statements, but almost every club says something similar. What people actually want to know is why you started teaching, what you enjoy most about coaching, why families stay with your club for years, and what makes a first lesson different.
Those are the things that make your club memorable. Parents don’t just choose a timetable — they choose people they trust.
That’s becoming true for search engines and AI tools too: they’re increasingly good at recognising genuine, original content over generic marketing copy.
So show your personality — share instructor stories, celebrate student achievements, talk about your club culture. Write as though you’re speaking to someone in reception asking questions, not writing an advert. Your personality is something no competitor can copy.
Common Mistake: Trying to sound like every other martial arts website.
NEST Tip: If a sentence could appear on any club’s website, rewrite it until it sounds like yours.
How myMA Helps: Use your Blog, instructor profiles and photo galleries to tell your story and show prospective students what training at your club is really like.
4. Make the Next Step Obvious
Imagine someone has decided to book a trial. What happens next — can they book immediately, or do they have to hunt for a contact form, send an email and wait for a reply?
Every extra step is another chance for them to change their mind. Your website should make the next action obvious, whether that’s booking a trial, getting in touch, or finding your timetable. Don’t make visitors work for it.
Keep your main call to action visible throughout your site, and make sure it works as well on a phone as it does on a desktop.
Common Mistake: Giving visitors too many choices.
NEST Tip: Every page should answer one question — “what do I want someone to do next?” — then make that action easy.
How myMA Helps: The myMA Booking Widget lets prospective students book a trial directly through your website, for a smoother path from first visit to first lesson.
5. Your Website Shouldn't Work Alone
Many websites make the same mistake: someone books a trial, and then nothing happens. From the visitor’s side, it can feel like their enquiry has disappeared into a black hole.
A better experience keeps the conversation going automatically. After someone books a trial, they could receive a confirmation email, details of where to find you, what to wear, answers to common questions, and a reminder before their lesson. After the trial, a follow-up email can thank them for attending and explain how to join.
These small touches reassure prospective students while cutting the amount of manual admin for your team. Your website shouldn’t be an island — it should connect to the rest of your club’s systems, so there’s one continuous thread from first click to first lesson.
Common Mistake: Treating the booking confirmation as the end of the journey.
NEST Tip: Think about the questions people ask before their first lesson, then answer them before they need to ask.
How myMA Helps: Automated Emails and the myMA CRM help you stay in touch with prospective students, keeping them informed without creating extra work for your team.
6. Make Joining Just as Easy
Booking a trial is only part of the journey — joining your club should be just as simple.
Think about the moment someone decides to become a member. They’ve enjoyed their first lesson and they’re ready to start. The last thing they want is paperwork, delays, or having to come back next week to finish signing up.
If they’re ready to join, let them. With Packages, new students can complete their details, sign the necessary agreements and set up their Direct Debit online, there and then. It’s quicker for them, it’s less admin for your team, and it makes for a far smoother enquiry-to-membership experience.
Common Mistake: Making joining more complicated than it needs to be.
NEST Tip: Every unnecessary form, phone call or delay increases the chance someone changes their mind.
How myMA Helps: Packages let prospective students sign up online and set up their Direct Debit as part of joining, cutting paperwork while keeping the process professional.
7. Build Trust Before They Walk Through the Door
People are trusting you with something important — their child, or their own fitness journey. They want to know they’re making the right decision.
Help them feel confident before they ever visit. Include real photos, instructor profiles, testimonials, student success stories, your club’s history, and your qualifications and affiliations.
Don’t worry about looking perfect — authenticity builds trust far better than polished marketing.
Common Mistake: Using stock photos instead of showing your own club.
NEST Tip: If someone can picture themselves training with you, they’re much more likely to book a trial.
How myMA Helps: myMA Websites make it easy to showcase instructors, galleries, testimonials and club achievements throughout your site.
8. Answer Questions Before They're Asked
You’ve probably answered the same questions hundreds of times: Is my child too young? What should I wear? Can adults start as beginners? Do I need to be fit first?
If people are asking those questions, they belong on your website. It saves you time, and it helps visitors feel confident before they get in touch — while keeping your site useful and relevant, which matters increasingly for both search engines and AI search.
Common Mistake: Assuming people already know the answers.
NEST Tip: Every question you’re asked in person is a potential article or FAQ for your website.
How myMA Helps: The built-in Blog makes it easy to answer common questions, share advice and keep your website fresh with useful content.
9. Keep Your Website Alive
Your website isn’t something you build once and forget — though that doesn’t mean publishing a new article every week. Small, regular updates make a big difference.
Share gradings, competition results, student success stories, club events, charity fundraising, new classes and helpful advice. Every update shows your club is active, and gives people another reason to visit.
Common Mistake: Only updating your website when something goes wrong.
NEST Tip: If you’ve posted something interesting on social media, could it also become a short news article on your site?
How myMA Helps: Your myMA Website includes everything you need to publish news, blogs and updates — no technical knowledge required.
10. Preparing Your Website for AI Search
Google isn’t going away, but the way people search is changing. More people are asking AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude for recommendations instead of typing keywords into a search engine.
The good news: you don’t need to learn a completely new way of building your website. The same things that help people trust your club also help AI understand it — explaining who your classes are for, telling your story, answering common questions, keeping your information accurate, showing real reviews, and updating your site regularly.
Rather than writing for search engines or AI, focus on writing for the people you want through your doors. The clearer and more helpful your website is, the easier it becomes for people — and AI — to understand what makes your club special.
Common Mistake: Filling pages with marketing slogans and keywords instead of useful information.
NEST Tip: If your website genuinely helps a nervous parent decide whether to book a trial, you’re heading in the right direction.
How myMA Helps: myMA Websites are built on fast, mobile-friendly pages with flexible content, so it’s easy to keep your site accurate, helpful and up to date.
Your Website Health Check
Before you finish, ask yourself:
- Can a new visitor immediately see what we teach?
- Is it clear who our classes are for?
- Have we shown the people behind the club?
- Can someone easily book a trial?
- Is joining as simple as possible?
- Do we answer the questions new students ask most often?
- Are we regularly sharing news and success stories?
- Does our website feel welcoming and up to date?
Answered “no” to any of those? You’ve found your next improvement. Don’t try to change everything at once — pick one area, improve it, and see what difference it makes.
Your Website Is Just the Beginning
A successful website does more than look professional. It introduces your club, builds trust, encourages trial bookings, answers questions, and welcomes new members — then supports them long after they’ve joined.
When your website works alongside the rest of the myMA platform — from online trial bookings and automated emails to Packages, Direct Debits and member management — you create an easier experience for your students, and save valuable time for your team.
Every improvement removes another barrier between someone discovering your club and becoming a long-term member. That’s what a great martial arts website should do.