What a gym or fitness studio website needs

The facts here come from primary sources: Texas Occupations Code chapter 702 on health spas as the state example, the HIPAA definitions in 45 CFR 160.103, Google's guidelines for representing your business, and the W3C's explanation of WCAG 1.4.5, Images of Text. Where we give our own view, we say so.

The short answer

A gym or studio website needs the class schedule as real text, every membership option with its price, length and renewal terms in plain words, a clear page on how to cancel, booking that works on a phone, a page for each trainer, health forms that collect only what you need, photos of members who said yes, and the same name, address and hours as your Google Business Profile.

The class schedule as text

Many studios post the week's timetable as a flyer image. A screen reader cannot read it, and nobody can copy it. The WCAG success criterion on images of text asks that, where the technology allows, "text is used to convey information rather than images of text".

For each class, show the day, time, length, instructor and level. Our website accessibility basics guide covers the rest of making a page readable for everyone.

Membership options and terms

Put every option on one page: drop-in, class packs, monthly and annual memberships, and any joining fee. For each, state the price, what it includes, how long it runs, whether it renews by itself, and how much notice cancelling takes.

The website terms should match the contract, because some states treat what you advertise as a promise. Texas lets a member cancel and get back unearned payments if the gym "fails to provide advertised services". Texas also limits contract length: "the term of a contract may not exceed three years".

How to cancel: one state as the example

Rules differ by state; this is one example, not your state's law. Texas calls gyms health spas and defines one as "a business that offers for sale, or sells, memberships that provide the members instruction in or the use of facilities for a physical exercise program", with exceptions such as tax-exempt organizations and clubs owned by their members.

The Texas chapter requires the contract itself to tell members how to cancel. One required notice reads "YOU MAY CANCEL THIS CONTRACT BY MAILING TO THE HEALTH SPA BY MIDNIGHT OF THE THIRD BUSINESS DAY AFTER THE DAY YOU SIGN THIS CONTRACT", sent by certified mail to the home office. If the member cancels in that window, the gym must refund the payments "not later than the 30th day after the date notice is received". Members can also cancel for a partial refund if the gym closes without a location within 10 miles, moves more than 10 miles, or the member dies or becomes totally and permanently disabled.

Two points touch the website directly. First, a Texas health spa "may not advertise in any print or electronic medium unless the advertisement includes the health spa operator's certificate of registration number or an identification number". Second, the address members must write to should be easy to find. Our view: give cancellation its own page, linked from the membership page and footer, saying how, where and by when to cancel and what happens to payments.

Online booking

Use a booking system whose schedule embeds on your site and works without zooming, show the spots left, and state the late-cancel and no-show rules next to the book button, not only in the terms. Our guide to online booking for service businesses compares the setups.

Trainer pages

People choose a personal trainer as much as a gym. Give each trainer a short page with a real photo, what they coach, the certifications they hold, the classes they teach and how to book them.

On Google, a trainer with their own clients may fit the guideline's definition of an individual practitioner: "a public-facing professional, typically with their own customer base". The same guidelines say "Support staff should not create their own Business Profiles". The salon website guide covers staff pages and booking a person in more detail.

Waivers and health forms

Most gyms ask new members to sign a liability waiver and fill in a health questionnaire before training.

People often assume HIPAA covers every health form. The HIPAA rules apply to a "covered entity", which the definitions list as "(1) A health plan. (2) A health care clearinghouse. (3) A health care provider who transmits any health information in electronic form in connection with a transaction covered by this subchapter." A typical gym is none of these, but a studio that also bills insurance for physical therapy may be. State privacy laws may still apply.

Our view: ask only what your coaches use, collect forms through your booking system or a secure form tool rather than plain email, limit who can open them, and say in your privacy policy what you keep and for how long. Our guides on website forms and website privacy basics cover the form and policy side.

Member photos

Real class photos beat stock images, but they show your members. Our view: ask before you take a photo for the website or social media, get the yes in writing (a line in the sign-up form works), take a photo down when someone asks, and never post progress photos without clear written consent. For other images, see website photos and image licensing.

Matching your Google Business Profile

Google asks that the profile name "reflect your business’s real-world name, as used consistently on your storefront, website, stationery, and as known to customers". Use the same name, address and phone number on the website.

Hours need more thought for a gym. Google's guidelines say: "Certain types of businesses shouldn’t provide hours, including those with varied hours (like schedules for different types of activities, including showtimes, worship services, or classes)". A gym with open floor hours can list those; a studio that only runs classes may be better off leaving hours empty and linking the schedule on its website. Our Google Business Profile guide covers setup and the rest of the rules.

A short checklist (our view)

• The class schedule as text, updated the day a class changes.
• Every membership option with price, length, renewal and notice period.
• A cancellation page linked from the membership page and the footer.
• Booking that works on a phone, with late-cancel rules beside the button.
• A page for each trainer with current certifications.
• Health forms that ask only what you use, kept out of plain email.
• The same name, address and phone as your Google Business Profile.

Salons, real estate agents, contractors, accounting firms and daycares have matching guides in what a salon website needs, what a real estate agent website needs, what a contractor website needs, what an accounting firm website needs and what a daycare website needs. If you would rather have it built for you, our website development service builds custom WordPress and static websites made to load fast, rank well and be easy for your team to edit.

Frequently asked questions

Should a gym website show membership prices?

We think so. A price with its length, renewal and cancellation terms answers the questions people ask before joining, and it should match the contract.

Does a gym have to let members cancel online?

It depends on the state and the contract. Texas, for example, sets cancellation by certified mail to the home office. Check your state's law with a lawyer, and say on your website exactly how to cancel.

Is a gym health questionnaire covered by HIPAA?

Usually not, because HIPAA applies to health plans, clearinghouses and health care providers who transmit health information electronically in covered transactions. Treat the forms as sensitive anyway and collect only what you need.