What Does Your Website Say About You?
Websites are important. They are a central hub for any business or brand online. Sure, most people use social media to find what they want, but a website confirms your authority.
If you are a business, a website will cement in peoples minds that you are the real deal, if you are an artist or a band, a website will be a centralised hub for your fans to access all your content, social media streams and access your store to buy your music and merchandise.
You should never overlook the benefits of having a website, especially for SEO authority. Well made websites rank very highly in Google and when people are seraching for your speciflc skill/artist/band, if you work hard you can get your rankings high. The great news in 2019 is that website design is no longer something that costs thousands of pounds and it is no longer some mythical artform performed only by computer savvy wizards living in a basement (Ok, I'm generalising here!). Any of us, tech savvy or otherwise, can start up and build our own website to push our name forward. Here are a few things you need:
1. A Domain Name - There are plenty of repositories online that you can purchase a domain name. Most .com domains cost in the region of £10-15 a year with discounts for longer purchase. You never truly own a domain name, see it as more of a long term lease.
2. Web Hosting - You need hosting. Hosting is a space on a service in cyberspace where your website lives. This is essentially you renting a plot of land on the internet to park your data. Your domain name (URL) then directs the user to your space to access your content.
3. A Web Builder - You can go old school and learn HTML coding, or you can use a visual builder like Wordpress or GoDaddy. These systems often allow you to integrate third party plugins to connect your website to whatever other services you may need. Wordpress has been the choice of musicians for years because it's infinitely compatable with so many plug ins and systems that you can create a hub to run everything from. You can even build your own store with free plugins like WooCommerce and sell your products directly to the consumers who want them.
10 years ago the idea of having a band website was an expensive one. It would cost a lot of money and take a lot of time. Now, for a very minimal outlay and a few hours of your time you can craft one to your own spec. Sure, you might need to spend some time watching Youtube videos on how to work these systems and the basics of web design, but it's a skill that a singing teacher or a banker can learn themselves. Get online today, build your website and build your brand!