Top 11 Tips for Creating a Music Website (for the D.I.Y. Rock Star) ⭐️
Loosely accompanies Gab & Jam,
We’ve talked about this before—click HERE for more on that—but D.I.Y. Rock Stars NEED a website—for SO MANY important reasons. Because creating one can be overwhelming—especially if you’re new to it—so here are some tips to help make some of the early decisions easier. –By the way, this post was inspired by Bandzoogle’s post: https://bandzoogle.com/blog/top-ten-tips-for-creating-a-music-website?utm_source=non_members_list&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=tenwebsitetips
Check out the episode for the full discussion.
As the Bandzoogle post reminds us, some important reasons to have a website as a D.I.Y. Rock Star are to have a professional online portal that engages fans, but that also helps you promote your music and upcoming events, AND—maybe MOST importantly—as a way to sell music, merch, and tickets with very little overhead. However, the article ALSO reminds us that in creating a music website requires that QUITE a few key decisions be made early on—from function to design to updating. –And even as a more seasoned artists, we are CONSTANTLY reevaluating our website, so that its function continues to grow and serve us as we grow. That’s why we thought this was a pertinent topic to bring to you all, because no matter where you are in your music creative empire building journey, this post will give you quality ideas to consider.
Here are 11 important tips for creating a website to showcase your music as a D.I.Y. Rock Star: ⭐️
1. Choose a website template
Brand match: Be sure that the template you choose—no matter which platform you choose—matches the branding that you have chosen. This means that, if you’re a hard rock band, you might want imagery and colors that bring the feeling that matches the music, so that coming to the website allows potential listeners to understand what the music might sound like.
Mobile responsive: Another important consideration is that your template be able to be resized easily and appears professional on cell phones, since MANY of your fans will likely be accessing your website this way. By choosing a template that ALREADY incorporates this functionality, you do not need to know how to code and so that your website can be updated quickly at any time with less effort.
Did you know that this is part of stage two of what we discuss in the Be the NEXT D.I.Y. Rock Star Handbook + Workbook bundle. –Get 50% off for a limited time, using the code: HOLIDAY2023.
Here's our newest "Clouds" Obtanium Flow t-shirt design: https://bit.ly/obtflwtshirt623
2. Upload a header image
Be sure to take advantage of the webpage header. In yet another branding move, THIS image is a visitor’s first impression of who you are. The post suggests this image looks professional and shows your “band in your element.” Often, this image is what appears in internet searches, so it will represent you sometimes BEFORE folks ever come to your website. Be sure it’s the strongest image you can muster, since first impressions are lasting and can be the lure.
Did you know that along with putting together our next album, we are working on our first book? Here’s the link, if you want to pre-order: https://bit.ly/diybookorder
Use the code HOLIDAY2023 at checkout for a 50% off discount. Limited time only!
3. Make a clear navigation menu
Having a clear, easy to understand navigation menu will allow fans to find what they are looking for readily. Including items like pages for your bio, upcoming shows, merch, music, and a contact page, among others, might be a great place to start. As you gain more press and are added to more playlists, you may want to add areas that showcase a few of your favorites of those.
Your music is NOT your greatest asset: https://bit.ly/151musicassetblog
4. Create a fan experience
The goal is to create a space where fans can immerse themselves into your world. Be sure that there are copious photos, videos, music, and whatever else helps fans “feel” you and your music. And you might want to add a subscription feature to offer even MORE of an interactive experience for your hard-core fans, so looking for a platform that allows this feature might be worth your while.
The benefits of having a website over social media: https://bit.ly/252websiteblog
5. Sell your music and merch
We mentioned it earlier, but one of the advantages of having your own website—as opposed to just having social media to represent you—is that you can host a store that allows fans to support you directly and commission-free. You can sell your music—as instant downloads—as well as other band merch—either through on-demand websites (embedded on your website) or directly from you (if you already have items like t-shirts in stock from live shows, etc.). It’s nice to have a permanent location for fans to access any and all of the items you have for sell, which is a great advantage of having a website as your homebase.
Here is our experience hiring artist mentors: https://bit.ly/217artistmentorrevealblog
6. Include an EPK
Your website is the perfect place to offer access to your Electronic Press Kit (also called an “EPK”). This is the ONE document that tells people looking to showcase music about you and helps you book shows, gain publicity, and get on playlists. Make sure that it is easy to assess who you are as a brand so that industry professional learn what they need to about you to help you further market your music.
Here are some EPK basics: https://bit.ly/251epkbasicsblog
Join our independent artist community Facebook group: http://bit.ly/diyrockstarjoin
7. Add a mailing list sign-up form
When it’s time to promote your music, events, merch, and more, having a fan’s email is still the most reliable way to stay in contact over the long haul. Therefore, your website should feature some way for someone to sign up to hear more from you. Most website platforms give you the option to add an email list sign-up pop-up or sidebar form, so be sure to utilize it, so that you can build your list.
8. Set up a domain name
This is yet another aspect of branding. Having a custom domain name lets folks know that you are taking your music and your D.I.Y. Rock Star journey seriously. –Ours (www.Prejippie.com) has ALWAYS been unique and makes it easy to find the latest with what we’re doing with our music. –According to the Bandzoogle post, you should choose some name that is TRULY your own and suggest that, if your artist or band name is a common word or name that you add “band” or “music” onto the back of the name. This will help your website rank in search engines, so that folks can CLEARLY find you when they search.
Here are some great reasons to use a pseudonym: https://bit.ly/128pseudonymblog
9. Consider your SEO
By carefully branding your website and content on the website, you will make sure that your music and news is Search Engine Optimized (also known as S.E.O.). You want to make sure that Google sees your events, your music, and your bio, so by naming each item on your website—including the name of your photos, name of the bio file, and your events—will bring your items in a search first. Taking the time to consistently do this will pay off over time by building up an internet experience for potential fans of your brand. And all those bread crumbs will lead to your website, where fans can find out the latest and greatest about you and your music.
Why creating a vision board matters: https://bit.ly/rockstarvision
10. Update your website often
While you don’t need to be able to code and you don’t want to change the website design often, but you DO want to be sure to add new content regularly (like new events, news, blog posts, playlists, features, and other accomplishments). In fact, neglecting to update a website often is one of the biggest mistakes they say artists make, according to the Bandzoogle post. By updating regularly, you make your website indispensable as a place to return to for updates, to buy merch and music, and to find out what you’re releasing next. –We suggest that you schedule a quarterly time-frame to re-visit these kinds of updates. By scheduling to do it, it won’t slip your mind, since we KNOW that you’re mega busy with all the other D.I.Y. Rock Star duties.
Self-Care for the D.I.Y. Rock Star: https://bit.ly/7self-care
11. Don’t be cheap
This is a tip that was NOT in the Bandzoogle article, but we thought was SO important that we HAD to add. While we understand the tendency to try to save as much money as possible. –In fact, we don’t believe in just spending money that we don’t NEED to! –However, it is worth your while to pay for the add-ons, apps, and plug-ins that allow you to present your music and brand at its best. –We found that we needed to increase the number of comments we could accept in a month, as well as adding the ability to accept credit card payments in our merch store. We didn’t want to limit how people pay for merch, so we moved our subscription to the next level to be able to accommodate these functions. So, be judicious when spending money, but don’t be so frugal that you don’t spend an extra few bucks to make your website function better for you and your fans.
Well, we hope that this post helps you, fellow D.I.Y. Rock Star, make better decisions when it comes to setting up YOUR music website hq.
What did we leave out?
We’d love to hear who we should add to our list!
Leave them in the comments below.
Want to know how to take better band photos? https://bit.ly/betterbandphotos
Which is better; releasing singles or an album? https://bit.ly/294waterfallblog
MPC One+ Unboxing: https://bit.ly/mpconeplusunboxingpost
File Management for the D.I.Y. Rock Star: https://bit.ly/229filemgmtblog
So, will we do it again? HELL, YEAH! 🙌🏾 In fact, our NEXT livestream is scheduled for Friday, January 12, where we will debut the next music video for Bourgeoisie Paper Jam’s album “Obtanium Flow” --unless you are a member of our Patreon community. (If you’re in our Patreon, you will see the video one week earlier. Join here.)
Limited edition “Obtanium Flow” designs:
· “Clouds” T-shirt design: https://bit.ly/obtflwtshirt623
· “Retro Flow” T-shirt design: https://bit.ly/flowretroshirtaug23
81+ types of social media posts: https://bit.ly/277socialmediapostsblog
If you need to do social media, here are 10+ social media tips: https://bit.ly/socmediablog
Need Contest Ideas for D.I.Y. Rock Stars? https://bit.ly/contestideasblog
Here’s what we’re into now:
· We’re featured in Variety Magazine! https://bit.ly/featuresxsw2023
· The video for “Every Heartbeat” is doing well in Indonesia! https://bit.ly/everyheartbeatvid
· The Tony Webb "Funkalicious" video is going crazy in Honduras, y'all! https://bit.ly/twebbfunkaliciousvid
· One of our videos for our song, “Tell Me What You Want,” is going gangbusters in Vietnam! https://bit.ly/tellmewhatyouwantvid
If you like this, you might enjoy:
· Basic Recording Studio Setup: https://bit.ly/246basicstudiopost
· What to do when real life interrupts your artistic process? https://bit.ly/241reallifeblog
· 7 Strategies for rebounding from creative burnout: https://bit.ly/239digoutofburnoutblog
· How to give better interviews (for D.I.Y. Rock Star): https://bit.ly/236betterinterviewsblog
· How to give better live performances: https://bit.ly/219betterliveblog
· How to collaborate better (for D.I.Y. Rock Star): https://bit.ly/Ep163collaborateblog
· How to write quicker, but better (for D.I.Y. Rock Star): https://bit.ly/228writebetterblogpost
· Should you ever play for free? https://bit.ly/214playfreeblog
· 17 Tips for taking better band photos—ESPECIALLY if you taking them yourself: http://bit.ly/betterbandphotos
NOW:
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Until next Monday, here’s wishing love, peace, and chicken grease!
Did you know that along with putting together our next album, we are working on our first book? Here’s the link, if you want to pre-order: https://bit.ly/diybookorder
Use the code HOLIDAY2023 at checkout for a 50% off discount. Limited time only!
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