Creating a world-class band website

Posted: 22 January 2019

A website is a vital promotion tool, so we are walking you through how you can become a website wizard.

Read time: 4 mins

An artist’s website is a crucial way to connect bands with fans, and often the first point of call when someone is looking for details about you and your music. But let’s face it, as a musician you’re more into jamming than javascript, which is why we’ve put together our top tips for creating a website with the wow factor.

Use the tools out there

Starting from scratch when creating a website should only be tackled by experts, but thankfully there’s a near-endless supply of tools to give you a helping hand. Your best option is to use an online website builder such as Wix, Wordpress or Bandzoogle as they take the coding and hard work out of creating your site. Some website builders such as MusicGlue or Squarespace also offer a platform for you to sell merch and tickets direct from your website, and can even send them out for you for a fee. These services also have a wide range of templates to fit your requirements, however some charge monthly fees or a lump sum upfront, so make sure to do your research before signing up.

It’s all in the design

Once you’ve got a template you should make sure to customise it so it best reflects you and your music. There’s plenty of other bands out there, some of whom will undoubtedly be using similar templates, so make sure to upload your own logo and design elements so that you stand out. This is also a good way to create a look and feel around you as an artist that could also play into the design of an album or even your live show.

Keep it simple and easy to navigate.

People will visit your site to find out information, and most of the time are looking for details of upcoming gigs, where they can listen to your music, and how they can engage with you. Keep your key things, social links and most recent news on the homepage so people can easily find what they’re after. Better still, embed your music and videos directly so people can engage with you without ever having to leave your page. You will also want to include contact details so that bookers and venues can reach out to you with opportunities. Once you’re making a bit of a name for yourself you should also include a link to your merch but adding anything else is just complicating things.

Avoid obscure domains

No one looks professional with a default website address along the lines of www.wixsite.com/yourband. It’s definitely worth paying for your own domain so it’s more along the lines of www.yourband.com. This is usually reasonably cheap starting at around £10-15 per year, and often includes personalised email addresses e.g. bookings@yourband.com, which could make all the difference when positioning your band.

Sort your store

A good proportion of fans will come to your site looking to spend money with you, be that by buying tickets, your music or merchandise. If you have a decent range available (more on that here) then make sure to include a link to your online store. Typically bands use Big Cartel, Shopify, Squarespace or a similar online platform to take payments and sell goods, so you should look into doing the same.

Look after it

A website is only ever useful because of the information that’s on it. Make sure to keep your site up to date with the latest news and listings otherwise you’re potentially losing a lot of engaged fans. An out of date website could do more harm than good as it wastes peoples time and makes you look unprofessional.

Promote it!

Once your site is up and running make sure to let your fans know. It’s not only a great place for them to find out about what you’re up to, but it’s also a repeating circle that benefits you: the more visitors you get the more likely your website is to rise up the rankings of google, and in turn the more visitors your site is likely to get.

Ultimately…

A website is key when it comes to promoting your music and engaging with fans, but it’s easy to make a mess of it when it’s not your main focus. Keep it simple, up to date, and get honest feedback from friends to stay ahead of the game. Bravo, you’re basically Bill Gates MK II.