INDIE ARTIST INSIDER #011
Your Band’s Website

Welcome to a brand new feature here at SongCast, the Indie Artist Insider.  Every week, we will post a new video containing tips, tricks, and sound advice on how to succeed in the music business.  We will start off targeting those who are new to the music scene and progress into topics for the most seasoned and veteran musicians. 

Welcome to a brand new feature here at SongCast, the Indie Artist Insider.  Every Monday, we will post a new video containing tips, tricks, and sound advice on how to succeed in the music business.  We will start off targeting those who are new to the music scene and progress into topics for the most seasoned and veteran musicians.

Hello and welcome to another edition of the Indie Artist Insider, in this episode, we will talk about your band’s website.

Your band’s website is very important to the overall image and growth of your band.  It is the official place where you should put all relevant band information.  While social media can be great for your band, your official website is the one and only place that definitively describes and outlines your band.

You will need to make sure every page is regularly updated and contains relevant and timely information.  Don’t let your website cast a shadow of inactivity or laziness upon the band.  Impress website visitors with content that is engaging and creative.

Your Homepage or landing page is the most important page on your website, as it will be everyone’s first impression.  Make it striking, use powerful, appealing visuals, make it interactive, well organized, and easy to navigate.  A menu of all available pages on the site should be located on your homepage, as well as copyright information, a way for viewers to sign up for a mailing list, and social media icons, which link to the band’s respective social media profiles.

Most people will only stay on your landing page for a few seconds before deciding to bail or delve into your website.  Make navigation and menus easy to find and easy to navigate.  People will leave if they can’t easily figure out how to get where they want.

Make sure your website is adaptable to most phones and platforms.  Try it out on various cell phones, tablets, laptops, and computers, before going live.  Make sure it is compatible with most systems and operating systems.

For content, your website should include bio information, photos, videos, links to stream and purchase music, a link listing live appearances, and other things you may want to include like a band blog, live streaming events, etc.  View the websites of bands in your area and bands from around the world.  See what you like and see what you don’t.  Make a list of everything you want to offer to visitors of your website and start compiling the content.

New content can be endless.  Update fans on new songs that are being written, recorded, and released, talk about upcoming shows, arrange meet and greets to get to know fans and bring them in as regular consumers of your content and music.  Always try to be interactive, engage your fans, use polls, contests, and other fun games to keep them engaged and participating in band activities.  Encourage the use of hashtags and the sharing of web and social media links to their friends and family, to keep expanding your presence.

A visually interesting, easy to navigate, regularly updated website is essential in today’s digital world.  Make your website the best it can be, as it is a unique representation of you and your music, much more so than your social media, which we covered in a previous edition of this series.

I’m Joe Kleon for the SongCast Indie artist Insider.

If you have any topics you would like to see covered on the Indie Artist Insider, please email host Joe Kleon at promotions@songcastmusic.com