If you want to become a successful Indie artist, maintaining a website is one of the most important factors
Connect with your Fans!
Fans like to connect with the artist they hear and relate to. Having a personal website is one of the best tools to provide personal acquaintance. However, keeping up with the changing and often technical demands of maintaining a website is not easy for an artist. Especially one who would rather spend that time on creative pursuits or actually talk to the fans.
This is the reason why most of the independent artists prefer to outsource their web designing needs to small companies, freelancers etc. Usually, these companies are good but there are some points that an artist should also understand so that he/she does not lack behind in the digital game.
Focusing Points for your Website:
- Due to recent stress on secure sites by Google, it is essential to have an ‘https’ address in your website, which can be availed by installing an SSL certificate on your server — if it sounds a bit technical to you, ask your developer and they will do it. Don’t ignore this for any reason!
- Do not have Flash used on your website — it is a big no-no by search engines and even users do not like websites with Flash because they are very bulky and are no longer appealing.
- Keep your website updated and fresh.
- Do not have more than one website — if you do, keep them for separate purposes and promote accordingly.
- If you also plan on selling your music from your own website, make sure the payment gateway and checkout system are efficiently integrated with your website because users do not like to hassle with it if they are buying your music.
It does not hurt to talk to your web developer once in a while if you want to keep yourself updated with the trends and practices. It helps in understanding the business better and also give you an edge when it comes to promoting and selling your music online.
