20 Dec How to make a music website
A music website is one of the most effective marketing tools an artist can have to support their career. But if you’re just starting out as a musician, it’s hard to know what exactly to put on your website, or how to use its full potential.
This guide on making a music website will show you how to create an effective website that will impress your fans and industry professionals, and help to grow your fanbase as your music career expands.
How to make a music website:
1. Choose a music website template
2. Add a header image
3. Choose your colors and fonts
4. Create a clear menu
5. Create your music website pages
6. Add an EPK
7. Choose a domain name
8. Optimize your website for SEO
Why create a website for your music?
Social media is helpful in reaching fans, but making your own music website creates a better first impression to promoters, booking agents, press, and music reviewers.
A website (with your own domain name) shows that you’re an artist who is serious about their music. You can curate specific content to meet your goals, from booking shows, releasing new music successfully, or building up your email database of fans.
This guide is intended to help you make a music website that is as functional as it is beautiful. Let’s get started with creating your website — and then making sure you’re using it to full potential.
1. Choose a music website template
Building a website from scratch is a daunting task, whether you’re a musician or not. To make things easy, start by choosing a website template for your music website. This template provides the solid bones and structure — no need for you to add code.
You’ll choose a template that you like, or that works with your current branding, and then fill it out with music, text, and images. Using a template is a flexible option that will also be guaranteed to work well on mobile devices.
A few things to consider in choosing a template:
Artist branding
If you’ve been playing music for a while, you probably already have some branding in place — even if that’s just your own image. Look for a template with a large header area for a full band photo, a template with a square main image if you have a social media photo, or a template with space for a large logo.
Menu layout and position
Your music website’s menu should ideally have 5 to 8 page names. Your menu will be set above, below, or to the left of your main image, where your visitors will naturally look to locate it. A horizontal menu is common, but a vertical sidebar menu also offers a creative touch. Choose a template with a menu position that you like as a starting point.
Website content
If you plan to add a lot of content to your website (bios for all of your bandmates, or a full back catalog of music, for example), choose a template that offers a simple, full-width content area.
This will give you space to create aesthetically pleasing layouts, page by page, for all of your images and text.
Single-page website template
As an emerging artist you may want to start out with a single-page website or EPK. In that case, choose a template with a wide content area and the ability to add sections and section background images, to give your site some dynamic flow.
2. Add a header image
Using a strong artist image is a great way to instantly connect to your visitors, providing them with a sense of who you are. Make the most of this by sourcing a high-quality image to be used in the header area of your website template.
First impressions
Your main image is the thing that tells visitors they’re in the right place. Use that to your advantage to make a lasting connection by selecting an image that shows at a glance who you are and what you do.
Optimal image size
The optimal image is landscape-style — this will give you the most flexibility when choosing a website template. Try to select an image that leaves space around the edges of the subject – that will help it scale nicely to mobile. You can also choose something abstract as an image placeholder and showcase your logo.
Header text and logo
If you don’t yet have a high-quality artist image, that’s ok. You can still create a music website with a large text title or logo at the top of your page to grab attention, and make use of imagery throughout your content. If you have a logo already, use it to create consistent branding.
3. Choose your colors and fonts
To customize your music website’s design, you’ll want to consider your fonts and color choices. You can choose a simple website template that works with your current image, and run with that. You can also customize website colors and fonts to match existing branding, or create something more out-of-the-box.
Consider these things when making your website design:
Stick to a few colors
The emphasis of your website should be you and your music. With your album artwork and photos, there will be a lot of color happening. So for your pages, backgrounds, and text, stick with just a few color selections to ensure that your website’s palette does not distract from your content.
An easy way to do this is to grab a few colors from your header image and add those colors to your sections, titles, and buttons. For more tips on designing your website, see 6 design tips for your band website.
Make your text easy to read
All of the text on your page – from your musician bio, to your song descriptions, to your merch sale buttons – must be easy to read, quickly.
A classic example is black text on a white background, or vice versa. You’ll want a high contrast between your text and the background for best results.
Simple font choices
Keep the typography on your website consistent. Choose one content font and use that same font throughout all of your pages. This is especially important if you’re using different font colors in your sections. Try using a simple serif typeface for the content font throughout your website for clarity. Save the fun, quirky font for eye-catching accents, like your section titles.
4. Create a clear menu
One of your goals when making a music website should be that your visitors can easily interact with your page content. To create a seamless experience, set up your website’s navigation menu in a clear, concise way.
Make the menu easy to find
Adding a menu that’s quick to locate for first-time visitors is essential. A menu spanning across the page horizontally or a vertical side menu are your best options for your website menu.
Use 8 pages or less
Limit your website pages to 8 or less. This will create a menu that is uncluttered, and doesn’t overwhelm people with too many choices. If you have more content, add sub-pages that flow from the ‘main’ website page to keep things tidy.
Choose clear page names
Use simple page names that describe the focus of each page in your site menu. This helps your visitors quickly discover your content when they arrive on your website. It also helps with your band website SEO, making it easier for Google to index what is on each page.
5. Create your music website pages
Once you’ve got your template, design, and page structure in place, you’re ready to create the pages for your music website.
If you have plenty of content and music that you’re ready to share, break it down page by page to make a music website that’s organized, professional, and that conveys your career or current project.
Here is a breakdown of pages you can add to your website, and some content to add to each one. You can really add anything you’d like, but these ideas will help you get started:
Home page
An effective website homepage should give your visitors a glimpse into who you are and what you are currently doing. Use a main image to introduce yourself, then place additional content on the page as context.
Start by adding a relevant call-to-action to buy your latest album, book you for a show, or watch your newest video — whatever your current musical goal is. Next, add some content that will remain constant on your Home page — for example your musician bio, a mailing list sign-up form, your social media and streaming links, a few of your best tracks, or a recent music video.
Your homepage is the most visited page on your website, so you’ll want to choose the content carefully, and update it regularly.
About page
The About page is an important place for potential new fans to get to know you by reading your full story. It’s also a good spot for the media and industry to learn about your background and accomplishments.
You can include several versions of your musician bio on this page. Venues, festivals, and media outlets each have different requirements for artist information. This page is the spot to make it easy for them to copy and paste the details they need. It’s also a good place to add a photo of you or your band that’s different from the one on your homepage.
Music page
A central part of a musician’s website is the Music page. Treat it as a main hub for everything there is to know about your music. Add your albums with detailed descriptions as well as the places to stream your music. This is also a good place to sell your music online and commission-free.
Store page
Make sure to include a Store page to allow your fans to support you directly. Your dedicated Store page is the best place to sell merch, commission-free, to make some money from your music online. You can sell anything you like on your own music website, from T-shirts to mugs and stickers. You can also set up and sell digital options including lyric books, sheet music, PDFs, lessons, and more.
For merch ideas and more details on setting up your online store, check out The ultimate guide to selling band merch online.
Photos page
It’s no secret that fans love to look at photos of their favorite bands. If you include a Photos page, it will keep fans browsing your website longer. This is also a good opportunity to curate photos outside of social media and to tell your story as an active musician.
To keep your photos organized, create separate galleries that show off your promo shots, live shows, studio photos, or musical collaborations.
Videos page
Fans also love videos. In addition to providing videos for fans to enjoy, adding a selection of videos will give you more control over how your band is represented online to talent buyers or reviewers checking out your website pages.
To be sure your visitors aren’t left with an endlessly scrolling page on mobile, choose your best 6 to 8 videos for a Videos page. Then play around with laying them out in columns to get a balanced look. You can rotate these videos out as your career progresses, keeping the content fresh.
Shows page
If you’re a performing musician, you’ll want to include an Events or Shows page on your music website. This dedicated page will help you get a better turnout to your upcoming gigs.
Include details on show times, cover charges, opening bands, and the venue. You can also sell tickets to your shows directly on this page.
Promoters or venue bookers may also check out this page for further information. So keep it up to date and round it out with recent performance photos, press quotes, or a live video.
Contact page
A Contact page is an important page to include on your music website. Place it as the last item in your menu to make it easy for site visitors to find it. This could be fans, potential bookers, media, music reviewers, and more. Include info on how best to reach you or your team.
Set up a contact form with custom fields for name, email address, and more. Once filled out and submitted, you’ll get that info emailed right to your inbox.
You can also add your social media and streaming links, and a mailing list sign-up form to your Contact page.
Landing pages
If you create a music website with the above pages, you’ll end up with a well-rounded, professional website.
However, you can absolutely add more pages to fill out your online presence. One example of this would be landing pages to measure your music marketing campaigns right from your website. These pages can effectively use your other built-in features too, like your merch store or mailing list signup form.
If that’s something you want to explore, check out How to use a music landing page on your website.
You can also create a page that contains a Smart Link, or a path to all of the places your fans might want to consume your music. See How to create a Smart Link for your Music release for details on how to do that.
Overall, be sure that your page content remains current and engages your fans, creating a community around your music and marketing efforts.
6. Add an EPK
An EPK is such an important part of a website for any professional musician that it gets its own dedicated section in this guide. If you’re actively promoting a new album, gathering press for your music, or looking to book more gigs, you’ll want to create an EPK to centralize information for media and bookers.
Here’s what should be in your artist EPK:
Artist bio: Include a short and a long version of your bio in your EPK. That way venues or promoters can easily use the bio that works best for them.
High-quality photos: Provide a selection of your most recent promotional photos, with vertical and horizontal options. You can also add your album cover artwork for music reviewers if you’re looking to get press for a new release.
Music: Make your latest music available on your EPK, with links to Spotify or Apple Music so fans can also listen to your music on their preferred streaming platform. In case a reviewer wants to download your full album, include clear information on who they can contact to request a copy.
Video: Embed one or two of your best videos. If your goal with an EPK is to get more shows, add live videos to give bookers an idea of your live performance. If you’re looking to get press or reviews for your music, embed a music video or the video for your latest single.
Press and reviews: Include relevant quotes about you and your music, with links to your best reviews and interviews. This makes it easy for presenters and media to grab a quote that references your music.
Notable achievements or recent highlights: If you’ve won any awards, had success on streaming platforms, had your songs placed in movies/TV/ads, or performed at noteworthy festivals or conferences, include this information in your EPK.
Contact information: Provide detailed information on how to get in touch with you, your publicist, or booking agent. You can also add your social media links so bookers and media can quickly access your social profiles.
7. Choose a domain name
Once you have created your music website, complete with design, pages, and content, you’ll need to choose the website address (URL), or domain name. Having a custom domain name means owning a little slice of the Internet for your music and your brand, so choose your name carefully.
Even with other domain extensions available, registering a ”.com” is still the standard. Ideally you can find yourbandname.com, but if it’s not available, consider yourbandnamemusic.com, or yourbandnameband.com to keep your branding consistent.
If you already own a domain name, you can always keep that same one and point it to your music website through your band website host. You can also create a custom band email address with your domain name for an extra professional touch.
Once your domain name is set up and your content is in place, you can submit a sitemap to Google. This essentially tells the search engine what is available on your website to be indexed, and will help your artist name or band website return in search results.
8. Optimize your website for SEO
The next step in making your website come up in search results is called SEO, or Search Engine Optimization. SEO is free, and is a very effective tool used by millions of businesses to drive traffic to their websites.
For musicians, it’s a great way to get more fans engaged, listening to your music, and exploring your content.
To drive traffic to your website, and help with your SEO website, post your URL on all of your social media profiles, the sites of venues you play at, and on your business cards. This helps to position your website as the main online hub for your music, and generate the band knowledge panel that appears in Google.
Whether your goal is to book more shows, release and promote a new album, or just start building up your online profile as a serious musician, a professional website is a must-have for any musician.
We hope this guide to making a music website helps you work through the steps to creating a website that showcases your brand and your music online.
curated by ozzie small
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