For musicians and bands, having a website is not only a means of establishing a professional online presence, but it is also an essential tool for promoting their music and connecting with their audience.
However, building a website can be a daunting task, especially for those who lack technical knowledge and experience in web design. With countless options and technical jargon to navigate, the process of building a website can seem overwhelming.
This article aims to guide musicians and bands through the process of building a website, providing helpful tips and resources to make the process easier and more manageable.
What is a Musician’s Website?
A musician’s website is a website that is created specifically for a musician or band to showcase their music, promote their brand, and connect with their audience.
It serves as a central hub for their online presence, where fans can learn more about the musician, listen to their music, and purchase merchandise.
What Should a Musician’s Website Include?
The Basic
1. A Homepage
The homepage is the main page of a website, and it serves as an entry point to the site’s content. It is often the first impression that fans and potential fans have of the musician or band, and it can greatly influence their perception of the artist and their music. For this reason, it’s one of the most important pages on your website.
Since it’s the first page your visitors will see and as it sets the tone for the rest of your site, it’s prudent to consider its design, your branding, and how it will be represented, including colors, fonts, logos, and taglines.
With a well-designed homepage, you can create a positive first impression and encourage visitors to explore your website further. A well-designed homepage can help establish the artist’s brand identity and showcase their music in a compelling and visually appealing way. It can also provide quick access to important information such as tour dates, merchandise, and social media links, allowing fans to engage with the artist more easily.
A homepage usually contains the following elements:
- A site navigation menu with links to important sections and pages that will allow users to easily navigate your website.
- Call-to-action buttons (CTAs) that will be clearly visible, with a clear call-to-action text that will encourage users to click on it and perform the desired action, like, for example, signing up for a newsletter or making a purchase.
- Many homepages contain a hero section to immediately catch the user’s attention and nudge them towards performing a certain action.
2. An About Us Page
Another important page to have on your website is the “About Us” page. This page is crucial to establishing credibility and building trust.
The about us page often contains information about the organization, its mission, its history, and the people behind it, enabling fans to establish a connection with the musician or band and learn more about them and their values.
3. A Contacts Page
The “Contact Us” page is a crucial component of a musician’s website, as it provides a direct way for fans and industry professionals to get in touch with the artist or their team. This page typically includes a contact form, email address, and/or phone number where visitors can send inquiries or book the artist for shows and events.
4. A Header & Footer
The header and footer are essential components of a musician’s website design, as they provide a consistent and easily accessible navigation system throughout the site.
The header typically includes the website’s logo or branding, as well as a menu with links to the different sections of the site, such as the music, videos, bio, and contact pages. By providing clear and easy-to-use navigation, the header helps visitors quickly find the information they are looking for and engage with the artist’s content.
The footer, on the other hand, is typically located at the bottom of the page and includes additional links, such as social media icons, copyright information, and contact details. This section can also include a call-to-action, such as a sign-up form for a mailing list or an invitation to follow the artist on social media.
A well-designed header and footer can help establish the artist’s brand identity, increase engagement with the site, and enhance the user experience. By providing clear and consistent navigation, the header and footer help visitors easily find the information they need, while also promoting additional engagement with the artist’s brand and content.
The Advanced
While the above elements are true for all websites, a Musician’s website requires a few more elements.
Music
A musician or a band should showcase their work on their website, and to that end, they need to include either a music section or a separate page for music. There are different ways to upload music onto a page for visitors to listen to, and one of the easier methods is by using an Audio Player widget that can play music on-site.
Tours / Events
This section or page should provide information about upcoming gigs and events, including dates, times, and locations. Fans should be able to purchase tickets or RSVP directly from the website. To aid you in this, you should try using the following widgets:
- Event List: this widget can help you display your upcoming events in an organized, easy-to-follow list.
- Event Flip Cards: like the event list, the widget provides an aesthetically pleasing way of showcasing upcoming events, only in the form of cards.
- RSVP Form: to help your users RSVP to your shows.
Social Media
A musician should use the full power of social media and integrate it wherever possible on the website, including links to the musician’s social media profiles, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. This will help fans to stay connected and engaged with the musician’s updates and news.
Many different widgets can help you use social media on your website, like, for example:
- Social Links, which will enable you to add social links to your website in the most appealing manner.
- Social Feeds, which will help you link your social media links to your website, and gather all the relevant feeds in one place.
Merchandise
Many musicians and bands have their own merchandise, and, therefore, should have a section or a page that can showcase the musician’s branded merchandise, such as t-shirts, hats, and other items. Fans should be able to purchase merchandise directly from the website, so e-commerce capabilities will be required for the website.
Press Kit
For better exposure, a musician or a band should include high-resolution photos, a detailed bio, and press releases for the musician. This will help journalists and bloggers to write about the musician and promote their music.
How To Create a Stunning Musician’s Website?
Step 1: Choose Your Website Builder
There are lots of available website-building platforms today. How many you ask? Well, there are well over 200 website and e-commerce builders.
Clearly, not all are on the same level or for the same purpose, but the sheer amount is both fascinating and scary. Fascinating because it means that there’s a lot to choose from, and scary because there’s too much to choose from.
Luckily, there are around 20 that truly stand out in terms of the features they offer, how easy it is to use them, and their prices. We have a great article about the best website builders out there that you should definitely take a look at.
Great Website Builders for a Musicians Website
While the above gives you a broad overview of website building, here are some website builders that could be great for building a website for musicians:
Bandzoogle
Bandzoogle is a website builder designed specifically for musicians and bands, making it an excellent platform for building a professional and effective website. Here are some of the key reasons why Bandzoogle is a great place to build a website for musicians:
- Music-focused features: Bandzoogle offers a wide range of music-focused features, including the ability to sell music and merchandise directly from the website, create a customizable music player, and embed music videos from YouTube and Vimeo. The platform also offers options for integrating with other music platforms, such as Soundcloud and Bandsintown.
- Easy to use: Bandzoogle’s website builder is intuitive and easy to use, even for those with no coding or design experience. The platform offers a range of templates and customization options, allowing musicians to create a professional and unique website without the need for extensive technical skills.
- Mobile optimization: With an increasing number of fans accessing websites on mobile devices, it is essential for musicians to have a website that is optimized for mobile. Bandzoogle’s templates are all mobile-responsive, ensuring that the website looks great and functions well on any device.
- Affordable pricing: Bandzoogle offers affordable pricing options for musicians, with plans starting at just $8.29 per month. This makes it an accessible option for musicians at any stage of their career.
- Excellent customer support: Bandzoogle provides excellent customer support, including live chat and email support, as well as a library of resources and tutorials to help musicians get the most out of their website.
BandVista
BandVista is a website builder designed specifically for musicians, offering a range of features and tools to help musicians build an effective online presence. Here are some of the key reasons why BandVista is a great place to build a website for musicians:
- Music-focused features: BandVista offers a range of music-focused features, including the ability to sell music and merchandise directly from the website, create an events calendar to promote shows and gigs, and integrate with music platforms such as Spotify and SoundCloud.
- Customizable templates: BandVista provides customizable templates that are designed to be visually appealing and easy to navigate. The platform offers a range of options for customizing the website’s layout, color scheme, fonts, and images, allowing musicians to create a unique and professional website that reflects their brand.
- Easy to use: BandVista’s website builder is user-friendly and intuitive, making it accessible even to musicians with little or no coding experience. The platform provides step-by-step guidance and tutorials to help users get started and build their website efficiently.
- Affordable pricing: BandVista offers affordable pricing plans, starting at just $9.99 per month. This makes it an accessible option for musicians at any stage of their career, from independent artists to established bands.
- Customer support: BandVista provides excellent customer support, with a range of resources and tutorials available to users. The platform also offers email and phone support, ensuring that users can get help when they need it.
Choose a Hosting Plan (Optional)
Depending on what website builder you chose, you may have to get a hosting plan separately. We have a great guide on the top 10 hosting providers available on the market. Mind you that many of these offer the option to get a domain name, too.
Choose a Domain Name (Optional)
Depending on what website builder you choose, and on what hosting plan you choose, you may have to get a domain name separately.
Step 2: Start Designing Your Website
Choose a Template (Optional)
Some website builders offer pre-made templates that you can choose from for specific website types. This is a great way to save time on design.
Choose Color Schemes
Choosing the right color scheme for a musician’s website is crucial as it can help convey the mood, style, and overall branding of the musician or band. Colors have a psychological impact on people, and they can evoke certain emotions and feelings.
For example, darker colors like black and gray may convey a mood of intensity or mystery, while brighter colors like yellow and orange can be associated with energy and excitement.
Additionally, color schemes can help create consistency throughout the website, making it more visually appealing and easier to navigate.
By choosing a color scheme that aligns with the musician’s brand and music style, visitors to the website will get a better sense of who the musician is and what their music is all about.
Choose Fonts
Choosing the right fonts for a musician’s website is also important as it can impact how the website is perceived by visitors. Fonts can convey a sense of personality, style, and mood, just like color schemes.
For example, a bold and edgy font may be suitable for a rock band, while a more elegant and refined font may be better suited for a classical musician.
When choosing fonts, it’s important to consider readability and legibility. The font should be easy to read, even on smaller screens, and not strain the eyes of visitors. Additionally, the font should be consistent throughout the website, creating a sense of harmony and cohesiveness.
Some relevant font options for musician websites include Arial, Helvetica, Montserrat, Playfair Display, and Roboto.
Add a Hero Image
A hero image is a large, visually striking image that appears at the top of a webpage, typically on the homepage. A hero image is the first thing that visitors to a website will see, and it sets the tone for the entire website. It can add visual interest and make a website more engaging, it can be an effective way to communicate a musician’s brand and identity, and finally, it can be used to tell a story or convey a message.
Add CTAs
CTA’s are important for conversions, no matter what you are looking for. Whether you want users to subscribe or purchase something, you will need a CTA.
A musician’s website can have several CTAs (calls-to-action), which are buttons or links that encourage visitors to take a specific action.
Here are some examples of CTAs that a musician’s website can have:
- Listen to music
- Buy music or merchandise
- Attend a concert or show
- Join the mailing list
- Follow on social media
Step 3: Publish The Website
When you are done designing your website, publish it. And that’s it.
How To Enhance Your Musicians Website for Better Engagement & Conversions?
Enhance Your Website With Powerful Widgets
While many of the website builders we recommended are great for building your musician’s website, they are somewhat limited in the features and tools they offer, and, in a competitive world, every additional feature that you can add to your website can be a game changer.
That’s where Common Ninja comes in to save the day.
Common Ninja offers an extensive, ever-growing collection of professional and reliable widgets that will help you save time and money and improve your website beyond what your current website-building platform offers.
Common Ninja’s widgets are free, fully customizable, perfectly responsive, and easy to use (just check our YouTube guides), so be sure to check them out, and greatly improve your website.
Common Ninja — The Only Collection of Widgets You’ll Ever Need
Content
Content is an important part of any website, no matter what niche it’s in. Content can include anything from text, images, videos, and other media that informs, educates, or entertains the audience, and we highly recommend that you add good content to your website.
It is crucial for several reasons:
- It provides value to visitors — good content, can provide value to users, whether these are guides, service or product comparisons, tips, tricks, or other equally helpful content.
- It builds trust and credibility — by creating good, well-written, and well-researched content, you can increase trust in your brand and improve its credibility.
- It improves SEO: Search engines like Google prioritize websites with high-quality, relevant content, so by creating content that includes relevant keywords and provides value to your audience, you can improve your website’s search engine rankings and drive more traffic to your website.
- It drives conversions — well-written content that addresses pain points, with strategically placed CTAs can drive conversions, such as sign-ups, purchases, or inquiries, up.
- It establishes your brand’s voice and identity — the content on your website is an opportunity to establish your brand’s voice and identity. Consistent and high-quality content can help your brand stand out and create a memorable impression on your audience.
Optimization
Optimizing a website is essential for improving its visibility on search engines, increasing traffic, and improving the user experience, and we’ve written a great article about it.
Here are some effective ways to optimize your website:
- Remove unnecessary distractions
- Improve page speed
- Optimize for mobile
- Optimize forms
- Write good copy
- Write good CTAs
- Define and communicate your value proposition
- Localize content
Promotion
Promoting a website is essential for increasing its visibility and driving traffic to it.
It requires time & effort, and here are some ways that can help you promote your website:
- Social Media: Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram are great for promoting your website, building a following, and driving traffic to it.
- Email marketing: Building an email list is an effective way to promote your website, reach your audience directly, and keep them updated on your latest content or products.
- Paid advertising: Paid advertising through platforms like Google Ads or social media ads can help you reach a larger audience and drive targeted traffic to your website.
- Collaboration: Collaborating with other websites in your niche can help you gain exposure, drive traffic to your site and improve your SEO via backlinking.
- Incentives: Offering incentives like discounts, free trials, or giveaways can attract new users to your website and encourage them to share it with others.
Conclusion
In conclusion, building a website for musicians is essential in today’s digital age as it provides an excellent opportunity to showcase your music, promote your brand, and engage with your fans. While it can be challenging to create a website from scratch, there are many website builders, such as Bandzoogle and BandVista, that offer musician-specific features and easy-to-use interfaces.
Whether you’re an established musician or just starting, having a website is crucial for building your online presence and reaching new fans, so don’t hesitate to start building your website today!
