$40.00 for one year sounds high ....should be no more than $9.99 , unless you are registering more than a .com , like .net etc......

The price tag included a few extras, which I hoped would bring more hits.

Gary

You can have your own Website, Webserver, and domain name for $119.00 a year with 5 email addresses, streaming audio/video, and tons of hard disk space.

Gary,
Fran is right, the site verifies your credibility... try to keep it.

This thread harkens back to the marketing discussion we had a few weeks ago. My website does real well for me...I'm getting several bookings a month through it and I know for a fact the website is partially responsible.

I don't know that I agree it "verifies" anything in and of itself. Recently I heard the story from a client who had gone to someone's website...listened to their demo...and on the basis of that hired the act for a function. The performance she heard that night bore little resemblance to what they had on their website. She said to me that she thought they were ok to book "because their website looked so nice..."

A comprehensive website certainly allows you to communicate information to potential and existing clients. For me its well worth $9.99 a month for the hosting fees given what I get in return...(huge space, more email accounts than I can use, technical support, etc...)

Its also a big time saver...I have more than a dozen clients who use the on line scheduler to set up dates for the future. The fact that they can go on to the site and see what dates are open, which saves time for both of us, has been complimented on several times. I have 96 dates for 2009 already set up by existing clients ... with the vast majority of them utilizing the website to set up.

I'm surprised how many performers don't post their performances on their websites. For those of you who don't, can you comment on why?

Thanks-

------------------
Bill in Dayton

[This message has been edited by Bill in Dayton (edited 09-18-2008).]

Can someone suggest a good Web Host (that you have experience with) that has tools or templates that are easy to set up and use? (for dummies like myself) I had one set up for my piano lessons, which I just dropped because of a lack of support, emails ignored, etc...Been kicking around setting one up for my performance side, as well as teaching. Thanks, Gary.

Lunarpages is very good. I haven't taken advantage of the templates yet, but lots of others have. Support and service is great.
It's the same company that psrtutorial uses.
DonM

Actually, I use www.googlepages.com for my website. I registered my domain name thru www.godaddy.com and easily have my www.cassponline.com hits sent to the actual site at http://cassp50.googlepages.com/home

I may not get any jobs from it, but for me it's a good place to send clients to view topics or listen to music.

I'm one to talk, because I don't have a site, a P/R package, photo...no promotional materials at all, and I'm in the P/R business. Go figure.

That said, I do P/R for many large organizatins, and with a site, brochure...whatever, today, you've got to cut through the clutter. Your materials need to reflect your professionalism. That means:

1. No "deer in the headlights" photos shot with an on-camera strobe, causing shadows. Care must be created to angle the image so it leads the reader to vital copy areas. Make sure whoever shoots the photo(s) knows how to create images with the appropriate depth of field. No fig leaf poses...EVER!You're a pro, so it is probably appropriate to hire a pro to do the photography.

2. No punctuation, spelling or structure errors. Take a quick look at some random sites created by individuals and you'll often find lots of the above.

3. Use bold sub-heads to break-up the copy and lead the reader from topic to topic.

4. Make sure that the final output copy is at least 12 points in size (to the extent you can control this).

5. Make sure that copy width is no longer that 25 picas (again-from the design standpoint).

6. Write copy in a "T" form. You need to be able to drop all but the first paragraph, and that paragraph needs to be usable as a cutline below a photo to stand alone.

7. Remember, a site is part of a promotion category called "maintenance". You'll never know the total benefit (or damage from a bad site, for that matter). As I've said before, it's like peeing in a dark pair of pants...you don't see anything, you just get this nice warm feeling.

8. Make sure the illustrations you use lead the viewer to the copy. Most often, the lead illustration needs to be on the left side and "right reading".

9. Navigation must be logical and easy.

10. You need to grab the viewer and tell the essence of your story in 15 seconds or less. Just think of the length of time you spend on looking at a site the first time. If you're not "grabbed" in the first few seconds, you move on.

A site is primarily a visual medium, and the visuals need to be dramatic.

The perception is, design is the primary task, but the best design in the world will not negate the effect of sub-par content.


Sorry for the rant. This is what I teach (Communication processes) and what I do for a living. It's easy for me to climb that soapbox.


Russ

Well I hope our site does all that Russ espouses....

Our website (and I would've thought MOST regular local club performer's websites) let's our fanbase know when and where we're playing - simple as that.

We play for a lot of regulars - and DANCERS in particular - so I take the opportunity to list our monthly dates with info on Venue, Dance floor, Times, Location (I include a google map link for each Venue) and what style of music we're playing (if possible) and whether or not it's an "event" night e.g. if we're giving away prizes, if it's a themed show and so on.

For regular Club players, I always thought of a website as a "what we're doing this month" kind of thing - nothing more, nothing less.

The jobs themselves come from our Agents and occasionally from a direct booking from an audience member on the night.