We plan, design, build, update and manage the websites of pop acts. Most of our energy goes into ensuring that the website is up-to-date and as exciting as possible.
Before building a website: Plan your larger campaign ideas – the content you intend to publish and when, and the core concepts behind the campaign – then build the website. This ensures you can visually and functionally represent these ideas on the website. Only build functionality you intend to use. Evolve.
Week of release, make sure you: update the website to include ‘out now’ copy and creative, plus strong calls to action for iTunes and other outlets. During the week, push people back to the site every day using great content rather than sales messages. Consider splash pages.
Make sure people can find it: Websites are found through search engines, predominantly Google. A search on the act’s name will most likely return the website first, but what about searches on the single names, lyrics or member names? If you optimise your website’s content for search engines all this traffic will end up on the act’s website. Which means these people see your sales messages, creative implementation and promotional copy.
Promote your other platforms: Your YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, mailer – promote these clearly on your website. Use vivid reasons to make people click through. Bad: Join the mailer Good: A personal introduction to the mailer from the act, a list of 5 reasons to join, a link to the most recent mailer.
Decide if you actually need a website: If there isn’t resource to maintain a website, it’s better to close it and instead direct people to other platforms that are up to date, like Twitter and Facebook. Tumblr is a good alternative to a full blown bells and whistles website – and it’s cheap and easily customised.