Live Music Blog

In this day and age, a country music performer who doesn’t have their own Website is missing a necessary business tool. A Website provides information about you, a way to sell your CDs and merchandise, a way to connect with your audiences, and a way to connect with potential business partners. When designed properly, a Website makes you look prefer a pro and is an amazing tool in help ing you achieve your goals. When designed badly, the web site can be driving away potential audiences and business opportunities.
I research every performer that goes into my Website, the International Country Music Database, so I’ve been to many country music performer web sites over the last few years. Some have been exceptionally well-developed while others have been, to be honest, nightmares.
Indecipherable navigation, slow-loading graphics, and lack of contact information make it extremely c hall enging to get the information I need. Because I need the information, I try harder than the average surfer to figure out a web site. Many people probably just leave, never to return.
The goal of your web site ought to be to provide your visitors with what they are looking for. You want them to spend time on your web site because they have found the information they are looking for and find it useful, not because they can’t find it.
In order to attract visitors to and keep visitors on your web site, you need the following:
* A professional look – I’m not saying this has to be boring or designed by a high-priced expert. What I’m saying is that it can’t look prefer you just threw it together in a day. additionally, avoid cutesy animations and graphics. You want the web site to express who you are, but you additionally want it to indicate you’re a pro (even if you’re just starting out!).
* Simple /intuitive navigation – If I can’t figure out how to get to other pages on your web site, how will I learn more about you?
* Clean design – Make it simple for me to read the text that you have on your web site. Use colors that contrast well (black on white, for example). If I want to know about you, I need to be able to read what’s been written!
* Simple access to the information I’m looking for – This ties in with navigation, but is additionally about what information you include on your web site. What are your audiences or potential business partners looking to get from your web site? That ought to drive what information goes on your web site.
The above points are beginning standards for creating a professional country music Website.  Don’t forget, you want to look prefer a pro and let people know you’re serious about your career. For more pointers on how to establish your web site, see the next article in this series, Optimize Your Country Music Website : Part 2 – What to Include.