Do you need a website?
You're registered at the Chamber of Commerce, your laptop is fully charged, your pencils are sharpened. Are you ready to get started? Perhaps you're considering building a website (or having someone do it for you), where you can present your work and refer potential clients. Our research found that many ArtEZ alumni use a website to raise their profile online. But is this medium really as useful as it seems? Alumni Tim Bongaerts and Lars Meijer dove into the pros and cons of having your own website, with only one goal: moving your entrepreneurship forward with practical tips.
To get straight to the point: we personally don't have our own websites. To make professional connections, we usually fall back on our social media, like Facebook or Instagram. Nevertheless, we sometimes get the feeling that we're missing out on an important step of professionalizing our creative practice. But is that really true? How does having a website pay off? And what's involved with designing, launching, and maintaining a website? With this article, we want to help you decide whether a website is the right choice for your business and what you should pay attention to if the answer is yes.
The main reason to doubt the effectiveness of websites concerns their visibility. If your website has an address like http://<your name>.nl, it's likely that only people who already know you personally or through social media will end up visiting your website. Still, a website can serve as an effective 'business card' and/or extensive portfolio to show to people you meet, at a networking event, for example. To broaden our perspective, we talked to writer Max Urai, aproud owner of internet real estate.
"One of my tasks when programming a literary event or festival is collecting contact details," Max explained. "Websites are a big help, since I can usually find the relevant e-mail addresses or phone numbers there. I think that's the most significant added value of a website: clients can find all the information about you in one place. A website can direct people to what you want them to see, and, ideally, ensures that no old work shows up first when people Google you. In that way, a website gives you more control over people's first impressions of you and your work."
This time, too, we searched all over the internet for tips and tricks, but we also got some useful insights from Max on the process of setting up your own website:
It makes you easy to reach. When you send someone a message on Instagram or Facebook, you run the risk of having to wait months for a reply. An e-mail address on your website shows that you check your inbox regularly, and you make it easier for your potential clients to get in touch.
Important information first. When you visit a restaurant's website, you'll usually be interested in the menu, the prices, and the opening times. The easier it is to find these, the better. The same applies to your website: think carefully about the reasons why people visit your website and what information you're prioritizing for them.
Costs of a website: design. Hiring a web designer can get costly very quickly. The hourly pay for a web designer can be around €75. Max's website took approximately five hours to build.
Costs of a website: design (2): Don't want to hire a web designer? No worries: there are other services that let you build your own website with a drag-and-drop tool, such as WIX and Squarespace. Note that this does limit the possibilities of your website somewhat. Your ability to stand out from the crowd will be affected accordingly.
Costs of a website: domain. There are several marketplaces where you can buy a domain for your website. On www.wix.com/upgrade/website, you can choose from four types of services with subscription costs ranging from €4 to €30 a month. If you pay ahead for one or two years, it will be slightly cheaper. Max spends approximately €150 a year for hosting.
Costs of a website: maintenance. A website isn't finished once it's launched. Depending on your goals for the website, you might spend time every week posting new work, press photos and other such things. Ask your web designer how you can update your website yourself; that will save you time.
Check your website on multiple browsers and screen sizes. Websites aren't loaded in the same way on every device. And some browsers act a little differently than others. If your website looks good on your desktop, it doesn't mean that it'll work just as seamlessly on your laptop or phone. Try to check your website on as many devices and browsers as you can before you launch it.
Make it easy for your clients. If you've shown your work in a gallery or presented it on a stage, you'll often be asked to send in photos or a bio for promotional purposes. Make these easy to find and add credits to the photos. Unless the photo is your own or royalty-free, in which case that's not necessary.
The way internet users navigate the web is constantly changing. And with the arrival of smartphone apps, it seems like there is less and less of a reason to visit the websites of individual makers and artists. Isn't everyone on at least one social media platform? A website can answer specific needs, but it also takes work and ongoing attention. If your contact info is visible on your social media profiles, you don't necessarily need a website. So ask yourself what a website would add to your creative professional practice. We hope this article can help you make the right decision. We ourselves are not sure whether a website is our next step, but we've definitely learned something about the opportunities it offers. Good luck!
More practical articles by Tim and Lars:
Who, what, where: finding your way around local initiatives
Standing strong: how to deal with (unreasonable) clients
That's mine! Copyright and intellectual property
The importance of a business plan: getting your ambitions in focus
Guarding your time: when is enough really enough?
Tips for effective networking: ‘let the words come by themselves'
Facing phone anxiety: "preparation is everything."