So What’s The Deal With Actor Websites?
Happy Tuesday Actors! Today we’re tackling an issue a lot of actors worry about- the actor website! Having your very own website can be a little nerve-wracking but it can be such an effective actor tool.
I get a lot of questions about this- Do I need to have one? Can I make it myself? Does it cost money? Is it safe? What even needs to be online? Is IMDb enough?
The short answer is: yes, you need one. (the longer answer is: yes, yes, sometimes, usually, the important stuff, yes)
But don’t worry, whether you’re experienced on the web or not, in this week’s #GuruTips, I’ve got you covered.
In the video I mention a few easy do-it-yourself web design sites, all with their pros and cons. All of these have a free trial, so you can try them all until you find the right fit for you!
1. SquareSpace – It’s very easy to use and super mobile friendly, with good customer support, but there are limited design customizations.
2. Wix – You can literally drag-and-drop everything exactly how you’d like it, but it can be clunky and slow to load sometimes.
3. WordPress – This site is a little harder to get the hang of, but has a fantastic blog capability. It also has lots of of extensions and plugins.
See what you think, and then let me know what you think by sharing in the comments below!
Now I want to hear from you! Share your actor website (or your IMDb page) in the comments below and you could win an exclusive Workshop Guru prize!
I know that you have lots of questions, and I want to make it easy for you to get them answered. Do you have a burning question that you want me to answer in Guru Tips For Actors? Email us your questions and we’ll address it in a future #GuruTips episode!
Show me your website!
March 22, 2016 @ 3:54 pm
My daughter’s website is http://www.bfisheli.com Please take a look and let me know what you think.
Thank you,
Kimberly Fisheli
March 22, 2016 @ 4:17 pm
I suggest Weebly–it has the advantage of being able to export the site, should you want to change hosting.
Thanks–I enjoy your weekly videos.
March 22, 2016 @ 4:40 pm
http://www.christinebarger.com
March 22, 2016 @ 5:43 pm
Love your videos! They are short and very informative. I subscribe to so many things that just sit in my inbox but never watch or read because they are so long! So thank you for the short and sweetness of your info!
I recently made and published my actor website using Wix.
It’s fairly easy and adding photos, video, text, design is pretty easy, but had a bit a of difficulty with it at times and there are some things that they don’t offer such as, if you have a blog or news page, and you want to change templates later on, you have to re-write all of your text, you cannot copy and paste into a new template. If you are changing info from page to page on your current template you can copy/paste but be prepared to literally start from scratch if you change templates, especially if you have a few months to a few years worth of news and updates. I will probably switch to Squarespace when my contract is up. Just thought some people might find this helpful! Check out my site at http://www.erinposanti.com!
March 22, 2016 @ 5:55 pm
http://sethhampton.com
Here’s my website to share.
Ajarae, what do you know about Now Casting site? It was juust introduced to me by my acting coach. Seems like a great resource for postcard mailing and creating CD lists. Comparible to Casting About. They also have an option to create an actor website. Would this be a wise finacial way of marketing?
March 22, 2016 @ 6:18 pm
I made my website on Weebly!! http://www.amyrapp.com :D:D
March 22, 2016 @ 6:51 pm
http://www.jenniferlynnwarren.com
March 22, 2016 @ 7:43 pm
http://www.PeggyGlennCreative.com created with HostBaby, the EASIEST platform on earth. It’s working for me. I don’t blog on there, but I have an active email calendar using MailChimp.
March 22, 2016 @ 10:10 pm
http://www.AnnaChazelle.com! Woohoo!
March 23, 2016 @ 3:15 am
Hi, Brittany! I really like it, it’s simple and effective! I love the link to IMDB and to download her songs on iTunes. Well done! I am usually not a fan of music starting to play automatically, however… it can sometimes be annoying when people are working in an office, and may encourage people to close the site rather than figure out how to stop the music. But overall, I think it’s wonderful! Great photos.
March 23, 2016 @ 3:19 am
Thank you for the suggestion! I have never used Weebly, but I just checked out the site, and it looks affordable and user-friendly. Nicely done! And thanks for watching!
March 23, 2016 @ 3:14 pm
Love it! You’re a ventriloquist?! How interesting! It’s such a nice benefit of websites that we can learn fun tidbits about people that we never would have known… thanks for sharing!
March 23, 2016 @ 3:15 pm
Thanks, Erin! I appreciate brevity as well… we all have too many emails to get through, so thanks for acknowledging that!
And that is SO helpful to know about Wix! Do they allow you to export your info? I love the design of your site – it’s appealing, easy to navigate, and your primary photo is gorgeous! Thanks for sharing…
March 23, 2016 @ 3:22 pm
Love your website, Seth!
I’m not a huge fan of Now Casting. I know for a fact that Casting About is as accurate a database as you can get (updated daily), and it’s more affordable. And you don’t need an actor website on Now Casting – yours is awesome. Just my two cents. 🙂
March 23, 2016 @ 3:23 pm
Really nice, Amy! I love it – it’s so clear and easy to navigate. Thank you for sharing!
March 24, 2016 @ 8:07 am
Very cool! Thanks so much for sharing! And what a win with American Horror Story! Woo hoo!!
March 24, 2016 @ 8:12 am
Very cool! I love learning about platforms I don’t know about… thanks for sharing!
March 24, 2016 @ 8:13 am
Anna, I just loved your site! I learned so much about you. Huge congrats on your movie that’s coming out! So excited!
March 24, 2016 @ 8:59 pm
Hi, Ajarae!
My website is http://www.GiaMora.com, but I also build actor websites. The web firm where I’m a Senior Developer (www.Metaglyphics.com) is about to launch a new, actor only web design department. I’ll be sure to share it with you when we go live!
Cheers,
Gia
March 24, 2016 @ 9:16 pm
I love squarespace 🙂
http://www.KriziaBajos.com
March 24, 2016 @ 11:49 pm
Hey, Gia! Love the design of your site! Let me know for sure!
March 24, 2016 @ 11:52 pm
I do too! And I love the template you have for your site and the beautiful photos! One thing though… I clicked on What’s New first, and then wasn’t able to navigate anywhere else. Just thought I’d let you know… Thank you so much for sharing!!
March 25, 2016 @ 4:04 pm
Mine is http://www.alexislouder.com
I think it’s really cool you’ve replied to all your comments. Can’t wait to see what you think.
Thanks,
Alexid
March 29, 2016 @ 2:53 am
Hey, Alexis! I love your site – it is super easy to navigate, and very clear where to find everything. And I like the photo montage… I totally watched the whole thing. 🙂 Do you have an IMDB profile? If so, I would definitely add that link… and if not, check out tomorrow’s video!
March 29, 2016 @ 4:34 pm
Thanks for reviewing it! I have no idead why I haven’t added the link to my iMDb, I’ve had one for a year now. Brain fart on fleek. Lol. Here’s the link if you wanna look at it: http://m.imdb.com/name/nm6951875/
March 30, 2016 @ 6:42 am
LOL it happens to the best of us! Your IMDb profile looks great!
April 6, 2016 @ 5:18 am
Hi Ajarae! I love the content you are sharing. Way to support your fellow actor community. I would love to hear your feedback on my website asiaemarche.wix.com/actress. Is it appropriate to put still shots from my projects in my gallery?
April 6, 2016 @ 7:26 pm
Thanks 🙂
April 19, 2016 @ 4:07 pm
Thanks, Asia! Thanks for sharing! I think production stills would be a great addition to the headshots in your gallery. I would also suggest that you purchase your name URL (asiamarche.com) and host your website there.. Much easier to find. By the way, I am from New Jersey too… Jersey girls are the best. 😀