How to make a music website

Whether you are just starting out as a musician or you’ve been playing for a while and know it’s time to update your online presence, you probably want to know what should be on a music website.

This comprehensive guide will show you how to create an effective music website that will impress your fans and industry professionals, helping to grow your fanbase as your music career expands.

Here is how to make a music website:

1. Choose a music website template
2. Add a header image
3. Choose your colors and fonts
4. Set up website navigation
5. Create your music website pages
6. Add an EPK
7. Choose a domain name
8. Optimize your website for SEO

The first step in creating a music website is just getting started. You might feel like it’s beyond your ability to map out content and build a nice design. This guide is intended to help you every step of the way.

1. Choose a music website template

First of all, choose a music website template that suits your sound. A website template can be as flexible as you’d like to be, but also allows you the freedom to choose a modern, nice-looking design and populate it with your music, photos, and text.

Consider your branding

If you’ve established artist branding already, look for a music template that flows nicely with your style. That might mean something simple and clean, with room for black-and-white imagery, or a template with space for a large logo.

Menu layout and position

Your music website’s menu should contain 5 to 8 pages. Your menu is ideally set above, below, or to the left of your main image, where your visitors will instantly look to locate it. A horizontal menu is common, but a vertical sidebar menu also offers a creative touch.

If you build out your website to include more pages over time, such as discography pages, or fan subscriptions, you’ll want to use a template with a horizontal menu. This allows for sub-pages to cascade neatly under the main page items.

Think about content

If you plan to add a lot of content to your website (bios for all of your bandmates, or your back catalogue of music, for example) choose a template that offers a simple content area. 

This will give you space to create aesthetically pleasing layouts, page by page, for your images and text. To give your pages a spacious look, choose a template that includes a full-width content option.

Mobile website template

Templates in general are perfect for musicians to build a website because they adapt to mobile devices seamlessly, without any extra coding needed. A mobile-responsive template will also help to optimize your website’s SEO. 

One-page websites

You’ll also want to decide early whether you plan to create a site with multiple pages, or set up a one-page website. One-page sites are modern and sleek, with the content scrolling down a single page as the menu options are clicked. 

If you decide to create a one-page website, choose a template with a wide content area and the ability to add sections and section background images, to give your site some dynamic flow.

2. Add a header image

Your artist image is a great way to instantly connect to your visitors, providing a sense of what your music sounds like. Make the most of this by sourcing a high quality image to be used in the header area of your website template. 

Conveys who you are

Don’t underestimate imagery as the first impression to convey who you are and what you do. Your main image may be the thing that tells visitors they're in the right place to engage further with your music and learn about your band. Use that to your advantage to make a lasting connection by selecting an image that tells your story at a glance. 

Optimal image size

The optimal image is landscape-style, with space around the edges of the subject. This will give you the most flexibility when choosing a website template, and ensure your image scales nicely to mobile. Use a high-quality image so that it canbe cropped if needed.

Header text and logo

If you don’t yet have a high-quality artist image, that’s ok. You can still create a music website with a large text title or logo at the top of your page to grab attention, and make use of imagery throughout your content.

Music website example: OCEANDVST

3. Choose your colors and fonts

To customize your website design to suit your image, you’ll want to consider your fonts and color choices. To make this easy, we’ve included several preset color palettes with coordinated fonts, and moods (somber, playful, bold, etc) for many genres of music. 

You can also customize your website template’s colors and fonts to coordinate with your artist image, and tailor your website design to your brand. 

Stick to a few main colors

The emphasis of your website should be you and your music.To avoid distraction from this focus, choose a few main colors and use those consistently throughout your website. If you’re just getting started with a music website, choose a neutral palette and let your images offer extra color. If you have a header image with distinct color choices that match your style, add those colors to your sections, titles, and buttons.

Easy to read

After setting up your site colors, double check that the text on every page and in every section can be read easily. A classic contrast example is black text on a white background, or vice versa. You’ll want to be sure that your content is easy to read, your songs are easy to listen to, and your show information is easy to access.

Simple font choices

Along with that, keep the typography on your website consistent. Choose one content font and use that same font throughout all of your pages. This is especially important if you’re using different font colors in your sections. Try using a simple serif typeface for the content font throughout your website for clarity.

Use a fun font for accents

You can show your creativity by using larger, intricate fonts sparingly in focus spots. This will call attention to specific areas and provide visual interest points throughout your website's pages. This could be in the titles for your EPK page, for example, or the album names on a discography page.

4. Set up website navigation

A clear goal when making a music website should be that your visitors can easily interact with the content, allowing them the opportunity to connect further. To make their experience as seamless as possible, set up your website’s navigation in a clear, concise way.

Make your menu prominent

This may be the first time that many of your visitors have reached your website. Adding a menu that’s quick to locate is essential to making your website encouraging to navigate.  A horizontal list spanning the page or a vertical side menu are ideal locations for your website’s navigation.

Limit to 8 pages or less

As a rule of thumb, limit your pages to 8 or fewer to keep your menu from being cluttered or offering too many choices right away. If you have additional content, add sub-pages that flow from the ‘main’ website page to keep things tidy.

Choose clear page names

Use simple page names that accurately describe the focus of each page in your menu. This helps your visitors quickly discover your content, and it also helps with your band website SEO, making it easier for Google to know (and index!) what is on each page.

5. Create your music website pages

Once you’ve got your template, design, and page structure in place, you’re ready to create the pages for your music website.

Don’t feel overwhelmed; if you have plenty of content and music to share, break it down page by page to make a music website that’s organized, professional, and that conveys your career or current project.

Make a mobile-ready music website in just a few clicks. Build your website with Bandzoogle today!

Music website example: Cara Louise

Homepage 

An effective website homepage should give your visitors a glimpse into who you are and what you are currently doing. Use a large main image to introduce yourself, then place additional content on the page as context. 

Start by adding a relevant call-to-action to buy your latest album, book you for a show, or watch your newest video. Then add some content that will remain constant on your Homepage. This could include your musician bio, a mailing list sign-up form, your social media and streaming links, and a few tracks.

Your homepage is the most visited page on your website, so you’ll want to choose the content carefully, and update it regularly.

About page

The About page is an important place for potential new fans to get to know you by reading your full story. It’s also a good spot for media and industry people to learn about your background and accomplishments.

You can include several versions of your musician bio on this page. Conferences, festivals, and media outlets have different requirements for artist information - make it easy for them to copy and paste the details they need. It’s also a good place to add a photo of you or your band that’s different from the one on your homepage

Music page

A central part of a musician’s website is the music page. Treat it as a main hub for everything there is to know about your music. When posting an album, add a detailed description as well as the places it can be streamed. Include some context along with your songs. Be sure to add options to buy your music on this page, as well.

For more on how to set up your music page, see How to create a perfect page to sell music on your website.

Store page

A tangible way for fans to support their favorite artists is to buy merchandise directly from their website, commission-free. Your dedicated Store page is the place to do just that. You can sell anything you like on your own music website, from T-shirts to mugs and stickers, or digital options including lyric books, sheet music, pdfs, lessons, and more.

For merch ideas and more details on setting up your online store, check out The ultimate guide to selling band merch online.

Photos page

It’s no secret that fans love to look at photos of their favorite bands. If you include a Photos page, it will keep fans browsing your website longer. This is also a good opportunity to display different angles of your personality, and to show that you’re an active musician.

To keep your photos organized, create separate galleries that show off your promo shots, live shows, studio photos, or musical collaborations.

Videos page

Rather than sending your fans off to YouTube, embed videos on a Videos page to keep viewers on your music website. This allows you to curate which videos people see, and gives you more control over how your band is represented online. 

Place your most recent, or most popular, videos at the top of your Videos page, and rotate these out regularly to keep the content fresh. Display 6 to 8 videos on this page at most, to be sure your visitors aren’t overwhelmed with choice or left with an endlessly scrolling page on mobile.

Shows page

If you’re a performing musician, another essential element on your music website is an Events or Shows page. This dedicated page makes it easier for fans to get information about your upcoming gigs, with details on show times, cover charges, opening bands, and the venue. You can also sell tickets directly to your shows on this page.

You can round out your page of shows with performance photos, press quotes, or a live video.

Contact page

Be sure to include a Contact page on your music website. Placing this page as the last item in your menu makes it easy for site visitors to get in touch with you.

To create your Contact page, include info on how best to reach you for booking, media inquiries, and fan correspondence. Use a custom form with fields requesting specific information to be filled out, compiling the details into a neat email to be sent right to you. 

You can also add your social media links and a mailing list sign-up form to your Contact page, giving fans additional ways to connect with you.

Other pages

If you create a music website with the above pages, you’ll end up with a well-rounded, professional site. However, you can absolutely add more pages to fill out your online presence. One example of this would be landing pages to measure your music marketing campaigns. If that’s something you want to pursue, check out How to use a music landing page on your website.

Be sure all your page content remains current and engages your fans, creating a community around your music and marketing efforts.

Music website example: The Brothers Blue

6. Add an EPK

Another essential page on your music website is your EPK, or Electronic Press kit. If you’re actively promoting a new album, gathering press for your music, or looking to book more gigs, create an EPK to centralize information for media and bookers. 

Here’s what should be in your artist EPK:

Artist bio: Include a short and a long version of your bio in your EPK. That way venues or promoters can easily use the bio that works best for them.

Photos: Include a selection of your most recent promotional photos, with vertical and horizontal options. You can also add your album cover artwork for music reviewers if you’re looking to get press for a new release.

Music: Make your latest music available on your EPK, with links to Spotify or Apple Music so fans can also listen to your music on their preferred streaming platform. In case a reviewer wants to download your full album, include clear information on who they can contact to get a copy.

Video: Embed one or two of your best videos. If your goal with an EPK is to get more shows, add high-quality live videos to give bookers an idea of what they can expect your live show is like. If you’re looking to get press or reviews for your music, embed your most popular music video, or the video for your latest single.

Press/reviews: Include relevant quotes about you and your music, with links to your best reviews and interviews. This makes it easy for presenters and media to grab a quote that references your music.

Notable achievements or recent highlights: If you’ve won any awards, had success on streaming platforms, had your songs placed in movies/TV/ads, or performed at noteworthy festivals or conferences, include this information in your EPK.

Contact: Include detailed information on how to get in touch with you, your publicist, or booking agent. You can also add your social media links so bookers and media can quickly access your social profiles.

Book more shows with a professional digital press kit integrated into your own website. Create your EPK with Bandzoogle now!

Music website example: Simba Sax

7. Choose a domain name

Once you have created your music website, complete with design, pages, and content, you’ll need to choose the website address, or domain name. Having a custom domain name means owning a little slice of the Internet for your music and your brand - so choose your name carefully. 

Even with other domain extensions available, registering a ''.com'' is still the standard. Ideally you can find yourbandname.com, but if it’s not available, consider yourbandnamemusic.com, or yourbandnameband.com to keep your branding consistent.

If you already own a domain name, you can always keep that same one and point it to your music website through your band website host. You can also create a custom band email address with your domain name for an extra professional touch.

Once your domain name is set up and your content is more or less in place, you can then submit a sitemap to Google, which essentially tells the search engine what is available on your website to be indexed.

8. Optimize your website for SEO

To help drive traffic to your website, you’ll need to make sure that it’s easily found. This is where SEO (search engine optimization) comes into play.

SEO is free, and is a very effective tool used by millions of businesses to drive traffic to their websites. For musicians, it’s a great way to get more fans engaged, listening to your music, and exploring your content. 

To promote your website, post your URL on all of your social media profiles, the sites of venues you play at, and on your business cards. This helps to position your website as the main online hub for your music, and generate the knowledge panel that appears in Google.

Optimizing your website for SEO isn't as tricky as it sounds. Check out this quick checklist to try it out with your website: Complete SEO checklist for musicians

Music website example: Wolfmother

From teaching music lessons to releasing singles, to selling previous albums, to applying for festivals or grants, a professional website is a must-have for any musician. We hope this guide to making a music website helps you work through the steps to creating a website that showcases your brand and your music online. Let us know if we can help along the way.