As a filmmaker, your website is undoubtedly one of the most vital tools for distributing and promoting your film. Your website can provide an overview of your films, including the reasons you made them. Nowadays, everything is accessible through the touch of a screen.
Hence, your existence is usually void without a website. When the context is about movie promotions, posters always have the upper hand. Posters also have been a quintessential part of the movie promotion process.
However, unless you are recognizable online, your audience reach will suffer greatly. With a website, it becomes easier for you to pursue stardom. A perfectly organized website will assist you in gaining followers, showcase your talent and illustrate the filmmaking experience.
One of the key advantages of a filmmaker website is that it shows you are a professional. And as with any business marketing product, your movie website needs to be responsive and well-designed. A well-designed and responsive website will help you provide a good impression.
Here are some essential strategies which would help you develop a movie website:
Register A Great Domain Name & Get Your Website Hosted
Your first step to get your website started is to register a great domain name that is your brand name and get your website hosted. Moreover, you have to register your website on a specific domain. You can get a .com domain extension known as TLD or you can opt for any other appropriate domain name extension.
You also have the choice of getting a .movie extension. Before registering for the domain, check the leading social media platforms to ensure you can achieve consistency in your branding. It is quite natural to struggle while finding a name for your movie’s website.
Refrain from making your movie website’s URL hard to remember. When the context is about web hosting, you would have access to a large number of hosting companies.
Your website portrays your work and profession online. It is imperative to go through various reviews while selecting a web host.
Managed hosting is usually a popular option among filmmakers looking to build their first website.
As you will be uploading movie trailers, you’ll need a lot of bandwidth. Managed web hosting providers that offer free SSL, which is a big bonus.
Opt for the WordPress
You have to opt for a very impressive theme for your website. In simple words, a theme is the design or template of your website. No doubt, you would come across tons and thousands of website themes. If you are working with WordPress, then you would have lots of options at your fingertips.
WordPress has themes customized for every type of business. However, if your budget is tight, you can opt for a good free starter theme. If you want to render your website a professional look, always go for a professional theme.
Themes designed for filmmakers will showcase your website professionally. Opting for customized filmmaker themes will also help to cast a good first impression on your audience. If budget is not an issue, you can opt for premium and paid themes.
You can also hire a professional website designer. But note that hiring a professional website designer can be cost-intensive. You have to plan your budget while developing your website carefully.
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Keep It Basic & Remarkable
It is always recommended to keep the design of your website simple. By keeping your film website simple, the audiences can have easy accessibility. A simple website design would also add a professional flair to your project. Make sure that all the options on your website are easily accessible.
Simple design makes it easy to draw the visitor’s eye to the vital areas of the page. Navigating a cluttered interface is no fun.
When your website has too many elements overlapping each other, it becomes confusing and frustrating for the visitors.
A cluttered interface also makes it tough for the users to find and execute a call to action. One of the best ways to simplify your film website design is to limit the website menu. Showcase your popular projects and upcoming projects on the home page. If you are planning to have moving images or videos on the website, make sure that your website is supported with a robust web hosting platform so that it performs perfectly during peak traffic times as well.
Always ensure that your film website is informative and user-friendly. Offering too many navigation options may overwhelm your viewers. Filmmakers should also leverage call-to-action while developing their websites.
Refrain from attracting the focus of the viewers in too many directions. Emphasize design elements wisely to guide the eyes of the viewers’ directly to the CTA. And if you are aiming for strong conversions, make your call to action the sole focus of your webpage. If each webpage of your website has its individual CTAs, limit each offer to its page.
Incorporate All The Important Elements
Every professional filmmaker’s website should comprise of some basic elements
The terms and conditions along with privacy policies should be mentioned properly like the ones mentioned below:
- As a filmmaker, you should never underestimate the significance of a contact form. And if you are promoting your movie, you need to have a dedicated contact form on your website.
- Always add Google Analytics to your website. Google Analytics is really helpful when the context is about learning about your audiences.
- Social media plugins are essential for a film website. Install social media plugins that are equipped with sharing and following functions.
- You can also install the Yoast SEO plugin. A major bulk of your film audience will come through direct marketing. However, it is never a bad idea to ensure your website is as optimized as possible.
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Don’t underestimate the power of content
Now that all the basic tasks of your website have been discussed, let’s elaborate on the significance of having good content. Web content is the key to generate traffic to websites. As a film website, it should contain all the basic information about your movies.
Whether you are uploading a trailer or want to share interesting trivia, you just cannot ignore the content. Developing engaging content and organizing it into various pages is important. It is quite normal that your website will have numerous web pages.
Each webpage should contain interesting and original content to boost your website’s visibility. Google loves websites that feature quality content. And if you aim to rise above your competition, ensure your website has high-quality content.
Always remember that top-notch content gets shared more often. Sharing has always been an important factor driving the growth of websites. As a filmmaker, you can develop quality content in various ways.
For instance, you can create content on the various angles used during the shooting of your movie. You can also develop generic yet high-value content on trending movie topics.
The key here is to show Google that your film website has all the information which can be useful for users.
Relevant content also helps to facilitate a better user experience which also helps with SEO. Furthermore, internal linking to different web pages of your website can make it easier for audiences to discover content pieces. The best way to optimize your website’s ranking through content is to have a dedicated blog section.
Personalize Your Website with Essential Elements
Your website should talk about your brand!
You need to get creative with the designing and developing aspect of your website. Your film website is undergoing various phases like pre-production, fundraising, etc. You might want to leverage your website in the future to sell your movies.
In other words, throughout your movie’s lifecycle, your website will also boast of a parallel cycle. On the other hand, you will be catering to the requests of various types of audiences. From friends to potential investors, you have to consider every factor.
Customizing the film website will render it with uniqueness. Moreover, by customizing it, you will ensure that your website offers appeal to everyone. The best way to customize your film website is by adding every detail about the movies.
From artwork to production skills, leave nothing behind. You can also include interesting facts and photos-between-shoots which would arouse the interest of the audiences about the upcoming movie.
At the same time, never ignore the old movies which have made you successful. You can add these movies to the website so that your audiences reminisce about them. You can even add an events calendar to show your audiences that you’re serious about your work.
Conclusion
A website is specifically useful and important for filmmakers, it marks your digital presence. As the world goes online, having a website will open various beneficial avenues for you. Apart from the things mentioned above, always try to connect with your audiences whenever possible. Social media plugins are usually a great way to communicate with your visitors. If they have specific questions, answer them timely.
During the initial days, it is important to show your audiences you are responsive. Promoting and marketing your movies will become easier once you consider the tips mentioned above. A website is the best way to announce upcoming movies.
However, it would be best if you were diligent with the maintenance of the website too. Timely maintenance usually results in lower downtimes. With your website out there, you have a world full of possibilities open to you!
