The Artist Website: To Pay or Not to Pay

To figure out what kind of website you would like, one question you can ask yourself is whether you want a free service or one you have to pay for. There are positives and negatives to both, but its just choosing which direction you would like to go in.

Free, Fast and User Friendly

Free services are usually quite easy to use and are great options for beginners. Though easy to use templates are available through these sites, they might be limiting to what you wish to achieve visually. Space/storage may be limited as well, considering as an artist’s website, it could be image-heavy and therefore require a fair amount. Also, you won’t have your own domain name; it will usually include their site in the address. Ads are something that can be common with free services. If budget is a consideration, a free service is a great way to go, but they are generally perceived to be less professional compared to one you would have to pay for. This is something to consider, what kind of image are you wishing to project, when you make this choice.

Paying For Professional

Services that you would have to pay for are deemed more professional, appearing as your own legitimate entity on the Internet. There are three main components to constructing this kind of website, as were outlined by Joel in his previous post. To review, there is the purchasing of your domain name, purchasing of your hosting service and creating the design of your website. I would recommend this option to an artist, as this creates a professional appearance and gives you more choice in its creation.