# Clients + your website : KEY things they look for



## creativeforge (Aug 10, 2015)

You're building a website to promote your services.

1- What are they KEY elements that potential clients will want to find on a composer's website?

2- What information would more likely move them to contact you? 

3- Anything else?

Thanks guys!

Regards,

Andre


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## Dean (Aug 11, 2015)

Hey, to answer Q.2 first,..on its own the best website in the world won't move anyone to contact you.I think its better to treat your personal website as a follow up business card,..99% of the time you'll end up pointing a client to your website AFTER they've discovered you somehow,..via word of mouth, a mutual connection,..a project you scored or a social media site with a great credit of yours and tons of hits,..(SoundCloud/Youtube/Spotify/Bandcamp etc,)

Q.1 'Music' / 'credits' / 'about' are key!..,'news', 'store' etc, are pretty much fillers.
If you have some truely great music and you can get that heard first by the right person at the right time then that can maybe,just maybe bring them to your website,..even better if you also have some really strong credits too!

Ive worked with clients for years who dont even know I have a website,..they could'nt care less and to be honest Ive never checked out their websites either,..(everyone and their uncle has a website,..it means absolutely nothing)...but we all have to 'play the game' and have one just on case or to keep up appearences.If you think about it the first thing a client asks for are links to your music or 'something you've worked on'..they usually ask for links as noyone wants to negotiate your personalised template website (even if that just includes 2 or 3 clicks of the mouse)..if they're hooked in they might have a quick peak.

With all that in mind I feel its more important to have your profile/details/music/credits etc,..out there in aunirm way across a few select Social media sites that are all linked together (including your website) D


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## Daryl (Aug 11, 2015)

My Website is only ever for people to check when I have already been recommended for a particular gig. It is somewhere that music and credits can easily be checked. For me, I'm not interested in people generally trawling the Web. Even if I was interested in a project, it is unlikely that many could afford me, and those projects tend to go through the accepted channels. Not via a random Web search.

However, my experiences are almost certainly not representative, so I'm only giving my viewpoint as an alternative.

D


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## creativeforge (Aug 11, 2015)

Dean said:


> Q.1 'Music' / 'credits' / 'about' are key!..,'news', 'store' etc, are pretty much fillers.
> If you have some truely great music and you can get that heard first by the right person at the right time then that can maybe,just maybe bring them to your website,..even better if you also have some really strong credits too!



Thanks Dean, ah yes, that elusive "how and where do I get someone to hear my music for potential hiring?" You mention using social media a lot, so networking - but how do you see the protection of your copyrights in those instances? Ever had any issue in this department?

Thanks in advance, that's very helpful!



Daryl said:


> It is somewhere that music and credits can easily be checked. For me, I'm not interested in people generally trawling the Web. Even if I was interested in a project, it is unlikely that many could afford me, and those projects tend to go through the accepted channels. Not via a random Web search.



Thanks Daryl! So again it seems that the natural sub-question to online presence and activity is tied up with what you call "accepted channels." And I've asked myself the very question countless times: what ARE the accepted channels?

Sincerely, 

Andre


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## creativeforge (Aug 11, 2015)

Dean said:


> I think its better to treat your personal website as a follow up business card,..99% of the time you'll end up pointing a client to your website AFTER they've discovered you somehow,..via word of mouth, a mutual connection,..a project you scored or a social media site with a great credit of yours and tons of hits,..(SoundCloud/Youtube/Spotify/Bandcamp etc,)



I can see that being the case, indeed... So a website can be a great hub to link to these various works, portfolio.


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## Dean (Aug 11, 2015)

creativeforge said:


> Thanks Dean, ah yes, that elusive "how and where do I get someone to hear my music for potential hiring?" You mention using social media a lot, so networking - but how do you see the protection of your copyrights in those instances? Ever had any issue in this department?
> 
> Thanks in advance, that's very helpful!
> Thanks Daryl! So again it seems that the natural sub-question to online presence and activity is tied up with what you call "accepted channels." And I've asked myself the very question countless times: what ARE the accepted channels?
> ...



Theres another thread here http://vi-control.net/community/threads/soundcloud-still-the-best-place-for-composers.46688/..the topic of copyright protection kept coming up and up,.I chimed in there,(I'm already a broken record on that subject.),..I will say however that its a mindset deal so your viewpoint will dictate your online content and presence,.ie: guarded / paranoid / if you love it set it free,..and so on.

I think Daryl's referring to these 'accepted channels' that I also mentioned above,.._'via word of mouth, a mutual connection,..a project you scored or a social media site with a great credit of yours and tons of hits,..(SoundCloud/Youtube/Spotify/Bandcamp etc,) _also should have menioned Twitter / Facebook too. D


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## Daryl (Aug 11, 2015)

creativeforge said:


> Thanks Daryl! So again it seems that the natural sub-question to online presence and activity is tied up with what you call "accepted channels." And I've asked myself the very question countless times: what ARE the accepted channels?


Sorry, I should have been clearer. For me it's personal recommendation, previous employment and agent.

D


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## Marius Masalar (Aug 11, 2015)

When I re-did my site, I asked myself the same questions and started speculating...before realizing that there's an easier way: ask the clients. So I did. I asked everyone how a composer's website fit into their decision-making process, what they liked and didn't like, what they wanted to see, what they care about, etc.

This is biased toward game audio folks, but here are some bullet-form take-aways I got:

A mediocre site is worse than no site. Either invest in a great website or just send them to your SoundCloud—anything in between is making a worse impression. Flash sites, Wix sites, slow sites, ugly sites...just don't.
Websites are often the first port of call for many of my game clients...when they need new talent, they'll ask their buddies but they'll also browse directories, search Google, etc. and come up with a list of composer websites to investigate. From this perspective, having a website available is super important. I've found it's also nice for word-of-mouth clients to have a place they can go to get a better sense for who they've been referred to
Almost unanimously, the clients wanted to have the following info available (in this order of importance):
*Music* _(they all wanted to be able to hit play immediately and listen to a variety of things)_
*Services* _(do you just do music, or SFX too? Do you know implementation?)_
*Price* _(contentious but almost everyone I asked wanted a ballpark. From their perspective, it saves them the time it would take to email the 15 different people whose websites they're investigating to ask for a quote. Save them time and you have a happier client)_
*Contact* _(give them options and make it easy)_

Hearing what they wanted made me really realize that a website should be designed to solve client problems. Like Dean was saying, they don't care as much about news and stores and your Instagram so don't make that the focus (by all means include links, but *design around the elements that are important to your client, not to you*)
Several also highlighted the importance of a good flow. Don't make them click around to ten pages to see the crucial content—put it front and centre. Function over form. Clear navigation, both on desktop and mobile. It's tempting to design around keeping people on the site for as long as possible, but that's a rule of thumb that doesn't make a lot of sense for a composer site...we don't need clients to be mired in pretty graphics and transition animations. We want them to arrive, get the information they need as quickly as possible, and help them get in touch with minimal friction. Ours will be only one of many that they're opening on any given day, so getting in their way or slowing them down isn't going to make them happy.
Anyway, all of that helped inform my website's redesign from a couple of years ago. I've since gathered more feedback and there are things I'd adjust/change/replace, but the core details would remain the same because I've seen a lot better performance since updating the site.


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## Dean (Aug 11, 2015)

what that guy said!  (great post!) D


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## Michael K. Bain (Aug 11, 2015)

I'm a website designer, and I recommend the use of WordPress. I used to create everything from scratch - no templates - until I found WordPress. I now recommend to all my clients that I use WordPress mainly because it will save them a lot of money. It's easier to update than a custom built-from-scratch site, and its good for SEO. The caveat here is that you really need to stay on top of security. Create a very strong password for the Control Panel, and use a good security plugin like WordFence. Also be very vigilant about keeping your plugins and themes updated, and only keep plugins and themes installed that you actually use.


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## creativeforge (Aug 11, 2015)

Marius Masalar said:


> This is biased toward game audio folks, but here are some bullet-form take-aways I got:



Thank you Marius! Very very helpful! 

So when do you know you're getting too close to the cheese that stinks?


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## creativeforge (Aug 11, 2015)

Marius Masalar said:


> When I re-did my site, I asked myself the same questions and started speculating...before realizing that there's an easier way: ask the clients. So I did. I asked everyone how a composer's website fit into their decision-making process, what they liked and didn't like, what they wanted to see, what they care about, etc.
> Anyway, all of that helped inform my website's redesign from a couple of years ago. I've since gathered more feedback and there are things I'd adjust/change/replace, but the core details would remain the same because I've seen a lot better performance since updating the site.



What you shared here is of such value, thank you !!!!


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## rgames (Aug 11, 2015)

I think a website is good if you're marketing directly to an audience that's going to buy your CDs and other merchandise. But, as said above, for a composer I'm not sure that it's much value.

I started using Soundcloud a few years ago and (slowly...) YouTube about a year ago. I get a *lot* more meaningful correspondence from YouTube than anything else. Soundcloud is a distant second. My website doesn't even show up on the radar... When I'm pitching for a gig I use Soundcloud to host demo tracks - I don't even refer to my website any more.

But, I always hasten to mention that I am a social media / internet Luddite. So my opinion on the matter doesn't really count 

rgames


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## creativeforge (Aug 11, 2015)

I think there are many advantages in using social media, but I still hold that a good solid website serves as a reliable hub, gateway to all the various demos and recent work, contact info, a few other info as well.


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## Michael K. Bain (Aug 11, 2015)

creativeforge said:


> I think there are many advantages in using social media, but I still hold that a good solid website serves as a reliable hub, gateway to all the various demos and recent work, contact info, a few other info as well.


I agree.


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## devonmyles (Aug 11, 2015)

Great post from Marius, very useful tips!


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## jacobthestupendous (Aug 21, 2015)

Marius Masalar said:


> When I re-did my site, I asked myself the same questions and started speculating...before realizing that there's an easier way: ask the clients. So I did. I asked everyone how a composer's website fit into their decision-making process, what they liked and didn't like, what they wanted to see, what they care about, etc.
> 
> This is biased toward game audio folks, but here are some bullet-form take-aways I got:
> 
> ...



Marius, your website is fantastic! One thing you might want to look at though: is it intentional that the contact section is white text on a white background?

EDIT: It seems to be a rendering quirk when I make my Firefox window too wide. When it's narrow, it's white text on the same light blue background.


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## Marius Masalar (Aug 22, 2015)

Thanks very much for the kind words, guys. I'm glad my research could be helpful to others as well 

Jacob, I can't seem to reproduce that bug at the moment (using either mainstream FF or the Developer Edition on OS X) but I'll keep an eye out for it. I appreciate the bug report very much though!

It's funny, I look at the current site and there are all sorts of things I would change in a re-design, but I have a bad habit of wanting to re-build my sites too often. Going to roll them all into a more meaningful update at some point when I've got time for it.


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## mirrodin (Sep 9, 2015)

This definitely makes me want to take some time to re-think my branding and services. I run my site as sort of a network/multi-service production portal but it's primarily MINE. All of the portfolio pieces are projects I've done, either as my business moniker, or with affiliates in my network (their production, I get tagged on for specific services).

Definitely a tough sell as I can't just focus on one specialist skillset and advertise that on front page. Perhaps setting up a sub-website for my own personal music/business identity separate from that multimedia services business?


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## ControlCentral (Oct 20, 2015)

Marius Masalar said:


> When I re-did my site, I asked myself the same questions and started speculating...before realizing that there's an easier way: ask the clients. So I did. I asked everyone how a composer's website fit into their decision-making process, what they liked and didn't like, what they wanted to see, what they care about, etc....


You certainly practice what you preach, Marius. I looked at your site based on another thread, now this...
I've needed a major web update and have been dithering about Wordpress templates, etc.
Your web site is perfect. The best music site I've seen. And it's great how it seems to reflect a personality and not just a business facade. Really inspirational actually. Cheers!


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## Marius Masalar (Oct 20, 2015)

ControlCentral said:


> You certainly practice what you preach, Marius. I looked at your site based on another thread, now this...
> I've needed a major web update and have been dithering about Wordpress templates, etc.
> Your web site is perfect. The best music site I've seen. And it's great how it seems to reflect a personality and not just a business facade. Really inspirational actually. Cheers!


Thank you very much, that's kind of you to say!  Feel free to reach out if you have questions while you update your site.


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## Guffy (Oct 20, 2015)

Marius Masalar said:


> Flash sites, Wix sites, slow sites, ugly sites...just don't.


What's wrong with Wix?
If there's no ads/wix banner and the overall design is good, why not?

Is it the price?


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## Marius Masalar (Oct 20, 2015)

Fugdup said:


> What's wrong with Wix?
> If there's no ads/wix banner and the overall design is good, why not?
> 
> Is it the price?


It's an easy answer to a difficult question, with all the inherent dissatisfaction that entails. The price is irrelevant. It's a public declaration that "good enough" is good enough. It's licensing library music instead of hiring a composer, not to put too fine a point on it.

Nothing wrong with that, per se, but it's not a stance I want to adopt if I can avoid it.

That being said, it can be a fantastic tool during the early stages of a development workflow because it allows non-designers to get their hands dirty and "sketch" concepts rather than try to describe them.

Ultimately, there's nothing preventing a thoughtful and successful website from being executed on the platform, but if you're putting that much thought and effort into it then there are better solutions out there.

But it's quick, it's visual, and you don't have to pay someone lots of money to do it professionally for you, so the appeal is obvious and—in some situations—entirely reasonable. Just wasn't the case for me!


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