Get domain names with your name or stage name in it. That's how people will find you.
Get an easy to remember email, i.e. cast@yourname.com or hire@yournameactor.com
Don't fall for the custom designed website trap - use templates.
Avoid websites with ads. Your visitors should not be distracted by flower shop ad placements
Don't fall for charge per image / charge per video traps.
No flash websites. Stay far away from flash.
Keep your website up to date. You don't want visitors guessing if you're still in the biz.
Make sure you can edit your website with ease.
Make sure your website loads well on mobile devices.
Use some sort of analytics information to see if your website is being visited.
Create a link loop between your social media profiles. If you have a twitter account listed, link it back to the website.
5 most important things on your actor website: headshots / resumes & credits / contact form & social links
3 Ways to submit your website to the search engines
Avoid clashing foreground and background colors
Optimize your images. Headshots from you photographer are way too big in the raw format.
Know the difference between "aspiring actor" and "inspiring actor"
Don't list dozens of different hobbies in the skills section of your actor website
Don't forget to put your domain name everywhere you list your contact information
Clearly list your representation on the contact page
Crop your images to the same size for best viewing experience
Active on social media? Why not include a feed / stream right on the homepage or in the footer?
Don't auto-start your actor reel as soon as your website loads, but if you do, mute it.
Open your resumes in a new tab / window.
You want a modern looking actor website, not an antique
Websites for actors should have the clean and modern look
Don't trust a skinny chef
Avoid any pay-per-change offers when seeking a company to build your actor website
Make sure your actor website comes with a free trial
Make sure your designer knows a thing or two about acting
Use location and occupation keyword, i.e. "Actress from Toronto" - SEO matters.
List your training - if you can, list your teacher names. If someone searches for them, they might find you.
Don't advertise your website until it's ready
Put your best foot forward - always show your most impressive work first.
Be careful with listing your personal email or phone number
If you have a good reel, put it (or a link to it) on the homepage along with resume and headshots.
Getting to any desired content should never take more than 2 clicks.
Use easy to read URLs for each page sections
Actor bios should not be long. Keep it brief and use keywords. Save the rest for your blog
Behind the scene photos. Yay or nay?
Add an XML sitemap to your actor website
You could read all of these, or you could have the website already.
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