If you’ re a musician or even band thinking of developing your own site however aren’ t certain which” website builder ” to make use of, then this message will help you decide.
Here, I am going to review three leading systems for generating a band website: Wix, Bandzoogle, as well as WordPress. Eachpossesses their personal advantages and disadvantages in terms of cost, adaptability, simplicity of making use of, as well as customization.
I have personally made use of all three and I intend to aid guide you in choosing the best one for your web site. To support that I recognize a little bit about what I’ m speaking about, I’ m a musician and also I work as a freelance web designer. I have actually created websites for musicians sites (a solution that I use listed here).
If you wishto know whichplatform I think is best without performing excessive reading, in my point of view, I believe WordPress is the most effective option. While it may be a bit even more complicated than the various other 2 alternatives, it’ s really not that challenging to discover and also by choosing a WordPress built internet site, you’ ll have more command over the layout, capability, and you’ ll even spare cashin the end.
I wrote up a significant overview to creating a band web site using WordPress that covers everything step-by-step. Therefore if you’ re a very first time WordPress consumer, you may follow together withthe quick guide to setup your
internet site.
If you carry out go the WordPress option, you will certainly need web hosting. This is what holds your internet site’ s data. There are actually several webhosting suppliers yet my referral would be actually A2 Hosting. They’ re an U.S. based provider, have solid U.S. assistance (whichmay be rare withorganizing business), as well as cost effective costs. Their most competitive tiered planning (whichwill be fine for any startup band) starts at around $4/month(by the way, WordPress on its own is free of cost).
Now, withthe only thing that out of the way, permit’ s check out at the variations in between the 3 possibilities by matching up the main points you should take into consideration when choosing a ” site building contractor: costs, ease of use, as well as modification.
PRICING
Wix may be made use of free of cost. You may generate an internet site totally free as well as Wix will definitely throw it on’their very own domain. The issue withthis is you succeeded ‘ t have your own domain( as an example, www.yourbandname.com ).
Instead, your totally free site will possess a domain name deal withas abides by:
https:// alterheart.wixsite.com/alterheart
For one, this appears unprofessional. In addition, it ‘ s toughto direct an individual to an internet site suchas this it ‘ s also toughto state and also for an individual to consider.
To use your own domain, you’d have to purchase a paid for plan coming from Wix. The very first spent planning starts at $4/month. This would certainly enable you to link your domain yet you’d still have to acquire it’individually( it ‘ s not featured) and you will have Wix ads presented on your site.
For most individuals, this are going to be a no go. To clear away the Wix adds, you’d need to go around the following paid out plan at$ 10.42/ month.
Bandzoogle ‘ s rates starts at $8.29/ monthif you spend for the year in total ahead of time. Or else, it’ s $9.95/ month. This planning is going to include your domain and also host. However, there will certainly be actually a limitation on the lot of pages you may create, tunes you can add, as well as photographes you may add.
Withthis plan, you are limited to 10 webpages. For most bands, that will certainly be actually fine. However, you can just include 10 songs as well as one hundred images. That could be an area of concern for bands or musicians witha considerable amount of songs or pictures from events.
Thus, you will need to upgrade your program if you wishthe capacity to include more songs or even pictures. The upcoming program up is $12.49/ monthallowing twenty pages, 50 songs, and five hundred photographes.
Bandzoogle also consists of e-mail marketing features that permit you to accumulate email deals withon your internet site. The initial planning enables as muchas 100 e-mails to be incorporated as well as the second strategy permits as muchas thousand.
To me, this isn’ t a large draw because there are a lot of email advertising systems that you can use free of cost to begin. For example, MailChimp. MailChimp is free to make use of as well as you can accumulate around 2,000 emails before you need to have to purchase a paid out program.
BothWix and Bandzoogle possess tiered pricing styles that require you to acquire higher think about incorporated features/functionality.
WordPress, having said that, is free. WordPress is an unit that enables you to build as well as manage your website. To use it, you would certainly put up WordPress on your webhosting bundle. A lot of host service providers have a 1-click set up for this reason to make it effortless.
This performs suggest you need to have to obtain your domain name (your website label) and also host independently. In the case of Wix as well as Bandzoogle, these are merely included in the paid out plan if noted.
This performs provide you loads of choices, though, due to the fact that there are a lot of different hosting companies. My recommendation for organizing will be actually A2 holding. I wrote an entire blog on my suggestions for hosting that you can easily look at below.
But generally, I would say A2 Hosting is the method to go. They are the holding provider I use for every one of my websites. That includes this internet site and also it tons simply alright along withhaving 10,000 visits/month.
For most bands as well as best websites for musicians, A2′ s Lite strategy at about $4/monthare going to be actually fine. For obtaining a domain name, you can possibly do therefore withA2 at that time of buying your hosting program.
No matter where you acquire your domain name, it’ s going to be roughly $15/year.
In overall, that puts making use of WordPress at $63/year. Bandzoogle on its least expensive plan would be simply under $100. Wix along withtheir second most reasonable planning (I’ m certainly not utilizing the most affordable strategy because it still features advertisements on your site) will be actually $125.
Pricing Champion: WordPress
EASE Of Utilization
For the functions of the article, I underwent the procedure of creating a website from square one making use of Wix and also Bandzoogle if you want to make a site identical to my performer site built on WordPress. Listed below is a screenshot of that site
I would like to 1st see exactly how simple eachchoice was to make use of. However, I likewise would like to find how properly they will appear and also the amount of customization was actually allowed.
First, on simplicity of use, I’d have to mention Bandzoogle is actually the winner listed below.
When building a site withBandzoogle, to begin withyou start by picking a style from a fairly large series of options. At that point, the builder walks you by means of the procedure of developing your website.
After about an hour, right here’ s the web site I put together along withBandzoogle.
It ‘ s certainly not a facility as my internet site built on WordPress however it is actually doable as a band or even artist website.
Moving on, I did find the editor to become a bit slow yet absolutely nothing too excruciating. In general, Bandzoogle was really simple to utilize.
However, while the degree of modification are going to probably be enoughfor a lot of bands, it’ s still certainly not anywhere near what you can do along withWordPress (the same goes withWix).
Take a scan the slider below for screenshots of my system on Bandzoogle. One thing I did like is that Bandzoogle makes it effortless to add a photographpicture, songs gamer, and so on throughchoosing from a listing of attributes to incorporate. Then, you can easily drag all of them into place.
Wix was actually reasonably user-friendly too. Yet, I will give Bandzoogle the benefit below. However, what was nice regarding Wix is actually that when you create a profile, Wix will walk you withmaking the internet site as well as is going to immediately produce a site layout based upon the possibilities you pick. Observe the slider below for a fast perspective of this particular process:
After about an hour, here’ s just how muchI got the website created utilizing Wix.
Again,’it ‘ s certainly not ideal and also not as refined as the site developed withWordPress yet it performs appear rather similar. After only regarding an hour of work, it’ s excusable. Obviously, it needs to have to become customized even more withmy own information versus the dummy material coming from Wix.
You’ ll likewise see that there is a Wix add at that stays planned the bottom as well as best of the page. These are the ads that I described earlier in the section on rates. You’ ll requirement to obtain at least their $10.42/ monthplanning to take out these ads.
Overall, Wix does a tolerable work of putting together the site on its own. Coming from there certainly, you can individualize the site using the drag-and-drop builder and also modify the site’ s colours, fonts, and so on
The contractor was a bit sluggish/slow at times. It also timed out a couple of times causing me to have to refreshthe webpage.
WordPress would be actually the most challenging to use the bunch. However, it’ s actually certainly not that hard to use. It’ s only muchmore complicated.
What’ s terrific regarding WordPress is actually that there are actually a lot of motifs (bothfree as well as paid for) to decide on. The simplicity of utilization mostly depends upon the style. Some styles will definitely be significantly simpler to utilize. Particularly when they include a drag-and-drop webpage home builder. Most of the costs themes do include this feature, and also in my resource right here, I recommend a couple of that you can easily make use of to make developing your internet site a lot easier.
CUSTOMIZATION As Well As ADAPTABILITY
When it comes to customization and the flexibility to incorporate essentially any type of added functions to your site, WordPress is actually the hands down champion right here. There’ s only no competition.
While you can alter the shades, theme, and also layout of your internet site making use of Wix or Bandzoogle, you can do a great deal a lot more withWordPress. You can develop any type of format and also appear that you yearn for, you’ re not constrained to an established variety of alternatives.