As an aspiring voice over artist, you surely know how difficult it is to find regular work, or any work for that matter. Aside from having a quality demo, we all know the next thing is promoting yourself—whether that be via posting on social media, finding an agent, or hitting every audition possible. Of course, every voice over talent needs their own website, as well. However, simply having your own website won’t set yourself apart from others. What you need is an attention-grabbing website that exemplifies your skills and talents, and convinces prospective clients to cast you.
Seeing as our main goal at the Voice Shop is to help aspiring voice over talent break into the industry, we’ve laid out a few key tips and practices necessary in creating an appealing voice over website to promote yourself and secure work.
Step 1: Creating Your Voice Over Website
If you have yet to create a website for yourself, now’s good time to get started—so long as you’ve also created a voice over demo. Having a website without a demo will do very little for you, so be sure to get your demo recorded before promoting your site. Anyway, the first thing you’ll want to do it find a place to host your website, whether it be WordPress, Wix, or SquareSpace (among many others). The platform you choose will all depend on your preference and computer skills. Regardless, in creating your website, pay mind to the following aspects:
Domain Name: Essentially the name of your website, the domain name will be displayed in every URL. With this, you need to make it clear who you are and what the site is. For example, a good domain could be “www.jonsmithvoiceover.com”. Simple as that! Of course, you may want to include the type of voice over you do (if you specialize in a specific discipline), but it may not be necessary. In short, you need to ensure your URL is catchy, easy to remember, and to the point.
Search Engine Optimization: While SEO can get pretty in-depth and require quite the work, there are a few basic things you can do as your create your voice over website. Similar to your domain name, the pages of your sites and their titles (which will display in the URL for that page) should also be to the point. Page titles and headers on your pages should include keywords like “voice over”, “voice acting” and similar variants, while also including your name throughout. From here, you’ll want to search for other keywords that pertain to you and use them throughout your website to help it rank in search results. This way, potential clients can find you easier. SEO is great when performed alongside social media, blogging, etc.
Usability: Another key factor to consider in building your website is its usability. Make it easy for your potential clients, otherwise, they may get frustrated and look elsewhere. For starters, ensure your contact information and demo reel are easily accessible wherever the visitor is on your site. A resume or list of past work is also key if you have it. Other than that, just make the site intuitive—think of how other websites are designed.
What to Include on Your Voice Over Website
Once you’ve registered a domain name and are ready to add pages to your site, the aforementioned contact info and demo reel is crucial, but there’s plenty more to keep in mind with regards to the homepage and other aspects. For more help, view the tips and considerations for your voice over website below:
In regards to navigation and usability (user experience), keep scrolling and clicks minimal. In other words, require little of the site visitor. Put the best content above the fold and link other relevant pages of your site together to help users click through your site with ease.
A key part of SEO, adding fresh content to your site regularly is essential. However, you don’t want to add too much content to your site and alter the usability. Creating a blog on site is always good practice. This way, you can utilize keywords (don’t overdo it) and improve your chances of ranking in search engine results.
Mobile usability is also important to consider. So many people these days search online with their smartphones. If your website doesn’t display well on a mobile device, chances are the user (client) will exit your site. Many web builders (like Wix) have plugins and apps to help you ensure the site is mobile friendly.
For static pages of your site (i.e. demo, contact info, resume), keep them clean and easy to scan. For instance, keep your resume concise and use bold letters to note specific work that may appeal to clients.
Every page of your website should include a call to action. Especially the homepage. This is how you encourage clients to contact you and give them an easy way to do so. For example, you can leave a sample of your demo right at the top of your home page with a “contact me here” link above.
Learn More at The Voice Shop
While we’ve provided a great foundation for building a professional voice over website, there’s plenty more you can do to create an appealing site and promoting such to find more work. For additional help, the Voice Shop offers workshop webinars for building your brand. If you’d like more information, give us a call at 212-213-9487.