[Dixielandjazz] Web sites re-dux

[Len Nielsen]

Great post Nancy!!! Tom (Wiggins) should love your promotional ideas. 
May even be envious of the competion. :) Probably jump start a long, 
long reply from him. :)

Good information and simply stated so even a computer rookie like me can 
understand it.

Len Nielsen
Victoria BC



Nancy Giffin wrote:

> Recently, our beloved un-Rev. Tom Bob (Wiggins) brought up an important fact
> about band Web sites: Bands can pay a lot for a Web site, yet be hard to
> find on a Google search (or other search engine).
> 
> SAVING MONEY
> Anyone can get "free" Web hosting with banner ads at a place like
> freeservers.com, or even WITHOUT banners at a place like doteasy.com (just
> Google search "free web hosting").
> OR, if your ISP offers you free Web hosting with your e-mail account, you
> can set up the way Steve has: http://home.earthlink.net/~barbonestreet/
> 
> STANDING OUT
> To stand out on a search engine like Google, have your Web designer add
> highly specific "key words" into the hidden source code of your home page.
> For example, the Cell block 7 site has these keywords: "traditional jazz,
> West Coast Revival, Lu Watters, Turk Murphy, Sacramento, Lodi, Dixieland
> jazz." Then there's Butch Thompson, whose high-quality Web site I've praised
> in the past, which has the keywords: "Butch Thompson, jazz pianist, Prairie
> Home Companion, traditional jazz, New Orleans jazz, Butch Thompson Trio,
> blues piano, traditional jazz piano, stride piano, vintage American music,
> Jelly Roll Morton, Scott Joplin, ragtime, early jazz, Fats Waller."
> 
> You can "buy your way" to the top of the search engine, or -- at no extra
> cost -- use a combination of well-thought-out key words to get you as close
> to the top as possible. Be intuitive: stop and think what key words your
> audience might type into a Google search. Then, place those exact words in
> the hidden "meta-tags" of your site encoding.
> 
> PROMOTING
> Once you have your URL (W.orld W.ide W.eb address), preferably your band
> name so folks remember it, you can put it on all promo material and CDs, and
> then buy inexpensive, business-card-size ads to promote your name and URL in
> jazz newspapers and jazz society newsletters. Your accurate and up-to-date
> "promo package" can be on-line, saving you the high cost of paper, printing,
> and mailing. 
> 
> DESIGNING
> A few tips off the top of my head for your Web page design --
> 
> A simple, ONE-PAGE site should include, at the very least:
> -- your best PHOTO, CONTACT info, and a short PARAGRAPH about you
>   (Tell why you're special or unique; mention significant career highlights)
> 
> A LARGER SITE might want a SIMPLE home page with the "basics":
> your best photo, a brief welcome, a news flash or important notice,
> plus links to other pages that include:
> -- CONTACT info: phone, e-mail, snail-mail
> -- A current, accurate BIO,
>     preferably in 3 versions: short, medium, and long (article-length)
>     You can have just one long bio, but you're placing your entire image
>     in the hands of an unknown editor who could hack it to death.
> -- CD SALE info
> -- PHOTO gallery with links to download of professional shots in two
> formats:
>    * high-resolution (350ppi TIFF or JPEG files) and
>    * low-res. photos (150 ppi JPEG)
> And if you tour a lot, add:
> -- Recent PRESS RELEASES
> -- Your performance SCHEDULE
> 
> Pick a "color palette" -- between two to four colors that reflect the band's
> personality or uniforms, for example:
> -- a neutral background color (or plain black or white)
> -- a text color that contrasts the background for good legibility
> -- a bright accent color for headlines
>     (warm colors like red, orange, or yellow if bkgnd. is dark enough)
> 
> Plan carefully; keep it SIMPLE, basic, and well organized.
> Strive for no more than "two clicks" to any important information.
> 
> Rambling now; sorry for the coffee fingers. I'll now spare the list by
> welcoming anyone with questions to write me off-list. Don't forget to check
> out Ron and Rosemary Gable's site for promoting jazz and jazz musicians:
> http://www.jazzadvocate.com/
> 
> Love and hugs,
> Nancy
> 
> 
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