If you’re anything like me (which, as a fellow voice actor I’m guessing maybe you are), you love all things creative and expressive, and you want your website to be just that! But… hang on… there’s JavaScript, HTML, CSS, SQL…I just wanted to pick my colors and fonts and let someone else handle all that!
You won’t need to sketch out ideas, don’t worry.
Let me introduce you to “someone else”: VoiceActor.com, a custom DIY site builder created by Voice Actor Websites. They are the bee’s knees in streamlined web design specifically for voice actors and some of the top talent in our industry use their services for good reason.
No panic necessary – you don’t have to drop big bucks for it either. Sign up for free, play around and design to your heart’s content with features specifically designed to highlight you, your demos, and work, and capture potential clients’ attention. When you’re ready to level up, it’s a sweet and simple $200 (with your SAV student discount!) and you’ll get service that will rock your socks off. Of course if you’re feeling it, they have leveling-up options later on, with designers, coders, and personal project managers assigned to you.
Fancy pants aside, if you’re on an entry-level membership (like myself), using their new cloud-based DIY website builder, you will have your own customized website in literal minutes. The whole process couldn’t have been easier, and again – if you fall into the ‘someone like me’ category – they will hold your hand the entire way if need be. The customer service from the communications manager is like having your best friend along for the ride. Supportive, knowledgeable, and excited for this part of your journey with you!
You’ll start with a discovery Zoom call showing you all the features and what other voice actors have created with them. Signing up was a matter of minutes and then you’re on the way! There are so many templates to choose from, and they’ve thought of every section: downloadable audio demos, bio, videos of your work, contact info, social media handles, testimonials, client reels… if you don’t have some of these things from the get-go, no worries. You can always re-visit and add sections later on. If you’re coming in with the big guns, they are ready and waiting to build a gorgeous site around your brand.
One of my favorite things was seeing what other voice actors had done with the templates – when Voice Actor Websites say they are truly customizable, they’re not lying! A full range color palette (with recommended schemes but the freedom to choose your own if you prefer!), along with different fonts, font sizing, and backgrounds – you can even upload your own background images.
For a surprisingly technologically-dense-at-times-millennial like myself, there hasn’t been a single hiccup along the way. Any changes or additions I’ve thought of have been handled by the team the same day, and my website never skips a beat. If you come ready with a custom domain name, there are oodles of videos on how to link it, no matter what provider you’re with, and if the thought of doing anything yourself sends you screaming for the hills, the VAW team is on it for you, professional, efficient and fun to work with to the very end.
If you have a question or concern about building your website, trust me, they’ve thought of it and made it simple.
The process essentially looks like this:
- Pick a template
- Choose your styling
- Upload your content
- Yup. That’s it.
Following the “if you’re anything like me” theme… you might want to try out a few different templates, or change your mind over time. Every detail is easy to edit by yourself, and you can change templates, styling, fonts, colors, and more at any time. You don’t need to know any coding or fancy acronyms to get what you want.
Being a professional voice actor, my big ‘thing’ for my website was to have my audio demos playable, downloadable, and be able to integrate a third-party demo player if necessary – not only can you do that, but they have audio demo analytics built into your site so you can see who’s listening.
Getting a little more technical (cause if you’re still here I know you really want to know about the nitty gritty), an entry-level site brings with it Google Analytics Integration, a free SSL Certificate, website hosting, SEO Meta options, and a QR code generator. Business lingo aside, this service has been designed by voice actors for voice actors. So you get access to industry-specific tools like a text case converter (to improve the readability of your scripts), a script timer, a PayPal and Stripe Fee Calculator (goodbye having-to-do-my-own-math!), and a time-zone converter – all tools designed to elevate your professional presence.
As voice actors, we’re faced with a lot of unique challenges. We have to be our own everything in every department. This is one place you can take the pressure off and let the pros do it for you, at an incredibly reasonable price. This is a game changer, whether you’re entry-level or in the big leagues, there’s something for everyone. Do yourself and your business a favor and go check ‘em out.
Check out our free PDF with pro tips from real working voice-over actors here!
Want to learn more about voiceover? Sign up for our introductory VO webinar.
