2nd SOle
Rock & Blues
Client
Alan Franks
Date
2021
Service
Website Re- Design
Website Extensions
Photography
Managed Newsletter
Marketing Strategy
Ongoing Services
Many thanks to Chris Warta for building such a fantastic website for our band! Chris’s insight and creativity made it all come to life!
Alan Franks
Lead Guitar
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Old is not always good
A well-designed website might be timeless if you look at it from an aesthetic point of view. Seen with the virtual eyes of Google, the same website could become obsolete and even ‘punished.’ Why is that? Well, Google is constantly changing web standards and search algorithms. The most common example of an outdated website is the old-fashioned static website. Contrary to static websites, Google favors so-called dynamic or responsive websites, which adjust to all different screen sizes. Those websites look good on any device. A static website, however, doesn’t adjust its size to different devices. Reason enough for Google to ‘punish’ them by pushing them backward in search results. When 2nd Sole first showed me their old website, it became clear that it wasn’t good for Google and the human eye alike. aign Monitor or Sendinblue, one must own a domain name and an email address linked to it. A Gmail account, like Sam’s, would not work. Consequently, we bought a domain name for Sam and set up an email account to get his newsletter campaigns running.
Online presence reinvented
It is essential for a band that they sound great, but no less important is their look. This, of course, also applies to the band’s website. The design concept I chose for 2nd Sole is based on a minimalist vision. The black page backgrounds with white text elements and red accent colors dominate the overall appearance. Featured images like on the homepage headers and sliders are in black and white. This color scheme provides a pleasing and neutral background for the important website content elements, like band member sections and images, video and photo posts of performances and everything else that, over time, fills the website with life. When browsing through the pages, your eye will immediately focus on the content and that is exactly what this design concept has tried to achieve.
Events Calendar
An understandably important aspect of a band or musician’s website is their schedule. We could have added a simple list of upcoming gigs but instead decided to integrate an events calendar. This interactive calendar allows the creation of multiple event pages for selected dates. Once you click on an event, it will show up as an individual page with more details. The information shown can include event descriptions, Google maps with direction instructions, images, venue information and much more. Last but not least, it promotes not only the band but also the venue.
Audio Player
Whoever hires a band wants to hear at least a few audio samples to help decide if their sound suits the audience’s taste. An audio player is an ideal solution to let potential customers listen to your sound. Although third-party services like Soundcloud, Mixcloud, Youtube and others are great to promote your music, an integrated audio player keeps the audio experience on your site. Visitors do not have to leave your website.
Own your website
One of the band’s questions was relating to the usability of their website. Ideally, they would like to make edits themselves and add new content, like gigs they have performed or announce upcoming shows. I am always pleased to work with clients who actually want to work on their websites. This is the right attitude if you decide to call yourself a website owner.
To make the user experience as good as possible, I installed a so-called visual composer in addition to the standard WordPress platform, which allows working on your website without any coding skills and just a little basic knowledge. In my courses and tutorials, I teach my clients those basic skills to ensure that they ‘really own’ their website. This was exactly what we did after going live. Whenever I look at 2nd Sole’s website, I am pleased to see new ear and eye-catching content.
See & listen for yourself
To have a closer look or listen to 2nd Sole, click on the link above. And, if you are a venue owner who is looking for a great band that knows how to get a crowd moving, why not book them straight away? 2nd Sole rocks and so does their website.
