Filmmakers: Here's why you need a website!
One thing that kinda surprises me in the indie film scene is that a lot of filmmakers don't have their own websites. One filmmaker I spoke with said that he didn't need a website, since he would just let IMDb, Letterboxd, and Google do the the work for him. "People can see my films there." he said. But, I would strongly disagree with this approach. Having a website dedicated to your work can be a great advantage in your filmmaking quest to conquer the world!
Now I hear you saying “I can’t code.” at me through the screen, but worry not. There are a ton of great tools and resources out there that anyone can make a pretty epic website. You can use a website builder like Weeby, Wix or SquareSpace to do most of the heavy lifting for you. There are also software programs like Webflow that you can also use if you want to go that route as well. The point is, making an website has never been more assessable or easy, you really just need time to put it all together.
Don’t worry, I can’t understand any of this either.
The first major advantage to building and running your own site is that you get to control the look and vibe of it. On IMDb, you have no customization over anything. Your IMDb will look identical to another filmmakers, just with different titles on it. But with your own website, you can pretty much control everything. Is your film a lovey dove rom com? You can make the site pink with a bunch of hearts around it. You got a dark horror film? Well paint it black and maybe make it grungy with some cool font. Not only can you put all your film projects together, you can give them unique pages that help them stand out. This can go a long way in strengthening your films brand.
Next, it's great to have a place with you can have all the information of where to watch your film in one place. If you just depend on google to do your work for you, people not only have to do a little work to find your film but could head up at weird places. The other upper hand is that you can even sell your film directly from your website to your fans. If you direct everyone to buy your film on Amazon Prime, then you are sharing 50% of your profits with Amazon. But if you direct everyone to your own website instead, then you could cut out the middle man. If you also plan on having any kind of merch, having an online store on your website could be a game changer.
Check that out, there’s all the handy information you need right there!
Another edge to having a website, is that you have better control of your SEO, Search Engine Optimization. To define this in simple terms, SEO helps improve your landing on search results. When was the last time you searched for something online and went beyond the first page of search results? Chances are, you didn’t. When you can use paid advertisement to help and try to boost your presence online, people tend to gravitated towards the organic listings. While paid advertising can be effective, SEO offers long-term sustainability and cost-effectiveness. SEO can be its whole other topic, but by having your website you are giving yourself another valuable tool in your cannon along with IMdB, Letterboxd and the other social media websites out there. You'll have more chances to show up in search results and get people to check out your work.
Websites also have trump cards in that you can start a blog (how meta), podcast, FAQs, Polls, and contact information. Your website is only limited by your imagination. You'll find that building a good website and keeping it up to date will be a wise investment that will last for years to come. There is also another cool thing a website does for you, it gives you credibility that you take your work, films and brand seriously. So what are you waiting for filmmakers, get out there and surf the web on your own terms.
