10 Massive Website Mistakes That Scare Your Audio Clients Away

They say first impressions are everything.

But today, it’s often not you, but your website that makes the first impression.

The bottom line: If your site isn’t up to snuff, you may be scaring off potential clients.

The good news is that crafting a top-tier site is easier than ever. Inexpensive (and even free) website-building tools make it possible to achieve professional results without designers or deep pockets.

But regardless of how you get there, you’ll still need to avoid some common pitfalls along the way. Steer clear of the following 7 mistakes to help transform even the dullest site into a client-generating machine.

Mistake #1: Forgetting your target audience

Consider a producer whose homepage features a lengthy gear list and photos of their equipment.

The problem?

Her clients—artists—don’t care about gear.

In fact, many try to forget it exists while recording. And to top it off, some even find gear intimidating. This producer might be scaring away her ideal clients.

Got lots of gear? Before featuring it on your site, make sure your ideal clients really care…

Browse through your site and ask yourself: “Does this website appeal to people like me, or to the people I’m trying to reach?”

This simple question can profoundly impact the way you frame your site, and consequently, how likely your site is to get you work.

If you’re a studio owner for instance, consider crafting separate pages for artists and producer/engineers. This is often better than trying to appeal to both at once and failing to make a strong connection with either.

On the page for artists, feature shots of your studio with mood lighting. Show artists they’ll be comfortable enough to let loose and create. On the producer/engineer page, provide downloadable gear lists and recall sheets to help plan and document sessions. Make the producer’s job easy before they walk in the room.

Every pixel of your site should be tailored to appeal to your ideal clients. This is the key to getting them to pick up the phone.

Mistake #2: Making your website about you

Does your about page feature one or more of the following?

• A boring, self-indulgent bio
• Pages of irrelevant facts about your life
• A cliché story about when you first fell in love with music

If so, please get rid of it.

Your clients don’t care about this stuff. Instead, make your about page about them. Speak to their hopes, dreams, challenges, and ambitions. Explain how you can help them achieve their goals. Include relevant information about you, but frame it in a way that illustrates how it will help you better serve them.

Mistake #3: Selling features instead of benefits

There’s an old saying in sales: “Features tell, benefits sell”.

What’s the difference?

Features are facts and surface-level information about your studio or services. A gear list is a “feature”. If your website says you tune vocals, you’re selling a “feature”.

Benefits, on the other hand, communicate value. They answer the question “what’s in it for me?” What’s the “benefit” of booking time in a studio with lots of gear? Clients will have the tools they need to create any sound they can possibly imagine. What’s the “benefit” of tuned vocals? They’ll sound radio-ready, just like the ones in your favorite tracks.

If someone decides to work with you, what are they really getting? Will they walk away with a exceptional-sounding record? Will they feel comfortable enough to give the best performance of their life? Will you make sure their band doesn’t break up along the way?

Sell benefits, not features. This will make your message much more compelling.

Mistake #4: Looking (and sounding) like everyone else

There’s a lot of other people who do what you do.

If you’re running a recording studio, your competition may be local. If you’re a mixer or producer, you may be competing with others around the world.

What do you offer that others don’t? Have you produced more Afro-Cuban jazz than anyone else in the world? Do you do real-time revisions over the internet? Do you have a couple of GRAMMYs?

Front-load anything that sets you apart. In today’s world, it pays to stand out.

Mistake #5: A website that doesn’t look good or work well on mobile

If someone is trying to book a last-minute session from their iPhone, will you get the call?

Over half the traffic on the internet now comes from mobile devices. If your site doesn’t look good or work well on mobile, you’re dropping the ball on half your audience.

Make sure your site looks good and works well on mobile.

Here are a few tips to optimize your website for mobile visitors:

• Make sure your site looks good on small screens. Text should always be easy to read, and navigation should be intuitive and user-friendly.
• Ensure your reel plays properly (many audio players don’t work on mobile).
• Avoid building your site with Flash, as it won’t display properly on many mobile devices.

In today’s world, mobile compatibility is something you can no longer afford to ignore.

Mistake #6: Making it difficult to contact you

If someone visits your site and likes what they see, what will they do next?

They’ll look for a way to contact you.

Your contact information is the most important thing on your site. If you’ve buried it behind multiple pages or made it annoyingly difficult to get in touch, visitors will give up and leave.

Yikes.

To avoid this problem, follow these tips:

• Place contact information in a prominent location on your site (the top right-hand corner of every page works well). Don’t make people drill down multiple pages to find it.
• Provide multiple methods of contacting you. Some visitors will prefer picking up the phone, while others will want to send an email. Give them the choice.
• If you’re using a contact form, ask for the least amount of information possible. Dan Zarella of HubSpot found that when the number of fields in a form was dropped from 4 to 3, nearly 50% more people filled it out.

The bottom line? Make it easy for people to get in touch.

Mistake #7: Never updating your site

Does your site claim you just finished engineering an album that was released in 2003?

If so, you’d better hunt down your long-lost web developer.

You know what this screams? “I’m not working!”

Your website is your virtual home on the internet, and just like a real home, things must continually be updated, fixed, and improved. Stuff breaks. Design trends evolve. You’ve got to stay up-to-date.

Mistake #8: Using text that’s hard to read

The primary purpose of your site is to convey information. If something is getting in the way of this, you’ve got a problem. Common issues include:

• Large blocks of text with no spacing or paragraphs.
• Text written in ALL CAPS.
• White text on a black background. (Learn why.)
• Busy or distracting background images.
• Text that’s too small.
• Overuse of bold or italics.

Readability should always be a top priority. Don’t lose sight of this.

Mistake #9: A reel that isn’t up to snuff

Your reel is likely the most important thing on your site. Make sure it does you justice. Here are a few tips:

• Don’t send people to a SoundCloud page. This looks unprofessional. Instead, embed an audio player directly onto your site.
• Avoid generic song titles like “Rock” or “R&B.” Instead, feature the real names of songs and artists. This communicates that you respect your clients’ work.
• Make sure only one song can play at once. If listeners start a new song while another is playing, the previous one should stop.
• Avoid auto-play. Don’t force your reel on visitors. Let them decide to listen on their own.

Mistake #10: Not taking advantage of video

Video is the most compelling medium you’ve got to communicate your message.

If you’re not taking advantage of it, you’re missing a massive opportunity.

How big?

According to ReelSEO, including a video on your homepage can increase the number of people who reach out to you by 20% or more.

Video is the most compelling medium you’ve got to communicate your message.

There are infinite ways to incorporate video into your site. Consider creating a virtual studio tour. Feature testimonials from top clients. Create a slideshow with pictures of your GRAMMY-winning clients. The possibilities are endless.

Oh—and it doesn’t have to be glossy and polished either. Your Snapchat-savvy visitors are used to raw, uncut material. Just start with something.

Ready to transform your site into a client-generating machine?

Hopefully you’ve realized what a great website can do for you. And by now, you should have a good idea of the steps you need to take to get there.

If you’re looking for inspiration and more actionable advice, I’ve put together a PDF with my favorite producer, mixer, engineer, and studio websites. I’ve included notes on what they do well, so you can “borrow” their ideas and use them to elevate your own site. Click the link below to download the PDF. (Heck… yours might even be in it…)

Jason Moss is an LA-based mixer and educator. Learn how to craft a clear, balanced low end by downloading these free excerpts from his premium training course, Mixing Low End.

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