Why a vlogger should have a website

I’m a big fan of binge-watching videos on YouTube. When I fall in love with a vlogger, I tend to go to their YouTube channel and look through their social media and website. I always feel disappointed when I discover that they don’t have a website or that the website is made on another platform that they don’t own (blogger or wordpress.com) because the design is usually subpar. Here’s why a vlogger should have a website.

Why a vlogger should have a website

Stake a claim

Having a website means that you own it. Social media is owned by big businesses that only care about how the platform will make money for them, so they don’t have your best interest at heart. A website is owned by you, which means you can do whatever you want with it at any time.

 

It's mine

 

So once you have one, what’s the point? Well, it’s time to build your community. You want to build a community on your own site, just in case the algorithm changes again on the social media platforms and it becomes harder to reach people. Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest are always changing how your audience views your content. The easiest way to drive traffic to your site is actually pointing your social media followers to your website. Just add your website link to all your social media accounts.

Another way to build a community is to start a newsletter. Just add an opt-in to your website so that people can sign up. You can get started with Mailerlite or Mailchimp for FREE. Later, when you expand, you can start selling products and services to your list, but in the beginning, you want to nurture your list and build your following by providing great content. The point is, having a website gives you control over your content and opens up new avenues for growth.

Venture out

I hinted at new avenues for growth. What does that mean? It means there are so many possibilities for the future. Maybe you started creating videos for fun on YouTube, but then realize you want to do it as a full-time job. Maybe you started it to market one aspect of your business but decided to switch up your business plan and expand.

Dreams and plans always change, so it’s better to be prepared. It’s never too early to start. The first thing you should do is have a website so you can start collecting subscribers so that you’ll have potential customers who will know you and trust you. Next, you want to think about how you want to be perceived and who you want to attract. Once you answer that question, you can start thinking about branding your business (branding usually comes before the website, but you want to get started quickly).

 

endless possibilites

 

If you’re not sure what you want to do, just start thinking about where you want to be in one year. Then, think about 5 years from now. Are you going to still create videos then? Do you want to have your own business? It’s worth thinking about or preparing for just in case.

Content already created

If you’re thinking, ‘I don’t have any content!’, then you’re wrong. You’re already creating videos. Those videos can be made into blog posts. Every time you upload a video, just post the video as a blog post. If you create videos for webinars and workshops that aren’t on YouTube, then you can just upload it to YouTube, and add the link to the video to your blog post.

Another option is to transcribe your vlog. You can pay someone like Rev, to transcribe your videos. It’s only $1 a minute. If you go this route, you can post both your video and the transcription onto your blog post. Your audience will have the choice of either watching or reading your content. Transcriptions are a good way to go because it’s good for SEO.

Earlier I was talking about blog posts, but if you don’t know what to write in your newsletters, you can just post your new video and a summary of what the video is about.

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Get started on your website

Want to get started on your website now? Well, here are some easy tips to do it yourself.

The easy solution

If you’re not tech savvy, then WordPress is the way to go. Read this blog on why I use WordPress to design client websites. I love WordPress because it’s a simple and easy way to create a professional website in a short amount of time. Also, you don’t have to have coding knowledge and it’s fairly easy to maintain.

Before you get started you’ll want to buy your domain name and hosting. Your domain name should be your business name with a .com, .co, .net, and so on. Hosting is important because it’s basically where your website lives and how you’ll maintain your website. Check out this post for hosting and domain suggestions.

After you buy your domain and hosting, download WordPress here. Then upload WordPress to your host. If your host already has an option to set up WordPress, then disregard this step. You’ll just have to set up WordPress.

Pick a theme

Once you finish the setup (username, password, site name, and so on), then it’s time to pick a theme. The number 1 thing to keep in mind, keep it simple! If you’re not tech savvy, pick a theme that doesn’t have a lot going on.

 

Wheel of fortune

 

In fact, before you pick a theme, write down all the things you want on your website. If you don’t know what you want, then think about the websites you do like and write down the things you like about those websites. Once you finish, go through each theme and disregard the ones that don’t have what you want. For example, if you want a blog sidebar, disregard the themes that don’t have a blog sidebar.

Click here to read  5 tips for creating your own WordPress website.

Branding for beginners

If you’re a YouTuber that doesn’t have an official brand, then just match your YouTube channel. Try to limit your fonts to only 2 font choices and your colors to only 3 choices.

If you don’t have a branded YouTube channel, click here to read 5 ways to brand your YouTube channel.

Get traffic

I discussed this earlier, but make sure you link your website to all your social media channels, including YouTube. Sign up with Mailerlite or MailChimp and create a newsletter and build your email list. Mailerlite is free up to 1000 subscribers and MailChimp is free up to 2000 subscribers.

The easiest way to grow your subscribers is to create a free opt-in. This can be a worksheet, workbook, a video, and so on. When your audience subscribes to your mailing list they get the opt-in you promised them.

Once you start building a following, nurture your list by sending content. As I said earlier, your content can be your new videos or you can repurpose content (reuse old videos).

Summary

In a hurry, need a summary? I’ve got you covered.

Why a vlogger should have a website:

  • You need a headquarters that you own and control to build your community.
  • In the future, you might evolve into a business or want to make money for what you’re doing.
  • You’re already making content, so having a website can house all your content.

Are you a vlogger without a website? What’s stopping you from having one? Let me know in the comments below.

-Paigon

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