Why It’s Important to Plan Your Pages
Constructing a website without a plan is like assembling furniture without the instructions. You could get it right, but it’s more likely you’ll reach the end and wonder how you ended up with three extra screws.
Creating a site without a clear plan can lead to a weak user interface and message. People could land on your site and not be able to tell what you’re about or what they should do next. Many problems can pop up in a poorly planned site and not all of them will be immediately apparent.
So save yourself the trouble and start planning. Now, we don’t mean that you have to come up with the full design scheme and text before setting foot in your website builder – though you’re certainly welcome to if that’s what suits your fancy.
However, we mostly mean that you should have an idea of your goals. What does this page accomplish? What design elements do you need to facilitate that? Each page will have a different answer.
Planning Your One-Page Podcast Site
In this blog post, we’ll be talking about how to plan your one-page podcast site. Every page has characteristics that define them, so we’ll be outlining what your goals should be and what site elements will help you achieve those.
Defining Features of a One-Page Podcast Site
Your one-page podcast site is likely centered around your podcast (s). Keeping it down to one page keeps the information from being overwhelming while giving your podcast an online presence besides the podcast platforms.
Normally, one-page podcast sites have two overarching goals: give people more information about your podcast and point them to where they can listen.
We’ll discuss the design implications in the next section, but for now, let’s focus on why your one-page site should focus on these two things.
You’re likely making a website for your podcast to further your brand. The point of your website is to send people to the main attraction: your podcast. So it’s natural that everything on it should revolve around that.
The website should entice visitors to go listen to your podcast. Your website should be persuasive – your podcast is something they do not want to miss!
What Every One-Page Podcast Site Needs
Now, all of that goal-setting is good, but how do you translate that to your website? We’ll give you the answers here.
It’s important to keep in mind that design is subjective. There are fierce opinions about it all over the internet. With that in mind, we chose some basic site elements that we’ve found common on one-page podcast sites. While it’s ultimately your decision what you add to your site, these elements are a great place to start.
Podcast Platform Icons and Buttons
A great element to include on your one-page podcast site is a row of podcast platform icons. Just like social media icons, when visitors click on these icons, they’ll be taken to your podcast on that platform.
Including these icons on your site makes it easy for visitors to hop over to your podcast on the platform of their choice. After all, your site exists to send people to your podcast.
You can also add buttons labeled with each platform’s name. While this may feel like overkill, the more places you put the links, the less likely a visitor will miss them. They’ll always know where they can go to travel to your podcast.
For more information about linking your podcast to your website, check out our article: How Do I Add Links to My Podcasts?
Design that Shows Your Podcast’s Personality
Does your podcast have personality? Then use your site design to show it! If you’re hosting a comedy podcast, make your design fun. If your podcast takes a more serious tone, use a professional-looking theme. A podcast about the supernatural? Use a spooky theme.
Think about your audience and what would appeal to them. What type of design will they appreciate the most? If you can accurately encapsulate your podcast personality with your design, it can help attract the right people to your podcast. If you can attract your target audience, then you’re more likely to grow your recurring listener base.
Persuasive Information
Be sure to include a paragraph or two explaining what your podcast is about. While links and good designs can go a long way to help, you should also tell your visitors why they should listen to your podcast.
Now, you could write a few paragraphs just outlining the podcast’s genre, but if you want to go the extra mile, we recommend you focus on making this information as persuasive as possible. Bonus points if you add in some of your podcast’s personality.
Why include persuasive information? Because your website is a great place to send people to get more information before they start to listen. They may even attempt to research your podcast before taking the plunge. Creating your website is a way to catch those researchers and convince them that your podcast is worth the time.
Adding your personality and persuasive power gives you a better chance of converting curious visitors into returning listeners.
So how do you create compelling text to convince your website visitors? The key is to think about your target audience:
- What makes your podcast amazing?
- Why should they listen to you?
- How does the podcast apply to them?
- Do they get anything out of listening to your podcast?
Once you’ve convinced your audience, you want to make it easy for them to find your podcast. It’s a two step-process: convince them, then send them on their way to becoming avid listeners. That’s where the podcast platform icons and buttons come in.
Making Your Decisions
In the end, your website is your business, so we can’t tell you exactly what to do. However, these tips are a great place to get started, especially if you’re new to building websites. You can use them to help bolster your website and marketing strength. If you need any help on the web hosting side, don’t hesitate to reach out to our 24/7 support team. They’ll be happy to assist you with any web hosting-related situations.
