Thread: Suggestions for my website

I used to use my website, Belly Dance Stuff, to promote myself and my classes and to offer e-cards and clipart to the dance community.

When I opened the studio, my class info moved to the new studio website.

I think I want to use the old site just to promote myself as a performer now. How should I go about that? I already have the domain bellydancebylauren.com attached to it.

Should get rid of the e-cards? The clip art page needs to come down, I'm not doing that ever again! Should I combine the links, funstuff, and student area pages and move all that to my studio site?

Should I have less stuff on the home page and add a bio page?

I just updated the gallery, I like that one and the 'book a show' pages.

Should my repertory class have a page here? Or should I just leave them on the studio page (Lotus Arts Studio - Yoga, Bellydance and more in Belleville, IL)

What else would I add or take away to turn this into a performer site?

I know I need professional pics, and better clips. *sigh*

Hummm, I suppose it depends if you want to promote yourself as just a teacher or performer and teacher.

If I were you, I would link your studio and repertory class to your professional site. You know, leave most of it on your studio site but link back to each other.

Was that confussing? I hope not.

I like your clips, but they need to be zoomed in more when you are being taped.

ETA: Leave your home, book a show, gallery and links, but take the rest off for your professional site. It would look less informal. You want to promote Lauren not postcards and other stuff.

Originally Posted by Michelle75

Hummm, I suppose it depends if you want to promote yourself as just a teacher or performer and teacher.

If I were you, I would link your studio and repertory class to your professional site. You know, leave most of it on your studio site but link back to each other.

Was that confussing? I hope not.

I want to focus now on promoting myself as just a performer. The teaching stuff is all to be moved to my studio site. Sorry I wasn't clear.

I like your clips, but they need to be zoomed in more when you are being taped.

Sucks, don't it? I don't have any control over that.

ETA: Leave your home, book a show, gallery and links, but take the rest off for your professional site. It would look less informal. You want to promote Lauren not postcards and other stuff.

Thanks. I think the links might get moved, too. Should I have a bio page? If so, what would I move there and what would I leave on my home page?

So you are planning on revamping the whole site or just moving pages around?

As Bhuzs' resident 10 year lounge chair belly dancer (non professional), I think a biography is important, it's giving possible clients your dance history.

Bio and booking info are good. But don't give them anywhere else to go. Links to other sites just suck away your traffic. People have near-zero attention span and will follow links for hours forgetting why they started surfing in the first place. If your goal is to book a gig, then the only link on the site should be to your email.

Mira

Originally Posted by Lauren_

I
Thanks. I think the links might get moved, too. Should I have a bio page? If so, what would I move there and what would I leave on my home page?

I think the Home Page should be more like a business card, featuring a nice picture, contact info and brief bullets points that you expand on in the other pages of the site. For example:

Lauren
Teacher - Performer

* Stage Shows
* Festivals
* Restaurants
* Retirement Communities
* Middle Eastern Weddings
* Mini-Shows and Taster Classes

Email address - Phone Number

I would list your performance venues (past/present/future) on a separate Performances page. And I would move the description of the various styles you do to a Bio page.

Muchas Gracias! Thanks for the help.

I think it's more overwhelming trying to re-purpose an existing site than trying to create a new one from scratch! (but I'm not up for a redesign, just shuffling).

I'm wondering now about keeping the domain belldancestuff.com and making it a separate site for bellydancers, move the postcards and links there, and the guestmap, maybe offer clipart again, put my reviews back up, some articles, etc. Hmmmmmm.....

If you can keep the bellydancestuff site and fill it full of useful content (articles, videos, links etc.) and then also link that to your performance site--the incoming link will be considered an "authority" site by Google (because of all the useful, and frequently updated content) and it will help your performance site rankings.

Basically, you want incoming links from authority sites. No reason you can't create the connection.