The Benefits of Having an Official Modeling Website

After writing my mini-series of blog posts about the importance of putting together a solid “About Me” section, it made me want to write about why an official modeling website in particular is such a vital tool for all models, especially freelancers.

Social media has made it easy for models to market themselves and gain some measure of exposure. But too many models rely on just their social media sites and treat them as websites, which they are not. 

Having a Facebook page is not the same as having a website. Having an Instagram and/or Twitter account is not the same as having a website. Even a profile on a social networking site like Model Mayhem is not the same as having a website.

Just as helpful as social media profiles are, an actual website is still golden as an effective marketing tool.

Below are a few key reasons why:

It’s Steadfast & Constant

Remember that thing called Myspace? What about Friendster? Sure, Facebook is still going strong but it isn’t uncommon for social media sites to come and go. All the time and effort we put into our social media profiles can be gone in an instant if the site goes out of business or could be changed completely if they get acquired by a different company.

Social media sites are not in your control when it comes to infrastructure. If something happens, you have to deal with it. But that doesn’t happen with an official website—at least it’s not as likely to happen nearly as much as it does with other sites.

An official modeling website means having it hosted on a platform that is under your control at all times. While I’ve changed my website a few times in terms of design and look, I’ve had it up and active for years. The only way it will ever disappear is if I delete it.

In the ever-changing world of the Internet and the trend of jumping all over what the next best thing is, your modeling website can remain a constant and dependable place to point your fans, potential clients and social media followers. Even if the biggest social media sites disappear, your website will be the last one standing and that’s certainly what you want.

It’s the Best Form of Professionalism

Okay, this is the business-minded tycoon version of me talking here: when it comes to booking serious, paid modeling work and building a solid reputation and brand, you have to show potential clients that you are professional and have what it takes to get hired. In the business world, social media profiles and similar sites are all well and good to have in place (I encourage it as well), but an official website is still going to be what they look for when they do their online research about you.

Anytime you want to find out more info about something, especially relating to business, products and services, what do you look for on the Internet? The website. Again, social media sites are good and do offer insight and info but it’s the “official website” that most people consider the best resource of getting answers to their questions. The same can be applied to modeling websites.

That’s also why I constantly tell people to visit the official website of modeling agencies to get the info they need to know. Notice that I don’t say to check out the agency’s blog or social media profiles. There’s a reason for that, which is what this post is all about in terms of why actual websites still reign supreme in building your presence online and getting people to take you seriously.

Not only does having a modeling website make you look more professional, it shows potential clients that you take your career seriously. Putting together a website takes time and some money, which means you have made the conscious decision to dedicate your efforts into creating a site that showcases you as a model. Clients do take note of this. A model who just has social media sites all over the place is okay but if there is also an actual website, it just strengthens your brand and career that much more. Think of it as making you more legitimate.

It’s No Longer a Pricey Endeavor

Back when I wrote my posts about putting together a modeling website (click Here and Here), the options were not as budget-friendly in some cases. The options are still the same but today models can put together their own websites for a fraction of what it would cost to hire a graphic designer.

Thanks to sites like Wix, Weebly and a handful of others, models can now take advantage of what are known as “free site creators.” These sites offer all the tools you need to build any kind of site, whether it’s from a blank template to a premade one where you can easily change text, images and layout elements. It’s 99.9% free, with any fees for upgrades and additional features still being super cheap. In the end, it’s a win-win for your wallet.

Another plus to using these types of resources is that you don’t need any tech or programming skills. As long as you know how to drag and drop, you’re good to go. What I especially like about free site creator platforms is that you are in complete control. You can update photos whenever you want, change content, update your resume and even add additional gallery pages/tabs instead of waiting around for a graphic designer to be available to do your bidding.

That was my #1 issue when I worked with a graphic designer back in the day. Not only did I have to wait for him to be available, it cost me money each time, which meant only updating my site once a month or every other month. Now that I’ve got my site through Wix, I keep everything up to date because my site is accessible to me 24/7.

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As you can see, there is no longer any reason to hold off on creating a modeling website for yourself—if you truly are serious about your career and maximizing the opportunities out there. The Internet is the place to be for models hoping to take their skills to the next level and an official modeling website is one of the best ways to get you there.