Skip to main content

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.
_________________


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.

Comments

Unknown said…
Want to be the first to give you a shoutout Dania. My modeling days are over (LOL) but it was fun back in the sixties. (Ha ha, now you know why it's over) In any case, you are an inspiration.
Unknown said…
Please I tried creating a website using wix.com, it gave me a site address. I want to change the site address, but it is telling me I have to pay to do such which is very costly. How did you go about yours, thank you.
Dania Denise said…
Hi, Janet Noye! You'll find the answer to your question in its own post, titled "Answering a Reader Question #804," which can be found on my other blog: "Modeling 101 - Answering Readers Questions."

Please visit this link: http://amodelsdiary-readerquestions.blogspot.com/ and you can view your post there. Thanks for reading!
Dania Denise said…
Claire, you continue to reign supreme as one of my favorite people in the whole wide world...I am so thrilled to have you in my life!!! Miss you to pieces!!! XOXO
There have been “model agency” (or “model search”) scams for nearly as long. Beware of Modeling Scams.

Popular posts from this blog

Modeling & Pay Rates: How Much Should You Charge?

(This post is more targeted towards freelance models and not those with agency representation, although it may apply to those that have an agent but continue to find their own work.) A part of being a successful model is making money from the jobs that you book. However, being a freelance model comes with many challenges--figuring out what you should charge is one of them. I will say upfront that there are no established black and white rules when it comes to pay rates. Each modeling job is different, each client is different and budgets vary. Ultimately the factors that should influence what you charge should be the amount of experience you have, the strength of the images in your portfolio and the client's budget/needs. Not every client is going to pay what you want to charge. There may be times when you will be skipped over for charging too much or taken advantage of for charging too little. It's going to happen so be prepared for it and do not take it personally. It

What Are Male Models Supposed to Look Like?

The modeling world is filled with women. That's never been a secret and sadly, that often means male models fall by the wayside. There are successful male models in all categories across the industry but the fact that the modeling business revolves around women can make it challenging for newbies to figure out how to pursue their goals of male modeling. It is important to know that because there are different types of modeling categories out there, that means there are also different types of male models. They aren't all supposed to look alike and what ends up being in demand does change every year. Let's break down the common attributes that come with male modeling in various popular categories, shall we? THE MALE FASHION/RUNWAY/EDITORIAL MODEL These are the typical types of models most of us tend to think of when it comes to men in modeling. What is important to know and understand if you're an aspiring male model is that agencies have all different looks

Modeling and Weight

One of the first things I hear potential models ask is what the weight requirement for modeling is. Sometimes that is the main issue they worry about when it comes to pursuing modeling. Let me tell you right now that weight should NOT be one of those concerns. Obviously, the height requirement reigns supreme when measuring up to the modeling standards sought out by agencies. If you meet the height requirements--whether it's for fashion and runway or commercial/print--that is the first step towards starting on the path to modeling. How much you weigh shouldn't be your biggest fear. It is rare that anyone can look at someone and say, "Oh, my gosh, he/she looks like they are 5 pounds over our weight requirement!" It just isn't realistic. If you look at many modeling agency websites, they clearly list the age and height requirements--rarely, if at all do they list any weight restrictions. The general rule of thumb when it comes to weight is that for models who