Band website essentials

A band website has one job: turn a stranger who searched "wedding band Bristol" or clicked a planner's recommendation into an enquiry with a date in it. Most band sites fail at this not because they are ugly but because the video is three clicks deep, the prices are a mystery and the contact form asks for nothing useful.

You can build what follows in a weekend with any site builder, for 100–250 EUR a year including the domain. Fancier is not better; faster and clearer is.

The six pages

1. Home

Above the fold on a phone: the band name, one line saying what you are and where ("Seven-piece soul and pop band for weddings and events, based in Manchester, travelling UK-wide"), the showreel video, and a button that says "Check availability". Below: three short reviews, three photos, the configurations you offer, and the same button again. Nothing else.

2. Video and photos

The 2–3 minute showreel, two or three single-song clips, and a gallery of 8–12 photos. Every photo shows the current line-up. Guidance on shooting is in live video that books gigs.

3. Repertoire

A curated list of 60–100 songs grouped by era or mood, with a line explaining that the full list is longer and requests are welcome. Searchable by page search is enough. This page ranks for "band that plays [song]" searches you would never think to target.

4. Packages and prices

The three or four things you sell, described as a client experiences them: "Evening party: two 60-minute sets, DJ playlist between and after, sound and lights for up to 150 guests, from 2,400 EUR." "From" prices are a filter that saves both sides a week of email; what to package and how to name it is in your service catalog. If you work through agencies that dislike public prices, make this page reachable but not linked from the menu.

5. Reviews

All of them, newest first, with first name, event type and month. Link to the external platform where they live as well. A steady stream of recent reviews is the strongest trust signal after video; the routine for collecting them is in getting reviews and testimonials.

6. Contact and booking

The form, plus a visible email address and a phone number, plus a stated response time. Frequently asked questions go here too: do you bring sound, how long are the sets, do you learn the first dance, how far do you travel, what happens if a member is ill.

An "about" page with the bio and member photos is optional and pleasant; nobody books because of it.

The booking form

Ask for exactly what you need to reply with an availability answer and a price, and nothing that feels like homework:

• Name, email, phone
• Event type (a short list)
• Event date
• Venue or town
• Approximate guest count
• What they want: evening only, full day, ceremony, a short text box
• How they found you (a short list; this is your marketing report)

Seven fields. Every extra one costs enquiries. Send an automatic reply that confirms receipt, states when they will hear back and links the video again, then answer within one working day; planners test this. For what happens after the enquiry, see from request to confirmed gig.

Search: the basics that matter

Bands are found by a small set of phrases. Aim the site at them:

• Type plus place. "wedding band [city]", "function band [region]", "corporate entertainment [city]", "soul band for hire [city]". Put the main one in the home page title, the first heading and the first paragraph, naturally.
• One page per major service or area if you genuinely serve several: "Wedding band in Kent", "Corporate band in London". Each with real content, not a copy with the place name swapped.
• Page titles and descriptions written by hand for every page, 50–60 characters and 120–160 characters respectively.
• Your business listing on the main map service, with the same name, phone and address as the site, and the reviews pointed at it.
• Links from venues, planners and directories. Ask every venue you play regularly to list you on their recommended suppliers page; it is the most valuable link a band can get.

Ignore anyone offering to "rank you number one". Do the above, keep the site alive with a review and a photo a month, and the enquiries follow within a season.

Speed and mobile

Most visitors arrive on a phone, often on a venue's poor signal:

• Compress every photo to under 300 KB. A gallery of 4 MB originals is the most common reason band sites take 10 seconds to load.
• Embed video from a video platform; never upload the file to the site.
• Test the site on a phone with the mobile signal, not on the studio Wi-Fi. Every button reachable with a thumb; every phone number a tap-to-call link.
• One font, two colours, no background music, no auto-playing audio.

Domain and email

• Own the domain in the band's name, registered to a band email address that at least two people can access, renewed for several years at a time. Which name and who owns it are in choosing and protecting a band name.
• Use an email at the domain for enquiries. hello@yourband.com looks like a business; a free webmail address looks like a hobby.

Do this today

• Write the one-line description and put it and the showreel at the top of the home page.
• Cut the contact form to seven fields and add the automatic reply.
• Compress the photos and test the load time on a phone.
• Email three venues you play regularly and ask to be on their suppliers page.
• Put the "from" prices on the packages page and see what happens to enquiry quality over a month.

Where expert.band helps

The site is the front door; expert.band is what happens after the form is sent. The enquiry becomes a gig request, an availability request goes to the band by email and SMS with one-tap answers, and the quote goes back to the client as a link in their language with a Download PDF button. The repertoire page on the site can be exported straight from the band's repertoire.