Are Websites Necessary?

In the age of never-ending platforms, where do you find everybody?

I'm a big proponent of everybody having a website and domain name you control. In this social media age, we've seen time and time again what happens when the control of a platform is out of your control. We go through all this effort to build an audience on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and the second the algorithm changes, all that effort goes out the window through no fault of our own.

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🦄 Egoraven: Heir of the First Unicorn #9 ENDS FRIDAY on KICKSTARTER!

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The main purpose of all these platforms is that they don't want the audience to leave their platform which puts us in a very odd position as creatives. These companies want us on their platforms to make the content that keeps the audience for them, but they don’t want us to benefit from that work by allowing us to monetize that effort elsewhere. If the point of the algorithm is to keep our audience, well, their audience, essentially from leaving, where does that leave us?

This caused me to examine my website carefully. What is its purpose if I can’t get people to visit it? I've consistently had a website, but especially recently, I've been a little unsure of what I expect from it. Before, if anybody wanted to see your stuff, they went to your website. If everyone is now being trained to stay on the platform of their choice, then what will happen to the website?

I have to admit I have no idea how many visitors actually come to my website. I really don't keep track of any of that data. The main thing is that I have my webcomic EGORAVEN and TALL TAILS serialized there.

My original site before I started tinkering…

But if people are not staying, I also have them on Webtoon and GlobalComix. I have all these platforms I have my work on. If my website has to serve a purpose, it’s to be a hub for all my social media. If you get my business card at a convention and it takes you to my website, you have a choice to stay on the website; however, I give you all the options to go to the platform you're most likely to hang out on because I want you to see my artwork in the most convenient way possible. If I can’t move the audience to where I want them, I can send them to where they prefer to be and be there waiting for them.

After this realization, I spent a few days revamping my website. It’s nothing fancy and keeps pretty much the same layout as before. I didn’t even bother to “optimize for mobile” because I’m not expecting you to stay on it anyway.

I start with a minimal menu that includes as much as possible on the main page. My comics are still serializing, but the links to all the chapters are underneath the menu instead of making you go to a separate page. You can ignore the menu entirely if you want.

The main “ad” banner links directly to whatever Kickstarter is running. All along the side are buttons for every platform you can find me on. There’s even a huge button for my shop, which is just a redundant version of my website with the added ability to purchase books directly from it.

I'm pleased with the way this came out. I also tried to keep it easy for me to update. Actually, I wanted to keep the updates as minimal as possible without the site looking abandoned. 😅

Why do a blog on my website when I could send you here to Substack? I do have the webcomic, but that's the point of the website. My artwork will always be the main focus. If you prefer more furry art, head over to my Fur Affinity account. No matter where you’d rather be, I’m most likely there. I'm no longer worried about my website when I give out business cards. It's organized, and they can find everything; it represents my work and is convenient for the audience to follow however they prefer.

So, tell me in the comments… What attracts you to a website and keeps you there? Do you even look for creator websites? Is there anything unique or specific that you expect or makes you shop there? Or would you rather follow creators on their social media instead?

And while you’re at it…

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Production Schedule

• EGORAVEN: HEIR OF THE FIRST UNICORN #9: ENDS FRIDAY

• EGORAVEN: HEIR OF THE FIRST UNICORN #10 (out of 16) Coloring: In progress

• EGORAVEN: HEIR OF THE FIRST UNICORN - The Novelization Chapter 11 (out of 16): In progress

• TALL TAILS: TEARS OF THE MOTHER #7 (out of 8): In queue

• TALL TAILS: TEARS OF THE MOTHER #8 (out of 8): In queue

• EGORAVEN: CULT OF THE WOLF WITCH (novel sequel): In progress.

• EGORAVEN: WHISPERS TO EROS (erotic short story collection): In progress.