Adding Images with WordPress Photo Galleries

In recent years, photos have become a dominating force in social media and the web in general. Images are a great way to show off a band’s unique style, venues, merchandise, and the energy of a crowd. Not to mention, they’re just plain cool to look at.

While AudioTheme has functionality for discography, gigs, and videos, many musicians and bands look for a way to add photos to their site. We’re often asked how customers can add beautiful WordPress photo galleries that complement the look of the theme they’re using.

In this post, we’ll cover four options for adding great looking galleries to your WordPress site. We’ll also explain how you can ensure your site loads those images quickly.

Getting Started with a WordPress Website

We often hear from folks who are both excited and anxious about the potential of using WordPress. They see a theme they really love, or get excited about having a site that includes features they really need. However, they’re hesitant to make the switch to the self-hosted version of WordPress because they are uncertain as to what it entails. As a result, they settle on a different website platform such as Squarespace, Wix, or the hosted WordPress.com version that they feel is easier to get started with. This means musicians end up lacking several key features on their website simply because they fear getting started with a WordPress website.

Even though we’re not able to offer WordPress setup as a service at AudioTheme, we want to explain what it takes. We’ve put together an overview on getting started with WordPress for all of those customers who want to learn more about it.

The Importance of Owning Your Data and Online Presence
What would it mean to your music career if Facebook suddenly shut down? Do you have another streaming platform available if SoundCloud decided to close your account? Would your fans be able to find you elsewhere on the web?

Those types of questions can produce a ton of anxiety for musicians. In the last year, we’ve been reminded more than a few times of the importance of owning your data and online presence. In early 2016, Facebook significantly changed its algorithm for displaying content on pages. This required page owners to spend money in order to share posted content with their audience. Musicians who worked for years to grow a Facebook following lost their point of contact with fans seemingly overnight. In mid 2016, it changed again. Again in late 2016. And well into 2017, Facebook is still constantly tweaking the formula to combat fake news and other content issues.

This kind of volatility is not exclusive to Facebook.

Learn how using CSS snippets can make your site stand out from others

Customizing CSS in WordPress

What is CSS?

CSS is what controls the style and layout of all your website pages and components. CSS is also responsible for the responsiveness that makes your site look good on mobile devices. Customizing CSS in WordPress is one of the most efficient and effective ways to make your website stand out from others using the same theme.

A Primer on WordPress SEO for Music Sites
Search Engine Optimization can mean several things. There are entire websites and companies focused on SEO. You’ve probably received offers to optimize your site, or may have started looking into what you can do for yourself. The topic can be pretty intimidating for a musician, but it doesn’t have to be.

In this post, we’ll cover the basics of WordPress SEO for music websites. What it is, what it can do for your band’s site, and one of the easiest ways to make sure your site is optimized at a basic level.

Customizing Your Site with Sidebars and Widget Visibility

Sidebars and widgets are a great way to extend the functionality of WordPress. They give your audience a chance to find important information in a prominent location.

While widgets and sidebars work great on a typical WordPress install, we have a few tips to share that can make your site appear more polished. By using custom sidebars and widget visibility options, you’ll also gain more control over when and where you’re sharing information.

Gig Cards: The Ultimate Networking Tool

Imagine you’re playing a gig at a small venue. There aren’t very many people around but you can tell that those who are there are enjoying your music. After you finish your set, someone from the audience walks up and asks for your card.

A few years later you get a call from the same guy who explains that he happens to work at the White House, and he thinks the President would really like your band.

It seems like a ridiculous scenario, right? Except it’s not. That’s exactly what happened to Pat McGee back in the 90s.