Success Story
Design, Update, Upskill
A collaborative and educational
Squarespace solution for musicians
You already know a great website is essential
It’s the first place venues and music journalists go to learn about you.
It’s how your fans get to know you and buy your music and merch.
It’s where you build your email list.
And it’s the only home for your music online that can’t get messed up by the whims of the Zuckerbergs or Musks of the world.
So why does your website suck?
(I mean, I can only assume that’s why you’re here)
This is the last time we’re
going to work together
Most musicians’ websites are outdated and soulless because it’s expensive af to pay someone to design an excellent one for us.
Because trying to update them ourselves with minimal knowledge of Squarespace is a frustrating experience that takes too long and never gives us the results we want.
Because we’re already busy writing, performing, practicing, hustling, learning social media marketing and trying to stay physically and emotionally healthy, and simply don’t have the time or energy for it.
And if we do manage to save up and pay someone to do it, we end up forking out hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars just to go through the exact same process and cost again every time we have a new album, tour or just want a new vibe.
Well, we used to.
I created this program so you can upgrade and upskill. To give you the beautiful website you want today, along with the skills you need to update it yourself tomorrow.
I want this to be the last time you ever pay someone else for help with your website.
Testimonial
“Vanessa McGowan took my limited knowledge of Squarespace to the next level. The photos she chose and the colors she recommended for my website were all cohesive to building my brand.
The fact that Vanessa is a musician is instrumental in how she assists her clients. She focused on what differentiates me as an artist and applied that to the video placement, biography and chosen photos.
One of my favorite aspects of working with Vanessa is that she listened to my suggestions which she transformed into a user friendly website producing organic growth.”
- Laura Sawosko, Nashville
Success Story: Design, Update, Upskill
This is a 3-step, collaborative program.
It’s designed to give you the exceptional website you want now, while teaching you the skills you need to update the information and transform the style of your site yourself.
So you can easily change your website next time you want to match the artwork for your next album, project, tour, or even if you just want a vibe change.
What you’ll need:
The essentials:
A basic Squarespace plan for $16/month
Photos (I can help with this)
A biography (I can help with this too)
Step 1: Design
I’ll guide you through choosing a color palette and fonts and work with you to define the visual style that best suits your music.
Whether you’re starting from scratch or want to freshen things up, I will coach you through a simple process to create the brand kit that best suits your unique artistry and personality.
Step 2: Update
Using your new brand kit and style guide, I’ll work on my own to completely overhaul your website’s style, text, links, headers, photos, background images and textures, dynamic page features, and footer.
I’ll edit your photos to create a cohesive feel, set up your email list and capture points, and optimize every page for desktop and mobile.
Step 3: Upskill
When the website is ready, I’ll provide personalized video lessons, using your website backend, to show you how to change colors, photos, and background images, edit text, add sections, manage your email list and change the homepage navigation.
You will learn everything you need to know to be able to update, brighten up, or completely overhaul your site, on your own.
You’ll have 5 additional video lessons to use as needed for any other design or site function questions that pop up in the following 6 months after our work is complete.
This is the key stage in the process because it will allow you to re-brand as needed and completely overhaul your site quickly and easily whenever you want to, without paying for help.
The Design, Update, Upskill program starts at $500, depending on the size and scope of your website.
Option 1: Design, Update, Upskill
Optional Extras
Biography
Your story is the central core of your digital marketing plan.
Where you’ve come from, where you are now, and where you want to be in the future impact every area of your business plan and marketing.
If you don’t have a biography or need an update for a new album or tour, I will interview you, learn all about your music and history, and provide you with:
A full biography, ideal for use on your website and as background for press interviews
A boilerplate, perfect for gig listings and ads
Single-line bio, great for sub-headings and social media profiles
Uses for your full story include on your About page, in press kits, and as the basis for your content marketing strategy.
I’m a professional writer, published in newsprint, magazines, and on my Music Mindset blog.
This option includes:
Completing a short questionnaire for basic information
An hour-long Zoom interview
A review of your music
Biography interview and writing is $150.
EPK
An Electronic Press Kit is essential for providing up-to-date information, press assets, and technical specifications to venues, journalists, and promoters.
I’ll create a professional one-page electronic press kit (EPK), styled to match your site, perfect for both pitching your music and supplying venues and promoters with your current info, including:
Artist overview
Downloadable photo links
Download link for your single-line bio, boilerplate, and full-page version
Embedded music links (password-protected if featuring unreleased music)
Links to stage plot and/or channel list (if needed)
Check out mine here.
Creating a custom EPK and one sheet is $100.
You will provide the assets (photos, bio, text, links, stage plots, etc.)
Online store
I offer three different online store options for musicians at all levels. All include product descriptions and images, secure payments, are fully customizable, and can be embedded into your website if applicable.
Direct payment links. Perfect for musicians with one or two items for sale, embedded links on your site are a simple but effective way to sell music and merch. Free (except for credit card fees) once set up and excellent if you’re fulfilling all the orders yourself.
Squarespace Commerce. Ideal for musicians who have a few albums for sale and a few pieces of merch. There is a small bump in Squarespace subscription cost to get the commerce features and it is ideal if you’re fulfilling all the orders yourself but growing the store. This option will let you create discounts and sales, help the SEO of your site, and allow you to integrate with Square to sell at the merch table.
Shopify. This is the solution for artists who sell dozens of products in multiple markets and want a highly customizable and powerful online store. Perfect for an artist fulfilling orders themselves or working with a team, some incredible features include integration with Spotify for Artists, Google and YouTube shopping, Facebook and Instagram shopping, and custom web addresses and translations for different countries.
It also allows you to set different prices for single products based on the location so that you could have a t-shirt selling for a higher price in a more competitive market and the same product set to a lower price in another. Includes sales funnels, abandoned cart recovery, and the ability to sell in person at gigs.
These options vary significantly depending on the number of products offered and the payment method, so please get in touch for a quote.
All prices are in USD and do not include the Squarespace or Shopify subscription cost.
Websites Examples
www.vanessamcgowan.com (the one you’re on now)
Goal: create a showcase website for professional bass player, Vanessa McGowan, with basic bio information on the home page and a spotlight on her work with Brandy Clark and Tattletale Saints.
Goal: create the online home for Americana duo Tattletale Saints including links to video and audio streaming, high res photos, and an online store.
Primary objective to create a visual representation of the band’s musical energy with clear paths to purchasing music and merch.
About Me
I was born and raised in Auckland New Zealand, and my career as a bass player has taken me all over the world, including stints working in Las Vegas, London, and - since 2014 - Nashville Tennessee.
I currently play bass, sing backing vocals, and am musical director for multi-Grammy-nominated Americana artist, Brandy Clark, and for the last 3 years I’ve been teaching musicians about building a healthy life in music, drawing on my 20 years of experience as an independent musician to empower female musicians with creative skills for life.
I’ve spent the last 10 years learning the intricacies of Squarespace, so I can create beautiful, personal, unique websites effectively and quickly. I’ve done it for myself, my bands, music coaching clients, podcasts, and businesses outside the music industry.
I love it.
I relish finding creative ways to layout photos and design tricks to manipulate backgrounds. Delight in tweaking color palettes and font styles to make the most important information pop. I take pride in creating a page flow that takes visitors on a journey through an artists’ world.
Knowing how to do this for myself has been invaluable to my career, and I want to show you how to do it too.
The upgrade you want,
the upskilling you need
Learn More
Complete the form to express your interest in the program.
This isn’t a firm commitment from either of us.
It’s a chance to get to know each other better and see if we’re a good fit for working together.