Hey there!
You’re reading Your Actor Website — a resource center for actors (and artists of all kinds) looking to re-do or build their first website.
THE GIST
In this, the year 2025, do I actually need to have an actor website?
Being an actor is expensive. (That’s one of the reasons it’s so inequitable.) Headshots, subscriptions, actor website — these costs add up. And while there are certainly actors who do not have a website, these days it’s “expected.” As self-tapes continue to reign, it finally feels like casting directors, managers, and agents are actually looking at them. But as more and more producers, CDs, and agencies are looking to and at social media, it can feel like a website is just another cost and task.
A website can, however, give you a chance to present yourself the way you (or your agent/manager) want(s). You can choose your favorite photos, your best footage, etc. instead of letting someone stumble about the various things that come up when they google you.
A LITTLE TANGENT
Let’s talk about social media
Personally? I’ve given up on social media because my brain is much happier without it, career be damned! Maybe that’s a terrible choice? Who knows! If you’re someone who enjoys it or has committed to it for your career, good on you! If you want to say nope to a website, that’s between you and your management, in my opinion. But you might also choose to center your social on your website to make the most of it that way.
OKAY, NOW WHAT?
Here’s the basic breakdown of getting your website online.
▶ Logistics. Choosing your platform, deciding whether you’re going to DIY entirely, use a template, or hire someone — this is often where the urge to give up is strongest!
▶ Get your shit together. Find all those photos, articles, and more.
▶ Consider the vibe. Many DIY-ers focus on their favorite colors or fonts when putting together their website. Think about the energy you give off in a room / the types of roles you fit. Try to choose colors and fonts that fit THAT vibe rather than reflecting your own preferences.
▶ Time to build it out. (Muppet arms waving frantically in front of the screen until it appears.)
▶ Now keep it up! Website management is definitely a task that falls to the bottom of many an actor’s to-do list. Try to keep to a regular update schedule, even if that’s once a year.
Wondering what you need for your actor website?
My own actor website. I’ve taken a half-assed archivist approach.
Tip: Be honest with yourself
If you know you’re never gonna update this website, think about ways to make it evergreen! Maybe that means not having a “News” or “Latest” or “Recent” section that you’d have to keep up and instead just focusing on creating a digital business card.
If you’re someone who is excited by the idea of having a curated overview of your career — you might be more open to creating a website that can hold highlights from all that you do.
Remember, If all you build is a one-page site, so long as it’s easy to download your hs + resume, contact, and watch any footage, that’s truly enough! Especially if the idea of updating your site makes you groan, keep it simple and then you can update only when you update one of these key elements.
WEBSITE DIY COST BREAKDOWN
You’ll definitely save money DIY-ing your actor website, but you should still budget for money and time.
While it’s unlikely an actor can shoot their own headshots, with the increasing popularity of web platforms like Squarespace etc., many actors choose to DIY their actor website. Here’s what that investment looks like:
▶ 💰 Annual Cost: Domain. You’ll need to purchase your domain name (e.g. www.yourname.com) and pay an annual registration charge to keep it live.
▶ 💰 Annual or Monthly Cost: Website Platform. Unless you’re going to code it yourself or you have someone who loves you and wants to update that for you continually, it makes the most sense to use a platform. All the major ones operate on a subscription model, and have a range of plans. For reference, Squarespace’s Basic plan is $192 charged annually. Wordpress is less expensive, but I find updating various plugins frustrating. Then again, I’m not a Wordpress designer, and many prefer the Wordpress interface. At the end of the day, I think choosing based on your own ease of use and budget is the most important.
▶ ⏰ Time: Gathering & Optimizing Content. Getting everything pulled together and organized is usually a bit of an ordeal and involves at least one Googling-yourself rabbit hole.
▶ ⏰ Time: Building out your website. With a template, this might be as fast as a day. But most people who DIY take at least a few weeks to go from plan to live site.
▶ 💰 Optional Cost: Google Workspace or Email Marketing Platform. If you’re on your shit with a mailing list, you impress me. Most email marketing platforms will cost you, though many come with a free plan to get you started. You might opt for Google Workspace to set up a custom email address (e.g. [email protected])