As the internet continues to transform the entertainment industry, more actors are starting to exploit all the opportunities the online world has to offer. But do actors who are just starting their acting career need a website?

Most actors think they don’t need a professional website when they have other social media accounts with millions of followers.

Imagine this scenario, you wake up one morning and your precious social media accounts, with thousands of followers is suddenly taken down or has been hacked?

Where do you start from? How do you begin to build your followers again?

Regardless of your current social following or career status, a website is crucial. Here are five reasons why.

An Avenue to Showcase Your Head shot/Reel/Resume
As an actor your headshot and resume are highly important tools in your career advancement. With a professional website you have somewhere to direct industry professionals to see your headshot, reel, resume, etc., that is specifically unique to you. Your website is often your introduction to people in the industry. It’s the same as a business card at a networking event, same as your headshot at a casting call, same as your resume at an interview. It serves as a first impression.

And you know what they say about first impressions, right? They do matter! Imagine the professional advantage you have over other actors when a casting director can get all the information he/she needs from your professional website.

FULL CONTROL OVER YOUR BRAND

If you want full control over your brand as an actor, then creating a professional website is a better option. It’s yours – you own it. You or your team decide what it looks like, and what content you want on it. There is no substitute for a website when it comes to credibility. Social media provider’s terms and conditions control what content and promotions can be presented to your followers. But with a website you are your own boss, you provide the terms and conditions.

Increase Your Presence Online With SEO

When you build a website (especially when a pro with SEO experience builds it for you), you can take control of your Google results. While it’s impossible to guarantee you’ll be the No. 1 result and stay there, having a website increases the likelihood that Google will direct interested audiences into your digital home. You can achieve this as an actor by contributing to your own blog/website daily/weekly which, in turn, makes it easier for the industry to find you.

Promoting yourself 24/7

Casting directors, directors and anyone interested in hiring you can get the information they need, even if it’s after “normal people” business hours. Your website is working for you all day, every day. When you’re eating, out with friends, driving your kid to school, at an audition, on stage and even when you’re asleep, people can stop by, check out your work and connect with you. At any time and from any device, your website can either make a great first impression or can persuade a director, teetering on the fence, to lean in your direction and give you a shot.

Sponsors and Brands Can Easily Find You

With your professional website, you can be easily contacted by a potential client for a movie production or sponsorship deal. It gives you credibility and they trust you more if you have a professional website. You have more leeway to communicate and market your brand to potential customers.

The big takeaway is that if you are just starting out as an actor and you don’t have a website, you are probably losing out on opportunities. When you have a professionally designed website, it is much easier to get auditions, representation, or even a big endorsement.

With a professional website, you’ll easily attract new audiences, opportunities and results. You are presenting your best and truest self, making it easy to know, like and trust you.