New: more domain name options for your band website

It’s widely known that having a custom domain is a key step in establishing a professional and recognizable online presence as a musician. 

To that end, we have some exciting news to share: Bandzoogle now offers musicians more options for custom domain registration! It’s now easier than ever for you to secure your ideal domain for your music website or EPK, directly within your Bandzoogle account.

Why register a custom domain?

Adding a custom domain when you’re building your music website is important for several reasons - here’s an overview of the benefits you can bring to your music career by owning a custom domain:

Professionalism

A custom domain (e.g., yourname.com) looks a lot more professional than a free domain (e.g., yourname.bandsite.com). It creates a strong first impression and shows that you are serious about your music career.

Branding

Your domain is part of your brand. Having a custom domain allows you to create a strong, memorable identity that aligns with your music, making it easier for fans and industry professionals to find and remember your site.

Credibility

A custom domain adds credibility. It signals to fans, media, and industry professionals that you are a legitimate artist, increasing trust in your music and reliability.

Search engine optimization (SEO)

Custom domains are generally favored by search engines. Having your own domain can improve your site's ranking in Google, making it easier for people to discover your music through searches.

Control and ownership

With a custom domain, you own your web presence. You have full control over the content that loads at your domain, and how that looks — you're not at the mercy of the algorithms of external platforms to display your material.

Email address branding 

A custom domain allows you to create a custom domain-based email address (e.g., info@yourname.com). This further enhances your musician image and professionalism.

Great! So what’s new with Bandzoogle? 

We’ve opened the gates on domain extensions that can be registered through Bandzoogle accounts, allowing you many more options to create your own custom domains. 

From within your Bandzoogle account, you can now register a domain with nearly any extension: .rocks, .band, .hiphop, .vip, .shop etc. — a long list of new options of all kinds were added to our long-standing list of available domain extensions (.com, .net, .org, .info, .biz, .name).

You can still register multiple domains, and each one will automatically load your website. For website plans, you can register your first custom domain for free using one of the following extensions: .com, .net, .org, .name, .business, .contact, fans, .ing, .page, .top.

If you wish to register another of the new extensions offered, you can search for that domain within your account and see the cost of the domain before completing the registration.

Each custom domain you register receives its own payment subscription, automatically renewing each year when the registration comes due. This means you don’t have to worry about renewing your custom domain(s) as long as your Bandzoogle account is active — it will all happen automatically.

Can I register a custom domain for my EPK? 

Yes! Custom domains are a great detail to add to your EPK. Whether you have a standalone one-page EPK, or it’s part of a larger website, adding a custom domain to your EPK makes it easy for industry professionals to find your press kit online. Perhaps best of all, you avoid sending out long auto-generated URLs that are hard for people to remember.

How should I choose my domain? 

As a musician selecting a custom domain, you should consider several factors to ensure that it reflects your brand and that it’s easy to find. Here are some important things to keep in mind when choosing your custom domain:

Keep it simple and memorable

The domain name should be easy to spell, pronounce, and remember. Avoid complicated words, numbers, or symbols that can confuse people trying to find you online.

Use your artist/band name

The best option is usually your artist or band name (e.g., artistname.com). This helps with branding and makes it easy for fans and industry professionals to locate you online.

Think about SEO

Include keywords relevant to your music or genre if your band name is unavailable (e.g., johndoemusic.com). This can help your site rank higher in search engine results when people search for your music.

Avoid trademark issues

Make sure your chosen domain doesn’t infringe on someone else’s trademark. Do a quick search to confirm that no other artist or entity is using a similar name.

Choose a popular extension

".com" is the most recognized and trusted domain extension, but other extensions like ".rocks" or ".band" could be relevant alternatives. However, if possible, secure the ".com" version for professionalism and trustworthiness.

Consider buying multiple versions

If possible, purchase variations of your domain (e.g., artistname.net, artistname-music.com) to protect your brand and avoid confusion if fans search for you with slightly different terms. Consider registering domains that indicate that you’re a musician, too, like artistname.hiphop or artistname.rocks.

Ok, I’m in - what’s next?

To take a look at what custom domains you can register in your Bandzoogle EPK or website account, head to your ‘Account Details’ tab and click the orange ‘add new domain’ button, then follow the prompts. Don’t have an account yet? You can start a free trial any time here: https://bandzoogle.com/try-it-free and secure your domain name once upgraded to a paid plan.

Remember: The simplest place for fans and industry professionals to find you online is on your own website or EPK. And the best way to help people find your music website is by using your own custom domain, showing that you’re serious about your music.