I want to start off this post by stating that what you're about to read is my own personal opinion and should be taken as advice and not gospel. Also, what you're about to read is based on my personal experience developing Champion City Comics into a webcomics community that went from less than 5,000 page views in 2010 to 100,000 page views in 2011.
I hope that at this point you have a concept for your webcomic(s) project. If not then that is fine and I hope this article sheds some light upon the world of webcomics.
As far as web hosting is concerned, I do recommend Blogger but there are also other sites to consider like Drunk Duck or Webcomics Nation. That is the tip of the hosting iceberg and I encourage you to find a site that fits your budgetary needs and your HTML skills.
You're interested in developing a webcomic. Are you motivated?
If you want to have your own webcomics site then you better be motivated because I've seen one too many webcomics sites out there that were developed and then abandoned shortly after their launch. Also, I have seen numerous sites post five, eight, or ten pages of a webcomic and call it a day. There are webcomics sites out there updated on a weekly or daily basis. Those people are highly motivated and if you have dreams of working in the comics industry then you better be prepared for the work required. I work two jobs, I have a family, I have plenty of to-do projects around the house, and I find time to update this site on a daily basis.
Consistency is key.
If you update daily then you better update your site daily. Readers are irritated when sites do not live up to their expectations. This is a world where people with short attention spans are looking for a new site to add to their list of favorites. If you deliver then you're golden. If you fail then you are doomed. If you choose the weekly route then set a day and time so that people know when to stop by your site for your weekly update.
Do not think that posting ten pages of your project is good enough to have on the web for a few months or even a year. That shows people you have no motivation and are not taking this seriously. Remember that industry people might check out your site and they are looking for people who can meet monthly deadlines and not someone who can crank out ten pages and call it quits.
Can you handle a tough crowd?
Your skin better be thick because it's a tough crowd in the webcomics community. I've learned the hard way at times not to let comments get to me, but I feel I've learned some lessons about improving my writing and managing this site along the way. Remember that there are critics and there are "critics". Know who's opinion is worth a damn and in the words of Kris Kristofferson, "Don't let the bastards get you down."
Also, you need to allow comments on your site. I'll admit that it is nice to see a positive comment but it is tough reading some harsh comments. Allow to people to be heard. If they see you're not afraid to have bad comments then they'll have some respect for you and your site.
If you build it, they will NOT come.
I was of the mindset that if you develop a webcomics site then thousands of people would stumble upon it while surfing the web. Wrong. You need to get to the forums and bring the people to your site. Where can you go? My suggestions are the forums at sites such as The Webcomic List, Comic Related , Comic Book Resources, and Top Webcomics. Go there and introduce yourself and your webcomic(s) but be prepared for some criticisms.
Advertising is a must and you can check out comic book related sites for advertising rates or advertise at other webcomic sites by checking out Project Wonderful. You can also work out deals with other webcomics sites by having them provide a link to your site if you provide a link to their site.
Also, knowing a thing or two about search engine optimization (SEO) is key to your success. Knowing what keywords to use will bring people in when they do a search at Google or Bing. I've found ways of bringing in traffic when someone does a search for "Adult webcomic" or "Cool webcomic". You might get one or two people a day that way but you'll more than likely make those people a fan of your site.
I'll have more tips for webcomic developers soon. I hope this was helpful to you and best of luck in your webcomics conquest.
TonyDoug Wright is the owner and editor of Champion City Comics. His webcomics include Dr Death vs The Zombie, The End of Paradise, and Day 165.
I hope that at this point you have a concept for your webcomic(s) project. If not then that is fine and I hope this article sheds some light upon the world of webcomics.
As far as web hosting is concerned, I do recommend Blogger but there are also other sites to consider like Drunk Duck or Webcomics Nation. That is the tip of the hosting iceberg and I encourage you to find a site that fits your budgetary needs and your HTML skills.
You're interested in developing a webcomic. Are you motivated?
If you want to have your own webcomics site then you better be motivated because I've seen one too many webcomics sites out there that were developed and then abandoned shortly after their launch. Also, I have seen numerous sites post five, eight, or ten pages of a webcomic and call it a day. There are webcomics sites out there updated on a weekly or daily basis. Those people are highly motivated and if you have dreams of working in the comics industry then you better be prepared for the work required. I work two jobs, I have a family, I have plenty of to-do projects around the house, and I find time to update this site on a daily basis.
Consistency is key.
If you update daily then you better update your site daily. Readers are irritated when sites do not live up to their expectations. This is a world where people with short attention spans are looking for a new site to add to their list of favorites. If you deliver then you're golden. If you fail then you are doomed. If you choose the weekly route then set a day and time so that people know when to stop by your site for your weekly update.
Do not think that posting ten pages of your project is good enough to have on the web for a few months or even a year. That shows people you have no motivation and are not taking this seriously. Remember that industry people might check out your site and they are looking for people who can meet monthly deadlines and not someone who can crank out ten pages and call it quits.
Can you handle a tough crowd?
Your skin better be thick because it's a tough crowd in the webcomics community. I've learned the hard way at times not to let comments get to me, but I feel I've learned some lessons about improving my writing and managing this site along the way. Remember that there are critics and there are "critics". Know who's opinion is worth a damn and in the words of Kris Kristofferson, "Don't let the bastards get you down."
Also, you need to allow comments on your site. I'll admit that it is nice to see a positive comment but it is tough reading some harsh comments. Allow to people to be heard. If they see you're not afraid to have bad comments then they'll have some respect for you and your site.
If you build it, they will NOT come.
I was of the mindset that if you develop a webcomics site then thousands of people would stumble upon it while surfing the web. Wrong. You need to get to the forums and bring the people to your site. Where can you go? My suggestions are the forums at sites such as The Webcomic List, Comic Related , Comic Book Resources, and Top Webcomics. Go there and introduce yourself and your webcomic(s) but be prepared for some criticisms.
Advertising is a must and you can check out comic book related sites for advertising rates or advertise at other webcomic sites by checking out Project Wonderful. You can also work out deals with other webcomics sites by having them provide a link to your site if you provide a link to their site.
Also, knowing a thing or two about search engine optimization (SEO) is key to your success. Knowing what keywords to use will bring people in when they do a search at Google or Bing. I've found ways of bringing in traffic when someone does a search for "Adult webcomic" or "Cool webcomic". You might get one or two people a day that way but you'll more than likely make those people a fan of your site.
I'll have more tips for webcomic developers soon. I hope this was helpful to you and best of luck in your webcomics conquest.
TonyDoug Wright is the owner and editor of Champion City Comics. His webcomics include Dr Death vs The Zombie, The End of Paradise, and Day 165.
This was a nice collection of tips for anyone looking into making their own webcomic. Thank you for posting this. :)
ReplyDeletethanks for the advice, I can't wait to read some more I could use it.
ReplyDelete