Even with a Twitter, Facebook, YouTube or other networking page, a website is needed to give credibility, customization, and make you searchable on the internet, as well as to make all of your information available in one consolidated location. Most people go directly to a name URL before searching anywhere else. Your own custom website will give you the ability to show your individuality, highlight your own projects, and display headshots, concert photos and promotional materials. Your own website will also allow you to post your Electronic Press Kit and resume either publicly or password protected so you can allow interviewers, agents, managers, or possible job or business contacts to get information they need about you without sharing it with everyone on the internet. A customized website of your own also allows you to create a blog to post notes and information, have a message board or forum so visitors can interact with you and each other, have a shopping cart to sell merchandise, and collect email addresses on your site for future newsletter mailings. Instead of placing all of these different modalities all over the internet on various sites, you make everything available in one place saving people time and increasing visits to your site causing search engines to rank it higher. Calliope Epic websites are affordable, custom designed for each client, include a content management system for easy updates, and are created by an experienced professional programmer who is available to answer client questions. Pricing for our dynamic-content custom websites is well below agency and most developer rates.

A Consumer Web Watch study showed that half of the people surveyed assessed the credibility of a website based on the appeal of the visual design and layout. In other words, you need a professional look and layout on your website for people to take you, your work, or your business seriously. A custom website allows for easy expansion and updates, smooth flowing dynamic content, and uncomplicated addition of new features in the future. A cookie-cutter template does not allow customization or individuality and has fields that force you to keep information where the template wants it, not where you want to put it. Templates also don't expand as needed when content doesn't fit which will make a site look awkward and amateur. Templates also don't allow you to have the customization of having certain features such as an mp3 player or photo on every page or on just one of the pages— the template makes this decision for you. Occasionally templates don't work in all browsers. Additionally, some template companies retain copyright to YOUR information. We have had clients tell us they previously had a template website and when they tried to make changes or customize it, their website fell apart. Additionally, you are not going to find a template that has the professional look and feel of one designed personally for you by a website designer and developer, and many templates may look fine in some browsers but not in others. If you are comparing prices with other companies, make sure to verify that you are being offered a "dynamic" content website that is custom designed and not from a template, is created by a professional programmer and includes everything that is in our Basic Package. See our Services page for details.

A dynamic website is a site that grows when new information is added and expands to fit that new data. A dynamic site is programmed to allow a client who does not have html or other programming experience to update their site easily. This type of site also allows for easy addition of features and pages in the future. Dynamic sites also help avoid dead links on your site because links are created automatically once the developer has programmed them to do so. Search engines prefer dynamic websites because engines rank sites that update their information frequently higher than those that are stagnant and don't change often. Dynamic websites are also more economical than stagnant sites because an I.T. professional/webmaster isn't needed every time a client wants to make a minor change or update. If you are comparing prices with other companies, make sure to verify that you are being offered a "dynamic" site, custom designed and not from a template, created by a professional programmer and includes everything that is in our Basic Package. See our Services page for details.

Yes. We develop and triple-check to make sure the websites we create will load properly and will not be distorted in Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari, etc so all potential customers will see your site no matter what browser they use. If you are comparing website developers/designers, make sure the company's own website opens in all of these browsers without looking distorted and ask them if they will make sure yours does as well.

Much like a logo, a website helps you establish an identity, so you don't want to change the design too frequently. We suggest updating the overall look and design of your site every 2-3 years to keep it fresh without confusing visitors. New features or pages, and new content should be added or updated regularly, however.

Content should be updated frequently--daily or weekly if possible to keep search engines coming back to your page and keep visitors interested. Incorporating a blog or message board is a good way to keep new information flowing through your site.

Yes! Calliope Epic can update the look of an existing site or create a new website that previously didn't exist.

We do not update website content regularly for clients, however our websites are designed with site updating tools/content management systems so clients can easily update most of the content on their site. We make large changes to sites that clients are unable to make on their own and are available to answer client questions.

Site updating tools or a content management system allow a client to update text, photos, videos and/or music on their website without the help of an I.T. professional and without programming experience. Our website developer incorporates these tools into all dynamic websites that we design to make minor updates easy for clients.

A blog is a great way to keep your visitors updated on what you're up to, news, give them a view into your life on the road, tell them about concerts and appearances, show fans your personality, and get ideas and opinions from people who support you and your music. A message board or forum is a good way to create a sense of community among your fans and to interact with them. Both a blog and a message board keep people coming back to your website regularly giving you the opportunity for more promotion. Search engines also rank websites with blogs and message boards higher than those that don't because the content changes regularly. Calliope Epic can add a blog, message board or discussion forum onto an existing site or create a new website with these modalities. Please see the Services page on our website for details.

While the majority of sites out there do not have the functionality and structure to build these additions, we can consult with you on how to go about getting the most from your current site and/or begin conceptualizing a new site design for you. Please see the Services page on our website for details.

No. There are several reputable companies available for affordable website hosting. We frequently recommend GoDaddy for website hosting and to purchase website domains. When you purchase a website from Calliope Epic we can walk you through the process of purchasing hosting and setting it up if needed.

Yes. We also specialize in HTML, PHP, CSS, and JAVA Scripting. We have implemented, invented, and reengineered these kinds of web building to mimic Flash sites and components. Flash, while a good- looking tool, does not have the abilities that other scripting offers and does not have the functionality we consider important to building sites. In the past we have used scripts to imitate most, if not all, flash effects, and this is what we recommend to most clients.

Search engines do not recognize anything within a Flash module. Flash is also not recognized by many mobile technologies such as iPhone or Blackberry. We recommend using other tools to create movement, animation, hover, etc., rather than Flash technology.

No. Copy for all web pages needs to be submitted by the client before design and development begin.

Make sure the comparison is for a dynamic website, custom designed and not from a template, that it includes content management tools and all of the modalities (ie: blog, photo gallery, etc) that are included in our package(s) or that you purchase as add-ons, has as many pages as we offer, will be created with basic optimization and meta keywords so that search engines can find your site, and is created by an experienced professional programmer as well as the design laid out by a graphic designer. Most companies will not list a price on their website, they will wait for you to tell them your budget before they tell you how much a site costs. Our prices are located on the Services page of our website and our credentials are on the About Us page. Pricing for our services is below agency and most developer rates.