Using WebBuilder is the easiest and most powerful way to create and maintain your own website. The InstantEncore Control Panel gives you a way to manage your Music, Events, Videos, Buzz and other Digital Assets. Your Digital Assets are automatically synced with your Website so that changes are automatically reflected on your website. Even better, if you have a mobile app or other service managed by InstantEncore it will automatically be synced with your digital assets, too. This means that you only need to manage your content once and it will reach your fans wherever they are.

WebBuilder also gives you many ways to customize your website. You can choose a style from from our library of many styles or your can create a custom Style Sheet that gives you total control. Additionally, you can upload a header image that brands every page of your website. The home page gives you further options for customization with a Slideshow, featured item and news updates. If you want you can also include a Splash Page for your website. For complete details on customization options please see the rest of this guide.

To manage your website do the following:

1. Log into your Partner account on InstantEncore.com.
2. Click on "Website" in the Dashboard area.

Use the menu on the left to navigate your website area. This menu allows you to manage:

• Style
• Pages & Menus
• Side Bar
• Splash Page
• Your Domain
• Stats and Analytics
• and more...

When you first go to the Website area of your Control Panel you will see a Checklist that lists the most important features of your website and will alert you if any of them need attention. If any of the items have a "Red X" be sure to click the link so that you can resolve any issues.

View your website Checklist

To control whether or not the public can view your site you can adjust the Status.

• Online: Anyone can view your website
• Pending: Only users who are logged into your account can view your website. All other users will see an "Under Construction" message.

By default your website is in "Pending" mode after you first order it. Once you have setup your website you can turn it "Online" so that world can view it.

View or change your website Status

All of the Digital Assets that you manage with InstantEncore are available as a page and menu item in your website. This includes:

• Music
• Events
• Videos
• Buzz
• Radio
• Photos
• Bio / About Us

To add content to your website go to the Control Panel and click on the appropriate item in the "Manage your content" section. This will allow you to add or edit items. All your digital assets are automatically synced to your website, InstantEncore page, and mobile app.

See Pages & Menus for information about how to manage each specific digital asset in your website.

In addition to your Digital Assets there are several other features that are available as pages and menus in your website.

• Press Kit - Upload Hi-Resolution images, PDF's and other materials that you would like to make available for the Press to download.
• Repertoire / Programs - List works that you perform or have composed
• Reviews - Highlight your best reviews
• Contacts - Provide contact information for your manager, publicist and more
• Custom - You may create custom pages with your own HTML

See Pages & Menus for information about how to manage the above pages.

Your home page contains three main elements:

• Slideshow - Upload an unlimited number of images and order them in any way. If you have not uploaded any images the slideshow will be hidden.
• Featured Item - Feature a music album, video, buzz item or announcement on your home page
• Latest Updates - Keep your fans up to date with your recent activity. Display a list of your most recent albums, videos and buzz. You may choose what types of content to display. Activity from the last 3 months will be displayed.

Manage your Home Page

There are many styles available for your website. You may preview your website with each style so that you can pick the one with the layout and color scheme that fits you.

To select a style do the following:

1. Go to the Website area of your Control Panel.
2. Click Style in the menu on the left.
3. Select the style you would like to use.
4. Click "Preview" if you would like to see what your website will look before saving the change.
5. Once you are satisfied with the style click "Save Change".

If you would like you may create and upload your own custom style for your website. This gives you complete control of the fonts, colors and layout of your website. Creating a custom style requires knowledge of CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) so you may need to work with a web designer if you are not familiar with CSS. To get more details please visit the Style page.

The Header Image is displayed on all pages of your website. It provides the main branding for your website so it is important to pick an image/design that represents you.

Important: The position and opitmal size of the Header Image depends on the Style you have chosen for your website. It is recommended to choose your Style first and then design your Header Image.

Upload your Header Image

Your Homepage may contain a slideshow with pictures that you've uploaded. You may upload an unlimited number of images and order them in any way. If you have not uploaded any images the slideshow will be hidden.

The slideshow has an aspect ration of 16:9. If the images you upload are not 16:9 the slideshow will use a "pan" effect. If the images are too small or too large they will be scaled automatically.

Manage Slideshow

The Pages & Menus page allows you to control the content on your website. It lists all of the pages in your website. The default pages for your website are: Home, Bio, Events, Music, Radio, Photos, Videos, Buzz, Mobile App, Repertoire, Press Kit, Reviews, Contact.

You can control whether or not visitors can view a specific page by setting if it is visible in the Main Menu and/or Footer Menu. To hide a specific page remove it from both the Main and Footer menus.

The Pages & Menus page also allows you to the re-order the links in your Main and Footer menus and rename the titles of all pages.

In addition to the default pages you may add custom pages. You can use our HTML editor to create the page or write your own HTML.

To edit the content of any page click the "Manage" link for that page.

View your Pages & Menus

The Side Bar appears on all pages in your website. Its position depends on the Style of your website, but it usually appears as a column on the left or right.

By default the Side Bar contains the following items:

• Event Calendar
• Featured Recording
• Download Code
• Links
• Become a Fan
• Radio
• Featured Event

You may re-order, rename and optionally hide any of the default Side Bar items.

Additionally you may add your own items to the Side Bar. For example, you could add a Facebook widget or a message that you want to appear on all pages.

Manage Side Bar

If you want you may setup your website so that vistors view a Splash Page when they first visit your site. A Splash Page contains one or more images in a slideshow and a link to enter your full website. If the Splash Page is disable then users will be taken directly to your Homepage.

Manage Splash Page

When a vistor to your website chooses to listen to music it will open up a music player in a new window. You may upload your own logo for the music player (315 pixels wide by 35 pixels tall) and also choose the primary color of the player.

Customize the Music Player

When you purchase a website through InstantEncore you automatically receive a unique InstantEncore URL (i.e. artistname.instantencore.com). If you would like you can also setup your website to use your own domain (i.e. artistname.com) to access your website.

Note: This feature is only available with InstantEncore Pro.

How to setup your own domain | Setup your domain to work with your website

Google Analytics is a powerful and free tool for measuring and analyzing your website's traffic. To integrate Google Analytics with your website just sign up for an account with Google Analytics (it's free) and submit your Google Analytics ID to InstantEncore.

How to integrate with Google Analytics | Setup Google Analytics on your website

InstantEncore takes several steps to help get your website to the top of search engine results. Additionally, there are a few basic steps you can take to move your website to the top of the results such as using a personal domain and getting other websites to link to your website.

How to improve your Search Engine results