A website around your costuming can be a great way to document your journey, share info, house a portfolio or storefront, post content and build an audience. If you aren’t sure where to start or how to grow it though, it can seem like a vary daunting task. If you want to learn how to jump start your cosplay website, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll go over both how to start and grow your page.
How to Start a Cosplay Website
Before you can grow your audience for your site, you need to put some time and effort into building it. There’s a few things that should be on your checklist for making a cosplay website.
Hosting and Platforms
There’s tons of platforms out there for hosting your website. The one that’s right for you will be based off your skill level (unless you’re looking to learn) , budget and needed features. Here’s a few options to choose from:
| Name | Cost | Pros | Cons |
| Wix | $17-$159 monthly | – Beginner friendly – Drag-and-drop editor | – Most expensive – Limited integrations – Limited design choice |
| Squarespace | $16-$99 monthly | – Beginner friendly – Drag-and-drop editor | – Limited integrations – Limited design choice |
| WordPress (hosting platforms) – Namecheap – EasyWP | Varies – Easy WP/Namecheap: $9.88 – $26.88 monthly | – More customizable – Larger library of plugins to add functionalities – Cheaper | – More work to create your websites without templates – Steeper learning curve |
Be sure to explore what plugins or integrations each specifically has available so you can ensure it has the right tools for you. Everything from ecommerce, email marketing, SEO and analytics can be integrated to your site but you need to find the tool that best fits your needs.
Domain Names
Your domain name needs to fit your branding. If you go by a specific name online, it might be a good to have your domain match it. For example, I operate as TheLadyFriend1 and thus I made my domain theladyfriend1.com. This annual cost will greatly vary on what your domain name is. Some are just more expensive than others and using .com, .tv, .net, etc, can also be a factor.
Depending on your hosting you may be able to package your domain name purchase with your hosting cost. Platforms like Wix will even give you your domain name for the first year free with your hosting cost.
Branding & Design
The design and layout of your website should be aesthetically pleasing to a visitor, easy to navigate, convey your vital info and be mobile friendly. Be sure it also fits your personal branding. Things like color scheme, logos, fonts and more should be cohesive throughout every page and match what people find on your social media, banners and more.
Your design and layout are vital for creating a cosplay portfolio on your site as well. It needs to be easy for visitors to get to and explore while properly displaying your cosplays and information you want them to gain.
Content Strategy
If you’re planning to house content such as a blog or portfolio on your site, determine the strategy behind it. Figure out the intent behind it, frequency of posting, your SEO strategy and more. Your strategy can act as your comprehensive plan to guide you through creating, publishing and managing all of your website’s content so it’s seamless and helps drive website traffic once it’s live.
Define Purpose & Target Audience
Before you build your site, determine what it’s purpose will be and your target audience. You’ll create a more impactful page if you understand who you’re catering it to and what you want it to accomplish. If you want it to be a storefront then your purpose will be to drive sales, or if you house a portfolio then you want it to help showcase your cosplays and who you are. From there decide who you’re going to target your website too. Is it newer cosplayers looking to learn or maybe it’s brands you want to gain sponsorships from. This information is vital to create a meaningful website.
How to Grow a Cosplay Website
Once you’ve built your website, you need to begin doing work to grow it. This is an essential part of how to jump start your cosplay website.
SEO Strategy
Organic traffic to any website is typically the dominant traffic source. SEO has high ROI with how low cost it can be while still helping you grow a decent audience. By optimizing your content and website to be search friendly, you’ll get your website in front of eyes who are actively searching for what you have available. Be mindful with choosing the right keywords, index your pages in Google Search Console and more to begin developing your SEO strategy.
Content & Blogging
Any content on your site, from page copy to a cosplay blog, can help your your website. Make sure you follow the content strategy you made when you created your website and that it ties in with your SEO strategy since both content and blogging are heavily influenced by SEO. Your content overall will help play a big factor in getting popular with cosplay.
Social Media Promotion
Whether you already have a large presence or you need to grow your social media following, it can be used as a tool to promote and grow your website. Things like linking your website in your bio, promoting the launch of the site or advertising new features or content on your social media is a free and easy way to help grow your website.