Please consider, if you are a new reader checking out this AWESOME-LOOKING comic and you go straight to the first page….and it’s some sort of “hey I’m new at this and I’m talking to you and aren’t comics great these are my scribbles but I thought you’d like to see them anyway.” What would you think? A: “LAME.”

Your first pages in your archive are a make-or-break experience for a lot of readers. Many new visitors will just LEAVE if they have to click through 5 or 6 diatribes of your “experience.” Never, ever, interrupt the reading experience for sketches or “page is late” or “page in process” announcements. Once that “page in process” is finished, that notice had damn well VANISH completely.

Fan art is no different! If I’m reading this intense action scene that is interrupted quite suddenly with fan arts due to “unplanned hiatus” from a year prior, do you think I’m going to be happy? NO! It’s the equivalent of a commercial in the middle of a movie. Does anyone here LIKE watching movies on a TV channel with commercials every 15 minutes? Are those interruptions not the most annoying thing on earth at that moment? YES JUST ADMIT IT.

Okay, okay, I’m a bit incensed about this, I admit. So, when IS it acceptable to have filler in a webcomic archive? Never, unless it’s the most recent update(s). Yes, if you have fan art, I’m all about showing that off. I personally really love to send people to the sites of those who spend the time making me a gift. But does that fan art stay in the archive? No! Never more than a week or two, tops. Then it is taken out of the archive and given an appropriate place on a gallery page.

What about “announcement” filler? Again, only your most recent update(s)! If your page is late, do indeed inform your readers that you haven’t shirked your responsibility, you haven’t died in a car crash, and a page is on the way. But once that page is up, that filler comes out of the archive! And even better, this notice should be in the “news” area of your site, not in the archive at all!

And finally, the case of “I’m so excited to make my first webcomic that my first pages in my archive are about my excitement and NOT my story”? Such a thing is done right <0.1% of the time. Breaking the fourth wall is something to do so very rarely it’s probably best not done at all except by expert, much like a demolition.

This same rule applies to side-stories in archives as well. Two separate stories should NEVER be in the same archive. If page 1 is “Amish Space Conquerors,”  page 2 is suddenly the side-story introducing the adventures of “Penny the Penguin, Best Friend of Amish Conqueror,” and these two stories go back and forth in the same archive…how is anyone supposed to enjoy or even follow either story (disregarding the absurdity of the stories used as examples here). Archive each story separately, with again, the only exception being the most RECENT update. Please note, this power should be used rarely.

If you are guilty of polluting your archive with commercials/filler, please, go clean it out now. There won’t be a single reader who will complain…except the one whose fan art you have just moved to the gallery. ;)

Before I begin, a note: I don’t ever ever review in the form of “this sucks, change it to suit me, puny human!” I prefer to use reviews as a teaching tool, and I definitely try to write reviews such that no matter who or what is being reviewed, everybody wins/learns. Also, all of the links inside this article do not lead to Varethane’s site, but instead to articles that expand upon the point I’m making.

Let’s get started! *cracks knuckles*

The first thing I’m going to touch on is pretty obvious: the comic is not on the front page. Now, this is not necessarily always a bad thing, as I wrote at length about in a previous post.  Things to consider when having your comic off the front page are:

• do you have multiple comics updating? If yes, and your home page lists the updates of all the comics, having the comic off the front page may be acceptable. Your one site displays updates to all your work this way, but if you only have one project going…why isn’t it the first thing people see? (no, really, I’m asking you all this question).

• does your comic page format change? If your pages constantly change size or format (example, widescreen vs. vertical formats), having a comic page in a good-looking template is nearly impossible, and you may want it on it’s own, simplified page.

• do you have this format because your home page is of a totally different design, with different content than your comic archive pages?  If yes, perhaps you want, for example, a title image,  site news and ads on your home page, but you want comic news, vote images, and a chat-box on your archive pages.

Where I’m going with this is that I would highly recommend YOU specifically putting you in particular having comics on the front page.  The minimalistic approach you’ve taken (content-wise) defeats the purpose of having a front page. If it’s not highly dynamic, or if there’s not some sort of interaction (in the form of commenting, chat-boxes, etc that doesn’t take a click/link to find), people will start bookmarking your “most recent comic” page instead.  When you have a front page like this, the goal is to keep people coming back TO the home page, not visiting the home page once or twice, realizing there’s little in the way of new content, and then bookmarking the most recent comic page. If everyone bypasses the front page, what is the point of having it?

Also, what is with having the tag-box on a separate page? Don’t make it harder for people to communicate with you than it has to be! And we all know, for some reason, that ONE EXTRA CLICK is superhard for 99% of internet users.

So, add more to the front page, or put your comics there instead.  Before I move on, I also wanted to touch on your choice of front page image. Now, I’m a total fan of your style. I think it rawks, and I have no idea how you get such great lines, but I don’t like your choice of a front page image. It’s very static.  Instead of seeing *BAM* CHIRAULT THE WEBCOMIC SEE MY AWESOMNESS, my eye is confused on where you want me to go! I’m stuck at the top left because of the gold coloring and complicated design.  Just like in any artistic piece, focus is important (and it should be on the content, not on the surrounding art). Webdesign needs to take this into account. I would suggest a stronger title image, either strong letters specifically, or Kiran not kinda squiting and grumbling at the news. Or perhaps a more organic incorporation of the content into the background.  The text gets a little lost, especially at smaller resolutions.

NEXT!

BIG POINTS on the following:

• update schedule is prominent
• direct links to the latest page, first page, and archives, a MUST for having the comic off the front page
• prominent “contact” link
• An updated and dated news area (a must for a webcomic site, regardless of the content)

SITE NAVIGATION: I’m not seeing a “links,” “cast,” or “about” link, which are webcomic website must-have’s.  Since I don’t see those, I’m going to click the mysterious “other” link to see what I find. Mysterious links are NOT good to have. Don’t make people guess about the content of a page before they click. Always title a page exactly what it is.  If you don’t want to upkeep multiple pages, then organize all the content of your “other” page with link anchors, and just add the extra links into your nav menu.

Okay, you have banners on your “other” page, so that’s good! For everyone reading, how are people supposed to link you if you don’t provide banners? You also have a gallery section here, though I would of course recommend you add a “gallery” or “art” link to your site navigation too! Don’t make people hunt for your banners though, Varethane! So get up a specifically-titled “links” or “banners” section.

I’m looking for a “cast” section still, and…oh! There it is! Hidden between art sections! Get this link on the FRONT page.  Who your characters are is almost just as important as your archive page.  This is a highly visited page on any long-form comic, so give it the attention it needs!

Provide an “about” page with information about your comic (such as a synopsis or pitch) and if desired, about yourself. All of this helps improve your site’s SEO, which I think it really needs. Your site has extremely little text, so I would imagine you get very little in the way of search referrals unless someone is searching specifically for your comic’s title.  Webcomickers in general don’t think much of search referrals (with the logic being “they’d search for my comic if they knew it, and no one will read it if they stumble across it while searching for something else”), but they are important!  The sites that really make it big get the majority of their visits from search referrals, NOT direct referrals (bookmarks, etc).

Your archive page links each page, and it’s ordered by chapter and page number. Nice!

COMIC ARCHIVES: You have full comic navigation (first/prev/next/last), YES! What you DON’T have is navigation above AND below the comic. A lot of times comic creators do not realize the importance of having this navigation for the READERS. It’s not for you, it’s for them, especially when your pages require a scroll in 1024×768 resolution (which has replaced 800×600 resolution as the default). Don’t ever make your readers scroll more than they have to, especially if they’re looking for a specific page. It’s not all too important for casual readers who check only the latest page, but what if I want to go back 10 or so pages to see what happened? Are you going to make me scroll beneath your comic every time? You’ll make my fingers tired, and just annoy the crap outta me.

You also don’t have links to your “archive” page or your “cast” page from your comic archive page. Remember, make it as easy as possible for your audience! Anticpate their needs, and provide it for them. Now, what if I’m starting out on your latest page, and I don’t recognize a character? I click the home page, looking for a cast or characters section, and I don’t find it. That’s one click. So then I try the “others” page. 2 clicks. I scroll down, and FINALLY find “characters” page link in the Miscellania section. That’s 3 clicks and scroll total. Ack! People are going to just give up before they find what they’re looking for!

CMS CHOICE: You are hand-coding your archives, aren’t you? D: No wonder your archive pages are so bare! If you don’t want to deal with WordPress, go for something like SomeryC, which requires no skill with PHP, and nothing more difficult than creating a mySQL database. If you don’t have access to a hosting admin panel, or the ability to get someone to make a database for you (by making, I mean “naming” and “setting a password,” no pain involved!) try i-strip. You may actually want to try i-strip first since it doesn’t require a database.

Based on how your webpage looks and your page source code, you obviously know what you’re doing or have someone who helps you out. Take advantage of this web knowledge. I’ve said it so many times here, but I’m going to say it again: webcomics are half comic, half web! Don’t sell you, your comic, or your audience short on the “web” part! A CMS will also make you entire site easier to manage.

Since I think you’re not using a CMS, I’m now actually wondering if your site format (webcomic off the front page, barebones nature) is a result of not having any automation. It’s somewhat easier to create the html files for blank comic archive pages rather than continually change the front page links.  This only reinforces your need FOR a CMS though.

I’m going to sum everything up now:

• Add “cast/characters,” “about”  and “links/banners” link in your site navigation. For you, I might also recommend a “world setting” section. I would also recommend taking out links for your DA and contact, and putting those inside your “about” section. Your chat-box needs to be somewhere that doesn’t need a click.
• Add more content, period!  Your site is barebones. If you can keep the streamlined nature of what you already have while adding more content for people to explore, it will be perfect! A lot of people offer either too much, or nothing at all. More text content in particular will increase your SEO. Webcomics are about more than just the comic–they’re about the site too!
• You ought to either have your comic on the front page (which would recommend considering your small page size and distinctive art style that you ought to be showing off more) or improve your front page design to make people want to keep coming back to it.
• Find a CMS you like!
• Add full comic navigation above and below the comic pages.

Phew, that’s it from me! Four more reviews to follow. At this time, I am NOT accepting more sites to review until I can make sure I can handle what I have. I’ll post here when I can do more.

First! CMS stands for Content Management System. “Content” for this means your comic and the news or notes or extra webpages which accompany it. “Management” as in, able to handle large amounts of information in the way a manager handles all the people who work under him or her.  A “system” implies something a bit…automatic. Like automatic drive on your car, this is a good thing for people who want it easy.  So, easy comic handling. No hand-coding of archives! GOOD THING. This also forces you to display your comic in way in which readers are accustomed! Yes, there are some precedents for webcomic display, and that includes NOT displaying 20 comic pages on ONE webpage, or having one 1 navigation button for the “next” comic, etc. Don’t make me pull my hair out when I’m trying to read your wonderful comic, basically!

An example of a CMS is this blog. The CMS is WordPress, which uses something called a “mySQL” database to work. I don’t edit that database when I add a post, I don’t code it or screw with it or even know how the hell it works. It is a magical thing to me, and I’m happy that I don’t have to mess with it.  All I did was create it by giving it a name and a password in my host’s admin panel.  Not all CMS use databases. In this article, I’m going to tell you about all of the CMS that I know of that you can use for your webcomic.

Before I get into this, I just want to say that I will not be touching on CMS systems of free webcomic hosts. I’m going to save that for the reviews OF those hosts.  This article is more for people who host themselves, but don’t have a system in place yet to manage their webcomic.

I’m going to start with a popular choice: WordPress/Comicpress. WordPress is your CMS, and Comicpress is your theme that specializes the CMS for your webcomic. Comicpress works much easier with the CP manager plug-in (an extra little bit of specialized automation for your wordpress blog).  Two examples of WP/CP sites in action are Tales from the Middle Kingdom and Xyliatales.

Pros: WP/CP is constantly upgraded freeware, and each version is better than the last. There are 5 default templates available for every type of comic. You get perma-links (more search-friendly URLs), RSS, comic news and extra blog news. You get to use PHP, a very useful type of coding. CP 2.7 also has a bunch of handy new features, including archiving by storyline, comic hover text, and comic transcripts.  You can upload your comics though an online admin interface (obviously accessible from any computer, just in case any supernoobs were reading this), write your comic blurbs online, etc. Has a commenting (and moderation) system, and the ability to schedule pages for future days!

Cons: WP/CP is NOT  user-friendly if you don’t know what you’re doing in the code, especially if you want to personalize your site. WP requires a database, which can get corrupted, and furthermore, you have to have top-level admin access on your host panel to even make a database.  WP also can severely tax your host, so you either need to not be a huge comic, or install WP-super-cache plug-in.   Finally, because WP/CP are constantly being upgraded, YOU have to keep upgrading your site, which is extremely annoying.

Bottom line: Recommended for advanced users only, or those interested in becoming that. For more about WP/CP, go read a 2-part interview I gave at The Floating Lightbulb.

Next, an alternative to WP/CP for less-advanced coders called Inkblot. Like CP, Inkblot works with WordPress, so you still have to go about creating a mySQL database.  In this case, Inkblot is the theme, and WebComic is the  name of the plug-in.  I have not used this CMS, but example of a WP/IB site in action is The Adventures of  Wiglaf and Mordred.

Pros: Much easier to use than WP/CP, and with the great majority of functionality (more in some cases!). Instead of dealing with code, a lot of the time you only deal with settings, and anyone who can fill out paperwork can change “settings.”  This is Kez’s way of saying IT’S NOT AS HARD AS YOU THINK. Also, has a commenting (and moderation) functionality! For more, check out  this handy-dandy comparison list of CP vs. IB, though I don’t think it’s been updated for CP 2.7.  Correct me if I’m wrong, Mike!

Cons: Still requires a database, upgrading, installation, and perhaps, the cache plug-in described in WP/CP’s cons.

Bottom line: recommended as an excellent alternative to CP. I’m told once you use IB, you don’t go back

The next CMS up for bat is SomeryC. Unlike the previous 2 examples, SomeryC does not require a database. I swear the version I first used of this did not. It appears the newest version DOES need a database. M’bad! Sorry about that.  Unlike WP/CP or WP/IB, SomeryC ONLY handles your comic—not extra webpages, or sidebars or any other aspect of the site EXCEPT for archiving your webcomic. An example of a site using SomeryC is Crowfeathers.

Pros: extremely easy to install.  A convenient “tag” system for comic placement, navigation buttons, news, etc. For those of you who don’t know, tags are pieces of code that stand for more complex code functions. Instead of dealing with a huge string of incomprehenisble garble, you deal with something more like “put comic here.” SomeryC also leaves site design up to you. For some people, not dealing with default templates is a HUGE pro.  Even though you don’t have a database, you still have an online interface for adding comics and news.

Cons: previously SomeryC sites have been hacked, and I’m unsure if new, more secure versions have been released.  Other than that, some people may find that not having a system that deals with ALL aspects of the site a major con. I personally like a little bit of manual control every now and again.

Bottom line: recommended for people who don’t like WordPress and for people not comfortable outside of HTML/CSS.  Also recommended for people who (like me) like to sometimes hand-code things themselves.

Next, a CMS with all of WP’s functionality, but with far less hassle, Movable Type! An example of a site using MT is busybee comics.

Pros: Since I’ve never used MT, I’m going to draw straight from an interview given by fluffy, creator of busybee comics.  First, and this is a huge pro, MT can run multiple comics from a single admin panel on ONE site. It’s easier to use AND install than WP, doesn’t rely on PHP (for those who fear it), and has better security. You don’t often hear about MT sites getting hacked, unlike WP sites.  Has commenting ability!

Cons: Again, may require a database depending on what functions you want to use, and definitely requires CGI capability (this latter bit isn’t a con so much as something you need to be aware of).  MT also has its own markup language apparently, so there are somethings you’d need to learn.

Bottom line: for both advanced and beginner coders.  Since I only know of one site that uses this for webcomics, I don’t really have much to say on it though. It exists! So try it and let me know what you think.

Part II will be a short article dealing with Comikaze, i-strip,  Blogspot/other free blogs, and any other system I may be vaguely familiar with people may mention in comments.  I’m far more familiar with systems offered by free webcomic hosts, but even if I don’t know as much about all of these as I would like, I think it’s still important people know about them!

A huge, huge part of gathering an audience to your work is having an update schedule. How would you like it if your favorite television series just went on air “whenever?” No schedule for a new episode, no day for you to check back, just whenever the heck the network had the time to air it? You’d be pissed off and forget to check back! Then you’d be pissed off more when you realized you missed a new episode or 3!

Yes, yes, I know. You want to tell me, “But Kez, when a webcomic updates, the page stays up, so people can come and check back whenever they want! TV shows air, but then you can’t watch them again until the network feels like replaying them! These are 2 really different things!” Well I’m going to tell you that updating randomly is the lazy-man’s way to do it, and though you may keep SOME of your readers, you will NEVER have the audience that a webcomic that updates to a schedule has.

As usual, I’m going to look at the success stories here. Let’s  try Gunnerkrigg Court. GC is currently #14 on TWC, so we can all agree the comic is quite popular! It updates 3x a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. And look! It SAYS so, right at the top of the comic there.  Let us view the Project Wonderful stats on GC.  No way! HUGE increases on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays! I WONDER IF THERE IS A CORRELATION (please note, that was not phrased as a question).

Let us consider a scenario where you come across hypothetical Comic X. You really like Comic X, so you bookmark it. Uh oh, problem! Not only does Comic X NOT have an RSS feed (the only semi-substitute for not having a schedule, which I’ll get to at the end of this article), but it does not have an update schedule listed either! So, you bookmark Comic X, and tell yourself that you’ll check back.  For the first couple days, you DO check back. No update! Then, one day a week or so later, you check back and there’s a new page! You are so happy, but wait a second! There are new characters and new places and you have no idea what’s going on! You click the “previous page” button, and discover that Comic X was updated with multiple pages totally out of the blue. I suppose this scenario wouldn’t be so bad if the creator of Comic X at least kept an updated news area to let people know what happened, but odds are that if someone hasn’t posted a schedule, they don’t know enough to have news posts either! Anyways, you catch up on Comic X, but never knowing when the blasted thing updates, you check back quite randomly, maybe 2 or 3 times a month.  You don’t tell many people about Comic X, because let’s face it: though it’s really good, you only ever remember to check it 2-3 times a month, so how are you going to remember to tell anyone about it? Because you don’t visit the site much, you don’t even vote on TWC much. You don’t join a forum or leave a comment or send a fan-mail.  Now multiply you a hundred or so times, and you have the audience of this comic!

Scenario TWO! You come across hypothetical Comic Q.  You really like Comic Q, so you bookmark it.  Uh oh, Comic Q does NOT have an RSS feed, but don’t worry! Comic Q has an update schedule! It updates on Monday, Wednesday and Friday with a page per update. You are irked that it does not update more, but you know when to check back for another new page. So you do, three times a week. Each time you visit for that update, you vote for that comic on TWC. Comic Q keeps getting bigger!  Visiting 3x a week, you’re keeping up with the story quite well. You leave the creator of Comic Q a comment, telling him/her how much you like it.  You remember to tell friends about this comic, and you’re sure to let them know when it updates, so they can enjoy the same thing! You find yourself looking forward to each new update, MUCH THE SAME AS IF IT WERE A TELEVISION SERIES.  Is that a small amount of gratitude you feel? That the creator of Comic Q is updating his/her comic loyally to schedule?

Okay, now consider that Comic X and Comic Q are the same comic. Comic X decided to update in batches of 3 on random days, once a week. Comic Q decided to update 3 scheduled days a week with one page per udpate.  They both have the same thing going for them, but Comic Q decided to take the audience into consideration.  Always, always, ALWAYS make it as easy as possible for your readers to keep up with your comic. A schedule is for THEM as much as you, if not MORE for them.  Yes, yes, there are DEFINITE middle paths between Comic X and Comic Q. Phoenix Requiem updates on Mondays and Thursdays with batches of pages. FreakAngels updates on Fridays with 6 pages, and when they can’t, they bother to let people know they’re taking a week off (’cause hey, that’s polite!). There was once a comic I read that updated on Fridays, every OTHER week. This leads into a discussion on how often one should update, which I’m not going into, because the point of this article is merely that to maximize your audience, you NEED to have a schedule (and stick to it!). People will continue to check back on those days you’ve told them you will update.  The reader who comes back to your comic monthly to read batches of pages regardless of whether you have a posted update schedule is few and far in-between.  The great majority of people will come back when you tell them you’ll have something new.

Let us consider a 3rd scenario. You have a webcomic, but you have no idea when you’ll have time to work on it one day to the next. You try for an update schedule, and fail miserably. People start leaving nasty comments about how they’re not going to check back because “you’re a liar,” yadda yadda. Webcomic readers can be a spiteful bunch I tell you!  You really want to keep updating your comic, but there’s no way in hell you can definitely update on a specific day.  Finally, you list your schedule as “whenever I can do it, you sniveling mongrel sons of dogs” (only slightly less inflamatory), and point people to your RSS feed.  Once subscribed to it, people will be notified when you update!

Ah ha! The miracle cure, you say! No, not really. The minority of an audience uses an RSS feed. A sizeable minority to be sure, but most people bookmark your site and physically check back.  As for the intricacies of an RSS feed, what to display on it, I’ll leave that to another article as well. The bottom line is that if you want to continue to grow your audience, they need to know they can depend on you for updates. It’s a loyalty issue. People stop coming back if you don’t update like you said you would. They stop coming back if you update randomly and don’t keep them informed. They stop coming back because they lose interest because they don’t check back, and then forget about you.  Relying solely on RSS feeds is NOT recommended! Not even update listing sites like Piperka, TWCL or OnlineComics make up for not having a schedule, because all of these places require people to make accounts! Again, the minority of your readers will use these sites.

So, if you don’t have a schedule, you need to make one! Period.

Next up! “What is a CMS and WHY do I need it?”

WHY? Why is it wrong to have a comic rely on a secondary page? Would it be right that to understand a movie, you have to read a guide-book first? Or to understand a book, you have to read the glossary first? Of course not! The extras are dependent upon the story, not the story upon the extras. So, if people who read your comic can’t understand what’s going on without reading your “world” page, I would greatly encourage you to edit your comic or add the necessary pages to MAKE it understandable.

So, that point hammered into the ground, what should you have on your world page?  There are a couple types of world pages to have: the kind that explains everything (a Silmarrillion), the kind that gives a little more detail than is shown in the comic, and the kind that just repeats what was already in your comic. As per my usual tastes, I encourage a page in the middle of the spectrum.  The great, great majority of your readers won’t ever explore the page, but you should have extra information as well as repeat the information already presented in your comic for the people who ARE interested in the extras.

What specifically to have:

1. Always have a MAP! Different worlds, different centuries, different galaxies and planets, all lead to unfamiliar, easily-confused names. Your readers will want to know where A was in relation to B when C happened. There are many types of maps. Static maps, interactive maps, roll-over maps, etc. I myself am building a roll-over map. It’s not complete, but you can see it.
2. If pertinent, have a recap of any notable historic happenings that have set up the political arena/kingdoms/cities/wars of your comic. KEEP IT SHORT. Add an optional longer description if desired, preferably on a separate page, or using link anchors.
3. In the event that your characters have across different lands, peoples or cities, be sure to note each one, and have important points of each.  People LIKE to read about cultures, apocalypses, mysticism, beliefs, etc, so long as there is not TOO much information. Nothing makes people not want to read a webpage as seeing a GIANT BLOCK OF TEXT.  Again, have summaries first, and provide [linked] extra information if desired.
4. Have IMAGES. Not only will this break up the text, but it will also help readers recollect where the information belongs in the comic, and with what characters.
5. Have links. Link each section to corresponding sections of the comic. For example, if I had a section about an alien race named the Squidloids, I would link to their first appearance in the comic, as well as to any important story arcs with them. It’s smart to do this for geographic locations as well.
6. EDIT (This is why I love comments, because as a fantasy comic creator, there are some things I don’t think about!) Kat adds, “For scifi comics, I would also say that this is where to put explanations of your technology. NOT in the main comic! Ninety percent of your readers don’t care how the whizzbang goes whizz! This is for the ten percent pestering you about how if the glasses are a viewer, where’s the camera, and what kind of lift is there on your avie generators, and so on and so forth.”

Other things to think about adding:

1. For those people who like to create their own languages, have a section for it on the world page. Provide an alphabet, basic grammar, and a pronunciation guide.
2. Backstory. I am leery of advising anyone to add backstory, because often enough it’s not only unnecessary, but should be brought out in the comic. It can also function as a spoiler.  Relevant character history should be on the cast page, but more in-depth WORLD or CULTURE backstory MAY belong on the world page, at your discretion. Just remember never to rely on it, and if it’s important, to always introduce it in the comic itself.

Should you have a Wiki or a world page?

This depends on your audience. Often, the level of interest your readers show (and the volume of readers showing that interest) will let you know HOW MUCH to do. If you have a small, quiet, readership, there is no need for a wiki, and it won’t work unless you are willing to put up all the articles yourself. If you have a small, talkative audience, well then, that might deserve the work put into making a wiki. Until you have the numbers or the interest, the effort won’t be worth the outcome.

Many free wikis are available, hosted on your own site or elsewhere. Two that I know of are Luminotes and MediaWiki.

EDIT:

Life’s A Witch adds “don’t forget PBwiki.com,” and Aywren says “I also find Wikidot to be quite good!”

A short article today!

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One of the very first pieces of advice someone new to webcomics will receive from the webcomic community is very simple and 99.9% of the time the right thing to do: always display your webcomic on the front page.

The reasons to do this are numerous: the webcomic is your main “product.”  It is what you are “selling” to your audience, and they shouldn’t have to look for it. It is the driving force to KEEP first time visitors, and you’re supposed to give them what they came to get.  Many visitors will LEAVE if they can’t immediately find your comic.  “It’s the only right way to build a webcomic site.”

I am here to tell you that final, blanket statement is not true, and that my site proves it.   I am not trying to brag here, I assure you, I simply want to make a point. I’m not saying my way is the BEST way either. What I DO want to say is that sometimes there are special circumstances that may push you to move the webcomic off the front page, and that if you do decide to do so, there are wrong and right ways to do it.  The problem is, most people who go about putting the comic off the home page do it wrong. Yes, totally and completely WRONG.

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First, I’m going to speak to real reasons not to display your comic on the home page. Perhaps you have multiple comics updating on your site, and you don’t want to have multiple sites.  You want multiple comics updating on ONE site because you want to pool your audience and MAXIMIZE the exposure of all your comics.  You can’t [or rather, shouldn't] display all those comics on your front page–that’s just confusing! You are therefore left with 2 alternatives: display one comic on your main site, and link the others on their separate sites, or create a “hub” page, and link all comics to their own separate pages. Why go through the trouble of creating separate sites for each comic, and then the additional trouble of setting up a “this is my portfolio [look at all my comics] that no one is going to look at, but I thought I should have anyways?” site? Don’t. Just organize a single, central domain well and you’re set. Get the extra domain names later if you want, when your audience is already pooled. It is ALWAYS best (for pagerank, for Alexa rank, etc) to have everything under ONE name, remember that!

Another reason might be because of stylistic choice of comic. For example, my comic pages change dimension with each update. This is a conscious, experimental choice I have made to take full advantage of the digital format of my comic. I don’t care if it annoys people. My comic is not, and never was meant, to be published as a book. I don’t like squishing every panel, regardless of how large I want it to be, into a set size. I don’t like panels, period.  But I digress, and will stop myself here. If your comics change dimension with each update, it is extremely difficult to place them in a good-looking template without breaking that template. The answer? Either conform (boo!), or don’t put them in that template.

A third reason to have comics off the main page is to save the audience loading time. Perhaps you want extra features available, and on your home page, but you don’t want these extras to load with each archive page. Slimming down webpage clutter is nearly always a good thing.  Also, similarly, perhaps your pages are saved at high quality (and you want them as such, within reason.) Putting new pages in a slimmed down, SEPARATE page (off the homepage) allows you post high resolution comic pages with each update. For example, how much would I LOVE Phoenix Requiem or Xylia’s pages to be displayed at a much larger size. The comics are so detailed, it seems a travesty to display at such a small size.

A final reason, perhaps just as important as the others, perhaps not: increasing total site pageviews. If a visitor continually comes to your home page, and the proceeds to the page that displays a comic, that is two total pageviews for one returning visitor.  Obviously, if the comic is on the front page, a returning visitor gets you only a single pageview. When most ad companies pay by CPM (or as with Project Wonderful, auction prices are often determined foremost by pageviews), doing what you can to increase pageviews can be imporant.

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Some people are going to argue here some very basic things that I was taught FIVE YEARS AGO when I first started webcomics: filesizes should ALWAYS be under 200kb; comics should NEVER have a scroll; comics should NEVER change size or dimension; your webpage should be 90-100% text functional and should not rely on art.

THIS IS BULLSHIT. Five years ago,  60GB harddrives and 500MB RAM were considered state of the art. Many people still used dial-up connections. The most common screen resolution was 800×600 on a CRT monitor.  5 years of technological evolution has changed the rules, and really, the rules are changing all the time. The fact, the very awesome and important fact, is that digital medium (that is, how we are displaying, and in some cases making, our comics) is so vast, has so much potential, that it should be used.  Not everyone makes their comics for print, nor should conform to print requirements. I wrote an 80-page college thesis about this. You may not agree with me, you hard-core, dead-tree formaters, but I do have experience here. You may not believe me, but I do ask that you listen.   Oh, and finally, of COURSE webcomic sites should take full advantage of artistic layouts. It’s a visual art for goodness’ sake!  Having a good looking and functional website is HALF of making a webcomic.

*************

So, more ranting aside, if you are going to display your comic off the front page, here are the ways to do it wrong, and then do it right:

WRONG 1: Do not ever have a “static” (unchanging) home page. Last Blood is a good example of this.  This page set up has not changed since the day the comic started. If your front page never changes, why would anyone bookmark it?  They won’t. They will instead bookmark the page WITH the comic, defeating the purpose of increasing exposure to all of your comics or other works.

RIGHT 1:  Always have updating, dated news on your hub page. It should change with every update to every comic, and preferably, have an RSS feed (done right for a single project: Phoenix Requiem). What if Bobby Crosby instead had “bobbycrosbycomics.com?” And let’s say this page linked to all the comics he works on, with linked RSS feeds, and updated news/commentary for each time a comic of his updated. This page would be POPULAR, due to the success of his projects. Someone who comes for Last Blood might discover Marry Me, and love it. The overall exposure of all his comics would increase dramatically, as opposed to mere static text links in his lower left sidebars.  I leave the measure of commentary vs. news up to you guys. My rule of thumb: if it’s not interesting (or at least inflamatory, because those are always fun), you probably shouldn’t post it. I personally post short, pertinent news blurbs on the homepage, and leave commentary for beneath the comic itself.

WRONG 2: Having more than 1 click to the most recent comic of all comics/projects you have. Multiple clicks lead to frustration, and frustrated visitors simply leave. For example, on your home page, don’t have a button that says “my comics” and then a “my comics” page with links to each comic.  A more frustrating example: an inane and babbling home page that has unintuitive link names (for example, “my comics” vs “my art projects;” well, what KIND of art projects? Lead them directly to your comics.) that lead to a gallery page with random art pieces than FINALLY leads to your comic archive and then, FOR REAL THIS TIME, to the first/most-recent comic.  By the time visitors get to this point, 90% will have already left. Have the links to each comic’s most recent page on your home page. The common reason I see for this kind of mistake in design is that a person can’t decide what they want their site to be ABOUT: themselves, their portfolio, their comic, their school projects, etc. Decide, and focus, when designing a webpage.

RIGHT 2: Having a dated, titled image and/or text link to the most recent comic page update(s). If you have an image, it should have a new file title each update so it is not cached. I prefer to have both a text link and an image link. This/these link(s) should be given TOP priority on the page design. Reading your news is optional. They came for your comic(s), but hey, they might be interested in what you have to say too. However, since they didn’t come to hear you talk, links to comics should be above/before your news, not at the bottom or after.

WRONG 3: Having more than 1 click to the archive page(s) of your comic(s). Let us return to the first scenario of WRONG 2: mulitple clicks to the comic. Okay, well, what if a new visitor wants to go to the archive page first? A lot of visitors like to see what they’re getting into first (in other words, how long they will be sitting to read your work) before going to the first page or most recent page.  If they have multiple clicks to get to the comic, how will they react with even MORE clicks to get to the archive? Or, what if, an even worse worse-case scenario, you don’t even HAVE an archive page?

RIGHT 3: Prominently displaying the link to your archive in your site menu, which should be nearly at the top of your site. I prefer navigation horizontally below the title, but some people like it on a sidebar. That should always be your LEFT sidebar though, never the right (unless of course, you speak a R->L language like Arabic). Don’t make people search for how to explore your site!

WRONG 4: Not having a direct link to your comic’s FIRST page. Somewhat like the previous scenario, some visitors like to jump to the first page rather than check the archive or go to the most recent comic page.

RIGHT 4: Displaying an image or text link or menu button for your comic’s first page. This image/link should be intuitive and LABELED. Do not rely on the “<<” image that has become commonplace in the webcomic world.  People new to webcomics will not know what that means. Anything you can do to make the reading experience easier, you do, especially since you’re moving (or at least thinking about moving) the comic from the home page.

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It’s obvious here that in some places I have merged wrong things to do and how to fix them. A lot of things will simply boil down to common sense webdesign and knowing what your audience wants (which in nearly all cases, is what YOU would want if you came to such a site.)  My #1 rule is to always make a site as intuitive and as easy to use as possible. Provide all the short-cuts to all the important pages. Don’t make your audience WORK to read your comic or use your site. My home page features the above “rights” and more: I have a text synopsis for each feature of mine, increasing the SEO of my site. The home page has a lot of images, but each has alts and titles. My navigation menu includes (in order of importance) links to the first comic, the archive, the cast page, etc. I have 2 links to get to the most recent comic page: one is an image, one is a text link in the news. My news updates with each comic update. My home page has a bounce rate (visitor see, visitor flee) of 1.34%.  This means only 1/100 visitors come to home page and leave without clicking anything.  What is the bounce rate of sites that display comics on their front page? 60-80%.

Could my site be done better? Yes, of course. There’s almost always a way to do things better. Does my site “work” with the comic off the main page? Most definitely. If it works for me, it can work for others. Just do it right!

And now, to finish my longest article ever, a list of popular comics that don’t display their comic on the front page and still make it work:

Copper (Bolt City)

Samurai Pride

VG Cats

Shades of Veil

White Noise/ Welcome Committee of Magic High/ Doom ‘n Stuff

Fantasy Realms

Phoenix Requiem

Antagonist

No Need For Bushido

Strays

The Gods’ Pack

It would be a good exercise for those into webdesign to consider how each example could be modified or done better, and then to apply it to your own site.  Please remember that even with all these features on your “hub” page, some people WILL still bookmark your “most current comic page” instead. Some just refuse that one extra second to click, and that’s alright. There are ways to stop this behavior, but really, it’s not worth the effort half the time, not if you just design correctly. The majority of your readers won’t mind that extra click, so don’t be discouraged.

]]> http://warofwinds.com/winged-wolf-studio/displaying-the-webcomic-off-the-home-pagecorrectly/feed/ 3 http://warofwinds.com/winged-wolf-studio/always-update-your-audience-through-news-posts/ http://warofwinds.com/winged-wolf-studio/always-update-your-audience-through-news-posts/#comments Wed, 26 Nov 2008 05:22:28 +0000 KEZ http://warofwinds.com/winged-wolf-studio/?p=78 I’m going to present you with a scenario I’ve seen happen far more often that I would like:

So, you really like this one comic, named “Comic”.  It updates 2 days a week, and you are a loyal reader.  The site is very professional looking, and includes the webcomic website must-have pages.  The site is “SO VERY” professional that the webcomicker in question has decided not to have a blog/news area. One day, “Comic” inexplicably is no longer updated.  You check back, regardless, on the two days it’s supposed to update for a couple weeks. You peruse the “about” page and find contact information, and decide to send an email asking what happened. No reply.  You check the site occasionally, maybe once or twice a month, before you stop checking entirely. You hold no hope that “Comic” will ever be updated again.

Then, suddenly, six months later, you see a post in a forum saying that “Comic” is finally updating again.  You post in that forum and you ask, “what happened? Why did you stop?”

The reply is “Shit happened, but I didn’t think it was important to let my readers know that I needed some time to get my life in order.  I thought you guys would figure it out, and be there when I got back”

Why to have a news area: I am going to clarify something right now: after almost 5 years of making a webcomic and designing webcomic sites, I can say without any doubt whatsoever that having a webcomic news area is extremely important, and I ALWAYS design an area for this into every site I make. You must keep your audience up to date on the status of your webcomic if you have for some reason missed an update or have decided to go on hiatus.   Don’t ever make people guess when you are next going to be able to update. Also, If you provide no explanation, people will stop coming back because they have no confidence in you keeping to schedule.  It’s true!

On the positive side, keeping an updated news area will foster audience involvement by providing the first line of contact. YOU need to start trying to reach your audience if you expect them to try to reach you back, whether it’s through shoutbox or forum or email.  Webcomics are form of art unlike traditional comics BECAUSE of this contact you have with your audience.  People first moving from paper comics to webcomics do not seem to realize this, and believe that because print comics do NOT have news about the artist/writer, so too webcomics should not. This is not true. Please take advantage of the digital medium! Communication is key! And it starts with you!

It is NOT “unprofessional” have this area, and I would argue it is essential on the web, because everything is so ephemeral–so provide something solid.  Anonymity and internet handles distance you from the reader, but you are still closer to your audience online than you will ever be in print (unless you meet your audience face to face at a convention, of course.)  The trick to having a news area is knowing what to post.

An important distinction: there is news, and then there is blogging. “News” connotes something important; “blogging” connotes something vain and unimportant.  News should always be updated when necessary, but blogging is up to the discretion of the webcomic creator. Personally, I blog BENEATH comic news so that I may improve fill rates for context-based advertisers. However, I always try to blog about something that hopefully my audience finds interesting.  It is never given precedence over comic-related news however.

What to write about: (I’m going to repeat myself a bit) I’ve found a lot of people decide they do NOT want a news area because they believe it is unprofessional, that no one cares about extra things, that no one will read it, or because they will always forget to post news.  The biggest mistake people make here is blogging about themselves instead of the comic. If you’ve got a talent for writing, can tell a story well, or can make people laugh, then it’s okay to write about yourself or things you like. You’d be amazed how many people LIKE to know more about the person/people behind the webcomic.  If you can’t write well, and your posts sound like desperate whinings for attention, then you need to stop yourself. The idea is to connect with your audience and fill them in on news relating to your comic or yourself, not chase them away!

Ideally, a news area might provide deeper insight into your most recent page (for story-based comics, for example), or pertinent news about yourself, if it relates to the comic, or just keep people on your page longer so they look around. Jason of Wayfarer’s Moon writes hilarious anecdotes each update, while in contrast, Sarah Ellerton of Phoenix Requiem posts only to let people know when she has updated, with how many pages (providing a direct link, mind you!), and any important news about anything that may stop her from updating. Remember, when in doubt about certain features, check the successful comics to see how it’s done!

Another important distinction: A key difference you’ll see between Wayfarer’s Moon and Phoenix Requiem is that the former displays the comic on the main page, and the latter does not. If you are a comic that does not display the comic on the front page, you MUST have a news area that updates with each new page you post, otherwise the front page is nothing more than useless cover readers will never look at again. Instead, they will bookmark whatever page displays your most recent comic.

Next article: Advertising.

I am hesitant to put these two pages in my “webcomic website must-have’s” category because really, they are not necessary.  They can be highly desired however, and powerful tools at your disposal.  Often, the first thing mentioned to people asking about “how do I increase my audience?” is “do a link exchange” or “make fan art.”   The reason these ideas are the first thing mentioned is because they require the least amount of time and effort for the best results.

I will begin first with reasons why should have these pages.

The Links Page:

the most important reason is so you can participate in link exchanges. It’s rather amusing to me that sites who forget [or do not realize the importance of] the cast, about or archive page remember to have a links page.  I would theorize this is because the importance of the links page is already paramount in the webcomicker’s mind: “I want more people to read my comic, so I will have a links page to participate in link exchanges.” Never mind that your audience wants the other WWM-H’s.  Please understand, this isn’t a bash on anyone, I think it is just important to realize there can be differences in what you [the webcomic creator] want, and what your audience wants.  When you take care of your audience, they will often do the leg-work of networking for you, but that is a discussion for a later time, and I’m getting off topic.

Another reason for a links page is to pre-emptively link other comics. When you are already a large and established comic and you link a smaller, this is sharing a good thing, “paying it forward” perhaps, or simply pointing out a comic you think deserves more attention. When you are a small comic linking a [much] larger, it is often with the hope of the larger comic realizing “hey, the little comic is linking me! I am flattered, and in a good mood, so I think I might reciprocate.” There is nothing wrong with this, and quite often it works out well for the little guy.

Next, having a links page shouts “hey, I have banners, so link me!” If you don’t have one, how are other people supposed to link you? Should that person have to go through the trouble of scrounging up your email to ASK for one? For example, I spent 2-4am reading FreakAngels, planned to promptly link it, and guess what! No links page, at least, not that I can find! Gah! (Ellis/Duffield, if you read this…wanna send me a banner?) I don’t list the links page as a must-have page because not everyone places their OWN banners on this page. For example, Gunnerkrigg Court lists its banners at the bottom of the homepage and archive pages.  Having your own banners available is of COURSE a must-have, regardless of the page it’s on. I recommend the links page myself, because that is the first page people look when they want a banner.

Another important reason is Google PageRank and Alexa.  If you google your comic, or keywords related to your comic, is your comic listed on first page of results? There are a lot of factors involved in what order search results are displayed, but a main one is how many other [non-link-farm] sites (and the traffic of those sites) link you.  The more link exchanges you participate in, the higher your pagerank, and the more search referrals you get.

The last reason for a links page involves pure curiosity.  If your audience likes your own comic, they might come to wonder what else you read, and having a links page satisfies that curiosity.  Many people discover new comics through other comics’ links pages, and indeed, direct referrals from webcomic to webcomic is the main way for webcomics to get more readers (as opposed to search referrals, if you remember)

The Gallery Page:

Some people like to include this page in a smushed, disorganized, non-committably-named “extras” page. I don’t like pages called “extras,” because it says nothing about what is there. Always have your page names describe the actual content of the page! So, when I say “gallery,” what I mean is YOUR art, and FAN art.

This page can display your own extra art, and  SHOULD DEFINITELY display any fan art you have received.  One of the greatest slights you can give online is to NOT appreciate fan art you receive, regardless of the artistic abilities of the fan in question.  Webcomic etiquette is ALSO another discussion entirely, so I won’t mention more on the topic until necessary. If you have fan art, you need to give credit in the form of an artist’s name or handle, and a link back to that person’s gallery or comic.  This can function much in the same way as a link exchange, just on the gallery page instead. Like the links page, it also increases your pagerank.

The gallery page should also contain any stand alone pieces that you may have put into your archives. Never ever ever put unrelated pages, splash art, non-canon 4-wall breaking one-shots, etc,  pages into your archive.  Doing so is extremely disruptive and confusing to webcomic readers, not to mention, extremely annoying.  If you have them, take them OUT of your archive and place them in your gallery, or create a new archive for these things.  These pieces are things readers like to look at on their own time, on another page. Extra art is something you should be making, it just needs another home than the archives, and the gallery page is there for that reason.

The main reason I don’t include a gallery page as a must-have page is because oftentimes, it is simply far easier to use a service like Deviant Art instead of making your own gallery page. However, I vouch having one  of your own for networking and link exchange reasons!

Now that I’ve exhausted the reasons to have these pages, I’ll move on to how to use them properly.  Your links page should be under a “Links” or “Affiliates” heading, not something ambiguous like “Friends” or “Dudes I Like” etc.  Your links page is a tool, it must be organized and aesthetically pleasing (put the same size banners together, ja?). It should not be hidden by a number of clicks off the main page, rather, it should proudly appear in your main on-site navigation menu.  Like all important information about your site, it should be ONE click from your homepage.  Ideally, it should contain banners (with image alts and titles) rather than text links simply for better results for the person whom you are linking.  Comics are, after all, a visual medium foremost!  It should also contain your OWN banners for link exchange purposes, or at the very least, a link TO where those banners can be found (even if you have a page titled “banners” or “link me,” most people will check your links page first for your banners).  If you have a link exchange “policy,” it should be politely stated here (for example, “I prefer to link with 200×40 banners, and I don’t link to M-rated sites).

When interested in a link exchange, do NOT be afraid to email to inquire about it.  The worst that will happen is a reply saying “no.” You really must get over your shyness. HOWEVER! Always be sure to already have a link to the comic in question up on your own page BEFORE emailing (you of course may take it down if the other person isn’t interested), always be polite regardless of the answer, be sure to spell check your email, and for goodness’ sake, have banners ready and available on your site (do not make someone else wait because you weren’t ready)! Don’t attach them in an email before the other party has already agreed to link you (that just smells of being desperate.)

Your gallery page, like your links page, should be in your main, on-site navigation menu.  It needs to be clearly organized too, with thumbnails of images.  Some people prefer to have the thumbnails link to an embedded image in a new webpage, which then includes a link to the fan artist’s site. I prefer to link to the image directly, and include fan artist information on the gallery page itself (less work).  Having a gallery page, and displaying fan art with links back will increase the amount of fan art you will receive. Giving exposure GETS you exposure. Don’t hedge on this.

When you receive fan art, either put in your archive to give the person maximum exposure until the next update (when you promptly will remove it and place in the gallery), or at the very least, provide a direct link in your news area to the piece AND the fan artist’s site.  Mentioning it in your forum does not count. Mentioning it in a old news post does not count. It needs permanent exposure on its own page.

When sending fan art, please don’t ever include anything that even sounds like, “and oh yeah, this is my website and here is a banner to me.”  You have created FAN art. Once you make it, it is the reciprocant’s prerogative on what to do with it and how to display it.  Sure, it is very easy for me to say, “appreciate every fan art you get and give it maximum exposure,” but when it is quite obvious that the only reason the fan art was made was to GET that exposure, well, subtlety has its place, even on the net.  I suggest tactfully including a link back to your site in your email signature.

This article touched on far more than I wanted, and grew far too lengthy. I need to practice my own rule: brevity.

Moral of the story: have a links page and a gallery page to maximize your comic’s ability to network with other comics.

Your about page should contain all the information that new and long-time readers might want to know. I don’t call this page a FAQ page,  because it should contain MORE than simple, often inane, “frequently asked” questions.  This page should function as the “one-stop” page for questions about the webcomic creator, the webcomic plot, the webcomic update schedule, how to reach the creator, and what your ENTIRE project is about.  AND, most importantly, this information needs to be presented in a concise, organized, interesting manner. The only thing worse than the lack of an about page is the never-ending, rambling, disinteresting “look-at-me-and-what-I-do-aren’t-I-so-very-awesome?!!!” page.

Here is what I, after five years of making webcomic and webcomic sites, think a person ought to have on his/her about page:

• Begin with a tight, 1-2 paragraph synopsis of your comic (usually shorter for humor-based comics as opposed to story-based).  For long, story-based comics, writing this may be extremely difficult, and it doesn’t matter. If you can’t do this little thing, you either 1) don’t have a tight enough grip on your storyline that you are forced to write out every single plot line for it to make sense to YOU, or 2) don’t appreciate the need for this enough.  For number 2, would you ever buy a book without reading the back-of-the-book synopsis? No! It doesn’t matter how cool the cover is if you don’t know what it’s about.  The difference is, with webcomics, instead of buying your comic/story with money, your audience spends TIME.
• Now that you have the synopsis, you need to decide, based on the breadth and scope of your comic, if you need something longer. The above “blurb” is for the people who want the quick overview. Some people may want more. A longer description of your comic is optional, and indeed, may be better placed on the archive page anyways.
• If your comic updates with multiple features, each feature needs an explanation on scheduling and links to [separate!] archives.  Don’t ever confuse your audience by not providing an explanation!
• Moving on to YOU, the webcomic creator, you should include a short biography. Who you are, what you do, a picture if you dare, and DEFINITELY a way to contact you. If you don’t want to include your personal email address, create a new email address specifically for the comic. It is very easy to do, and did I mention, free?
• If you offer commissions, you must inlcude your fees, and links to work you’ve already done as examples.  Do this professionally. Any venture where you want to make money requires a measure of professionalism.
• Do you have a mirror site? Link it. Gallery site? Link it. Link your comic profiles on OnlineComics, Piperka, The Web Comic List, etc.

All of this information needs to be ordered as is most important to your comic. Don’t be vain here, and put everything about you up top. Your site isn’t about you, it’s about your work. The great majority of this page should be text also, not images, and certainly not text flattened on an image.  Why should all this be text? Because of all pages that would show up in a search engine, the about page can and should have the highest chance. But only if you write! Remember, always optimize your site so that it will show up in search engines.

Next update: tricks with link anchors and titles to organize your “must-have” pages.

Your about page should contain all the information that new and long-time readers might want to know. I don’t call this page a FAQ page,  because it should contain MORE than simple, often inane, “frequently asked” questions.  This page should function as the “one-stop” page for questions about the webcomic creator, the webcomic plot, the webcomic update schedule, how to reach the creator, and what your ENTIRE project is about.  AND, most importantly, this information needs to be presented in a concise, organized, interesting manner. The only thing worse than the lack of an about page is the never-ending, rambling, disinteresting “look-at-me-and-what-I-do-aren’t-I-so-very-awesome?!!!” page.

Here is what I, after five years of making webcomic and webcomic sites, think a person ought to have on his/her about page:

• Begin with a tight, 1-2 paragraph synopsis of your comic (usually shorter for humor-based comics as opposed to story-based).  For long, story-based comics, writing this may be extremely difficult, and it doesn’t matter. If you can’t do this little thing, you either 1) don’t have a tight enough grip on your storyline that you are forced to write out every single plot line for it to make sense to YOU, or 2) don’t appreciate the need for this enough.  For number 2, would you ever buy a book without reading the back-of-the-book synopsis? No! It doesn’t matter how cool the cover is if you don’t know what it’s about.  The difference is, with webcomics, instead of buying your comic/story with money, your audience spends TIME.
• Now that you have the synopsis, you need to decide, based on the breadth and scope of your comic, if you need something longer. The above “blurb” is for the people who want the quick overview. Some people may want more. A longer description of your comic is optional, and indeed, may be better placed on the archive page anyways.
• If your comic updates with multiple features, each feature needs an explanation on scheduling and links to [separate!] archives.  Don’t ever confuse your audience by not providing an explanation!
• Moving on to YOU, the webcomic creator, you should include a short biography. Who you are, what you do, a picture if you dare, and DEFINITELY a way to contact you. If you don’t want to include your personal email address, create a new email address specifically for the comic. It is very easy to do, and did I mention, free?
• If you offer commissions, you must inlcude your fees, and links to work you’ve already done as examples.  Do this professionally. Any venture where you want to make money requires a measure of professionalism.
• Do you have a mirror site? Link it. Gallery site? Link it. Link your comic profiles on OnlineComics, Piperka, The Web Comic List, etc.

All of this information needs to be ordered as is most important to your comic. Don’t be vain here, and put everything about you up top. Your site isn’t about you, it’s about your work. The great majority of this page should be text also, not images, and certainly not text flattened on an image.  Why should all this be text? Because of all pages that would show up in a search engine, the about page can and should have the highest chance. But only if you write! Remember, always optimize your site so that it will show up in search engines.

Next update: tricks with link anchors and titles to organize your “must-have” pages.