Here is what you need to design for as you go about creating your webcomic website:

1: TITLE

Preferably, this should be a graphic. Comics, whether on the web or not, are a graphical medium! A text title shouts “I’m boring and too lazy or inexperienced to make my own logo!”  While I may often use title graphic and logo synonymously, I should point out that they are NOT always the same thing. You can have your logo on TOP of a title graphic.  Your logo is either your comic’s title, with or without an accompanying image that is recognizable at large and small sizes, or a symbol that stands for your comc title. For example, Xyliatales, Wayfarer’s Moon, and No Need for Bushido. Your title graphic or banner may include that as WELL as more graphics.  For example in increasing size/complexity, Gunnerkrigg Court, Galaxion, Calling Home, LadyStar.

Well, how large or small should your title be? I’m not much keen on taking sides in the text vs. graphics web battles, especially since the internet is so bloody fast nowadays. Good webdesign puts the focus on where it needs to be (in this case, your comic) while ALSO focusing on fast loading and solid aesthetics, but at the same, as comic creators, we know we need to brand the site.  I usually see SMALL title/logo graphics when people want to have above the fold ad space. I usually see LARGE graphics when ads are not part of the site.  I see small graphics on image-lite sites with the “validated” text at the bottom. I see large graphics on sites made by beginners who haven’t yet learned how to get large impact out of a small area.  The bottom line: your title or logo needs to be LARGE enough it will be seen and recognized by new visitors, and small enough that more important content is readily visible without a scroll.

2: SITE NAVIGATION MENU

I’m going to make a quick distinction here between SITE navigation, and ARCHIVE navigation, so no one gets lost. Site navigation is your links to other webpages. Archive navigation deals only with the comics.  Either directly beside your title or underneath it, you need to have your site navigation menu. This menu can be horizontal or vertical, but it definitely must be above the fold, and given priority over other content (the comic, the comic navigation, buttons, other non-essential images). Your “Home” button/link needs to be FIRST in the list even if you are ordering the rest of the list alphabetically. All other page links should appear either in order of importance or alphabetically. I prefer to order buttons in order of importance, or really, which pages a new visitor would want to visit first: “Home, Archive, Cast …….. Links, About.” I have “about” as last because generally that link is always last, and that is where I am accustomed to seeing it.  Buttons/links on either end of the menu get seen more, which is generally how it works. Between cast and links is where my other pages go.

3: COMIC NAVIGATION MENU

I’m going to say this now: first, I already wrote an article on the necessity of having the FULL comic navigation menu, below AND above the comic if your comic extends below the fold. Second, I HATE ComicPress’ design of having comic navigation in the SITE navigation menu. It’s disorienting, and it means you most often DON’T have the 4 necessary links (first/prev/next/last) because there’s not enough room for all that crammed into your site menu.  I GUESS I understand the reasoning why it’s there (“navigation is navigation, right?” Wrong.), but they are two very separate systems! If you have CP and you have your comic navigation in the default place and you don’t have all four links, I strongly encourage you to change that!

Your comic navigation menu needs to be made using recognizable symbols, fonts and/or text titles. Don’t name these links as something inane and silly that only you understand! For example, a mega fail: “Baby Food, Granola Bars, Garbage Plate, Coronary.” As always, title things exactly what they are. Either first/beginning/start/etc; previous/prev/back/before/etc; next/tomorrow/after/etc; last/today/etc, or the appropriate symbols of double arrows and single arrows. Both together are good too.

4: YOUR COMIC

Please notice that your comic is FOURTH on this list. Not first, not second, not third. Your title and all navigation should appear above and/or left of your comic. However, as much as possible of your comic should appear above the fold. If your comic is on your front page and not immediately visible in a 1024×768  browser, you need to redesign your site, because you are only wasting room.  If your comic does not appear on the front page, then the links to the first page and most recent page must have prominence.

5a: BOTTOM COMIC NAVIGATION

(see section 3)

5b: NEWS/BLOG

It is very important that your blog or news area does NOT take precedence over your comic other more imporant comic elements.  There are ways to get around this using sidebars, twitter, or not blogging at all, but the safest place to have your blurbs is right below the comic AND bottom comic navigation. It is very annoying for some people to have to scroll through your news to find the “next” button/link, so don’t do that.  I already wrote an article about what should be posted here and when, so I’m not going to repeat myself.

6: FOOTER

Your footer is very important. It should not only contain a copyright block (copyright should also appear on your comic images), but also redundant “contact” information and other links of choice (for example, privacy policies).  It makes me very sad when I come to comic site that has no copyright block anywhere.  You may automatically own that copyright, but people online are thieving idiots. It’s best to explicitly and clearly state that “this”  is yours, and how to get in contact with you if people want to copy, use or redistribute. It won’t stop thieves from doing it anyways, but you do what you can.

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The above are my personal BARE MINIMUM recommended elements. Obviously, there is more you can include, but I do NOT recommend less.  Lastly, don’t forget to add alts and titles to your links and images! Webcomic sites OUGHT to be graphic-centered, in my opinion, but that means you need to do a little more to make your sites appear in search engines.

Next Up: Webcomic Website Review

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!

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!

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.