How to Start and Build a Webcomic for Beginners

Where to begin?

First of all, we assume that you already have the material in hand – we mean the cartoons, illustrations or comic strips that you're going to build a website for. The first thing you are going to need is a website. Choosing the right design is very crucial here. As we said earlier, the design your are going to choose should be appropriate to the kind of comic art that you are going to publish. If you are going to publish one-panel cartoons, then you'll probably need a website with smaller dimensions. On the other hand, if you're going to publish multiple-panel comics, then you'll obviously need a site with wider dimensions.

There are a lot of pre-made webcomic designs out there that you can purchase. If you are using Wordpress, there are several designs there as well that are perfect for webcomics. The problem when it comes to making use of a pre-made design is that there are probably dozens of other webcomics out there using the same design. If you're going to use the same design, then it will much harder for you to stand out from the crowd. That said, it is still best to gun for a design that is as unique as possible.

The best way to get a totally new design is to hire a designer. You can find affordable designers from various freelancing sites like oDesk, Freelancer and even Fiverr. Before you allow the designer to get started, you should show him samples of your comics, cartoons and illustrations first. This way, the designer can get ideas on how to design your webcomic.

1. Register a good domain name for your webcomic. If you have a name for your comic, it's best that you make it your domain name as well. For instance, if your webcomic's name is Funny Duck, then make it funnyduck.com. Or you could use funnyduckwebcomic.com for SEO benefits.
2. Get a logo for your webcomic. This helps a lot in differentiating your webcomic from the thousands of other webcomics out there.
3. Make sure that the following sections are present in your webcomic – archives, RSS feed, subscription form, comments, contact, and about sections.

Of course, this beginner's guide to starting a webcomic won't be complete without tips on how to make people visit your webcomic.

So here are very practical tips on how to drive traffic to your webcomic:

1. Give your webcomics tags. Every time you publish a new comic, you should tag them. This helps search engines determine what your comics are all about.
2. Submit your webcomic to webcomic directories. There are dozens of these directories online. Most of them are free so there's no excuse why you shouldn't use them.
3. Share your comics on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Pinterest etc..
4. Comment on other webcomics. Use your site's URL when commenting.
5. Participate in webcomic forums.
6. If you have the budget for it, you should try pay per click advertising.
7. Enter into ad swap deals with other webcomics.
8. Use PostLoop. This is an online service provider that will help you get the initial traffic you want for your blog. Their services are very affordable. If you're going to try out there service, we recommend that you read this PostLoop review first to find out if it's right for you.

Follow these tips and strategies to get the most out of your webcomic. We hope that this beginner's guide to starting a webcomic will guide you on the right direction towards webcomic success.