Pimping Mark’s sweet words.

Try to avoid long Flash transitions. Johns have little patience and don’t like to be kept waiting.

I’ve also seen sites that try to be too slick for their own good. They use ultra-cool terms for their links that no one understands. If someone doesn’t understand one of your links, they won’t click on it. The term samples may be boring, but sometimes the classic fishnet hose still work.

Try not to let your Johns get lost. You want them to find their way back to check out more of your booty. Too often pages in websites have no links back to the main page. Better yet, break your site into sections and have links to every section on every page.

I make sure each of my girls have what they need to pimp my work. Every page can be printed and each print contains my contact information. Every sample should print with your name and phone number on it. You never know how your work is going to be passed around or shared and you always want your Johns to be able to get a hold of you.

Each site includes not only samples, but anything else that will pimp my services. Daddy wants a new Cady-lac. You should have pages for credits, awards, bio, list of services, press clippings, anything that makes you special. For example, maybe you use a 10” pencil to service your clients.

Pimp Simon has what you need, baby.

My girls are also fast. I can be talking to a John on the phone and guide him to the samples on my site and score before he hangs up.

Now you may be asking how much bling all this is gonna cost. First of all, paying for a month of hosting a website is cheaper than mailing out one overnight package. The cost goes down even more when it helps you land more Johns. How much is a new client worth to you?

You don’t need to sell your spinners to afford a hosted website. Some services even offer free hosting and most hosting services have free templates and wizards to help you design your site. Beyond hosting, there are a number of sites that also act as free ads for artists and creatives.

There are a few sites which offer free online portfolios for artists. Each of these free sites also offer:

Portfolios.com offers a free service, which includes five free images and your information.

PortfolioCity.com offers one free page with three photos for artists. Their yearly rates for pro sites are very low.

FolioLink.com and BigBlackBag.com both offer seven days for free in hopes that you will like it and continue.

Our own AWN offers free resume posting online. GreenLightJobs.com offers a free membership with an online application and an online database for employers. There is a fee to upload sample images.

ProductionHub.com offers a free listing in two entertainment industry categories, which can be upgraded to enhanced listings, and targeted leads, which are forwarded, to you.