How To Host Your Own Webcomic

Webcomics are the 21st century’s rendition of the Sunday Funnies. You can create, publish, and manage your comics directly on the Internet via a host. When you host a webcomic, you have the choice to publish for free or pay to use a broader platform with a larger audience.

Many people pay a monthly fee, and others host their own webcomics on a free site, which gives them full control, reaps all the financial benefits, and may be more attractive as a standalone option. However, in the comics world, the more control you have, the less visibility you often have.

Artists opt into larger hosting sites because the platform is broader, and they can reach more readers. The tradeoff is that the larger platforms also manage your data analytics, so it may be hard for you to come by that information if you sign up.

If you have a creative bent and you’d like to share your artistic endeavors with the world, hosting your webcomic may be the perfect avenue to publication. Here are some hosting options available.

Free Platforms

If you create comics just for fun, you can use social media to publish the occasional panel. This way, you can share your artwork with a selected few and get feedback from your family and friends.

Facebook and Google have made it much easier to collect data to see how many people have looked at your comics and which ones they’re interested in most. If you’re more serious about publishing professionally, this is crucial information, as it can help you adjust your content and tweak your posting schedule.

The drawback of using a free platform is that you may have to deal with slower load times, odd formatting, or ad campaigns. If loading time or ad spots don’t affect you, a free platform is ideal.

Pay-to-Publish Options

Along with free platforms like social media, there are also paid services you can use to publish your comic book. There are comic-specific platforms that let you have total control over the entire website.

If you like things simple, you make sure that your chosen platform can host WordPress for easy uploads. Many comic book artists maintain blog posts about their creation process, storyline, or biography along with their artwork as it may give readers a personal angle.

Steps to Hosting a Webcomic

There are a few necessary things if you're going to host your webcomics.

Hardware

You need a high-speed internet connection and a computer.

FTP Program

A file transfer protocol (FTP) sends files containing your artwork to another computer through the internet. A good FTP lets you  move files from your computer to whichever web hosting service you choose.

Domain Names

You should pick something snappy and memorable for a domain name, as this will be your URL address and where your comics will live.

You also have to make sure that the domain is not already taken, and if it isn’t, you have to register it.

Hosting

You can either self-host and do whatever you’d like to with your comics, or you can pay for a site that specializes in content aggregates. This means it collects the content of a similar type. For your purposes, that content is your comics.

CMS

The acronym refers to a content management system, which is how you can manage your posting schedule, add or subtract content, and generally keep track of things on your page.

If you are hoping to forge a professional path with your webcomics,  choose a host that allows you to adapt as your skills grow.

Change the Name Servers

After you have registered a domain name and paid for it, and selected a hosting site, go back to your registration site and input the name servers to point visitors to your account to see your comics.

Add-ons to Your Published Webcomic

Many platforms offer add-ons and widgets that will make your life as a webcomic artist much more manageable. A spam-catching filter can help you manage your website, and a cache program can help with faster loading times.

There are quite a few widgets available, like an image navigation bar to add advertising when you want to monetize your webcomic. Plug-ins and widgets are lovely ways to make hosting your webcomic easier and to make the comic itself look more professional.

After Publication

You may believe that publishing the webcomic and figuring out all the technical details is the most complicated part, but  each stage of hosting a webcomic has its challenges.

After you’ve published your webcomic, you need to start marketing and networking. And although publication may be a step toward your professional goals, you need to consider how publishing a webcomic as a job can differ from publishing for pleasure.

If you decide you would like to professionally create webcomics, think about publication schedules and how you can connect with fans. Most platforms have a feature to set a publication and posting schedule. When you host your webcomic, you want your comic strip to post regularly so that you can supply your fans with new content.

Running a blog simultaneously (or staggering your comic publications with a blog post) is an excellent way to connect to your fan base. It can give the readers insight into characters or your process as an artist.

Connecting to the Webcomics Community

Now that your comic is out there, you need to weave the web of peers and fans who can help build your fanbase.

Your first readers are your most important ones, so it’s crucial to reach out to them. When you host a webcomic on a professional site, you can interact with fans on many levels. Send an email to thank them or provide them with exclusive or bonus content.

Forums and communities are another way to get your webcomic out there. There is etiquette involved with becoming a part of some of these webcomics communities. Artists who take part are not expected to use the forum as their personal marketing tool. Forums and groups are mainly used to connect with like-minded people.

Not that you can never show off your artwork in one of these forums, just that you should be aware that the other webcomics artists on the site are also vying for an audience.

If you use basic consideration and empathy, you won’t be considered a scammer (a comic artist using a forum or group as a launching pad).

The Takeaway

Hosting your webcomic is not an easy task, but it isn’t insurmountable either. With the right tools and a little technical know-how, you can share your creative endeavors with the world.

There are varied hosting platforms, and which one you choose is determined by your goals, your technical skill, and how often you’ll publish.

At Comix Well Spring, we take comics as seriously as you do. Contact us today to learn how to make your creative dreams a reality.