Websites, Demos, and AI: What You Need to Know to Stay Hireable
Your website isn’t just a digital business card – it’s your shopfront, your portfolio, and your first impression all rolled into one. If potential clients land on your site and can’t immediately find what they need – your demos, your contact details, a clear sense of what you do – they’ll simply move on to the next voice on their list. Worse still, a few common misconceptions (particularly around AI and security) are causing some voice actors to make decisions that could hurt their chances of getting hired. Let’s clear up a few of these pitfalls and make sure your website is working for you, not against you.
Websites: Make Yourself Easy to Hire
Imagine walking up to a shop, eager to buy something, only to find the windows blacked out, the door locked, and no sign telling you how to get in. You’d probably give up and go somewhere else, right? That’s exactly how potential clients feel when they land on a voiceover website that’s unclear or difficult to navigate.
Your website should be a welcoming, well-signposted space where clients can immediately understand:
- Who you are – A short, clear summary of you and your specialisms.
- What you do – Hear your demos and see the types of work you’re available for.
- How to hire you – A simple way to get in touch.
Common mistakes that could be costing you work:
❌ Hiding your demos behind multiple clicks.
❌ Not including a clear ‘About’ section.
❌ Burying your contact details (or worse – leaving them off entirely).
A clean, well-organised website doesn’t have to be fancy – it just has to be functional. Make sure yours is making it as easy as possible for clients to say, “Yes! This is the voice I need.”
Want more ideas on what content should be on your website?
Head to my blog ‘6 pages you need for a successful voiceover website.’ These content ideas can be used for people building a single page website too.
Demos: Make Them Downloadable
There’s a debate in some voiceover circles about whether making demos downloadable is risky because of AI scraping. Let’s clear this up: while AI scraping is a concern, not offering downloadable demos is a much bigger problem. Clients often need to download and share demos internally, whether they’re presenting options to a casting director or updating their talent database. If they can’t download your demo quickly, they may just move on to the next available voice.
The real AI-related risks for voiceover artists aren’t in making demos downloadable. Instead, they come from:
- Agreeing to unfavourable P2P platform terms that allow your recordings to be used for AI training.
- Signing contracts with “in perpetuity” rights, meaning companies can use your audio forever, however they like.
- Failing to outline usage rights clearly in contracts, leaving room for misuse.
Demos should also be produced audio pieces, not just dry reads, making it harder for AI to scrape clean voice samples. Could AI still scrape them? Yes. Will they? Unlikely – why go through that hassle when companies can legally source all the voices they want by posting a low-paid job on a P2P site?
Want more tips on how to protect yourself from AI?
Read my ‘Voice over and AI – make sure you are in control’ blog. There are links to some brilliant resources for voice actors here.
Contact Details: Don’t Hide Them
Worried about spam calls or emails? That’s what good spam filters and reCAPTCHA are for. Leaving off your contact details entirely makes you look untrustworthy. Many clients (myself included) only hire from businesses that are upfront about who and where they are.
Worried that having your phone number on your website will result in spam calls? My mobile number is on our website and legal company registration details. I receive one spammy call every 2-3 months. It’s really not an issue. However, you could get a call-forwarding number.
Not everyone likes contact forms either. Some clients want an email trail they can refer back to, particularly if they’re working on behalf of a larger casting team. If they can’t find your email address easily, you might not make it onto their shortlist at all.
At the very least, your website should include:
- A clear email address (not just a contact form).
- Your location (even just your country) to help clients with time zone considerations.
- A phone number for those who prefer a quick chat or last-minute bookings.
Don’t make potential clients work to contact you – they won’t.
Your Homepage Needs Actual Content
If your homepage is just a logo and your name, Google has almost nothing to index, meaning your website is less likely to show up in search results. Think of it like a shop with no signage – it won’t bring in any foot traffic.
Your homepage should include:
✅ A concise but clear summary of who you are and what you do.
✅ Text that Google can read (not just images or audio).
✅ Links to key sections (demos, contact, about).
This isn’t about cluttering your homepage – it’s about making sure it works for you, both in terms of SEO and user experience. Your homepage should be a guide to the content on the rest of your website. Keep it simple but effective.
Next Steps: Is Your Website Working For You?
A quick self-check:
✅ Can someone immediately tell what you do?
✅ Are your demos accessible and downloadable?
✅ Is there an easy way to contact you?
✅ Does your homepage contain useful text?
If you answered “no” to any of these, it might be time for a quick website refresh. Your website should make hiring you effortless – and with a few small tweaks, you can make sure it’s doing exactly that.
Need Additional Website Support?
Helen offers a range of voiceover website services, from 1-2-1 website consultations and website reviews, VIP days to fully bespoke website builds and maintenance support packages. And there’s a whole heap of free resources on this blog and our directly into your inbox if you subscribe to our newsletter.
Cover image by Dyana Wing So on Unsplash.