How to Make a Webcomic Website (Step by Step Tutorial)

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⚡Quick Answer

  1. Choose a Platform: Start by selecting a platform where you will build your webcomic site. Options include:
  2. Select a Theme: Choose a theme that is visually appealing and compatible with displaying webcomics. Ensure it’s responsive for mobile and tablet views. Your theme will depend on the platform you choose. For WordPress, this could be Divi for example.
  3. Create Your Content: Develop your webcomic content, keeping in mind the format and style that best suits your storytelling.
  4. Upload and Organize Comics: Use the platform’s tools to upload your comics. Organize them in an easy-to-navigate manner, possibly with categories or chronological order.
  5. Add Essential Features: Implement features like a navigation system for your comics, comment sections, and social media integration for sharing.
  6. Publish and Promote: Once your site is ready, publish it and use SEO, social media, forums, and webcomic communities to promote your work.

Webcomics are some of the best sites on the internet. Perhaps you’re ready to add your own to the glory of webcomics like xkcd and Loading Artist. But there’s one problem: how do you make a webcomic website?

If you’re stuck on how to make your own webcomic website, welcome to our webcomic site guide!

We’ll go through all the steps to get your webcomic website up and running, so you can dazzle the internet in no time.


What You Need to Make a Webcomic Website

So, how to make a webcomic website?

Creating a web comics site isn’t as difficult as you may think.

Basically, it requires four key elements:

🌐 Domain name

This is your website’s URL (i.e. your address on the Internet like www.yourwebsite.com), which you can easily purchase at any major domain name registrar such as NameCheap or Bluehost.


🗄️ Hosting

To put your website online, you’ll need a web hosting service. Hosting means that you’re renting space on a web server to keep your site up.

You have a wide range of options. The major domain name providers also provide hosting services.

Recommended web hosting for creating a webcomic website:

🏆 WPX – the best option overall
Kinsta – premium high-speed option
💰 Bluehost – a most affordable option

ℹ️ Note: Most domain name registrars offer web hosting and most web hostings offer domain names. So, you can pick one provider to get both.


🧩 CMS or website platform

You’ll need a CMS or a website platform to help you put together your site without technical know-how.

What is CMS?

A CMS (Content Management System) is a pre-built website framework to help you build, manage and serve your site on the internet.

In simple words, CMS is a platform on which you build your website.

A good example of CMS is WordPress and we recommend building a WordPress website for your webcomics.

Why WordPress?

We’ll cover this in detail below. Read on.


🏗️ Website or page builder

A website/page builder is a compatible tool that works in harmony with your CMS and empowers you with more themes, features, and plugins.

Why do I need a page builder?

If you pick WordPress as your CMS, you’ll quickly discover that it doesn’t have enough basic interface to create custom websites from the ground up.

It’s good enough for a simple blog, but if you need something more than that then you have two options:

1. code things

2. use a page builder (or independent plugin, theme, etc.) that will create a code-free environment for you so you can comfortably focus on creating your website

For example, check these WordPress page builders to see how they help with editing WordPress websites.

More info on this:

With these four elements, you’ll have a great start to your webcomic website!

Don’t fear – we’ll go through each of these areas in depth. 😎


How to Choose Your Domain and Hosting Providers

You’ll need to choose your providers carefully for your domain name, hosting, and CMS.

Here are some recommendations for each:

➡️ Domain name

To be honest, there’s not much difference between domain registrars.

You’ll want to look out for sites with bad customer service rates and hidden fees.

GoDaddy is one of the most popular, but other tried-and-true services include BlueHost and Namecheap.

💡 If you want to keep things simple, get your domain and hosting from the same company. Usually, adding a domain name to a hosting service is a matter of just a few clicks.

⚡ Check also: How to Edit WordPress Site?


➡️ Hosting

There is no specific webcomic hosting, so a standard hosting account any major web hosting provider would be fine here.

⚠️ Beware of super cheap providers.

It’s really important to get hosting right, as poor server security could mean unbearably slow speed and your site gets hacked.

Bottom line: cheap is not better in this case.

Some popular options include Siteground, Kinsta, WPEngine, BlueHost, DreamHost, HostGator, Hostinger, Hostwinds, GreenGeeks, etc.

👉 Our recommendation here remains WPX


How to Choose Your CMS and Page Builder

Deciding what CMS (or website platform) to use is essential.

It’s a key decision because it could influence what you’re able to create on your site and determine the functionality you are going to get.

You’ll want to choose the CMS that enhances, instead of limits your site.


CMS

Web comic artists often choose Tumblr, Blogger, or Tapas to make their own comic site. While these platforms are easy to use and quick to make, we highly recommend using WordPress.

The reason is that websites like Tumblr are hosted by the platform itself. That means you won’t be in full control of the branding and customization.

Self-hosting is ideal because you’ll have greater customization options, total freedom, and limitless integration possibilities.

This freedom applies to everything starting from the analytics of the website and ending with the payment provider you want to choose for accepting payments.

Overall, WordPress lets you self-host and customize to your heart’s desire.

We think it’s generally a more professional look as well. WordPress is user-friendly and you’ll be able to boost your webcomic site using its large plugin library.

☝️ Pro tip: WordPress today is the most SEO-friendly way of building a website. If SEO is important to you, go with WordPress.


Website page builder

WordPress is also a top choice to get access to sophisticated website page builders.

While several are good candidates for webcomic designs – including Elementor, Visual Composer, Beaver Builder, or Brizy – we highly recommend Divi for your WordPress page builder.

Divi is a popular WordPress theme and WordPress page builder with a user-friendly Visual Editor and a wealth of design options to power best-in-class visuals on your webcomic site.

Why Divi is Ideal for Webcomic Sites?

Divi is a top choice for building a webcomic site for several reasons. Unlike other WordPress builders, Divi boasts of:

  • Powered by AI. Learn more about Divi AI.
  • Stellar updates. Divi is constantly getting updated with new visual effects, modules, and templates. Your webcomic can stay fresh over time with Divi’s commitment to providing ongoing features.
  • Divi image filter and edit options: As you add your webcomic, you can make any final tweaks in the Image module itself. For example, Divi has a range of filters that you can add. Learn more about this Divi feature here.
  • Powerful visual effects: You can add powerful animations and other cool visual features that will make your webcomic come alive. Prepare text to appear with a mouse hover, images to turn or fade, or a long automated scroll.
  • Scroll arrows for easy navigation between comics: Using compatible webcomic plugins like ComicPress, you can add scroll arrows to make it easy to click through your comics.
  • Custom category feeds: Often webcomics are sorted into categories so that readers can find the most relevant comics according to their preferences. You can add custom categories to create post feeds. 
  • Easy sharing buttons: You’ll want to encourage readers to share their favorite comics on social media. You can add social buttons via Divi’s social buttons modules. Plus, the social sharing plugin Monarch comes free with Divi.
  • WordPress theme and WordPress page builder in one: There is no need to search for a WordPress theme with Divi because Divi, while being a page builder, is also a WordPress theme.

As you get started, these key features will make your webcomic site go above and beyond.

Learn more about Divi features here.


How to Make a Webcomic Site on WordPress With Divi

In this section, we’ll walk you through the process of creating a webcomic website with WordPress and Divi.

You can choose any hosting you want, but since WordPress recommends Bluehost, we’ll use it as an example for the purposes of this tutorial.

📝 Note

Although we are showing Bluehost in this example, we’d still recommend WPX. If you decide to go with WPX, the process should be more or less the same.

Bluehost is super easy to set up and even includes one year of a domain name, so we’ll use that deal to set up the domain name and hosting.

➡️ Step 1: Buy your domain name and hosting on BlueHost

Set a domain to make a webcomic site

First up, you’ll need to buy your domain name and hosting to get WordPress set up.

Simply head to BlueHost and select the Basic hosting plan.

On the next page, you can type in the domain name you want. (Free domain name is included for the first year!)

If you want you can search for your domain name right here, in the Bluehost widget below:


Once you’ve added your domain name, click “Next.”

Here you’ll need to fill in your account information. You probably don’t need any of the “package extras,” but it’s up to you.

Once you’re ready, click “Submit.”

Pro tip: You may want to add the “Domain Privacy Protection” under package extras. Otherwise, anybody can see your name and address listed under the domain.  

➡️ Step 2: Install WordPress via Bluehost 

Now you’ll want to install WordPress. The good news is installing WordPress is a matter of a few clicks on Bluehost.

Simply log into your Bluehost account, pick a theme and that’s it!

Start building to make a webcomic site

Next, simply click on “Start Building” and you’ll be brought to the dashboard.

Keep this WordPress dashboard open on your computer as we handle setting up the Divi builder.

➡️ Step 3: Create your Divi account 

Divi account

Let’s get your Divi account set up so you can make a webcomic site. Divi gives you a choice between a yearly or lifetime membership. (If you’re certain your Divi needs are long-term, the lifetime membership gives you greater value.)

🎁 Grab this exclusive Divi deal!

Whichever type you choose, just click “Sign up today!” on the Divi pricing page. From there, you’ll be prompted to create an account by filling in a form with your information, password, and payment details. 

Once you click “Complete Registration,” you’ll be ready to get started with Divi in WordPress.

➡️ Step 4: Add Divi to your WordPress

Divi members area

Next up, you must download Divi from the Members Area to make a webcomic site. Simply login to your account on Elegant Themes by clicking “Account” on the top bar.

You’ll be brought to the Members Area. Here, you should navigate to “Downloads” on the left-hand sidebar. 

Click the pink “Download” button for the Divi package, which will download as a .zip file. Keep this download on hand as we navigate back to WordPress. 

WordPress themes

Now let’s go back to your WordPress dashboard. (Not logged in? Simply log into your WordPress site at yourdomain.com/wp-admin in most cases.) 

Once in, click on “Appearance → Themes.”

On the Themes page, simply click the blue “Add New” button. 

Themes available in WordPress

You’ll be shown several WordPress themes, but you’ll first want to navigate to “Upload Theme” on the top bar.

Divi choose file

You’ll be prompted to upload a file, which you can do by clicking “Choose File” and opening the “Divi.zip” file that you downloaded previously. 

Activate Divi

All you have to do is click Activate button and you now have Divi in your WordPress account.

Now the fun begins! 🥳

➡️ Step 5: Customize your general Divi settings

It’s time to adjust some key settings in Divi before you build posts and pages.

Remember that Divi lets you personalize a wide range of design and technical areas. 

Though we’ll go through the main settings to keep in mind, you can get more information by checking out Elegant Theme’s Divi documentation site.

To get started, let’s show you where most of the general site settings can be updated.

In WordPress, navigate to Divi on the left-hand sidebar and then click “Theme Customizer.”

Theme customizer in Divi

You’ll be taken to your Divi site settings, with a wide range of options on the left-hand sidebar, including General Settings, Header & Navigation, Footer, Buttons, Blog, Mobile Styles, Color Schemes, Menus, Widgets, Static Front Page, and Additional CSS.

Customize Divi settings

It’s worth taking the time to click through all these settings and customize them according to your needs.

Some of the most important ones you’ll find under “General Settings.” 

General settings in Divi

When you click “General Settings,” you’ll be able to name your site, set your layout, and add your fonts and background. 

You should also be sure to click under “Header” and “Footer” in order to add your contact info for easy access. 

Finally, the “Mobile” section is useful for specifying the layout for how your webcomic site will appear on mobile devices.

➡️ Step 6: Understand how to use modules for both pages and posts

Before we go over how to make a webcomic site on Divi, let’s go over how to use Divi’s modules. 

Modules are the building blocks for all pages and posts in Divi.

For example, when you add text, you’ll need a text module. When you want to add an image, you’ll need an image module. 

Remember that when you use a premade layout, you can simply update the modules that are already available on the template. This may be an easier option for beginners to Divi.

To customize your modules or add new ones, it’s important to understand what types of modules are available in Divi.

When you click the gray plus button on Divi’s Visual Builder, the Insert Modules pop-up will appear:

Insert module box

There is a range of modules to choose from and you can add even more by clicking on the “Add From Library” tab.

Overall, modules for your Divi pages and posts include:

Insert modules gif

For example, to add your webcomic to a post, you’ll likely want to use the “Image” module.” However, you have a wealth of different module options at your disposal.

➡️ Step 7: Add your permanent pages

Now that you understand how to use modules, it’s time to manage your pages in Divi.

Pages should be more or less permanent for your site.

What is the difference between pages and posts?

Pages are typically static pieces of content that don’t change often, while posts are dynamic and regularly updated. Pages might include information like “About Us,” “Contact Us,” or other similar types of content. Posts, on the other hand, might include things like blog entries, news updates, or product announcements.

To make a webcomic site on Divi, you’ll likely want at least a Home, About Us, and Posts.

To get started, go to your WordPress dashboard and click “Pages → All Pages.”

WordPress pages

Simply click “Add New” on the top and you can build a new page that will be a part of your webcomic site. 

Add layouts pop-up

Before the new page loads, you’ll be asked how you want to build your layout.

We recommend clicking “Choose a Premade Layout” and selecting a beautifully designed layout from Divi’s library

However, you can also build from scratch or copy an existing template if you wish. 

Once you select a premade layout, you’ll be brought to your Divi page, which will look something like this, depending on your layout. 

Divi builder layout

We highly recommend that you click the blue button that says “Use Visual Builder,” which will let you edit your page as it appears, such as this example below:

Divi visual builder

When you hover over the different areas of your page, you’ll be able to update it directly.

Or, if you wish, you can click on the settings wheel to open up and adjust each area. Remember that:

  • Gray settings are for updating modules.
  • Green settings are for updating row layouts.
  • Blue settings are for updating section layouts.

Generally speaking, you’ll be working mostly with the module settings, which allow you to update text, images, etc. However, if you need to update the design of the row or section, go ahead and click on these other areas. 

Let’s click on the text module settings so you have an idea of what you can update here.

Simply hover over the text and click on the gray settings wheel: 

Text settings in Divi

A purple pop-up box will appear with information about the Content, Design, and Advanced features of your text module.

You can click through these sections to add text, specific colors or even change the module’s position on the page.

Whenever you make changes here, be sure to click the green checkmark to save.

➡️ Step 8: Add posts to make a webcomic site

You’ve done a great job so far!

Now let’s go ahead and create comics posts on your new webcomic website.

Head to the Posts section of your WordPress site. You can use posts to add your latest webcomics and keep an archive of your work.

Manage your posts for your webcomic site

To get started, click on “Posts” and you’ll be brought to the manager.

By clicking “Add New,” you can start creating a post to publish your latest comic!

Again, we recommend clicking “Use Visual Builder” so that you can add and update information directly on the page. 

Divi builder layout

Just like pages, you have to choose your post template.

We recommend using the same template for all of your webcomic posts so that they look consistent. 

Add layouts pop-up

For this, you can search for a premade layout that you like, or simply “Clone” an existing post template. Ideally, you can reuse this template for all your webcomics. 

In case you need some inspiration, some of our favorite Divi layouts for webcomics include:

After you’ve made your layout choice, you’ll be brought to the Visual Editor, where you can update your post and add your webcomic.

It’s up to you what to include on each webcomic post. Ideally, each post would have your comic’s title, a short description, and then an image with your webcomic. 

You can also add other bells and whistles, such as a social media follow button or a slider with past comics. Luckily the Divi editor is really intuitive, so by clicking around you’ll get the hang of it.

However, let’s start with the basics of uploading your webcomic.

Webcomic example in Divi

From the Visual Editor, you can type in your title and description directly.

You can also upload your webcomic image.

Hover over the “Image” module and click the settings wheel.

Webcomic image settings

The “Image” module pop-up will appear, where you can upload your webcomic directly. 

Image settings in Divi

Just hover over the image screen and click the settings wheel. You’ll be prompted to “Choose an Image.” 

Choose an image in WordPress

Here you can easily select your latest webcomic from your Media Library. 

If you haven’t yet uploaded your webcomic to WordPress, click on “Upload Files.” You’ll be prompted to drag-and-drop your image or simply click “Upload” and add it from your file folders.  

Once your webcomic is selected, click “Set As Image.” It’s now been added to your post! 

Within the “Image” module, you can also edit the image according to your liking. For example, you can change sizing, shading, and more by clicking on the “Design” tab.

Advanced image settings in Divi

We also highly recommend that you click on the “Advanced” tab and go to “Attributes.”

Here you can add alt text, which is important for SEO. 

Attributes settings in Divi

Once you’re done, simply click the green checkmark and your webcomic site will be ready to go! 

Before you publish, don’t forget to fill in other key areas, such as categories and SEO.

To do this, hover at the bottom of the page where you’ll see a range of purple buttons. 

Webcomic page settings in Divi

Click the settings wheel, which will open information about your post or page.

Page settings in Divi

Here you can add a title and a meta description in the “excerpt” section, which will help boost your SEO.

Click the green checkmark once you’re ready. 

Finally, it’s time to publish. You’ll notice in the Visual Builder two buttons on the right-hand side: Save Draft and hit Publish. 

Save draft or publish buttons

When you’re ready to share your webcomic site, simply click “Publish.” Ta-da! 

💡 Pro tip: You’ll also notice a small gray hover bar in the left-hand corner. Here you can toggle to see how your page or post looks on desktop, tablet and mobile.

Click around here to see how it displays and make any necessary adjustments so your webcomic site looks great on all devices.

Display page bar in Divi

⚡ Check also: Why Is WordPress So Hard To Use?

➡️ Step 9: Make the most of Divi’s webcomic features

Now that you have your webcomic uploaded into a post, it’s time to make it come alive.

Here are some webcomic-specific features to take advantage of.

Edit your image in Divi

Image settings for filters

Within the Image module, click on “Design” and you’ll be able to update elements such as colors, fonts, border styles, etc.

For example, to create a filter-like effect, go to “Filters” and update the saturation, brightness, and contrast areas.

Add alt-text for a mouse hover

Alt text settings in Divi

The best webcomics are known for taking advantage of humorous alt text. When your mouse hovers over the image, readers will see the alt and have a laugh. Simply go to “Advanced” and “Attributes” to add the alt text that you want to appear in the “Image Title Text” box.

Add animations and scroll effects

Animations can be a snazzy way to make your webcomic move on the page. For example, you can make the image fade, or add a long scroll.

There are two areas to do this. Go to “Design” and then “Animations” if you want to fade, slide, bounce, zoom, flip, fold or roll the image: 

Animation settings in Divi

Or, head to “Advanced” and then “Scroll Effects” if you want to create some type of scroll, whether vertical, horizontal, rotating, or blurring. 

Scroll effects settings in Divi

Add categories to organize posts

Categories settings in Divi

It’s easy to add more categories so that you can organize your webcomics into different themes and keywords. Under the “Blog Settings” for your post, simply go to “Content” and then add a category under the “Included Categories” list.

From here you will have the option to tag your posts with different categories.

Add share buttons

Social sharing buttons in Divi

This takes just a few clicks to set up. Go to “Insert Module” and under “Add From Library” type in “Social Sharing Buttons.”

Here you can add buttons and stylize them according to your design preferences. Now your readers can share to their hearts’ delight!

➡️ Step 10 (Optional): Install key Divi-friendly WordPress plugins

In addition, you may also want certain plugins for your WordPress site. Divi comes with a rich array of modules, libraries, designs, and plugins, so check them out.

You may not need to download extra plugins. 

However, if you have a specific plugin in mind, go to your WordPress dashboard. From here, click on “Plugins” on the left-hand side and “Add New” to install new ones.

You can search in the bar or check out featured plugins by clicking on the category tabs. It’s important to check on the plugin page whether it’s compatible with Divi. Once you’ve found the plugin you want, click “Install Now.” 

For example, you may want a great webcomic plugin to publish your media art. Here are some top options for easily publishing comics:

In addition to webcomic-specific plugins, you’ll want some other must-haves.

In particular, here are our favorite WordPress plugins for any type of site:

  • Yoast SEO – Helps boost your SEO for every page and post.
  • Akismet – Keeps out spam from your comments section.
  • Contact Form 7 – Sets up an easy contact form on your site.

Consider clicking “Install” on these WordPress plugins as well for a suite of features to get started.


Final Takeaway for Webcomic Sites

See?

Making your own webcomic website isn’t as hard as you thought!

We hope this guide answered all your questions on how to make a webcomic website.

With some practice, you’ll become a Divi master and publish new comics without our step-by-step instructions. Good luck!

🔔 Check also:

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Article by:

Nadia

Nadia is a content writer with a B.A. in English and Spanish from Northwestern University. She crafts content for a variety of industries, including tech and business.
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Christopher Kaine
Christopher Kaine
3 years ago

Great tips. Been having a hard time starting up. Thanks!

Chad
Chad
9 months ago

Detailed and informative for beginners and also for developers who want to develop a Webcomic website. Thank you!

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