10 Ways to Promote Events on Your Website
Social posts disappear in hours; your website is where people go when they’re ready to decide. These ten ways to promote events on your website cost nothing but a little setup time, and they keep working for every event you publish.
1. Put upcoming events on the homepage
Most visitors never reach your calendar page. Show the next three to five events near the top of the homepage, with a link to the full calendar. A list view is ideal for this. How to show upcoming events
2. Give every event its own page
A page per event gives you something to link to from everywhere else — emails, social posts, partner sites, QR codes on posters. It also gives search engines something to show for searches like “craft fair Springfield November”. Make each page complete with our event page checklist.
3. Make it easy to save
An event in someone’s calendar comes with a reminder; an event they meant to remember usually doesn’t. An Add to Calendar button on every event page — for Google, Apple, Outlook and the rest — is the cheapest attendance boost there is. Add to Calendar
4. Link the calendar from your main menu
“Events” or “What’s on” in the main navigation tells visitors you have things happening, even before they look. Use the word your audience uses.
5. Use categories as landing pages
Each event category has its own calendar page. Link them from relevant places: the “Kids” category from your family page, “Workshops” from your services page. People interested in one kind of event see only those. Categories and tags
6. Write titles for people who don’t know you
Your regulars know what “Thursday Social” is; a newcomer doesn’t. Titles such as “Thursday Social — board games and coffee, all welcome” work in the calendar, in search results and when shared.
7. Send email with direct links
Your mailing list is your most loyal audience. Send a short “what’s on this month” email with each event linked to its page, not to the calendar. One email a month beats a burst of last-minute reminders.
8. Share event pages on social — with a good image
When you post an event, link the event page. The featured image becomes the preview picture, so choose one that reads well as a wide rectangle and doesn’t depend on small text.
9. Cross-link from your content
Writing a blog post, a news update or a service page? Mention the relevant upcoming event and link to it. Old posts that still get traffic are great places to add “Next workshop: 14 November” links.
10. Keep the calendar current
Nothing kills trust like an events page full of last year’s events. Add new events as soon as dates are set, update changes immediately, and mark cancellations clearly. A weekly 10-minute check is enough for most organisations.
A quick weekly routine
| When | What |
|---|---|
| Monday | Add newly confirmed events; check the next two weeks for changes |
| Midweek | Share one event page on social, with its image |
| Monthly | Send a “what’s on” email linking each event page |
| After each event | Mark it done; note what you’d write differently next time |
Measure what works
In your analytics, look at visits to event pages and clicks on booking links. If a page gets visits but few bookings, the page is missing something — usually the price, how to book, or a clear time.
Starting from scratch? See how to add an events calendar to WordPress.
Keep reading
- Why Event Plugins Slow WordPress Down — and How to Keep a Lightweight Events Calendar
- Accessible Events Calendars: A WCAG Checklist for Event Listings
- How to Show Online Event Times in Every Time Zone
Make your events easy to find and save
Free calendar with event pages and Add to Calendar built in.
