How to Make An Online Calendar for your Website in 5 Steps

There are many different ways to attract visitors to your website and keep them coming back for more. Creating an online calendar may help you not only update people about your upcoming events, but also increase your web traffic. In this post, you will learn how to make an online calendar for your website in 5 simple steps.

5 Steps to Create Your Own Online Calendar

Making an online calendar for your website has never been simpler. Regardless of the event calendaring tool you use, follow these 5 easy steps to make your own online calendar. 

1. Choose an Online Calendar Tool

With so many options available in the market, it may be tricky choosing an online calendar software. First of all, each organization is different with unique event management needs. Thus, it’s important to choose a tool that works well with your event types and suits your particular needs. 

Check all product features and services offered, and decide which ones should be included in your must-haves list. Most calendar tools are fairly easy to install and manage, and some provide additional security features to keep your data protected. 

In addition, keep track of customer testimonials, case studies and press coverage. These resources can certainly give you a better idea about a vendor’s products and services.

More importantly, when choosing a software to make calendars for your website, make sure the selected platform can be integrated in your content management system (CMS). Timely, for example, is compatible with the most popular CMS, including HTML, WordPress, Wix, Weebly, Drupal, Squarespace and Joomla.    

2. Choose a Plan and Create your Account

After selecting your favorite event calendaring software, you need to set up a subscription plan. Most event management systems are flexible and offer a variety of pricing options. 

Timely, for example, offers several types of subscription plans, from free to enterprise. The free plan comes with basic functionalities, whereas enterprise plans have more advanced features, integrations and value-added services. You just need to choose the plan that is right for you based on your particular event management needs.

Once you have set up your subscription plan, follow the instructions provided by the software vendor to create and activate your account.

3. Set Up the Calendar and Customize it to Match your Brand

The next step to make an online calendar is to adjust the calendar’s settings and design to match your business. Choose your calendar name and language, as well as the preferred date and time format. Then, go ahead and customize the appearance of the calendar. 

Some event calendar platforms allow you to choose among several different views when creating an online calendar. For example, Timely has more than 12 calendar views to choose from depending on the desired calendar design. You can select a preset calendar theme or create your own custom theme, using your branded fonts and colors. It also gives you the option to personalize your calendar design even further with custom CSS.

4. Create and Publish Events

After your online calendar has been set up, the next step is to create your events. Most calendar applications offer features to easily create and edit events. Go ahead and add your event’s basic information, such as title, description, date, time, and location. 

Some calendar software, such as Timely, will also allow you to add images, videos, and documents to your event posts. More advanced features include creating recurring events, cloning events, and importing events from other sources. 

Be mindful that the way you create your event may differ depending on the type of event you are creating. For example, in-person events require a physical location, whereas online events require a hyperlink to access the virtual event platform. If you have chosen a flexible calendar making software that works well with all event types, you have nothing to worry about. 

5. Add the Calendar to your Website 

The last step to make an online calendar is to install it on your website, so you can display it live for your audience to see and interact with. Each calendar software will have their own set of step-by-step instructions. 

The easiest way is to copy and paste the calendar HTML code provided directly into the backend of your site. This way, any changes to settings or events will be automatically applied to your website calendar. Your website visitors will only see the final result, which will be a beautiful online calendar.

What is Next? Share your New Online Calendar with Others!

After all the work and effort to create your own online calendar, don’t forget to share it with your audience! Sharing your new custom calendar is something you can do through an email newsletter or social media. 

You can find many tips online on how to promote your new online event calendar. However, the most important aspect when communicating with your audience is to keep your tone and identity. 

People choose your brand and website because they like your approach and how you communicate. Your web calendar will certainly help you reinforce your identity. People will love to learn what is happening, and purchase tickets to attend your events. 

We hope our tips helped you learn how to add an online calendar to your website. If you think you can benefit from a complete event calendar management software like Timely, talk to us today, and learn more about our plans and features!