Keep your website up-to-date
ONLINE ART MARKETING:
WEBSITE MAINTENANCE
Increasingly, art collectors are searching for--and buying--art online. Online sales of art rose by 12% to $4.22 billion in 2017. We know it's necessary to have an online gallery for your art, but it's only a useful tool if it's attractive and easy to navigate. Just as you wouldn't invite visitors to an actual gallery with the electricity off and paintings all over the place, you should take care with your site so that it's as attractive and effective as it can be.
WHY SHOULD I UPDATE MY SITE?
"My art speaks for itself!" I hear you say, "I don't have time to fuss with my site!" You might have the best art in the world (and we're sure you do!) but if you don't present it in a way that's easy to navigate, nobody will see your art. If your site seems stale and outdated, visitors will assume that your career has stalled, or that you don't care enough to keep it current.
How do I Keep it Up-to-Date?
- Post your latest work. Show that your career is vital and that you're exploring new themes and techniques.
- Check your links. Click on any links on your pages to be sure that they lead to actual sites.
- Update your events page. If the last listing is from five or ten years ago, it might raise questions about your career.
- Update your Artist Statement page to describe new methods or themes in your work.
- Make sure your contact information is up-to-date. Have you changed your email? Make sure you change it on your site as well.
- Link to Instagram and Facebook. These are both great platforms to keep your brand lively. You can post pictures of your studio, of works-in-progress, gallery openings and more.
- Keep your tags and keywords current. If you're working on a new technique, or you've moved to a new part of the world, be sure to add changes to your site settings and artwork.
How Do I Keep the Design Fresh?
- Website design is changing all the time. Check in the Design section of your control panel to see if there are any new themes you might want to test out on your site.
- Design elements such as fonts and colors can make a site look dated. Some fonts, like Comic Sans or Papyrus are instant indicators of an outdated site. Look in the design section for new fonts.
- Keep it simple. When you're adding and updating, be sure it matches what you already have on your site. You don't want it to look like a yard sale! We recommend a maximum of two fonts for any site. One for the title or headlines, one for content headings and text.
- Make sure your site is mobile friendly. Well over 50% of web traffic is now viewed on mobile devices, so it's important that your site can be viewed on phones and tablets.
- In August we sent out an email asking members with older, non-responsive sites to update to a mobile friendly theme, stating that we'd start automatic updates. We're in the process of updating all of hte non-responsive sites now. Let us know if you have any questions.
- Check out our Design Tutorials for your Artspan site.
- If you'd like a website makeover contact [email protected]
As ever, if you want help with any aspect of your site, contact [email protected].
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