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In previous blog posts, we provided an overview of art marketing in the digital world and followed that with three main ways for artists to display their art online. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the most important elements that are needed to make sure your artist’s website delivers the results that you want.
- Virtual Gallery – As an artist, the main goal of your website should be to display your work. Put your best foot forward: make sure to take good pictures of your artwork using a high-quality digital camera (or hire someone to take professional photos), then arrange them on your website in a well-presented gallery format. Your virtual gallery should be easy to navigate, so that viewers can conveniently browse your body of work.
- Biography – When people view your website, they will want to know the person behind the paintbrush. When they can form a human connection with the person who makes the art, they will feel more comfortable with contacting you. Your biography can include basic information like: your birthday, your place of birth as well as your present location, if and where you attended art school, etc. You should also include more personal anecdotes, such as what inspires your art and what you are trying to achieve with your artwork. Some artists post their CVs that detail their exhibition history and gallery affiliations.
- Contact – The contact page is one of the most important aspects of an artist’s website. Whether you are seeking gallery representation, direct sales or licensing opportunities, you want people who like your work to be able to contact you to get the ball rolling. Your contact information needs to be easily accessible – don’t make your site visitors dig for it, or they may give up and click away. People surfing the web generally have short attention spans. (Tip: it is best to have a page that includes a form people can fill out to submit comments or queries, rather than to post your email address online.)
Those are the three main ingredients that an artist’s website must have. If you are a self-representing artist, you might also want to include a sales page that explains what people can expect if they buy directly from you online (such as payment info, shipping info, etc).
Another option is to connect a blog to your website, so that people can get an even more behind-the-scenes peek into your life. In a future blog post, we’ll discuss what you’ll need to know to make your art blog interesting and insightful, so that readers come back for more!
