Category Archives: Common artists website mistakes

(T̶e̶n̶) Thirteen biggest website mistakes artists make – Part VI

January 27, 2015 Liron Leave a comment

While on the topic of common website mistakes many artists make let me add this big one:

10) No shopping cart

Does your site offer a shopping cart? If so, you are ahead of the curve. Your site undoubtedly takes time to maintain and keep up-to-date. You spend your valuable time, and/or hard earned money, maintaining your web presence. Why not have your site work for you by helping generate some sales in the process? Many WordPress sites come with easy to install shopping carts. But shopping carts can be pretty easily added to any website. In fact, when I teach my workshop: Create Your FREE Website in a Day (scroll down on linked page), I show participants how to create a site that includes a FREE shopping cart.

For reasons too many to list and explain in this blog post, I don’t necessarily recommend artists price, or generally attempt to sell, their originals off their website. However, I do encourage artists to sell lesser priced items, such as giclees, off their sites.

If you are not sure how to do it, you may wish to seek help. My upcoming workshop would be a good place to start.

For your reference, as an example, my own art shopping cart offers giclees in various sizes of many of my oil paintings. It is viewable at: www.Liron.com/signed_editions.php

It’s an easy to maintain online shopping cart. As new artworks become available they are easily added in multiple sizes and on various substrates. The cart incurs no fees to maintain. It is integrated with my Paypal account and allows buyers to securely pay online using any major credit card, and/or using their Paypal balance. I only pay Paypal’s transaction fees when artworks sell.

Looking for a success strategy for your art business? From website improvements to attracting your ideal clients? I provide step by step instructions on art business strategy, marketing, and selling in my downloadable workshop: The Art of profiting from your Art.

Ready to share your experience with your online shopping cart? If so, I’d love to hear from you in the comments section.

By the way, if you just come across this post, I suggest you read my previous posts on the biggest website mistakes many artists make. See: Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, and Part V.

Liron Sissman is a professional artist and an MBA. She coaches artists at ArtistAdvisory.com. This article was originally published in her ArtistAdvisory Blog: The Art of profiting from your Art, which is sent to thousands of artists who are elevating their businesses. Start your free subscription today and read more articles like this at www.artistadvisory.com

(T̶e̶n̶) Thirteen biggest website mistakes artists make – Part V

September 15, 2014 Liron Leave a comment

Allow me to continue this blog series by describing yet another common artist website mistake many artists make. If you are new to this blog topic please see Part I, Part II, Part III, and Part IV where I discussed the first eight common website mistakes I see many artists make.

I’ll continue where I had left off with the next common website mistake:

9) No social media share buttons

Social media buttons broadly fall into two categories. The first category is the ‘Hey come check out my Facebook page’ one. This type actually takes visitors off your website and brings them to your Facebook page which is not nearly as valuable as the second type; which is what I call the ‘Share’ type. The ‘Share’ type buttons are those social media buttons helping your site’s visitors share your site with their network be it on Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, or Twitter. Done right it helps visitors share a link to your website along with a description of your artwork and possibly an image or two simply by clicking a button. And, it does all that while leaving visitors on your website! You can pre-define what gets shared when setting your social media buttons. It’s a great way to help spread the word!

Looking to gain more insights into how to become a successful artist? Learn what you need to know and be guided through the process, step by step. This is what my Art of profiting from your Art workshop is all about. And the best part is it’s now available online for you to study at your convenience. Click to learn the secrets only successful artists know and see your income grow! This workshop will more than pay for itself in no time!

Have you implemented any website changes that resulted in higher subscriptions and/or increased sales? I would love to hear from you what they were and what were the outcomes!

Would you like to share this article on your blog or newsletter?

If so, all you need to do is include the following with it:

Liron Sissman is a professional artist and an MBA. She coaches artists at ArtistAdvisory.com. This article was originally published in her ArtistAdvisory Blog: The Art of profiting from your Art, which is sent to thousands of artists who are elevating their businesses. Start your subscription today and read more articles like this at http://artistadvisory.com

(T̶e̶n̶) Thirteen biggest website mistakes artists make – Part IV

August 12, 2014 Liron Leave a comment

So far in this blog series (Part I, II, and III) I have addressed six common website mistakes I see many artists make. Are you one of them? I’ll continue in this post where I left off.

7) Not using your website email

Most artists that email me are using an email provider such as: gmail, yahoo, hotmail, mac, and optonline rather than their own website domain email. As a result their email address typically varies from something as cryptic as: xw3evei69@gmail.com to at best something like: jmartist@gmail.com. While the latter is better than the former neither is as good as it ought to be. If you have a website you should be using your own website email for your art correspondence. That would be something like: Joe@JoeArt.com, or in my case: Liron@Liron.com. Using your own domain email will put your website in front of everyone you email with. Why advertise gmail when you can advertise your own art? Using your own domain email will also help in other ways. I talk about it in my workshop: The Art of profiting from your Art which is downloadable here.

If you are already paying for your website hosting, chances are you are already paying for your own domain email as well. Some template websites do not include it. However, there is still an easy way to set it up.

Use YOUR brand! Let people know what you are about!

8) No email address

Some artists’ Contact pages do not include an email address, just a Contact form. Are you one of them?

If so, I realize you may be worried about getting spam emails but there are other, better, ways to fight spam. While a contact form gives visitors a way to reach out to you, some people expect and prefer to use email. Unlike contact forms, an email retains a copy of the correspondence in the outgoing box of the sender thus making it easier to follow up on, or refer to, later.

Also, an email is more likely to offer a larger screen area to craft, review, and edit one’s message. I sometimes open a Word document just to conveniently write and edit my message before I copy and paste it into someone’s contact form. Why make people take extra steps to reach you?

Additionally, having your email, like having your phone number, clearly listed on your website will help visitors, and prospective clients, feel they know how to find you if they need to. It will let them contact you without the need to pull up your website and fill out forms.

Lastly, a contact form runs the risk of the person filling it misspelling their email address which could prevent further communication.

If your website offers a contact form, consider adding your email to it as well.

Have you recently made any website, or email, modifications that you found helpful? Please share your experience!

If you find my blog helpful, please share it! And, subscribe for future updates!

Would you like to share this post on your blog or newsletter?
If so, all you need to do is include the following with it:
Liron Sissman is a professional artist and an MBA. She coaches artists at ArtistAdvisory.com. This post was originally published on her ArtistAdvisory Blog: The Art of profiting from your Art, which is sent to thousands of artists who are elevating their businesses. Start your subscription today and read more posts like this at www.artistadvisory.com

(T̶e̶n̶) Thirteen biggest website mistakes artists make – Part III

July 18, 2014 Liron Leave a comment

Let me continue this blog series by pointing out an additional common website mistake many artists make. Are you one of them?

While I’m addressing common artists website mistakes in no particular order I suggest you read this blog series starting with ‘Part I’ and ‘Part II’. These two earlier posts cover five common website mistakes many artists make. I’ll continue where I had left off.

6) No signup form

I coach many artists seeking to take their art business to the next level. But often times, when I first look at their website, I realize an important element is missing. I’m speaking here about an easy, convenient, way to convert visitors into subscribers. It’s called a ‘Signup form’.

People are not likely to email you out of the blue just to ask you to add them to your mailing list, keep them posted of your new artworks, or inform them about your future art events. However, if you facilitate the process and make it easy for them to keep in touch and stay informed, they would like that.

They came to your website either to see your art, or if your keywords are set up to attract your target market, one of the topics I cover in my Art of profiting from your Art workshop to find art like yours. Either way, they have separated themselves from the crowd. Help them connect and stay informed. Give them an easy way to share their name and email address with you. Then nourish the connection.

Your website is not just your business card. It’s also your active 24/7 guestbook (and store front – but that’s for another post and for those downloading my workshop which is now available online for your convenience!). Make your website work for you!

You can easily create and add a signup form using an email service such as Mailchimp, ConstantContact, or iContact. While at it, you may wish to consider making it what’s called a ‘popup signup form’; namely a form that actively solicits visitors to leave their contact information by opening a separate popup window asking them to do so. You can then specify what you will offer them in return.

Have you recently added a signup form that helped make a difference in your subscriber rate? Please share your experience.

Would you like to share this post on your blog or newsletter? If so, all you need to do is include the following with it: Liron Sissman is a professional artist and an MBA. She coaches artists at ArtistAdvisory.com. This post was originally published on her ArtistAdvisory Blog: The Art of profiting from your Art, which is sent to thousands of artists who are elevating their businesses. Start your subscription today and read more posts like this at www.artistadvisory.com

(T̶e̶n̶) Thirteen biggest website mistakes artists make – Part II

June 8, 2014 Liron Leave a comment

perfecting_your_journey While I’m addressing common artists website mistakes in no particular order, you may wish to read this blog series starting with Part I. In it, I list the first three common wesite mistakes many artists make. I will continue from there highlighting some additional ‘opportunities’ technology gives us that many artists fail to take advantage of.

Are you one of these artists?

4) No good statistics on how people are finding YOU

If you are not getting any statistics, or if you are getting insufficient statistics, then yes, you too are falling into this category! Let me explain. Good statistics give you valuable feedback that can help you better attract your target audience. It is far easier when collectors, art consultants, galleries, or retail buyers are finding YOU through your website than when you have to go out there knocking on their doors, trying to introduce yourself. Getting good website statistics will help you do just that. Good statistics will tell you what phrases people are using when they are finding you.

Are you attracting your target audience?

Let me give you an example. I put up my first artist website in 1999. At the time, I was getting some statistics and knew my site got decent traffic. BUT, I didn’t know how people found me. What keywords they were searching on when they stumbled on my site. When I re-did my website in 2004 I upgraded my statistics to Google Analytics which for the first time showed me what keywords people where using when finding my website. I realized most were searching on ‘Artist Portfolios’ which happened to be an unintentional keyword carry over from my first website. Many were probably other artists looking for a physical portfolio, you know, the kind you’d buy at an art supply store. My site, wasn’t attracting the right traffic. Knowing it has allowed me to correct it.

Do you know how people are finding you? Are they your target audience?

If you are unsure, then you are not getting good enough statistics. Good statistics will help you answer questions such as:

How are people finding you?

– What keywords are they using? And

– What other sites are they coming from?

Are they finding what they are looking for?

– This is measured by actions they take having found you like: Making purchases, contacting you for opportunities, or signing for your newsletter. And by

– How much time they spend on your site

Do some of your artworks routinely attract more hits and more interest? If so, which ones?
Which social media site drives most traffic, or most serious traffic, to your website?
How engaged is your audience?

– This is often measured by how much repeated traffic vs. new traffic does your site generate. And by

– Actions your visitors take having found your site.

Is your audience, local, regional, national or international?

How many of those who found you searched for you by name vs. how many people have ‘discovered’ you online?

Would these be helpful to know? By knowing your statistics you can better tweak your keywords to attract your target market. Which brings me to the next common mistake many artists make.

5) No good keywords

Luckily Google provides some great tools that can help you with much of this. Not only does Google provide free statistics through Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools but it also provides a keyword utility to help you determine which keywords are most commonly used in searches by people looking for art like YOURS.

If these tools are unfamiliar to you, or if you are not sure how to apply them, you are not alone. That’s why in my workshop: The Art of profiting from your Art, I teach participants how to identify their best keywords and how and where to apply them to their websites.

Do you know how people are finding you? Are you attracting your target market? Please share your experience!

Would you like to share this post on your blog or newsletter? If so, all you need to do is include the following with it: Liron Sissman is a professional artist and an MBA. She coaches artists at ArtistAdvisory.com. This post was originally published on her ArtistAdvisory Blog: The Art of profiting from your Art, which is sent to thousands of artists who are elevating their businesses. Start your subscription today and read more posts like this at www.artistadvisory.com

(T̶e̶n̶) Thirteen biggest website mistakes artists make:

May 21, 2014 Liron 2 Comments

As I started considering this topic for my next blog post, I quickly realized there were more than just ten. In fact, on first count, I came up with thirteen. I will not address them all today. I will start with the first three going down the list in no particular order:

1) Having just one image on your Home page

While having an image is better than having no image, you don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket so to say. Different people may naturally gravitate toward different images, perhaps even different subject matters all together. In fact, you may have several bodies of work and wish to represent them all. Why cut yourself short when you can easily hedge your bets? The solution: Offer instead a slide show of images on your home page. It will occupy just as much space yet give you a bigger bang for your precious e-real-estate buck. So to say, that is.

Now, there is also a strategic side that goes into choosing that special image, or subset of images, you use in order to represent your art. If you must only select couple of images, or couple of images of each body of work, or just one image for your business card, how do you make the best choice? Do you just pick your personal favorite/s? Do you select the last one you sold? Do you choose randomly and rotate your selection? Or do you have a good system in place that allows you to pick that one, or few, images well? If you don’t have a system to guide you, you are practically shooting in the dark. But you are not alone. Most other artists do too. This is why in my workshop: The Art of profiting from your Art, I teach artists how to systematically choose the best image/s to represent their art. Better make strategic decisions wisely!

On a technical note, If you are using a website template which limits you to but one image, I suggest you reconsider your template, and possibly your service. Many template-based websites, including free ones, allow the use of a slide show on your Home page. I teach a workshop showing artists how to create their free websites using free templates and free hosting by Google. Thousands of free templates to choose from, and… no lack of slide show ability.

2) Having no text on your Home page

While an image is worth a thousand words, text is also important. Its what search engines use to index your website. Its how you help your target market find YOU. Have at least one paragraph on your Home page that describes what your art brings to the table. If you have identified your target audience, use that precious space to explain how your art helps serve that market. Haven’t defined your target market yet? That’s okay too. Make your best effort to describe what’s unique and special about your art. And, when you do, be cognizant of the search terms most commonly used by people looking for art just like yours so that you can include them in your descriptions. Not sure how to find that? Its one of the topics I cover in my Art of profiting from your Art workshop.

3) Having no picture of YOU on your website

I know some artists are camera shy. But whatever concerns you may have there is probably some creative way to overcome them. I’m not saying your picture should be on your Home page as the first thing visitors to your website see. But I highly recommend having your picture at least on your Biography page. It helps personalize your art. It helps people better relate to instagram viewer private you as a person and, by association, better relate to your art.

Has your website avoided these traps? Or does this give you some ideas for improvement? Please share your experience!

Would you like to share this post on your blog or newsletter? If so, all you need to do is include the following with it: Liron Sissman is a professional artist and an MBA. She coaches artists at ArtistAdvisory.com. This post was originally published on her ArtistAdvisory Blog: The Art of profiting from your Art, which is sent to thousands of artists who are elevating their businesses. Start your subscription today and read more posts like this at www.artistadvisory.com

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Category Archives: Common artists website mistakes

(T̶e̶n̶) Thirteen biggest website mistakes artists make – Part VI

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(T̶e̶n̶) Thirteen biggest website mistakes artists make – Part II

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