9/9/08

"What Do I Do Now?"

Now that you have made the decision to create a website or have one created for you, you might be asking, "What Do I Do Now?"

Well, I am about to answer that question! So sit back and relax, I will try to walk you through the next steps in your process.

Keep it simple. That could be the most important tip I can give you today. Don't add so many tabs or pictures or text that it keeps the potential customer or gallery owner there too long. In this day and age, no one has time to sit in front of a computer and sift through your poorly planned site to figure out how to use it. Keep it simple.

Some of the tabs you use might be the following:

  • Home- this page will be the first glimpse of your website. This is what  people will see when their browser opens your page. Keep it clean, keep it interesting, remembering that first impressions make or break you.
  • About the Artist- keep this simple as well. Don't write  your autobiography with all of the details on this page. Give highlights that pertain to you as an artist and keep the focus on YOU. If you want to include your artistic philosophy here, make sure it's neatly separated from your bio.
  • Gallery- You don't have to have every piece you've made on this page. Post a few pieces that show the diversity in your work. You don't want to show that you're locked into a style that you can't get out of. Show some old work and new work.
  • Links- Keep the links list, to a minimum. If you have logos for the sites on which you have your work, use them and link them to the site (this will make it easier for the viewer to go see what you are doing there). Link photos to the site where you sell that piece. Again, no one wants to sift through things. They want what they want to see, at their fingertips.
  • Contact the Artist- Offer a simple form that the viewer can fill out to comment or ask questions, that will be sent directly to your email account.
  • Etsy page -(if you are a crafter, and your main purpose to having a website is to drive business to your Etsy shop (or other shops) I would say to do this). If you are an artist looking for gallery representation and/or sales from this site, you might be wise to leave this out as not all gallery owners think Etsy a viable or suitable place for serious artists to sell.(This is up to  you, of course!) If you are an artist to whom gallery representation is not a priority, but this site is to get your work "out there" it's your choice as well.

Please remember, this is not a blog. Keep the focus on you and your art. (It's ok to mention your wife, husband or girlfriend/boyfriend, kids as people in your life with whom you live, but keep it focused and don't ramble on about them). A  website is a factual tool that represents your work to the online world. This is not intended to necessarily bring out your personality, or be cute, you can use your blog for that. If you want to be taken seriously as an artist, you need to make the decision about what it is you want this website to do.

You can do this and keep it simple!  If this is your first time, keep these tips in mind and you'll have a more interesting site.Happy Website to YOU!

Next post will hopefully address some marketing techniques that can drive viewers to your site.

9 comments:

On a Whimsey said...

Now that I have discovered and explored what to do now, I look forward to the next instalment!

The Filigree Garden said...

Good advice to keep it simple and easy to use. Good luck and have fun working on the website.

AltheaP said...

What a great idea to make a separate tab for your Etsy shop. One day, I'll get to that task . . .

Judy Nolan said...

Excellent post, with great advice, Brett.

artmixter said...

This could have been written for me, thank you!

Chauncey said...

all good advice, Van. If I ever venture into having a web page I'll come back and reread.

Nuvofelt said...

Another great post. Keep it up

maryeb said...

Love these posts. Thanks for the valuable info.
Now I just have to take the plunge (yikes).

Anonymous said...

Great advice. Gave me lots to think about. Thanks.