Website for artists

Art posting website content tips

Are you stuck on making your home page? What content should you put on your website? It can be anything and everything: your art with your name, like a business card, or a mini online gallery selling art prints and merchandising. Make it simple. Too many design elements can slow the load speed and turn impatient customers away.

Artwork Gallery

Visitors to your website will likely spend the most time browsing through your artwork. Make sure to add a title and short description such as material, medium, and dimensions.

• Organize your art in series or per year.
• Write a correct filename for your images with the artwork title.

If you use Instagram:

Keep the same size and proportions for your website (1080×1080 or 1350×1080 pixels.) Those sizes are perfect and you don’t waste time that way.

Artist Biography/ Statement

Write about yourself in this section. You can also add an artist resume, a list of exhibitions, publications, and any other highlights in your career.

• Separate clearly your personal story (biography) and the message you intend to carry out with your art (statement).
• Add a portrait of you
• You can add private collections and online exhibitions to your list of exhibitions.

Below is a good example of SAYPE’s Biography page with a statement and exhibition list.

Contact page

Are you leaving your email and telephone number on the contact page? I recommend using a contact form instead. It protects you from spamming.

• Your social media can be there as well as on your footer.
• Same for the personal address. If you want to sell expensive art, the client will need to know it.

Newsletter registration

Emailing is the best way to convert your fans into potential buyers.

• If your art isn’t cheap: don’t just ask them to leave their emails. Ask for more information in the form. (how did they find you, what kind of art they are interested in, what price range they wish to buy, etc.)
• Consider an alternative to Mailchimp for the newsletter. They halved their maximum contacts in their free version (500). We for example changed to Mailerlite.

Blog

This section will publish content about your life, upcoming events, and sales. You can also write about other artists who inspire you or have someone else write about you.

• You can rework and post your Instagram content there. Search Engines mostly ignore any content from Social media, so you can use them twice without being flagged as plagiarism.
• If you have any, embed your YouTube videos in a blog post.

Social media links

Make sure you link all your professional social media on your home page. It helps people follow you and get to know you more. I frequently spot artists who leave some links unmodified. Double-check: are your links to Facebook’s homepage or your personal account? Make sure you link to your artist profile or page.

Webstore

Occasionally, you can find a Webstore on an artist’s website. However, some artists are concerned about appearing too commercial. Artists are indeed walking the fine line between “pushing too hard” and “not promoting enough”. Your website is laser-targeting your potential collectors with a purchase interest. Your Webstore facilitates their purchase decision, establishes rapport, and makes sales.

Shipping page

You need a shipping page. List shipping details here. Share the insurance company’s name. Explain the return rules. Add pictures of your packaging process.

Clean user experience

In conclusion, you will need to organize all those elements in a clear way so people do not get lost. You can see an example of an artist in the community who made an excellent website using WordPress and Divi.

Best Website Builders for Artists

For an artist, the right website builder can make all the difference for your online art business. Important note: Websites made with Content Management Systems (CMS) like WordPress require more technical knowledge than dedicated Website builders. But they give you more options, and the content is yours. If one day, for example, Wix shuts down, you can lose all your content. If Squarespace decides to ban you, there is nothing you can do.
Here’s a list of top website builders tailored for artists, each with its pros and cons.

Wix

Pros:

• Easy drag-and-drop functionality.
• Offers specific templates for artists and portfolios.
• Vast choice of apps for adding art-related features.

Cons:

• The free version comes with ads.
• Limited access to analytics and storage limits.
• Can be overwhelming due to numerous features and options.

Squarespace

Pros:

• Top-notch design templates catered towards artists.
• Great e-commerce for artists looking to sell their work.
• Good customer support.

Cons:

• Slightly steeper learning curve for non-tech-savvy users.
• Low page speed.
• Limited third-party integrations.

Shopify

Pros:

• Best for artists looking to sell their work.
• Robust e-commerce platform.
• Allows integrations with numerous third-party apps.

Cons:

• More expensive than other platforms.
• Transaction fee.
• Can be overkill if you don’t intend to sell your artwork.

Cargo

Pros:

• Designed specifically for artists and designers.
• Unique, artistic templates.
• Allows a high degree of customization.

Cons:

• Smaller community, so fewer online resources and tutorials.
• Some might find the unconventional design challenging to navigate.

BigCartel

Pros:

• Tailored for artists and makers looking to sell their work.
• Simple, straightforward e-commerce tools.
• You can start selling 5 artworks for free and no fees.

Cons:

• Limited to selling only 300 products in its most expensive plan.
• Fewer overall features compared to platforms like Shopify.

Have you decided to make your website? You might be interested to read our in-depth article about SEO for artists. And just for you to know, we provide 1-to-1 coaching for making a website: send an eye to the community on Patreon if you want more info.

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