Search engine optimization, or SEO, is an important aspect of any growing art business with an online presence. However, not everyone has a huge budget. If you’re just starting out, when SEO efforts are necessary, your budget is invariably tight. The good news is some of the most effective SEO tips cost next to nothing.
Do you have an art marketing plan?
Before you start implementing these SEO tips, you need to set goals and a develop an art marketing plan.
Maybe you have a Facebook marketing Plan.
Maybe you showcase your art on Instagram.
Social media sites are great tools to build brand awareness but it is not enough.
No Website Traffic
- Are you disappointed with how many sales you are receiving online?
- Do you know how many people are actually visiting your site or what they are looking at when they arrive?
Building an online audience is going to be a part of your daily routine. That is if you want to sell art online.
The good news is the work you put in today will still be relevant in two, three or even five years.
The content you publish today will still be searchable five years from now, unlike social media posts.
This is a quick view of how traffic is generated for most websites.
People search online for content through search engines.
Search engines will provide suggestions that relate to the query that was provided in the search bar. The best content wins the race. Most people will click on the top three links of the search results. That is where you want to be. Number one is the best but being in the top three will generate you a tremendous amount of traffic.
A link that is ranked number one will stay there until a different link that contains better content comes along. So, in other words, the link that is ranked number one could be there for years generating a large amount of traffic.
Social media sites, on the other hand, have a lifespan of hours. You post on social media and you hope that people see it while it is on top of their news feed. Social media posts are not searchable and will last no longer than a few days.
To sum it up blog posts generate long-term traffic, while social media posts provide short-term traffic.
Creating content and ranking high in search results does take time. You have to be patient and stay consistent with your writing. Every year you will see more traffic entering your art websites and art blog.
Analyze SEO Efforts
Before you start optimizing your site for SEO, you need to be able to analyze what you are doing.
Sign up for Google Analytics and Google Console. These are free tools offered by Google that will help you learn what is and isn’t working for your art websites and art blog.
Wouldn’t you like to know if your efforts are paying off?
Wouldn’t you like wasting time on things that are not producing results?
The reason I was able to grow my traffic quickly was because I was constantly evaluating the results from the strategies and plans I was executing.
Not everything I tried showed positive results, but because I was on top of the analytics, I was able to adjust my plans.
I still look at the analytics every week. Once you have done this for a few weeks it will become part of your weekly routine.
Here is a video to help you get to know your Google Analytics.
Start Blogging
It does not matter what you do to optimize your site for SEO, if you do not have content, you will not be found online. You need to start a content marketing plan today. That is when you will start to expand your presence online and start to see your traffic increase.
Your goal is to sell art, right? In order for you to do that you need to make a presence online.
It takes time for content marketing to work. Content marketing is for long-term growth. You might like the quick likes you get from Facebook or Instagram, but are those likes paying your bills?
I enjoy positive feedback just like you do, but I started to realize promoting my art only on Facebook would not help me to reach my goals. I needed to do more. That is when I started to learn about the importance of content marketing.
I was able to increase my traffic from 300 views a month to 15,000 views a month in only six months.
Content marketing, SEO, Social media marketing, and email marketing all work together.
If you are not convinced blogging will help you to sell art online you might want to look at this:
Can You Sell Art Online Blogging – Proven Over Time [Infographic]
Here are some articles to help you get the most from your blog:
- 5 Proven Strategies to Boost Your Artist Blog Traffic
- 5 Colossal Mistakes Artists Make on Their Art Blog
- 7 Tips to More Productive Blogging
- Art Marketing Strategy: Schedule Next Months Blogs for More Traffic
9 Effective SEO Tips for Small Business
- When researching your keywords, use any number of the free keyword research tools available. There are many free keyword research tools available for you to use. Two of my favorites are Ubersuggest and Google Keyword Planner. One SEO tips best practice is to understand what words people use to search for things online.
For more information on Keywords visit:
Keywords – Generate Traffic to Your Art Gallery
- Use trends and read blogs and industry publications to find relevant and exciting topics to write about. You can see what is trending with Google Trends.
- Content – Write your blog posts, articles, and reports about your artwork. Content is the foundation of any successful SEO strategy, and if you write your content yourself, you’ll save thousands. The more valuable and compelling your content, the more people will link to your posts. People engaging on your blog will help your SEO ranking significantly.
- Participate on social networking sites and market your website and your blog. Include a link to your website in your profiles and link to new content in your posts. Links generate traffic and boost SEO.
For more information on social media marketing visit:
- 10 Social Media Marketing Tips Every Artist Must Know
- How to Create a Social Media Marketing Plan – Sell Art Online
- How to Create a Social Media Marketing Calendar
- Top 7 Social Media Marketing Apps for Visual Artists
Another great way to get your blog posts seen fast is by making it easy for people to share your content.
I use and recommend Social Warfare for WordPress. This is by far the best Social Share plugin I have tried.
- Use article directories/syndication. Article directories are free, and they’re a wonderful way to generate links to your website. They also help you create an online presence and establish credibility as an authority in your industry.
- AdSense ads can be a frugal way to boost SEO; however, it’s imperative you keep tight control on your budget and test and track your ads for performance. If you are not careful, you could waste a lot of money and get no return. Adsense might be something you will want to consider when you have just launched your art blog or art website. It takes time for sites to be ranked by Google. So while you are writing blog posts to rank you can speed up the process with some ads.
- Write press releases and submit them to online press release websites. They create incoming links and media attention.
- Get listed on online business and art directories like dir.yahoo.com. Business and art directories create quality and relevant links to your website.
- Finally, partner with other business owners in your industry to link to each other, guest blog or article swap, or to swap advertisements. Partnering with others is a great way to get exposure and increase your SEO for next to nothing.
When it comes to boosting your SEO or creating a budget-friendly search engine optimization strategy, you can’t go wrong with writing quality content. It’s the foundation for any website, and when you write the content yourself it is extremely inexpensive – it simply costs you your time. Reviews, lists, resources and informational articles about your art are all valuable content types.
SEO Tips Strategy
Read through all of the strategies listed above. Bookmark this page for future reference. Start off with the easiest one that you can handle. Make the most out of that one strategy. Once you have it working for you and running smooth, go to the next tip. Before you know it you will have all 9 effective SEO tips in place and work for your art business.
Note that some of the strategies might note be beneficial for your goals. Just work on the ones that will help you accomplish what you have set out to accomplish.
Sell Art Online
If you want to sell your paintings or sell your drawings online you will have to make an online presence.
Digital marketing is all about:
- Learning what tools are available
- Learning how to use the tools
- Developing a plan that compliments your goals
- Being consistent
- Being patient
The internet is constantly changing and you will want to stay on top of all the changes or you will find yourself left behind. Artists that succeed at selling art are the ones that are constantly learning and trying new ideas on how to build their following.
Learn the basics about building an online presence and keep up-to-date with all of the changes that are occurring with online marketing.
Best SEO Books
There is a lot more to SEO than the nine tips we just went over. Start by mastering the basics then progress from there.
Just like your painting or drawing. You started with the basics then every painting or drawing you tried to make it just a bit better.
Do the same with SEO. If you want people to admire your art, your art has to be available for them to see.
Here is a list of some of the best SEO books to help you learn more about SEO and ranking higher in the search results.
SEO – John Cashman & Marissa Treece
SEO 2016: Learn Search Engine Optimization (Unabridged) – R. L. Adams
Optimize: How to Attract and Engage More Customers by Integrating SEO, Social Media, and Content Mmarketing (Unabridged) – Lee Odden
Conclusion:
You have to let people know you are an artist and you have art for sale online.
Your art marketing plan should include, content marketing, social media marketing, email marketing and a place where your collectors can purchase your art.
The nine SEO tips you have learned will help you to generate free organic traffic by ranking higher in search engines. The more people become aware of you online the more money you can make selling your art.
eBooks by Dave Nevue
Art Marketing Video Courses by Dave Nevue
Art Marketing Resource – All of the tools I use and recommend for my online art business.
28 Day Blogging Challenge
Are you ready to start building an online presence?
Take the challenge and join all of the other artists selling their art online.
28 Day Blogging Challenge for Visual Artists
By Dave Nevue
Download your copy today.
The Productive Artist How to Live Your Dreams The right mindset and time management skills are essential for any business. These topics are often not talked about but are key elements for your success. You will learn how to have a winning mindset and time management skills necessary for operating a successful art business. Available at Amazon or Download today.
Disclaimer: Please note that some of the links on this post are affiliate links and will be clearly marked as so. I will earn a commission at no extra cost to you if you choose to purchase through those links. I will only recommend products I have used, found helpful to my business and are companies I trust.
Graphite Art by Dave Nevue
