5 Mistakes Artists Make on Their Website 

Optimize Your Artist Website For Sales

Are you wondering why nobody is buying your art from your website? 

There are some common mistakes artists are making on their websites that could be affecting their art sales.

We have come up with a list of some easy fixes that you could start working on today that will increase your chances of landing a sale. 

5 Mistakes Artists Make On Their Website

Creating an artist website is the first step an artist takes to sell original art and giclee prints online.

Designing the site is the second step, and the site’s layout will inspire visitors to purchase your products or leave and go to another artist’s site.

The best way to learn what makes a successful artist’s website is by studying what other people are doing.

Try to implement the strategies that have been proven to work for them and do not repeat their mistakes.

Your research sites do not have to be from artists who create the same style of art you create.

Website Traffic

Before we talk about the five mistakes artists make on their websites, let’s talk about what matters when selling art online.

The most important thing that will affect your sales is traffic.

Your primary focus should be learning how to drive traffic to your site.

You can not sell your art if no one visits your artist’s website.

How do you drive traffic to your artist’s website?

Content is what drives traffic to any site. The web is built off of content, and if you want people to know that you exist, you will have to produce content that people will be interested in reading.

Does your website have an artist blog?

Your blog will be the fuel that drives your target audience (people who are interested in your artistic style) to your website.

It is essential to note that it takes time for blog posts to rank in the search results. It could take up to six months for a blog post to be indexed, but you will start to see your traffic climb if you publish posts regularly. 

If you are unfamiliar with content marketing (blogging), you might consider taking the 28 Day Blogging Challenge for Visual Artists.

Here are more reasons people might not buy your products even if your site receives a decent traffic amount. 

Common Mistakes Artists Make On Their Website

Before we get started, we would like to mention numerous factors that affect an artist’s website’s outcome.

Here are some of the common factors you will encounter:

• Goals
• Vision
• Time management
• Consistent
• A/B testing
• Social media marketing
• Email marketing
• Pricing
• Quality
• Niche

The list above will affect your sales, but there are four areas you can work on that will increase your landing more immediately.

Artist Website Design

Let’s start with the obvious, making it easy for your visitors to see your artwork.

To sell original art online, you have to make it easy for people to see your artwork.

How can you assume to sell your art online if no one knows you are an artist and have products for sale?

People who land on your site should immediately know you are an artist, and they should know what style of artwork you create.

• Are you a painter?
• Do you use oil paints, acrylics, or watercolors?
• Do you create drawings?
• Do you use graphite or colored pencils?
• Are you a photographer?
• What is your specialty, and what are you sell?

Take advantage of all the real estate your site offers and showcase your artwork on every page.

If your site or theme is outdated, you might want to consider purchasing a premium theme for your art business.

StudioPress Themes for WordPress make it easy to create professional-looking websites for artists. They offer numerous themes that will make it easy for you to build a professional brand and showcase your artwork like a professional gallery.

Envato market is another popular company that has over 49,000 WordPress themes.

Visit both sites and search for the best WordPress art gallery theme that will best showcase your work.

What to look for when purchasing a premium theme?

• Speed
• Responsive (the site looks good on all devices)
• Secure
• SEO optimized
• Design
• Layout

Credit Lines

Many studies have shown that images increase blog engagement and shares.

If images help blog posts increase blog engagement, why not use your art images for your blog posts? 

Using your art in your blog posts will be an excellent opportunity to share your art as long as it compliments your writing content.

Many artists take advantage of this real estate. However, they do not include their name or the piece’s title. If the reader doesn’t know the artist personally, they would not know you are the artist.

Include your name, art title, and a link to where a viewer can purchase every image you showcase of your art.

Make it easy for someone to make an impulse purchase. Most people will not spend the extra time to find out if the art they are looking at is for sale.

Some artists are afraid to upload images of their art because they fear that someone will steal their pictures. There are ways that you can protect your pictures and make it more challenging for people to steal your art. For more information, visit, How To Protect Your Art Images On WordPress.

Include Prices For Your Art

If you want to increase the sales of your original art online, post your prices.

Prices tell the readers that the artwork they are looking at is available.

Just because your artwork is displayed on your artist’s website does not mean that people will know they can purchase it. They might not even know you have created it unless you specify you are the artist.

Remember that people do not know you are an artist when they first visit your site.

Art marketing 101 is building name recognition and brand awareness.

Tell your readers your art, the artist who created the art they admire, and make it easy for them to purchase with a “buy it now” button.

To read more about pricing art, visit, How To Price Art – Ultimate Guide For Selling Art.

Buy Now Links

Have you ever visited a site and discovered a product you would like to purchase but can not find a way to pay for it?

Many artists list prices for their artwork on their landing page, but they do not incorporate a way for a customer to make a purchase.

Most people will get discouraged and leave a site before learning how to purchase a product.

Make it easy for your viewers to purchase your art. Include a flashy buy-it-now button or a link to a page where they can buy your art.

Don’t assume that people will take the time to call or email you to ask how to buy your art. 

WooCommece makes it easy to build an online gallery with “buy it now” links. 

To learn more about WooCommerce, visit:

• How To Add And Manage Products In WooCommerce
• How To Add WooCommerce WordPress Categories
• How To Install WooCommerce On A WordPress Artist Website

Final Thoughts On Mistakes Artists Make on Their Websites

We have highlighted two sites that sell premium themes, some companies offer free WordPress themes for artists, but you have to be careful when using a free theme. Research to see if the coding is correct and the theme is secure, making it more difficult for hackers to hack your site.

WordPress is the most popular website builder for small and large businesses and bloggers.

You can start a website for less than $5.00 a month.

Because WordPress is so popular many businesses develop themes just for WordPress, including:

• Free WordPress Themes For Art Gallery
• Art Portfolio Themes
• WordPress Themes For Illustrators
• WordPress Themes For Painting Artists

5 Mistakes Artists Make on Their Website Overview:

• Website Traffic
• Artist Website Design
• Credit Lines
• Include Prices of Your Art
• Buy Now Links

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110 Art Blogging Ideas

Art Blogging For Beginners | How To Start A Blog That Sells Art

16 Best Artist Website Builders