Selling art online can help you reach new audiences and sell more, but it takes skill. Here are some tips for building a website that will help you sell your art:
1. Make sure your website is professional looking and easy to navigate.
2. Include high-quality images of your work, and make sure they are well-lit and clear.
3. Provide prices and descriptions. Include links to your work for sale on other websites like Etsy or eBay.
4. Don’t be afraid to write a little about yourself.
5. Include contact info and Twitter or Facebook links.
6. Make sure you have a PayPal account so people can buy your work online.
7. Create a blog where you write about your process and answer questions from potential collectors.
8. Create a Facebook page for your business.
9. Read the comments on your Etsy page and respond to them as soon as possible.
10. Be bold and ask for reviews of your work from potential customers.
11. Include a watermark on your images so no one can steal them.
12. Be bold and explore other websites where you can sell your work, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
13. Create an online portfolio so people can see what you have done with your work.
14. Use social media to share your work and engage with those who like it.
15. Use a professional photographer to capture your best work in action.
16. Create a video of you working on your art so that potential buyers can see you in action while they are sitting at home.
17. Make sure your website is easy to navigate, clean and simple.
18. Use a professional website designer and webmaster to create the perfect website for you.
19. Be bold and promote your work yourself, even if you have a website designed by someone else.
20. Participate in local art shows and fairs to build your reputation.
21. Learn how to use social media to promote yourself and your work.
22. Keep track of all the places where you have posted your work for sale so buyers can find it and purchase it from you.
23. A good picture of your work is the key to selling it. The more you show, the better your chance of selling it.
24. Find out if you’re eligible for grants and other financial support.
25. Set goals to meet each year and make a plan to achieve them.
26. Make a budget and stick to it, so your money lasts longer.
27. Keep accurate income and expense records to track your money.
28. Learn to be patient because it will take time for your business to grow.
29. Learn to be flexible because you must change and adapt.
30. Don’t give up! Many people want your work, so keep trying. The more you learn about running a business, the better your chance of success.
Platforms: Etsy, Shopify
Artists trying to sell online may ask which platform is best. Etsy and Shopify are popular options, but Fine Art America is also worth considering. Here are the platforms to help you choose.
Etsy is an excellent option for artists who want to sell their work online. The listing platform is simple to use and free. You can also set up your own shop and customize it to match your brand. The downside of Etsy is that the competition can be stiff, so it’s essential to make sure your work stands out.
Shopify is another popular option for selling art online. The platform has tools to build a professional website. It’s easy to use, and there are no listing fees, but you have to pay a monthly subscription fee. One of the biggest perks of Shopify is that it has a built-in payment system, so you can collect payments immediately.
Fine Art America is one of the most popular websites for artists. It’s easy to use and has a wide selection of products available for sale. You can also create a custom shop on Fine Art America, allowing you to sell your artwork.
If you’re looking for a more personal touch, Etsy is a great option. Etsy allows you to set up your own shop and sell your artwork directly to buyers. You’ll need to create an account and set up your shop before you start selling, but it’s a great way to connect with buyers interested in buying handmade items.
Creating a Website: Wix, Squarespace, Weebly
Creating a website is essential for artists who want to sell their work online. But with so many website builders, it can take a lot of work to know where to start.
Wix, Squarespace, and Weebly are all popular choices for creating a website. Each has pros and cons, so deciding what you need from a website is important before choosing one of these builders.
- Wix is a good choice for artists who want an easy-to-use platform with plenty of templates and features.
- Squarespace is ideal for artists who want a sleek, professional-looking website.
- And Weebly is perfect for artists who wish for complete control over their website design.
So, which one should you choose? It depends on your needs as an artist.
Why Sell Online?
Be original if you want to sell art on your own website. There are hundreds of different artist websites you can find online, and they all make the same mistakes.
The first problem is that artists use long multimedia presentations on their websites. I can’t think of anything more annoying than going to a website and waiting for an extensive multimedia presentation to download and start playing.
The artist might think it’s cool or adds something to their work, but it annoys surfers who want to do it immediately. Not all people who use the Internet have high-speed connections, and if they have to wait for something to download, they will just go to your competitor’s site instead.
Other websites insist on including advertising banners or other forms of advertising that have nothing to do with their website content.
The other day, I was looking for original watercolor artwork to purchase online. When I went online, one of the first websites I visited included a prominent advertisement for an online dating service at the very top of the page. How does the process of dating relate to watercolors? I’m still determining. This is a distraction, so visitors leave your page quickly.
If you intend to run advertisements on your website, you should ensure that the content of those advertisements is pertinent to the overall topic of your website and that it offers helpful information to the people who visit your site. It should be different from the first thing they see on your homepage, so don’t put it there.
You can only afford to retain the interest of your visitor, therefore, grab it as soon as possible. This implies putting the most important content to your users near the top of your page where it can be easily accessed.
Your goal is to attract your website visitor’s attention with a catchy title so they’ll stay long enough to see what you offer. After you have successfully piqued their interest with an attention-grabbing title, you must encourage them to carry out some specific action. That may be to sign up for your newsletter or to look at the newest product you’ve released.
Maintain coherence throughout the entirety of your website in terms of navigation. This requires that each page of your website utilize the same navigation links, which should also be arranged in the same sequence.
Your goal should be to make it easy for visitors to get from one place to another. Make it simple for others to contact you if they need anything. You should include a link to the contact page on each and every page of your website.
If you have testimonials, you should definitely use them. Customer endorsements are some of the most effective marketing tactics available.
People are always excited to hear positive feedback regarding a product they plan to buy shortly.
The increase in sales is definitely due to this factor. If you have ever collected client testimonials, put a selection of them in a prominent location on your homepage so that visitors can easily see them.
If you don’t have testimonials, contact prior customers and ask if they would be prepared to provide feedback on a product so you may post it on your website.
Be careful to let them know how you want to use their testimony, and make sure to obtain their permission to list their name alongside the testimonial.
Begin publishing a newsletter that requires users to opt-in. If you still need to get a way to collect the email addresses of your website users, then you may be losing sales as a result.
When people visit your website for the first time, many will likely navigate away from the page without making a purchase. Because of this, it is essential to get the maximum number of email addresses possible from your site’s users so that you can communicate further with them.
If you have a new item available for purchase, you may notify the people subscribed to your mailing list by sending them an announcement.
If you frequently go to art or craft shows, you might send out an email to your subscribers informing them of the dates and locations of the exhibits you’ll be attending.
You might also send out polls or questionnaires to the people on your list to obtain a clearer picture of the things in which they are interested in investing their money.
You must provide your clients with various payment alternatives, including paying with a credit card. According to some studies, the amount of sales generated by websites that allow customers to pay with credit cards is much higher.
Utilize an online payment processor such as PayPal to take credit cards from customers that visit your website. It does not cost anything, and the configuration process is really straightforward.
Ensure you have clear and comprehensive instructions for purchasing and shipment of the product.
Maintain a solid policy on the processing of refunds. When the customer receives the thing you have sold them, it is possible that it will not live up to their expectations.
Customers will feel more at ease making a purchase from you, particularly if they are parting with a significant amount of money if you have a solid return policy that is clearly stated on your website from the beginning.
Include anything called a “Privacy Policy” on your website. People who use the Internet tend to have an excessive amount of anxiety.
People are still somewhat hesitant to provide their personal information, and it is your responsibility to put them at ease whenever they use your website by doing whatever it takes to do this.
What types of information do you gather from people who visit your website? What actions are going to be taken in response to that information? A privacy policy, in a nutshell, is a statement that clarifies what you intend to do with users’ personal information.
Include a section labeled “Terms of Use” on the page. This section outlines the terms and conditions that apply to utilizing your website. For instance, prevent people from copying or recreating the photos shown on your website. You would include this in the section of your website titled “Terms of Use.”
When adding photographs of your products, you should always utilize thumbnails that may be clicked to see a larger image to keep your page download times as short as possible. If the larger image is a huge file, the visitor should be informed that they may have to wait for the picture to load if they choose to view it.
You should steer clear of installing traffic counters on your website. Your website will make you feel unprofessional if you use counters. If your website is relatively new and has yet to have a stable flow of visitors, you are advertising this information to everyone who visits your website. You may already have a solid website statistics program installed on your server. Check with the firm hosting your website if you require assistance tracking your website’s statistics.
Choose a simple color palette and restrict yourself to using only one or two different fonts. It will look unbalanced and amateurish if you go overboard on color and use too many distinct typefaces on your website. Your website can look like a masterpiece to succeed. It is your artwork, not your website that you are attempting to sell here.
Use a light background, preferably white, and contrast it with dark text, preferably black. It is not recommended that you utilize photos or textures for your background. Due to this, your site visitor will have a more difficult time reading the material on your website.
It is best to refrain from including music on your website. It would be wonderful to incorporate some of your favorite songs as your page loads, but others might need to share your opinion. Should they find the music intolerable, they will exit the site.
A visitor should be OK to scroll horizontally across your page to view the information there. Web surfers are known for their lack of effort. Most people despise simply having to scroll up and down, let alone left and right.
Try to stay away from graphics that are moving as well as text that scrolls or flashes. Your guests won’t like having their attention diverted in this way.
Please label all of your products with their respective prices. If you make it necessary for customers to get in touch with you before you can disclose the cost of an item, they will, in almost all cases, go elsewhere to do their shopping.
You should check that your website displays correctly in all major browsers. Internet Explorer is the most widely used web browser on the market today; nevertheless, a sizeable percentage of Internet users also access the web through Firefox.
Last but not least, put some personality into your website. Communicate with the people that have come to see you. Make sure they know who you are and the significance of your artistic or creative endeavor. Instruct and enlighten those under your charge.
Include a demonstration or steps that walk through the many stages of creating your work from start to finish. People will feel more at ease making a purchase from you if they have a stronger connection with you and the art you create.
Conclusion
If you’re an artist trying to sell online, consider these tips. First, make sure your website is easy to navigate. Second, showcase your work in a way that is both visually appealing and organized. Finally, be sure to list your prices and contact information in a place that is easy for potential customers to find. By using these tips, you may sell art online with ease.
