Common Website Mistakes

"Pasadena Cafe"
24" x 24" oil on stretched canvas.
​Click here to purchase.

One of my favorite things to do in my job is marketing consultations. They are a great chance to get to know artists and I love sharing my marketing expertise with others! I usually schedule about ten consultations a month so they keep me very busy.

I spend a lot of time looking at art websites and over the years I have found what I think are common mistakes. So I thought I would share them with you today. 

1. Websites with no prices … $2,000 or $20,000?? Potential buyers have no idea what your art costs.
2. Websites with no medium, sizes or titles listed for the paintings on the website. 
3. Websites that don’t allow the buyer the opportunity to buy the art on the website. (No paypal butons or ecommerce option). 
4. Websites that don’t show a lot of the artists work, especially newer paintings. 
5. Websites that don’t include a way for a potential buyer to reach the artist – every website needs an email address (not just a contact form), phone number and even a chat box.
6. Websites that don’t show off the artwork well – bad photos, small pictures, blurred photos. 
7. Outdated websites – nothing is worse than visiting a website that is outdated. 
8. Websites with odd colors and unusual fonts – it is important to remember the purpose of your website is to show off your art. A light background with a neutral color is important. 
9. Websites with any of the following … spelling & grammatical errors, music, Pop-Up windows that are not viewer driven or that won’t close or load correctly.
10. The site doesn’t capture the visitor – i.e. no newsletter sign up. 

If you would like information about my marketing consultations, just click here.