Do You Actually Need A Website For Your Art?
If I had a nickel for every time I heard an artist share that they paid for a fancy website and hasn’t made a dime from it, I’d have a whole lot of nickels and likely be crying in the corner for them.
One of the biggest misconceptions I see in the emerging artist space is that a professional website is the key for making art sales at scale.
Oh I wish. Trust me, I wish this were true.
But it isn’t. (And I’ll tell you exactly why in the post below).
Let’s chat about that question – do you actually NEED a website as an artist, and what you can use instead that is more powerful.
Get Clear On What You Actually Want
Starting with intention is one of the best ways to get exactly where we want to go fastest, without wasted energy, sweat or tears.
So, what do you want from this website that you dream of?
Are you looking for a digital space to host your artwork for sale, complete with an ecommerce aspect so customers can buy on their own time?
Are you looking for a space to curate your art in a professional manner?
Maybe as a networking tool? To grow your audience?
In the end you likely want it to be a big “YES!” for all of those things, but in the beginning that all can be very overwhelming (not to mention expensive).
So here’s your task – give yourself the space to really ask yourself what you want from your website.
And this can change depending on which phase of your artist career you are in.
What you want from your website will dictate what it looks like too.
If you dream of exhibiting in fancy galleries alongside your idols, a strong professional image is going to work heavily in your favor.
But if you want to focus on selling your artwork to lovely fans around the globe, there are better options out there.
Why A Self-Hosted Website Doesn’t Pay What You Hope
Let’s say you want to start selling your artwork online and growing a following.
I see SO many artists early on in their artist career thinking that having a “professional website” will be the Fairy Godmother-esque magic wand to make that pile of unsold paintings zip out the door.
Then they throw fistfuls of cash at the problem, paying someone to create a website for them (or spending hundreds of hours creating one themselves), and then are left with the harsh reality that it isn’t performing like they were hoping.
AKA, the art sales are drier than the Sahara.
Here’s the thing that they don’t acknowledge until it is too late – you have to direct 100% of the traffic to your self-hosted website.
Got a massive audience that is already eager to buy? Great! A self-hosted website with ecommerce functions will be a good option for you.
But if you’ve got a smaller audience (or no audience yet), dropping money on a fancy website is going to do nothing but drain your bank account.
What To Do Instead (My Favorite Combination)
Don’t let this “websites don’t pay off” doom & gloom get you down – there are better options on the horizon!
This is my favorite combination of platforms & sites to get you started.
Pick 1 Social Media Platform (Free)
Instagram is a top choice for artists since it focuses so heavily on visuals and value-driven captions, but Facebook is another popular choice that can work excellently for certain art niches. This social media platform will give you an intimate place to grow an audience, engage with them, and direct them to where you will be hosting your shop.
Pick 1 Email Marketing Service (Free to $)
Do yourself a favor and start growing your email list for your artwork from Day One. My favorite platform to use is Convertkit (they have a free plan now).
Pick 1 Marketplace Shop ($)
* that will direct traffic FOR you
That asterisk is important – you want to choose something that will direct traffic FOR you.
I personally recommend Etsy here because it has a very low barrier for entry (sometimes taking that first step is one of the hardest steps to take!) and because it has a massive audience.
Etsy is wonderful because it drives the bulk of your traffic thanks to in-platform SEO. That means that the words that you use to describe your artwork in the listings is highly searchable, bringing in brand new fans on the daily. (Bet you can’t say that about a self-hosted website!)
Etsy is also a snowball – it starts off slow but thanks to the way that the site ranks listings, it can quickly take off and build on itself. This not only helps you to sell your artwork, but you can find new adoring fans here as well.
Still Want A Professional-Looking Website?
I know a lot of this comes off as website-hating, but I do think that having a beautiful, professional-looking website can be a huge asset as an emerging artist.
As long as you understand exactly what it will and WON’T do for you. 😉
If you’re still dying to have a site to call your own, I highly recommend Squarespace. Their inexpensive plans are beautiful and the drag-and-drop builder makes creating your site a breeze.
You can always upgrade your plan to get access to ecommerce functions as well, but remember that you’ll be responsible for driving 100% of your own traffic.
Hopefully this has shed a bit more light on the reality of websites for artists, and you now have more clarity on how you want to build an online home for your artwork.
Want to take an even bigger flying leap towards your (inevitable) success as an artist?
Watch my FREE masterclass training, Scale Your Art Sales.
It’s the online class for beginner artists that are filled with a fiery creative passion, and want to grow an audience online that actually want to BUY their artwork