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Having a website can be a great marketing tool for
an artist. You must be aware that just having the site
up and running is not enough: you need to make it work for you!
To have a successful website, you will need to focus
on the following:
1.The site needs to be optimized for search engines
2.The site needs to be visible on the Internet
3.The site is only one component of traditional marketing and
networking
1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Google uses software known as “spiders”
to crawl the web on a regular basis and find sites to add to its
index very much like a library index. When you search Google,
the search engine looks up its index, and the results you see
are the best matches between your query and Google’s index,
according to Google.
Your site will be automatically indexed, though
it is not immediate: Google crawls the entire Internet to determine
how to index websites. It may take anywhere from a few weeks to
2 months for your site to show up.
Making your site search engine optimized will ensure
that the correct people are finding you. For example, if you are
a jewelry maker, you must set up your site's code so that the
query “jewelry maker” finds your web address.
The following must be incorporated in the site for search engines:
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Determine what keywords you think people will enter as a
query to search for your site or a site like yours. It is
better to optimize for 2 to 3 keywords only, and to be specific.
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The title of your page (the title that is listed at the very
top of the browser) must repeat those keywords
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The code must contain a description “meta tag”
that repeats those keywords
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Parts of the site should contain text that repeats the keywords
The following are recommended:
-
The code should have a keywords “meta tag” (although
it seems that now Google ignores it)
-
Every image should have an “alternative text” tag
attached to it. Search engines skips images but look at all
text.
-
Make sure there are no broken links into your site: Google
will skip indexing your site if it contains broken links
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Name your files with relevant names: instead of mytext.html,
name a file resume.html
-
Avoid having a site all done in Flash or in frames (which
is a way of splitting up the screen into sections in html).
You can use both Flash and frames, just make sure that there
is enough relevant text within the site so the search engines
can understand what your site is about.
If you are unsure what keywords people might use to search a
site just like yours, Google has a great tool: under the advertising
programs, you can create a Google account for free. Go to their
Adwords page, and look under “explore Search Queries”.
There you can type any keywords, find related keywords, and see
which ones are most frequently used. You can then use these keywords
within the content description of your site, and you can make
sure that those keywords also appear throughout the text of your
site.
Make sure your keywords are not too general: American realist
portrait artist is actually a much better string for a keyword
than just Artist.
2. Increasing your visibility on the Internet
It is not enough to have a search engine index your
site with the correct keywords, your ranking will matter as well.
Ranking is where you appear in the search engine result: are you
on the first page, or are you on page # 2, 987?
Ranking is determined by the popularity of your
site. Your site is deemed popular when your URL is listed on other
sites. The more sites “point” to you, the more popular
you are, the better your ranking will be.
Here are a few suggestions to increase your ranking
for free:
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Submit your site to web directories: onewaytextlink
lists hundreds of web directories which are maintained by
human editors. Submit only to free directories and
directories that do not require a reciprocal link.
-
Submit to directories relevant to your profession: if you
are a jewelry maker, search for jewelry directories and submit
your site.
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List your site with associations: alumni directories, artist
registries, local and state arts councils, chambers of commerce,
etc.
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Write relevant articles to your trade and use a free online
publishing service. Examples of those are ideamarketers.com,
ezinearticles.com,
searchwarp.com,
goarticles.com
artsymmetry.com.
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Participate on online forums, making sure that you sign your
post with your name and your URL
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Exchange links with your co-workers, family and friends (people
you trust): post a link to their site in exchange for your
link on theirs
Here are a few suggestions to increase your ranking
for a fee:
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Both Google and Yahoo have paid services to have your site
listed in a premium spot. The service is called pay-per-click,
and is tied to your choice of keywords. You are charged every
time your site shows up and someone clicks on your link. Both
Google and Yahoo have a monthly spending limit, so you don't
run up an exorbitant bill for promotion. This is best used
if you have a product-based website i.e. you sell jewelry,
or handmade cards for example.
3. Traditional marketing and networking
Even if your site is search optimized with a perfect
ranking, you still need to use your website in conjunction with
traditional marketing. A website is a perfect tool in many ways,
because it lets anybody in the world see your work for free.
Here are some marketing suggestions to promote your
site:
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Have business cards printed with your contact information
and your website address. Be very liberal in giving those
away. Give them to co-workers, casual acquaintances at openings,
your doctor, your dentist, your accountant, your banker
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Have an electronic signature with your name and URL: every
email you send out should have that information.
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Consider sending regular updates to your mailing list (and
keep a mailing list). Let them know when you have updated
your site with new work, or when you have received a grant,
an award, a public commission.
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Consider soliciting potential collectors or buyers with an
email and a website link: it's easy for people to click, and
won't cost you a dime
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