15 Must-Know SEO Tips for Artists and Their Websites

 

Hey, my dear fellow artist friends!

If you're running a website or trying to start an online business, you might have heard of SEO. It's all about making your website more visible and showing up higher on search engines like Google.

It can seem a bit complicated, but in this blog I will share 15 things you need to know about SEO and tips how you can improve your website:

 

1. WHAT IS SEO

 

SEO is just a fancy term for making your website more visible on search engines like Google. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, which is all about making your website more visible and ranking higher on search engine result pages (SERPs).

SERPs stands for "Search Engine Result Pages." Whenever you type something into a search engine like Google or Bing, the results you see on the page are known as SERPs. These pages show you a list of websites that the search engine has determined are relevant to your search query.

 

 

 

 

2. OPTIMIZATION

 

Google is the most popular search engine out there, so you'll want to focus on optimizing your website for Google specifically.

Did you know that Google dominates the search engine market? They own over 90% of it! That means if you want to optimize your website and attract more visitors, you need to pay attention to what Google wants.

 

 

3. TWO TYPES OF SEO

 

There are two types of SEO: on-page and off-page.

Let me simplify this two types of SEO for you:

On-page SEO is about making changes directly to your website, like adding keywords to your content, optimizing your headlines and tags, or making sure your website is easy to navigate. It's like making sure your house is in good shape, so that people and search engines can easily find what they're looking for.

Off-page SEO, on the other hand, is like making connections with others in your community. It involves building links to your website from other high-quality sites, like getting other people to recommend your business or website to their friends. When other websites link to your website, it shows search engines that your website is popular and trustworthy.

 

Think of it like this: if you were searching for a good pizza place, you'd probably trust the recommendation of a friend who loves pizza, right? It's the same with search engines - they trust websites that are recommended by other high-quality websites.

So, by focusing on both on-page and off-page SEO, you'll be able to create a well-rounded strategy that will help your website succeed online.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. THE KEYWORDS

 

Keywords are the words and phrases that people search for on Google. You'll want to use the right keywords on your website so that people can find you when they search for those words.

Using the right keywords on your website is important because it helps Google understand what your website is all about.

 

You know how sometimes you search for something on Google and a bunch of random stuff comes up, but what you're really looking for is buried somewhere on page 10? Well, that's where SEO comes in handy. Let's say you're an artist who creates stunning colorful abstract paintings. You want people who are searching for "colorful abstract art" to find your website, right? By using those keywords throughout your website, you're basically telling Google "hey, my website is all about abstract art, so show it to people who are looking for that!" And if everything goes according to plan, your website will show up at the top of the search results!

 

But be careful not to overuse keywords, or "stuff" them into your content. Google can actually penalize your website for this, and it won't help your ranking. Instead, focus on using keywords naturally in your content and in important places like your page titles and headings.

 

One helpful tool for finding the right keywords for your website is Google's Keyword Planner. It can give you ideas for keywords related to your business and even show you how often those keywords are searched for on Google.

 

 

 

5. THE CONTENT ON THE WEBSITE

 

The content on your website is super important for SEO.

You want to make sure your content is high-quality, unique, and helpful to your audience.

Believe it or not, the words you use on your website can have a big impact on how easily people find you on search engines like Google. That's why it's super important to make sure your content is top-notch!

 

What is the great content on the artist website?

First of all, the content should be high-quality. That means no spelling or grammar errors, and no fluff that doesn't add value for your audience. It should be informative and engaging, and it should show off your unique personality and style as an artist.

Secondly, your content should be unique. That means avoiding copying and pasting from other websites, and instead writing your own original content. Not only is this better for SEO, but it also helps you establish your brand and stand out from the crowd.

The most important is that your content should be helpful to your audience. That means answering their questions, providing useful information, and giving them a reason to keep coming back to your website. Whether you're writing blog posts, creating videos, or showcasing your artwork, always keep your audience in mind and aim to provide value for them.

 

To give you some ideas, here are examples of a content for an artist website:

• Showcasing your latest artwork and explaining your creative process.

• Writing blog posts about your inspiration and the stories behind your art.

• Creating video tutorials to teach your audience new skills and techniques.

• Hosting a podcast where you interview other artists and discuss the industry.

• Offering downloadable resources like for example digital file that the people can download and print later.

• Sharing behind-the-scenes glimpses into your life and creative process on social media.

 

Generally speaking, great content on an artist's website could include a portfolio of their artwork, an about page that shares their background and artistic journey, a blog or news section to keep visitors updated on their latest projects or events, and possibly an online store to sell the artworks.

The website's design and functionality should also be user-friendly and visually appealing.

And, the success of an artist's website will depend on how well it communicates their unique vision and resonates with their audience.

 

 

6. MOBILE-FRIENDLY WEBSITE

 

More and more people are using their phones to search for things on Google, so it's really important that your website is mobile-friendly.

Nowadays, most people are using their smartphones to browse the web and look for things on Google. That means your website needs to be optimized for mobile devices, or else you could be missing out on a ton of potential visitors!

So, what does it mean to be mobile-friendly? Basically, it means that your website is designed to work well on a smaller screen, like a phone or tablet. That could include things like having a responsive design that automatically adjusts to fit the screen size, making sure your fonts are easy to read, and using buttons and links that are big enough to tap with a finger.

Having a mobile-friendly website is not only important for your audience, but it also affects your search engine rankings.

Google now prioritizes mobile-friendly websites in search results, so if your website isn't optimized for mobile, it could be harder for people to find you.

 

Here are some examples of what you can do to make your website more mobile-friendly:

• Make sure your website has a responsive design that adjusts to different screen sizes

• Use a legible font size that's easy to read on a small screen

• Avoid using pop-ups that take up the entire screen on a mobile device

• Optimize your images so they load quickly on a mobile connection

• Use buttons and links that are easy to tap with a finger

• Use a simple, clean layout that's easy to navigate on a small screen

• Consider using a mobile-specific design that's optimized for touchscreens

• Use a mobile-friendly platform like WordPress, Shopify or Squarespace

• Make sure your website loads quickly on a mobile connection

• Test your website on different mobile devices to make sure it works well on all of them.

 

 

7. FAST LOADING WEBSITE

 

Let's talk about something that can make or break your artist website – website speed.

If your website takes too long to load - that's not good for SEO! So you'll want to make sure your website loads quickly. If your website is slow your visitors might get frustrated and leave, which can hurt your search engine rankings and your overall online presence. But don't worry, there are things you can do to make your website load faster!

 

First of all, you'll want to optimize your images. Large, high-resolution images can take a long time to load, so try compressing them to reduce the file size. You can also use a lazy loading plugin to only load images when they're needed, which can help speed up your website.

 

Another thing to consider is your website hosting. Cheaper hosting plans might seem like a good idea, but they can actually slow down your website if you have a lot of traffic. Consider upgrading to a more powerful hosting plan, or using a content delivery network (CDN) to help speed up your website.

You can also try minifying your code (this is for those who understand the coding in some way), which means removing unnecessary spaces and characters to make your website code more compact and easier to load. This can help reduce load times and improve your website speed.

Finally, make sure your website is well-designed and optimized for speed. Use a simple, clean layout, avoid excessive animations and scripts, and make sure your website code is up to date and optimized for speed.

Here I share some examples of things you can do to improve your website speed:

• Compress images to reduce file size

• Use a lazy loading plugin to only load images when needed

• Upgrade to a more powerful hosting plan

• Use a content delivery network (CDN) to help speed up your website

• Minify your code to reduce load times

• Use a simple, clean website layout

• Avoid excessive animations and scripts

• Keep your website code up to date and optimized for speed

• Use caching to store frequently accessed data

• Remove unnecessary plugins and scripts

• Use a fast and reliable website theme

• Optimize your website's database

• Use a reliable website speed test tool to measure your website's performance. You can visit website at www.gtmetrix.com to run a free website speed test. Simply enter your website URL, and GTmetrix will analyze your website's performance, provide a performance grade, and give you recommendations on how to improve your website speed.

• Avoid using too many external resources like videos or social media feeds

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. BACKLINKS

 

Backlinks are links from other websites that point to your website. They're like little recommendations from other websites, telling Google that your website is trustworthy and important.

 

So how do you get backlinks?

One way is to create high-quality, shareable content that other websites will want to link to. For example, if you create a great blog post or a stunning piece of artwork, other websites might link to it as a resource or to share with their own audience.

 

Another way to get backlinks is to reach out to other websites and ask them to link to your website. You can do this by emailing website owners or editors and telling them why your website would be a valuable resource for their audience.

 

It's important to note that not all backlinks are created equal. Backlinks from high-quality, authoritative websites can have a bigger impact on your search engine rankings than backlinks from low-quality websites. So focus on building relationships with websites that have a good reputation and a strong online presence.

 

Here are some possible ways to get backlinks to your artist website:

• Create high-quality, shareable content

• Guest post on other websites in your niche

• Reach out to other websites and ask them to link to your content

• Participate in online forums and communities and include a link to your website in your profile or signature

• Offer to exchange backlinks with other websites in your niche

• Write testimonials for products or services you use and include a link to your website in your bio

• Collaborate with other artists or websites and include links to each other's websites

• Create social media profiles and include a link to your website in your bio

 

 

9. GOOGLE MY BUSINESS

 

If you have a physical location for your art studio or gallery, it's important to use Google My Business https://www.google.com/business/

It's a free tool that helps local businesses show up on Google and get found by potential customers.

By creating a Google My Business listing, you can provide important information about your business, such as your address, phone number, hours of operation, and photos. This makes it easier for people to find and visit your studio or gallery.

 

 

 

10. SOCIAL MEDIA

 

Did you know that social media can also play a role in your website's SEO? When people share links to your website on social media, it can help show Google that your website is popular and relevant.

 

To make the most of social media for SEO, here are my tips:

• Share links to your website on your social media profiles

• Encourage your followers to share links to your website on their social media profiles

• Use relevant hashtags to make your social media posts more discoverable

• Engage with your followers and other users on social media to build relationships and increase engagement

• Use social media analytics to track your website's referral traffic from social media

• Share high-quality images and videos of your artwork on social media to attract more followers and potential customers

 

 

 

11. VOICE SEARCH

 

Did you know that more and more people are using voice search to find things on Google? That's right, with the rise of smart speakers and virtual assistants like Alexa, people are increasingly using the voices to search for information online.

So if you want to make sure your artist website is easily discoverable through voice search, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

 

• Use natural language on your website, rather than stuffing it with keywords that sound robotic.

• Anticipate the kinds of questions people might ask about your artwork and make sure your website provides clear and helpful answers.

• Optimize your website for local search by including your city or region in your content.

• Make sure your website is mobile-friendly and loads quickly, as these factors are important for both voice and traditional search.

• Use structured data markup to help Google understand the content and structure of your website.

• Use conversational language in your content, such as asking questions or using phrases like "what's new".

• Make sure your website content is easy to understand and written in a natural, conversational tone.

• Consider creating content specifically for voice search, such as answering common questions about your artwork or providing helpful tips for art enthusiasts.

• Use long-tail keywords, which are longer and more specific phrases that people might use in voice search.

• Make sure your website is optimized for featured snippets, which are the short answers that Google provides in response to voice search queries.

• Use social media and other online platforms to build your brand and increase your visibility in voice search results.

• Experiment with different voice search tools and technologies to see how they work and how people are using them.

 

Here are examples of two very popular voice search tools:

Google Assistant - This is Google's voice search tool that is available on mobile devices, smart speakers, and other devices. You can use it to test how your website appears in voice search results and to get ideas for optimizing your content for voice search.

Amazon Alexa Skills Kit - This tool helps developers create voice experiences for Amazon Alexa, which is another popular voice search assistant. You can use it to create custom voice commands and responses for your website.

 

 

12. GOOGLE ANALYTICS

 

If you're wondering how well your website is doing, Google Analytics is a great tool to use. It's completely free and can give you tons of useful information on how people are using your site. With this information, you can make smart decisions to improve your website and make it even better for your visitors.

Here I share some things you can do with Google Analytics:

• See how many people are visiting your website and how long they stay on it.

• Find out where your website visitors are coming from, such as search engines, social media, or other websites.

• Track which pages on your website are the most popular and which ones need improvement.

• Monitor how visitors are interacting with your website, such as clicking on links or filling out forms.

• Identify which devices visitors are using to access your website, such as desktops, laptops, or mobile phones.

• Get insights into your website's search engine optimization (SEO) performance, such as which keywords are driving traffic to your site.

• Set up goals and track conversions, such as sales, form submissions, or email signups.

• Create customized reports to analyze and share your website's performance with others.

 

 

13. GOOGLE SEARCH CONSOLE

 

Have you heard of Google Search Console? It's a super helpful tool that can give you insights into how your website is doing on Google. And the best part? It's completely free!

With Google Search Console, you can see how your website is ranking on search engines, what keywords people are using to find you, and even what pages are getting the most traffic. Plus, it can help you identify any errors on your site that might be hurting your search engine rankings.

 

For example, let's say you're a painter and you have a website showcasing your artwork. You might use Google Search Console to see how many people are finding your website through Google, what search terms they're using, and if there are any technical issues on your site that need fixing.

 

One common error that Google Search Console can help you fix is broken links or pages that aren't loading properly. By fixing these issues, you can improve the user experience on your site and boost your SEO.

 

If you haven't already, I highly recommend checking out Google Search Console and setting it up for your website. Here's the URL to get started: https://search.google.com/search-console/about

 

 

 

 

 

 

14. ORGANIZE YOUR WEBSITE

 

The way you organize your website can actually affect your SEO. Yep, it's true! You want to make sure that your website is easy to navigate and that people can find what they're looking for quickly and easily.

 

One way to do this is by using clear and descriptive menu labels. For example, instead of just saying "Artwork," you could be more specific and say "Paintings" or "Sculptures."

 

Another way to improve your website organization is by creating a clear hierarchy of information. This means that the most important information should be at the top of the page and easy to find, while less important information can be further down.

 

You can also use internal linking to help organize your website. This means linking to other pages on your site within your content, so that people can easily click through to related information.

 

Using headings and subheadings is another great way to organize your content. It helps to break up long blocks of text and makes it easier for people to skim and find what they're looking for.

 

 

 

15. BOOST YOUR SEO WITH SCHEMA MARKUP

Schema markup is a way to add extra information to your website that can help Google understand what your website is all about. It can help improve your visibility on search engines.

 

Schema markup is a language that search engines can understand. It's like adding extra details to your website that help search engines understand what your content is all about.

For example, let's say you're an artist with a website showcasing your artwork. You could use Schema markup to add specific details about each piece, like the title, artist, date created, and medium used. This can help Google show your artwork in search results when people are looking for something specific.

Using Schema markup not only improves your website's visibility on search engines, but it also makes your website more informative and appealing to potential visitors.

 

There are different types of Schema markup available, from products and events to reviews and recipes. Google provides a tool called the Structured Data Markup Helper that can help you add Schema markup to your website.

 

Adding Schema markup to your website is definitely possible, no matter what platform you're using.

For example, if you're using Shopify, you can use apps like Schema Plus or JSON-LD for SEO to add Schema markup.

If you're using WordPress, you can use plugins like Yoast SEO or All In One Schema Rich Snippets.

And if you're using Squarespace, you can add Schema markup to your website using the Code Injection feature.

 

So, by taking the time to add Schema markup to your website, you're helping your content stand out and attract more visitors.

 

Well folks, we've reached the end of our SEO journey for today!

I know how important it is for artists to showcase their work online and reach a wider audience. That's why I want to help you make the most of your website and give your art the attention it deserves.

With the right tools and techniques, you can make SEO work for you and help your website stand out. It may take some time and effort, but trust me, it's worth it.

I hope these tips and tricks will help you navigate the world of SEO and achieve your goals. And Last but not least my best tip is - don't be afraid to experiment and try new things!

 

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this article and want to learn more about Art Marketing, be sure to check out my other valuable articles and digital products:  

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Art Style Struggles: The Journey to Finding Your Creative Voice

   

• How to Create a Multiple Income Stream as an Artist

   

• Why Your Art Isn't Selling and What You Can Do About It

 

And if you're feeling inspired, why not take a peek at my Art Shop?

You never know, you might just discover your new favorite piece.

And if you ever need any further help or guidance, I'm here for you!

 

Marisol