by Rebecca Sciullo | Apr 8, 2020 | Artist Blogging 101, Artist Websites, Learning
As you can see from prior posts, Artisan Advantage focuses primarily on blogging for an art business. The recent post, Choosing a Platform for your Artist Blog, talks about the different services that you can use for setting up a blog.
With all of this information about blogging, I want to make sure that one thing is clear.
Your Blog Should Be a Part of Your Website.
That is, while you can have a site that consists only of blog posts, it makes more sense to have a robust website that includes a blog.
There are some basic pages that every site should include.
Christina Hills is offering this free checklist as she ramps up for her Website Creation Workshop Course. This guide provides information for anyone looking to build a website for a business
Whether you currently have a website or are looking to create a new one to house your blog, this checklist provides some great information that can help you make sure you have everything you need to make your site the best it can be.
In it, you will discover exactly which web pages you need to include if you want to attract customers.
Christina also shares her advice on which pages you can wait until later to create because she knows one of the biggest hurdles is getting overwhelmed by having too much to do!
My favorite resources are actionable, quick to implement and produce immediate results. This guide is one of them.
Don’t waste your valuable downtime over the next couple of weeks on Netflix and YouTube. Spend this time renewing a resource that will contribute to your long term growth!
Check it out:
CLICK HERE for your free Website Creation Checklist
Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase an item from Christina Hills I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers.
by Rebecca Sciullo | Apr 6, 2020 | Artist Blogging 101, Learning
How to choose a domain for your blog.
A domain name is what someone types into their internet browser to find your website. My domain name, for instance, is www.artisan-advantage.com.
For an artist, a domain name should be a relatively easy choice. You will likely want your name to be the focus of your domain name.
A domain name might end in .com, .net, .org, or a country code like .us (United States). “URL” or “web address” are other names for a domain.
Register Your Domain Name
When you register a domain name, no one else can register it. Try to keep your domain name simple and easy to remember. If another website is using your preferred domain name, then you won’t be able to use it. In this case, you should come up with an alternative. While .com domains are typically the most preferred domain, but you could see if your name choice is available as .net.
For example, let’s say I wanted to set my domain up as beckysciullo.com, but someone else was using it, I could try a variation such as one of the following:
beckysciulloartist.com
beckysciulloart.com
rebeccasciullo.com
beckysciullo.net
Your domain name is not a “make or break” factor for your site. As long as it is clear that visitors have found your art site, you are doing your job. Give yourself a day or two to think about it, and then make a decision.
For more detail on choosing a domain name, download my free Artist Blog Set-Up Guide.
If you have questions about setting up your domain, drop me a line at becky@artisan-advantage.com.
by Rebecca Sciullo | Apr 4, 2020 | Artist Blogging 101, Learning
How to Choose a Platform For Your Artist Blog
Before you can start blogging, you need to decide which platform you will use. Read through this guide on how to to make a good choice.
Do you already have a website?
If you have a website for your art business, it may already have a blog function built-in. Many artist build sites on blog platforms but don’t use the blogging feature. If this describes your website, then it isn’t too difficult to start blogging. Some common platforms that have blogging features include Squarespace, Wix, and Weebly. If you are using another platform to build your blog, that is fine. You should still find Artist Blogging 101 helpful as you move through the process of developing your blog.
By using the Help or Knowledgebase of your current website platform, you should be able to find detailed instructions on how to use your blog feature.
Do you need a new website?
If, however, you have an outdated website that does not offer a blogging feature, or you are starting from scratch, you need to decide on which platform to build your blog.
My Recommendation is Self-Hosted WordPress
My top choice for both websites and blogs is to use self-hosted WordPress.org. WordPress.org is the most popular platform in the world. It offers the most flexibility for design, and it is what I use for Artisan Advantage. It does take a little longer to master than some other platforms, but if you stick with it, it becomes easy to use. I tried many different platforms, including Typepad, Blogger, Squarespace, and WordPress.com, before deciding that self-hosted WordPress.org is my favorite.
What does it mean to be self-hosted?
A website being self-hosted means all the files for the site are stored on a computer connected to the internet. A web hosting company gives your website a permanent location on their server. I recommend using Bluehost, but there are plenty of other web hosts out there. To get the best deal, you typically have to pay for a year of hosting upfront.
A Recommended Alternative to Self-Hosted WordPress
If you are interested in trying out blogging for your art business but are not sure that you want to invest the time learning to use WordPress, then I recommend setting up a site on WordPress.com. To set up a blog on WordPress.com, go here. The WordPress.com system will walk you step by step through the set-up
Are You Still Confused about WordPress.com vs.Self-hosted WordPress.org?
Check out this video from Christina Hills at Website Creation Workshop. She does a great job of explaining the differences.
Would You Like Some Help?
I can offer the following solutions if you would like assistance in developing your blog:
This free guide will walk you through the set-up of a self-hosted WordPress blog.
Christina Hills offers a Website Creation Workshop a couple of times a year, where you can learn how to build a self-hosted WordPress website from scratch. I highly recommend this workshop and will be sharing some information later this week about her next session. I used her course to build Artisan Advantage. She is still my go-to resource for all things WordPress. Christina’s program ensures that you will be completely self-reliant in managing your WordPress site once you finish her course.
My Artist Blogging Services help artists who already have a blog or website and would like some assistance with blog development and growth.
Just Do It!
Your blog will never be perfect. You will always be changing and improving. In my years of blogging, one thing I learned is that sometimes you just have to start.
If starting a blog for your visual art business is something that you’ve wanted to do, I encourage you to get started today using one of the resources above or following allowing with Artist Blogging 101.
Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers.
by Rebecca Sciullo | Mar 28, 2020 | Artist Websites, Learning, Resources
Recently I posted about staying on track during the “shut down” disruption. One thing mentioned was taking advantage of this downtime to focus on a project for your art business. One necessary but often dreaded task you might consider is working on your artwork inventory.
Putting together a comprehensive inventory is something that every artist needs to do. It’s one of those tasks, though, that can get put on the back burner. It’s probably not the most thrilling part of your art business.
If you are looking for something to occupy time when you aren’t creating, now is a perfect time to take an inventory of your work.
Inventory Solutions: Here are my Top Two Ways to Inventory Your Artwork
Artwork Archive is my-go to resource for maintaining an artist’s inventory. We use it for my father’s work. I love Artwork Archive for the following reasons:
1 – It’s intuitive and easy to use. I don’t think I’ve ever had to consult a tutorial or help desk once when using this system.
2 – It is much more than just an inventory tool. It also allows you to track your sales and contacts, showcase your artwork online, and store and share high-resolution images. You can also access your work anywhere from any device.
Artwork Archive costs $6 to $19 a month, depending upon the level you choose. They offer a free thirty-day trial. I recommend giving it a try.
Below is a screenshot of a piece of art that I’ve added to Artwork Archive. This gives you an idea of some of the detail that this system can capture about a piece of your work.
Spreadsheet It
If you want a free and straightforward solution to maintain a basic inventory of your artwork, use a simple spreadsheet such as Google Drive or Airtable, both of which are free. With this method, list each piece with a column for each bit of detail about the work. Columns can include details such as name, size, medium, price, location, status, and a link to the image. Depending upon your work, there are other pieces of information that you may choose to collect.
Be proactive and inventory your artwork!
You’ll be thanking yourself later for storing all of your collection details and financial records in one easily accessible place.
If you decided to test out Artwork Archive’s trial, and you have any other questions on using it, shoot me an email at becky@artisan-advantage.com and I’ll try to help you.
Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers.
by Rebecca Sciullo | Mar 27, 2020 | Artist Blogging 101, Learning
Artist Blogging 101: Outline Your Goals
Now that we’ve outlined the role that your blog plays in your marketing system, it’s time to get ready to build it.
Before you invest time in building a blog for your art business, you should take some time to consider what the purpose of your blog is? What goals do you want to accomplish for your business through blogging?
Your primary intent is likely to communicate with people interested in learning more about you and your work. However, If you have a vision for your art business (and you should!), then your blog’s primary purpose should be moving you closer to that vision.
If you’re not sure what the primary purpose of your blog should be, ask yourself these questions.
What made you want to create an artist blog in the first place? What was your first thought as to why it could benefit your business?
How do you want your blog to impact you as an artist?
How do you think a blog could improve your art business? What are you hoping it does for you?
What does your art business look like five years from now? What success would you have with your business between now and then?
How do you want your blog to affect your followers?
How do you want your income to change because of your blog?
Is there a specific project that you want to share with this blog?
Is there a niche that you would like to establish yourself in with this blog?
These questions should help you outline what goals you would like to accomplish with your artist blog. As you begin to set up your blog, keep these goals in mind. They may determine how you set up your blog, the kinds of pages that it includes, and the content that you share with your audience.
Assignment: Outline three goals that your artist blog could help you to accomplish. Send me an email at becky@artisan-advantage.com and let me know what your goals are.
Photo by S O C I A L . C U T on Unsplash
