Getting Started: A Few Questions Before You Start Your Website

If you have decided you would like to create your own artist’s website, there are a few questions you need to consider before you get started.

First is to decide how you want your website to function and what you want out of it. This is representing you, so you should have a clear vision of what you want. Do you want to simply showcase your artwork? Or do you want it to be more interactive? Do you want to sell your artwork through your website?

Second, you should be honest with your technical skills. Do you feel comfortable taking on this kind of a project or is it something you would rather have a professional do for you. How much control do you want with your site, in terms of design and upkeep. Also, ask yourself how much time you are willing to commit to this project, both startup and upkeep.

I feel these two sets of questions are key to helping you create the site you want right from the start. Some of these questions came up frequently in my research, but more so become apparent to me the more I read about the process, and realized I was beginning to ask myself these questions.

Sylivia White from Creating the Perfect Artist’s Website asks some further questions to help you through the beginning stages of planning your website:

Who is your target market and what do you want your site to accomplish?

Is it your goal to sell art and use your site as an e-commerce venue?

Is it your goal to attract galleries and dealers who may want to represent you?

Are you looking for a place to archive the development of your work?

Do you have the skills to regularly update and manage your site, or will you need to contract these services?

Have you organized and assembled all your relevant materials; slides or digital images, biography, artist's statement, reviews?