The Artists Business Lounge
Art Business Coaching for Visual Artists
Mastering the Art of Converting eCommerce Websites for Visual Artists
If you’re an artist looking to sell your artwork online, having a well-designed and effective eCommerce website is essential. Creating an eCommerce website that converts visitors into buyers requires careful planning and consideration. Just putting your art on any old website isn’t enough.
In this blog post, we’ll explore some key tips on how to create a converting eCommerce website for visual artists.
Choose the Right eCommerce Platform:
The first step in building an effective eCommerce website is to choose the right platform. There are numerous eCommerce platforms available, such as Shopify, WooCommerce, and Squarespace, each with its own features and functionalities. Consider your specific needs as an artist, such as the ability to showcase your artwork in a visually appealing way, and choose a platform that caters to those needs. Look for features like customizable templates, easy product management, secure payment gateways, and mobile responsiveness.
Showcase Your Artwork with Stunning Visuals:
As a visual artist, your artwork is the main attraction of your eCommerce website. It’s crucial to showcase your artwork with high-quality, visually appealing images. Invest in professional photography or use high-resolution images that highlight the details and colours of your artwork. Use large images that allow visitors to zoom in and see the finer details. Consider using a gallery-style layout that allows visitors to browse through your artwork easily. Use descriptive and compelling product titles and descriptions that capture the essence of your artwork and entice potential buyers.
Create an Easy and Smooth User Experience:
Your eCommerce website should be easy to navigate and provide a smooth user experience. Avoid cluttering your website with too much text or complicated navigation menus. Keep it simple and intuitive, with clear calls-to-action (CTAs) that guide visitors towards making a purchase. Use a prominent “Add to Cart” button on each product page and make the checkout process simple and secure. Offer multiple payment options, including credit cards, PayPal, and other popular methods, to cater to different customer preferences.
Tell Your Story:
As an artist, your story is a powerful selling point. Share your story and the inspiration behind your artwork on your website. Create an engaging “About” page that tells your background, artistic journey, and influences. Include professional photos of yourself and your studio to create a personal connection with your visitors. Share testimonials from satisfied customers to build trust and credibility. Connecting with your audience on a personal level can help convert visitors into buyers and create a loyal customer base.
Implement SEO Strategies:
Search engine optimization (SEO) is essential to drive organic traffic to your eCommerce website. Conduct keyword research to identify relevant keywords and incorporate them into your website’s content, titles, and meta tags. Optimize your images with alt tags and compress them for faster loading times. Create engaging and shareable content, such as blogs, tutorials, or behind-the-scenes videos, to attract and retain visitors. Use social media to promote your artwork and drive traffic to your website. The higher your website ranks in search engine results, the more visibility you’ll have, leading to increased conversions.
Provide Excellent Customer Support:
Providing excellent customer support is crucial in building a successful eCommerce website.
Respond promptly to customer inquiries and provide clear and helpful information.
Offer a hassle-free return and refund policy to instil confidence in potential buyers.
Consider incorporating live chat or chatbot functionalities to provide real-time support.
Showcasing positive reviews and testimonials on your website can also help build trust and encourage potential buyers to make a purchase.
Optimise for Mobile Devices:
With the increasing use of mobile devices for online shopping, it’s crucial to optimise your eCommerce website for mobile users. As more and more people view websites on their phones first, a great trick is to build your website through the smartphone view and check it on a computer and tablet, rather than the other way around.
Make sure your website is mobile-responsive, meaning it adapts to different screen sizes and loads quickly on mobile devices. Whenever you are working on updating your site, check the view for Mobile, Tablet and Computer.
Use large and clear buttons for easy navigation on small screens, and ensure that your artwork images are displayed properly on mobile devices. Mobile optimisation is essential to provide a seamless and enjoyable shopping experience for mobile users, which can significantly impact your conversion rates.
Incorporate Email Marketing:
Email marketing is a powerful tool for nurturing relationships with potential buyers and turning them into loyal customers. Collect email addresses from your website visitors and use them to send newsletters, promotions, and updates about your artwork.
Offer incentives, such as exclusive discounts or limited-time offers, to encourage visitors to subscribe to your email list.
Personalize your emails with the recipient’s names and segment your email list based on their interests and buying behaviours.
Email marketing allows you to stay in touch with your audience, build a relationship, and drive repeat purchases.
Prioritize Website Security:
Building trust with your potential buyers is crucial for converting them into customers. One way to establish trust is by ensuring that your eCommerce website is secure. Use SSL encryption to protect sensitive customer information, such as credit card details, during the checkout process. Display security badges or logos on your website to reassure visitors that their information is safe. Regularly update your website’s software and plugins to protect against security vulnerabilities. A secure website instils confidence in visitors and encourages them to make a purchase.
Test and Optimize Your Website:
Finally, it’s essential to regularly test and optimize your eCommerce website to improve its performance and conversion rates. Use analytics tools, such as Google Analytics, to track the performance of your website, including metrics like traffic, bounce rate, and conversion rate. Analyze the data to identify areas that need improvement, such as high bounce rates or low conversion rates, and make necessary changes. A/B test different elements of your website, such as product images, CTAs, or checkout process, to see what resonates best with your audience. Continuously optimize your website to ensure it’s running at its best and driving maximum conversions.
Creating a converting eCommerce website requires careful planning and attention to detail. By choosing the right platform, showcasing your artwork with stunning visuals, creating a smooth user experience, telling your story, implementing SEO strategies, providing excellent customer support, optimizing for mobile devices, incorporating email marketing, prioritizing website security, and regularly testing and optimizing your website, you can create an effective online gallery and store that converts visitors into loyal customers. With a well-designed eCommerce website, you can showcase your artwork to a wider audience, generate sales, and establish your brand as a successful visual artist.
NEW PRODUCT TO HELP YOU PLAN AND BUILD YOUR WEBSITE
One thing that makes The Artists Business Lounge different, is that we create great and relevant resources to help you with your art career and business.
Introducing the Plan and Build Your Artist Website – Trello Board
All the steps, tips, information and resources to guide you in creating (or updating) your Artist Website. Whether you have or want to have an e-commerce site, a portfolio site or a blend.
We all know that a website is an essential tool in an artist’s kit. How you design and plan out your website has an impact on how you are received and the sort of results you can expect.
Let me take the stress and confusion out of your hands – introducing the Plan and Build Your Artists Website Trello Board. This Trello Board is designed to save you time and make sure you don’t miss anything while you create a website fit for your art business needs. Knowing that every step of the way you are being guided to create your ideal website takes away a lot of the stress!
Packed with information and links to help you as you create your first website, or update your existing website you will save so much time. No matter what website platform you choose (I even give some guidance on different options) this Trello board will deliver what you need. Learn while you do!
Some of the ways you can work with me
Join the Success System Program, our amazing 12-month program – which includes the Plan and Build Your Artist Website Trello board, plus a ton of other resources, information, guidance and support. Learn more here.
COMING SOON The Art of Profitable Email course and resource kit. Get on the waitlist to find out more.
Individual Coaching – find out more here and submit your expression of interest