1. Choose a domain name. Then, get it hosted.
I recommend www.GoDaddy.com when you’re starting, but there are many inexpensive registrars (like NameCheap.com, which I use) and hosting services (like HostGator.com, which I use).
For more information about this first step, see Website Basics for Artists.
2. Decide the theme or niche for your website.
Select a theme for your website… a specialty. Don’t try to be all things to all people. Do one thing well, and then expand from there. Focus on what you love!
However, be sure the theme is broad enough. At one point, around 2005, I got the idea that I should spin off individual tops, rather than keep them at Aisling.net.
(Update: In 2010, I realized the folly of that. So, in 2011, I started moving some of my most important articles back to Aisling.net, and preparing to sell sites such as my art careers / business site. However, there may be lingering links to those old sites; if you land at one and it’s clearly not my website… well, that’s what’s going on.)
3. Create at least five webpages related to your theme.
If you don’t know HTML, or have Very Big Plans for your website, go with WordPress. It’s a free, easy-to-use website platform. I’m using it here, and I love it!
However, if you’re determined to have an “old school” HTML website, you can use a WYSIWYG program. (WYSIWYG = What You See Is What You Get) Some browsers, like Firefox, already include one, or you can get it as a free add-on for your browser. You may already have it on your computer, and not realize it!
For HTML sites, I also recommend the free program, Nvu. (It’s pronounced “N-view.”)
Your webpages should include:
- An index.html. That’s your homepage… the main entry page for your website.
- A contact page, so that collectors, customers, galleries and agents can reach you.
- Three pages related to your art.One could be your CV (resume), one could feature your artist’s statement, and the third can be a mini-gallery with small photos of your art.Or, if you’re creating a website about your watercolor paintings, you might feature three pieces of your art–one each on a different page.Or, consider one page of your art, another to explain about your medium or style in general (and why your work is so great), and a third page that promotes a product that you give away (such as free online postcards).
4. Update people about your new art and webpages.
In 2005, I said: Yahoo Groups are free and easy to manage. Set yours to “announce only” (newsletter) and then let anyone and everyone join. Promote your Yahoo Group on your webpages, but don’t overdo it.
(2011 update: Yahoo Groups were fun ten years ago. Now… they’re kind of outdated. Consider a Facebook Fan Page, or something similar. The Internet keeps changing, and you should change with it!)
5. Link to others, but only quality sites.
Links can be the single most important factor in how well you’re listed at Google and other search engines. Link only to websites that are very good.
Above all, do not sign up for one of those “Links4All” link exchanges. Also, try not to link to people whom you consider competition.
After linking to others’ sites, you can ask them to link back to you. Only a small percentage will do this, but some will.
(Link to this website if you feel that my information has helped you. You can link to the main page, http://aisling.net/, or to any page at this site. Thanks!)
6. Sign up for Google AdSense and/or affiliate programs. [optional]
If AdSense or affiliate programs are part of your income strategy, sign up for them as soon as you can. Between 2005 and 2008, I used to earn at least three figures each month, from Google’s AdSense ads on my websites.
I’ve also liked (and made money with) CommissionJunction.com.
At some websites, I’ve earned extra cash each month with AllPosters.com and try to illustrate with their posters when I can.
7. Submit your site to the search engines.
Submit the URL of your index.html page to the search engines. Start with Yahoo and Google, etc. DMOZ is important too, but it’s vital to have a competitive and robust site built before submitting to them.
Do NOT over-submit. Check the search engine’s rules. If you submit the same site to Google more than once a month, you risk being considered a spammer.
It can take search engines two weeks to six months to list you among their pages. (Yes, that’s frustrating. Try to be patient.) And, even once you’re listed, you may be in the “sandbox” (the nickname for the lowest listings at the search engine) for as long as eight months.
8. Start learning about keywords and search engine optimization.
Keywords are the heart and soul of your success at search engines. Start learning about them, use them in the tags (META and Title areas) of your website, and focus your content on three or four keywords that fit your niche.
9. Add one new webpage each week.
Now that you know your niche and have chosen a few words for your site’s theme, add a new webpage to your site each week.
Every webpage should have valuable and interesting content. It should be at least 100 words long, but — in most cases — not more than 600 or so. (If it’s longer, consider breaking it up into two pages or more.)
Every webpage should include one or two links to other pages, and one of those pages should be another quality website.
Every page should link back to your home page (index.html) at the very least.
10. Tell people about your newest webpage.
Talk about your new page. Post it at Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Digg it. Stumble Upon it… or use whatever means are popular to talk about your news and cool websites.
At some search engines, you can submit new webpages as you put them online. Check each search engine’s current rules to be certain.
Where to go from here? Explore website design, site navigation techniques, high-paying keywords if you’re using AdSense, and more.
But, for now, work with these ten points and learn about the rest, later.
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