Part one, Introduction - click here

Part two, Title and Description tags - click here

Part three, Keywords and H1 tags - click here

Part four, Images - click here

Part five, Social Media and More - click here



Things I didn't cover (on purpose)

Link building - like keywords, this is a nuanced topic and it tends to make people crazy. Rule one - don't buy links. Its bad and it won't help your site. Rule number two - if your work is featured at a gallery or other public place that has a website, ask them to put a link to your website so people can find more of your work.

Guest blogging - until recently, this was *the* way to get links. Recently, Google has decided it doesn't approve of this method in most cases because there were so many cases of opportunistic and bad matches that were done *just* to try and game the rankings. Don't do that.

However, you can and should look at guest blogging as a way to expand your audience because you have something great to share. What does that mean for Sally? Guest blogging about her art for a carpet store? Doesn't make much sense. Guest blogging for a vet clinic? That makes sense because it is a good way to reach real people who might be interested in her work.


Wrapping it all up

Will making these changes put Sally's website on the first page of Google? Absolutely not. If someone tells you they can put your website on the first page of Google, they are scamming you. No one can guarantee that (at least not for a phrase someone is actually using).


So why bother with SEO?

Even if Sally's website is only accessed by people who are already looking for her site (that is, typing her website directly into the address bar), by making her website more appealing to real people, Sally increases the likelihood that her site will be visited and shared. If someone has to wait precious seconds for Sally's website to load or they can't easily navigate it, they may assume it is a dead end or not worth visiting again.

By making her website more appealing to search engines, Sally increases the likelihood that Google will find her site to be a match for someone's query. And, of course, once someone is on her site, they will find is easy to use and worth sharing.

Part one, Introduction - click here

Part two, Title and Description tags - click here

Part three, Keywords and H1 tags - click here

Part four, Images - click here

Part six, Wrapping it All Up - click here


Social Media sharing

Whether you love it or hate it, social media can be a great way for artists to be seen by new eyes.

But you need to do a little work to make your website preview look beautiful when it is shared.

Right now, Facebook's "Open Graph"  or "og" tags are the best method available.  After installing "og tags" you will be able to choose which image is shared from a page as well as what the title and description look like.

Pinterest, like Etsy and YouTube requires its own post, so I won't go into it here.

Contact information

Your name and contact information is on EVERY page of your website, right? Either at the top of the bottom and easy to find?

A modern looking website

OK, so your best friend designed your site back in 2009 and it would hurt her feelings if you changed it.

The problem is that a site that looked "fresh" a couple of years ago now looks dated and clunky. When someone finds you online, and wants to buy something from you, it is in your best interests to make sure your website makes you look respectable and professional. This falls under "first impressions," and if you don't make a good one, your new potential clients will go somewhere else.

Blog

Not everyone has a burning desire to use a blog. But if you do, it is a great way to provide Google with fresh content (Google says "yum, yum" to fresh content) and connect with your audience. Stumped about what you might write about?

Sally could write about:

• Why she uses duck eggs and how she preserves them
• Why she paints pets
• What her process looks like
• What inspires her
• Her favorite piece
• Her most challenging project

Depending on how often Sally wants to blog, the above list could be as much as six months' worth of topics. There is a lot I could say on SEO for blogging (and I'll probably get to that in a future post), but for now I'll just say it is one of the best ways to get noticed and utilize different keywords that might attract someone to your site.

List your prices

Don't make someone work to find out how much your amazing creation costs.

Flash/Splash pages and music that plays automatically

No. Just no.

Spelling and grammar check

Yes. Always yes.

Next - Wrapping it All Up