When you type a phrase into a search engine like Google, did you ever wonder why some sites come up as number 1 whereas others are so far back in the results that they are virtually obliterated from existence? All search engines use very complex algorithms to determine which websites come up first in the search results. An entire industry known as SEO (search engine optimization) has sprung up from business people attempting to manipulate the algorithm in their favor so they get a top spot in the search results.
As an artist, you probably don’t need to worry about SEO too much. It takes a lot of time and resources to meet the core requirements of SEO. Since there are millions of other websites out there and the web is constantly changing, SEO is a never-ending process. One day your website may be number 1 for “public artist from Milwaukee” and the next day you may be nowhere to be found. However, artists should at least be aware of SEO when they are building their artist’s websites. Certain practices can mean the difference between appearing on the web and your website getting lost in cyberspace.
Text is King
SEO experts will tell you that “content is king.” Really, they mean that text is king. Search engines are NOT people and cannot look at your website and figure out what it is about. Instead, they use complicated mathematical codes to analyze the words on your website and try to decipher what it is about. Search engines can NOT “read” images! If you only have images on your website, then it will get lost in cyber space. You should always make sure to have your name in text (not embedded on the images) and descriptions on every page. This is not just good SEO practice, but crucial for making a good artist website.
Add and Get Links
You may have seen companies offering to submit your website to 1000s of directories so it will show up on the search engine results. These services are not worth the cost. Search engines “find” websites through virtual “spiders” which crawl around the web. The spiders basically go from one website to the next, branching out in all directions. So long as you put one outgoing link on your website to a site which also has links, your website will show up in the search engines – though it may take a few days before the search engines find it. In the meantime, visitors can always reach your site directly by typing in the domain name.
Besides for helping you make it onto the search engine results, links are like a vote of popularity for your website. The more links you have coming to your website, the better it is in the eyes of the search engine and the higher they put it on their results. It isn’t enough to get links from anywhere though. The more popular the linking site, the better it makes your site look. For example, a link from Nytimes.com is going to help you a lot more than 100 links from no-name blogs. To help your rating, links should be one-way to your site (meaning they link to you and you don’t link back to them).
Some great sites where you can learn about link building:
Update Regularly
If you are hoping that visitors will randomly find your website through searches, then you will need to update regularly. Don’t waste too much of your precious time on updating though if you don’t have anything new to add. But, if you have news like you’ve started on a new project or have an upcoming show, make a press release and put it on your website.