Art Blog - ArtId

I think it is all a matter of chance. We love to hope we can figure it all out but in reality so much is just chance. Once someone visits and is interested they will probably return. Maybe it's just a bunch of artists checking out other artists. Who knows. All I know is I put up a new painting I did and it sold immediately versus the other stuff I had on my site for months which has not sold. Mind you, this person bought the painting sight unseen in person only on line and thankfully has not returned it upon receiving it. The convergence of two forces at the right moment. That's all one can expect of selling art.

It would be more helpful to see the number of hits each image gets instead of just the top most popular images. Seeing the data next to each image would help determine which images to keep and which ones to ditch. It would also help in adjusting the price of each piece.

Hi Marry

I think your article was great and I did look over my site and add a few things. I have over 150000 hits to my site and I am glad that my work is getting seen. I have received compliments and nice words from many people and have made 4 sales direct from my site and countless others because I referred customers to the site to look at my new work. ArtId is my main site and I use it on all my business cards and advertising. I love the site and find it very valuable to my business of creating and selling art. I regularly load new Images and blog about what is going on with me and my art so that my collectors will know. When I sell my work I guarantee it for life as they are all my babies and I would be glad to repurchase any work that someone is not happy with at anytime. For me my art is my life and I love it and enjoy it so much. The people I have met on the site are also great including John Sowley who is now my good friend (More Like Family)and a fellow artist whom I have purchased over 10 works from because I seen them on ArtId site. So yes I do buy art online as Images are so good these days that there is little change except for the better when the art arrives and you are able to see it live. ArtId is the best art website by far for me and I am glad to be a member and happy for all the exposure and sales it has helped generate for me.

Cuban American Artist, Jose Acosta

Dai, I am afraid that you have taken this Art Marketing Minute way too personally. This list is not intended for members like you who are doing an excellent, professional job of representing themselves.

We didn't say that "hits were buyers", we said "hits are "people"."Hits","Buyers","Views" are all words without faces. Meaning that we look at statistics as numbers and not what they represent. People. These are people coming in to look at your work and there are thousands of reason why people are not comfortable buying art on line yet. I say YET because we can already see sales of art on the internet slowly rising.

There is a whole lot of pissing and moaning about why artists aren't getting traffic and sales. This art marketing minute is a reminder for artists to consider some of these points and perhaps put some of them into action. 2,000 of our 2,500 members need to hear this.

Dai, your suggestion that this is all a waste of time is a big disservice to your fellow members. Self representing online is a huge learning curve, a lot of work and it is going to take time.

Don't forget too that lots of people do not know how to search the web properly and sometimes your Titles and Keywords are going to get caught up in a misdirected search. This is the very reason we try to get it through to many artists that their descriptions and titles are not doing them any good online if they are not written properly. We have so many members still using "Untitled" as a title even after we tell them not to.

If you are getting thousands of "hits" and no sales, remember that "thousands" may seem like a lot but it is a nano fraction of the people in the world. Believe it or not Dai, we are trying to help here, by giving artists tools, information and advice to help them market themselves effectively and your statistical wet blanket isn't helping anyone.

Dai,

I buy artwork from the members on this site. I am not an artist and I buy their artwork based on the quality of the image and my impression of how they represent themselves to the public. I do not need to see the artwork in person. I also make sure the artist has a return policy because like people, artwork can look different in person than in a picture. However, not once has an artist complained about my wanting a return policy when dealing thru the Internet. The price point has ranged from $1,000 down to $50/piece. I think some of your points are well made..especially if someone is trying to sell a work of art for $20,000 online.

However, I do take offense at your supposition that artwork doesn't sell on the Internet. If that is the case, then why are there about 100 online art sites competing for business? Every artist needs to decide if they want to be a part of the online art community. The world does and will continue to shop online - and if you are suggesting that art will never sell online, then you are giving bad advice.

So basically, all of us should shut down our business and go home based on your survey? You sound more like sour grapes than art professional.

You may not be able to sell your artwork thru the Internet, but there are artists who have been very successful using this venue. You fail to understand that new technologies are developed every day that help certain market segments to improve the way they do business online. Perhaps the art market is that segment but soon, there will be improved ways for customers to feel warm and fuzzy about a $20,000 purchase online.

Personally, I do not choose to believe that buying and selling art online is a futile exercise. In fact, if an artist isn't part of the Internet, then they will be left behind.

The 'blog is predicated on "hits" being "buyers". I have strongly disputed this assertion.

I regularly poll friends and acquaintances about their online buying habits. Banking, travel bookings, purchases of books, all manner of goods and services, both domestic and international, but art -- never! "Why not", I ask?

The universal response: "I need to see the artwork, inspect the quality, meet the artist, check the colours, verify the authenticity, understand the message and arrange for secure packaging and transport".

This view is firmly held regardless of the size and price of the artwork.

So ArtId members, look at yourself in the mirror tomorrow morning, place your hand over your heart, and ask yourself bluntly, "Would I buy an artwork online from a relatively unknown artist?"

great..

As evident from the comments thusfar it is obvious Artid needs to improve its statistics capabilities. There is so much more information I would like to receive from simply knowing how many hits I've received. These data are meaningless without knowing the source and to what they were hitting.

An excellent 'blog with relevant questions. After a number of comments I have made in recent months about hits (92,480) and queries/sales (0) I am hoping that ArtId is about to unveil a tool for providing answers to these burning questions.

Q. How did these people find my gallery?
A. Google Analytics provides several clues on my own private website. The words "stumble upon" generally apply.

Q. Who are they?
A. I cannot provide middle names, but people from 35 countries and 125 cities - 80% Anglophones, as you would expect.

Q. What were they looking for and did not find?
A. Since more than 82% of visitors to my own private website are new each day, and since about 70% are sent by Google Images, and since they stay for an average of 10 seconds, I assume that they are looking for photographs of something which randomly includes one of my artworks. For example, "Rainforest Stream" brings in a regular stream of visitors because they are searching for a picture, perhaps for a school project.

Q. Did I tell them enough about the artwork?
A. Size, materials, location, name, price -- all included. Even a little paragraph of explanation. Given the goldfishesque attention span, is it wise to include more verbage?

Q. Do the images in my gallery do my art justice?
A. I should hope so. It's most unlikely another ArtId member is going to tell me otherwise, after they advise me to use a deodorant and mouthwash too.

Q. Are my prices too high for them; too low?
A. The $64tn question.

Q. Did I make it easy for "them" to buy my work?
A. Given my uncertainty about my visitors' intentions, their 10 second time-on-page, and their novelty to the site, are they really "buyers"?

Q. How can I get them to come back if they didn't buy today?
A. See above answer about "buyers".

Many answers to these pertinent questions can be answered by using tools such as Google Analytics. I'm afraid that a majority of ArtId members may not like the answers provided by Google. Perhaps the list of questions above would be best answered by members other than the correspondent themselves. Simply ask another ArtId member at random to critique your site -- and be brutally frank!

I sure wish I could at least get one email inquiry about my art, after 4500 hits and counting. Just to know that someone is really looking. Thanks.

Danny

Great comment. But the fix is easier said than done.

I average daily 100 or more page loads from about 50 unique visitors to my website. I am constantly adjusting the website to make it more attractive and buyer friendly.

Certainly over the last year I have upped the unique visitors, got them to hang around longer, and look at more of my art. But the closure rate continues to be very low.

Great tips. I will work on it. Thank you for the encouragement.

Very succinct reminder, it's easy to forget about the business side of art. Thanks