Today a website is an absolute necessity for any business and that includes creative and performing arts enterprises. Businesses can get by with home offices and cell phone numbers, but a well maintained, professional site creates a sense of legitimacy. Many artists may underestimate the importance of a landing page or obsess over the look of the home page and never get the site live. Once the site is up, it’s common for artists and performers to leave it alone and hope for the best. This is a huge mistake. If you want to stay competitive in today’s market, get your website up, and keep it current.
Appearance is important, but content is key. There are millions of websites vying for viewers. A successful website does two things. It attracts viewers by top key word placement and they keep the viewers on the site by providing worthwhile content. Let’s take a closer look at both of these functions.
1. Achieving Page 1 Search Results – As an artist or performer you want the world to have easy access to your work, and on the internet that means creating content that will register top results on search engines like Yahoo or Google. Search Engine Optimization, also known as SEO, is based on written content. Let’s say someone is looking for a ceramic artist in Oregon. The search would start by typing in “Ceramic Artist Oregon”. If you have the words “Ceramic Artist Oregon” throughout your site search engines will find you. Although there are several factors that play into your page ranking, if the words are not on the page, you will not be found. Pictures and graphic are not seen by search engine spiders.
2. Keeping viewers on your site – You are only given a few seconds to convince viewers to stay on your site. Graphics, pictures, and an attractive layout will help keep them for a few seconds, but if information is lacking or hard to find, the viewer will probably move on. Let’s say I want to book a storyteller for a general audience program at a community festival. If the first sites I pull up only have pictures and lack information about their programs, I’ll probably move on. I might like the pictures posted on a site, but if I want something specific and I don’t see it, I’ll look elsewhere. However if I read about a variety of services offered, I might stay and look.
Importance of Current Content – Old website content acts like mold on bread. It makes it unappetizing. Search engine spiders like updated content and will reward you with better page placement. This is one reason blogs are popular. Also, if a performance or exhibit calendar only has dates from 2009, viewers will probably assume the performer or artist is no longer popular. Remember patrons revisit sites. You might have been passed over last year for a gig, but put on a short list. Make sure all content is up to date and fresh.
Many performers and artists put off creating and updating their website because writing content about themselves may be difficult or uncomfortable. Professional writers and story coaches can work with you to create content that reflects your unique abilities and optimizes your web results. Remember, an active and updated website will help you get noticed.
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