The Importance of a Personal Art Website

  There is a huge amount of importance on an Art website as it is your presence in the virtual world. When people open up Google, and type an Artist's name into the search engine, they are hoping that the first search result would be that of the Artist's blog or website. We, as humans, are restricted to being at one place at a time and so are our Art. However, in the virtual world, where everything is only 1s and 0s, there can be hundreds of visitors on your website at once, and you can give all of them the chance to view your Art.

  There is a number of hosting site to choose from. From Blogspot, to Blogger, to Webs.com. They each have the option given to you to pay a small sum of money to the them, and get a custom domain name. Each has their pros and cons, and lots of other website cover them, thus I will not go into those details.

  First thing to do, after you've chosen your hosting site, is to think of a name for your website. Even if, for now, you're not going to buy a custom domain name, do get a name that you'll like to keep, even in the future. When you get a custom domain name that differs from the name that you are using now, you'll loose traffic, and some people might not be able to find you.

  Your full name is the best name for your website. [www.yourname.com] If you're a female, and are worried to use your surname as you might change it after marriage, use your first and middle name instead. For example, I might use my first and middle name, Stephanie Jennifer, for this purpose. If your name is already taken, hyphens are helpful. [www.your-name.com] Do keep in mind though that too many hyphens are cumbersome to type, and to tell to others. Hyphens are not very helpful creatures.

  As you are thinking of a name, it will also pay to check whether the .com version of it is taken. If it isn't, it is a wise investment to register your domain name as soon as possible as many websites are taken very quickly. If it is, I recommend you think of another version of the name, or see if the .com(followed by whatever country you are in) For example, in my case, if "stephaniejennifer.com" is taken, I might try the Singapore version of it. "stephaniejennifer.com.sg"

  Lots of names are already taken, and as a website is a branding tool, you might get frustrated that your name is already taken. Never fear, though, other worthy "tricks" to try:
- Adding "artist" at the back of your name.
- If you paint/draw in mostly one medium, adding that medium of choice at the back.
- You might try to include where you live in your url. [youname-eastcoastart.com] for example.

  Also, if your name is easily misspelled, it may be worth to buy the variant of it. For example, if you choose your name as a website address, [CatherineJane.com], you might consider buying the variant [KatherineJane.com] and putting a redirecting message on that website.

  In my next post, (here) I'll be writing about what you might consider putting in your website.