Thursday, February 23, 2012

Sell Fine Art Online - Part 3: Web Hosting

    Web Hosting for Fine Art Websites
    Last week we talked about domain names and the role they play in selling fine art. This week is about web hosting for a fine art website.

    Web hosting refers to a physical server that all of the text, images, and any other content on your website is stored. If the domain name were the address of your home, the web hosting would be the actual lot of land that your home sits on. In this metaphor, you might say your home is the website.

    Web hosting is an essential part of any stand-alone website. Web hosting goes hand in hand with your domain name. If you're selling your art through a community based website like Amazon or eBay, hosting and domain names generally do not apply.

    The cost of hosting is all across the board, but on average you are probably looking at about $100 for your web hosting, $12 for your domain name, and anywhere from $2,000 - $10,000 for web design and development. This might not even include a content management system which means you would have to pay and wait for changes to your website.

    Fine Art World is an excellent alternative to traditional web development. Fine Art World provides the web address, web hosting, web design, and web development for 1 low cost monthly membership fee. Depending on your membership, Fine Art World provides you with both an Independent Website (Stand-Alone website) and a Community Website for additional exposure to art collectors, interior designers, and galleries.
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    Monday, February 13, 2012

    Sell Fine Art Online - Part 2: Domain Name

    Last week we started part 1 of a series called "Sell Fine Art Online" where we talked about selecting an online venue. We broke it down into 2 main types of venues: community websites and independent websites. We also mentioned that Fine Art World provides both types of fine art websites in one easy-to-use control panel or content management system. This week we are discussing domain names.

    Domain names are basically the web address of your website. Fine Art World's domain name is fineartworld.com and it's web address would technically be www.fineartworld.com. When artists and/or galleries register for certain Fine Art World memberships, they receive 2 web addresses through Fine Art World:
    The Community web address normally means nothing to the artist or gallery because the artist isn't going to hand this web address out. Most people are going to find an artist's community website through FineArtWorld.com or a Google search. However, the artist or gallery will hand out their Independent web address because their Independent Website is all about them and there is no fear of competition.

    Fine Art World normally recommends that artists and galleries register a domain name with a domain registrar and "domain forward" that domain name to their Independent Website. This allows artists and galleries to have a more personal web address.

    www.SophyBrown.com
    Take Sophy Brown for example. Sophy is a Fine Art World Premium Artist Member. This means she has both a Community Website ( sophybrown.fineartworld.com ) and an Independent Website ( sophybrown.fineaw.com ). When Sophy wants to send people to her website to see her artwork, she's not going to send them to her Community Website where there are thousands of other artists to compete with. Instead she will send them to her Fine Art World Independent website where it's all about her sophybrown.fineaw.com.

    Sophy registered the domain " sophybrown.com ", and domain forwards that domain name to her Independent Website " sophybrown.fineaw.com ". On business cards she just puts www.sophybrown.com as her web address. When someone types in that web address it domain forwards them to her Independent Website.

    Are you interested in fine art? Visit Fine Art World today!

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        Tuesday, February 7, 2012

        Sell Fine Art Online - Part 1: Online Venue

        Sell Fine Art Online - Primary Arrangement by Quang Ho
        Whether you're an artist or a gallery, selling your artwork online is essential to succeed in the art world. Even if the final transaction occurs in person, so many leads and sells are generated online. A large number of art collectors choose to browse artwork online before stepping foot into a gallery, and in many cases, they complete the entire transaction online.

        There are wide variety of things to consider when selling fine art online:
        • Online Venue - "Stand Alone" Business Website or a Community Website (eBay, Amazon, ect?
        • Domain Name
        • Website Hosting
        • Customization & Templates
        • Content Management System
        • E-Commerce Integration
        • Image Capture
        • Online Marketing
        • Search Engine Optimized - SEO
        • Blogging
        • Google Adwords?
        • Social Networking
        One of the first things to decide when selling fine art online is selecting an Online Venue. In this case, the question is whether you plan on selling the artwork through a custom-built website with a domain name you've chosen or some kind of a community based website like FineArtWorld.com eBay, Amazon, or Craigslist.



        Stand Alone Websites ( www.yourname.com )
        A stand-alone website gives the artist or gallery their own private venue for marketing and selling artwork.

        The major advantages:
        1. Customization - Stand-alone websites generally are not tied to a pre-built system which makes the code more flexible — which makes it easier to customize and tailor to your own personal preferences. This also makes it easier to brand your website.
        2. Less Internal Competition - There is less competition because a stand-alone website is all about you. Community websites normally have hundreds or thousands of artists and galleries which means more competition.
        The major disadvantages:
        1. Expensive - While stand-alone websites are more custom, that customization normally comes at a higher price than community sites.
        2. Less Exposure - A stand-alone website can be a lonely website. Even though competition can be bad, it can also be good. Art collectors like to browse fine art from a wide variety of artists and galleries. Community websites provide that and normally receive higher rankings in search engines because of their numbers. Getting found can add to the overall cost of your stand-alone website.

        Community Websites ( FineArtWorld.com, Amazon, eBay, Craigslist, ect )
        Community websites provide the power of numbers and lower costs.

        The Major Advantages:
        1. More Exposure with Little Effort - A Community Websites with hundreds or thousands of artists and galleries normally receive more attention from collectors and search engines. Simply having your artwork on a community website may give you leads with no real effort.
        2. Lower Costs - Community websites normally come at little or no cost. The website is able to generate income from a larger number of clients at lower prices without sacrificing profit. Community Site members reap the resources and lower costs of a community website.
        The Major Disadvantages:
        1.  Competition - As mentioned above, being a part of a Community Website means that you will have to compete with other artists and galleries.
        2. Less Customization and Flexibility - Community Websites are normally setup with pre-built templates that aren't easy to customize.

        Stand-alone websites and community websites have their advantages and disadvantages. While choosing your online venue may be difficult, there's no reason you can't have both. Fine Art World provides artists and galleries with both Community Websites and Independent Websites (Stand-Alone Websites). Learn more about fine art websites.
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        Wednesday, February 1, 2012

        Fine Art Websites: Edward Aldrich (January Artist of th Month)

        Fine art wildlife painter and artist Edward Aldrich is Fine Art World's January Artist of the Month. Fine Art World provides a wide variety of artists and galleries with fine art websites. Since Edward is being featured as Artist of the Month, we figured now would be a good time to spotlight his Fine Art World websites.

        Edward Aldrich is a Premium Artist Member, so he technically receives 2 websites through Fine Art World. He receives a "stand-alone" website called an Independent Website, and he receives a second website located directly on Fine Art World called a Community Website.

        Edward Aldrich Independent Website - Fine Art World
        Edward Aldrich's Independent Website
        Edward's Independent Website has it's own web address ( edwardaldrich.fineaw.com ) that is completely separate from www.FineArtWorld.com. This website comes with its own custom template and is designed to give artists their own website for marketing and selling their artwork. Artists can send clients and potential customers there without competition from other artists. The Independent Websites are all about the individual artist.

        Edward Aldrich Community Website - Fine Art World
        Edward Aldrich's Community Website
        Edward's Community Website is located directly on www.FineArtWorld.com. These websites are great for gaining additional exposure from visitors you wouldn't ordinarily get. There is power in numbers, plus the artists receive the benefits of Fine Art World's marketing campaigns.

        Are you an Artist or Gallery in need of a fine art website for selling and displaying artwork online? Visit Fine Art World to learn more about our fine art memberships and websites. Or contact us directly through the website.

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