Having the best artist website to display your work is essential if you’re an artist trying to gain recognition for it online. But how do you choose the finest website creation option when there are so many to choose from? This detailed guide covers the important qualities that the best artist website needs and reviews the top creative platforms for artists and painters.
Why Do Artists Need the Best Websites?
In the current digital era, artists who want to market their work and get new fans must have an online presence. The finest artist website serves as your virtual creative centre, letting you sell prints or original artwork in addition to showcasing your best work and telling your story. Without one, you will miss out on opportunities to interact with potential collectors and turn your passion into profit.
The most successful contemporary artists balance showcasing their talent online with real-world exhibitions and events. Your best artist website lets you direct people to see your work in person while building an engaged audience who follows your latest creations. And the right platform makes it simple to set up the best artist website quickly.
Key Elements of the Best Artist Websites
When evaluating the best websites for artists and painters, a few vital elements stand out:
- An intuitive layout to showcase your art
- Descriptions and stories behind pieces
- An about section introducing you as an artist
- Easy art sales options for prints and originals
- A blog to share creative processes and news
- Contact page and newsletter sign-up
- Social media integration
Streamlining these components in one place lets visitors delve into your distinct creative vision and buy artwork they connect with. Plus quality images, fast performance, and a fitting domain name that matches your brand.
Getting these basics right means your best artist website can evolve as your career does. Whether you’re looking to sell affordable prints or exhibit in your first local gallery, start by picking a platform that supports an artist’s dreams.
Reviews of the Top 10 Website Builders for the Best Artist Websites
When choosing where to host your best artist website, you’ll find loads of DIY website builders catering to creatives. To help narrow options down, here’s an in-depth look at 10 popular platforms:
- Jimdo – Best for Beginner Artists Jimdo keeps website building straightforward for new artists with an easy editor requiring no coding. Pick a style then customize colors, fonts, and layout as needed. Launch a full online store or blog alongside your portfolio. Jimdo’s basic option is free with 500MB storage, removing barriers for early-career creatives.
- Format – Best for Art Galleries
Geared specifically towards photographers and visual artists, Format offers gorgeous gallery templates to showcase work. Their built-in e-commerce tools make setting up print sales easy with drop shipping and tax calculation capabilities. With a starting price tag of $12 per month, it’s cost-effective yet sophisticated. - Squarespace – Best All-In-One Option
Trusted by millions of sites from creative brands to food blogs, Squarespace is extremely versatile. Their Cover Page templates work beautifully for art portfolios with grid or mosaic styles. All websites include unlimited hosting, an integrated store, and 24/7 award-winning support. Plans start at $14 monthly. - Wix – Best Drag & Drop Builder Used by over 200 million sites, Wix equips artists with hundreds of professional templates alongside an incredibly intuitive drag-and-drop editor. Add member areas, e-commerce, and a built-in blog seamlessly to customize your best artist website. Pricing begins at $14 per month including free hosting.
- WordPress – Most Flexibility & Customization Known for powering over 40% of sites online today, WordPress offers artists unparalleled flexibility to build a custom best-artist website. Connect domain hosting to their open-source platform, then select a portfolio-centric theme. Add top plugins to enable the art sales functionalities you need. Expect costs for hosting, themes, and domain registration.
- Carbonmade – Best Minimal Portfolios Favored by designers for showcasing work elegantly, Carbonmade spotlights visuals with their simple portfolio templates. An affordable starting point for student artists or hobbyists, you can upgrade to e-commerce tools. Carbonmade offers the first 3 months free on their Unlimited plan which starts at $9 monthly afterwards.
- Cargo Collective – Top for Contemporary Galleries With sleek, modern designs optimized for visual impact, Cargo Collective helps contemporary artists make a statement. Their styles elegantly adapt to various disciplines from painting and sculpture to photography and graphic design. Pricing begins at $9 per month for pro features like customizable site search.
- Zenfolio – Built for Photographers Trusted by over 29 million photographers, Zenfolio provides gorgeous themes and layouts tailored to galleries. Top features like proofing make them highly attractive for professional photographers with built-in workflows optimized for selling prints. Plans start at $5 per month alongside 15 GB of storage.
- Photoshelter – Specialized for Stock Images & Print Sales For artists active in stock image submissions or those selling high volumes of prints, Photoshelter excels. Expect enterprise-grade e-commerce functionalities alongside tools to track image usage licenses and royalties. Pricing scales accordingly from $8 to over $99 monthly suited to different business needs.
- ArtStorefronts – Made for Online Art Sales ArtStorefronts equips artists with an embeddable site builder focused solely on selling art online. List original works or add a print-on-demand store with drop shipping. For creatives ready to think like an art business, pricing starts at $24 monthly for core sales features.
Choosing Where to Create Your Best Artist Website
Evaluating these top 10 website-building platforms shows excellent options for any artistic niche. Focus on conveying your unique vision as an artist while enabling sales opportunities that complement your career stage and budget.
Remember that no platform can replace crafting an engaging online presence and frequently adding new artwork. Maintain creative momentum by blogging about works-in-progress or behind-the-scenes of your process. Send email newsletters updating fans on upcoming shows or pieces.
Most importantly, leverage your best artist website as a digital space for cultivating human connections around your art.
Key Takeaways for Launching Your Best Artist Website
Building an effective best-artist website boils down to:
- Pick a website builder that matches your skill level, artistic niche, and budget
- Select a template showcasing artwork beautifully
- Write descriptions bringing stories behind pieces to life
- Enable e-commerce for either original or print sales
- Add a blog, email list signup, and social media links
- Create new content and artwork frequently
Also Read – Creating Your Coaching Website With Jimdo: A Comprehensive Guide
Conclusion
Follow this comprehensive guide covering core elements for quality best artist websites when launching your platform. Jimdo is one of the best platforms that you can use to create your dream website. Treat it as an evolving creative hub to directly share your passion while connecting with fans who love your artistic vision. Then start growing your audience online and selling more art! For more information, visit TheWebHunting.
