Having a blog on your artist website is profitable. Not only can blogging help you sell your art, it can also make your website rank in search engines. However, like with anything else, there are some common mistakes art bloggers make. But you don’t need to fall into those traps. This guide is here to help you avoid the typical mistakes of blogging and guide you straight to your bright blogging future!
If you’ve been visiting my art blog for a while, you know that I don’t get tired of emphasizing how important it is for artists to build their own website. Why?
Because your website is not only the perfect platform to showcase your work and connect with potential buyers. It also makes you independent from constantly changing social media algorithms and platforms that only have their own interest in mind.
Let’s face it. Social media networks make it harder and harder for their users to gain organic exposure. Plus, it’s a fact that social media can actually kill your art career—without you even realizing.
My recent “Social Art Dilemma” on Instagram was only the cherry on the cake, giving proof that the platform has completely lost control over their AI-driven algorithms. All to the detriment of its users.
That being said, your website is your own little place on the web that only belongs to you and that allows you to spread the word about your art. Running a blog on your website will help you do that.
An art blog is profitable—not only because you can speak about your work and attract potential buyers. There are so many more ways to monetize a blog.
But, like with everything, there are some common mistakes art bloggers make.
However, you don’t need to dive into those traps—like I did. You can simply hop over them and skyrocket your blogging success a hundred times faster!
I’m here to help you avoid the typical mistakes of blogging and guide you straight to your bright blogging future.
Let’s do it:
Should an artist have a blog?
As traditional or digital artists, we are used to creating visuals. That’s our job. And that’s the reason why many art websites contain only little text.
However, if you want your website to be found on the web, you must make sure that search engines understand what your website is about. This means you need to give them context.
Unless you give them words, Google and other search engines won’t be able to rank your website on their search results pages.
This is already one good reason why an artist should have a blog: blogging helps you get exposure, reach buyers and collectors, and thus increase sales.
But there are many more reasons for having an art blog, for example:
- You have a place where you can freely express yourself, share your ideas, and grow both personally and professionally.
- You can showcase your expertise and position yourself as a thought leader in your field.
- You can connect with like-minded individuals from around the world, opening doors to exciting collaborations and partnerships.
- As your blog belongs fully to you, you can customize it to reflect your brand’s identity and personality.
Blogging is also financially profitable. Here are some ways to make money from your art blog:
- You can sell your original art.
- You can sell art prints.
- You can sell other merchandise with your art on it.
- You can display ads.
- You can do affiliate marketing.
- You can sell eBooks, courses, and other services.
These are just a few ways to generate an extra income from your art blog.
What are the biggest mistakes art bloggers make?
This is something you might not have expected, but the biggest mistakes that you can make as a blogger is to not get started or to give up too early.
Yes, as a blogger, you actually have to start writing. And that’s the part where many bloggers already fall off the bandwagon. They probably have more than a dozen ideas for blog posts, but when it comes down to writing, they never execute.
Or, they even have written out a handful of blog posts, but they never hit that Publish button—because they are scared of being criticized.
The best thing you can do, in my opinion, is to create a blogging schedule and stick to it. Choose a schedule that works for you.
It’s more important to blog consistently than trying to churn out one post every day. If you can only publish one blog post every week, do that.
What matters is that you set a schedule and stick to it.
The second biggest mistake you can make as an art blogger is to quit. Blogging is a long-term commitment. It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon, if you will.
If you quit already after a couple of months because you don’t see any results, you are making the biggest mistake you can possibly make in blogging!
The main difference between successful bloggers and unsuccessful bloggers is that successful bloggers keep going.
Blogging takes time and you must understand that many blogs start to thrive right around the two-year mark.
So, keep posting and don’t give up!
8 Huge Mistakes Art Bloggers Make & How To Avoid Them
With that out of the way, let’s come to 8 other huge mistakes art bloggers make and how to avoid them.
Art Blogging Mistake #1: You haven’t defined your blogging goals.
When you start a blog, it’s important to have a clear goal in mind. What do you want to achieve through blogging?
Do you want to sell your artwork? Do you want to offer tutorials and courses? Do you want to get into affiliate marketing?
By having a clear purpose, you’ll be able to create content that resonates with your ultimate goal.
Make sure to have a strong why that keeps you going!
Art Blogging Mistake #2: Your blog posts are off topic.
People come to your blog because they expect to find content that is related to your specific art niche.
Ideally, you have chosen a couple of categories around your niche. Do only create content that fits into one of those categories.
Even if you are itching to write about your new pair of sneakers you’re obsessed with or your little cat that’s so cute—don’t do it.
Make sure to provide only relevant content that has to do with your type of art. Otherwise, you will only lose website visitors.
Plus, if you write about too broad of a niche, Google will have problems categorizing your website and not rank it as high in the search results!
- FREE eGuide to the Best Art Niche Ideas For Blogging
Art Blogging Mistake #3: You don't have a consistent posting schedule.
As I already mentioned above, consistency is key when it comes to blogging.
Make sure to choose a blogging frequency that is realistic for you. You might grow your blog faster if you post on a daily basis, but if your content isn’t up to the mark, it won’t benefit you in the long run.
Don’t make the mistake some art bloggers make by posting daily for a month, then disappear for three months, and then start posting again occasionally.
If your audience doesn’t see any new content on your blog for a couple of months, they won’t keep coming back. They’ll think your blog has been discarded and go somewhere else.
However, if your readers know that they can expect new content every week or every two weeks, they’ll come back to look for new posts every so often.
Art Blogging Mistake #4: You write about stuff people are not interested in.
While your art blog is a place for you to express yourself freely and talk about whatever is dear to your heart, it’s a good idea to make sure people are actually interested in your post topics.
Of course, you can just write about what you feel like, without doing any further research, from time to time. However, I wouldn’t do it all the time, because if you write about stuff no one is interested in, it won’t help you get traffic to your blog.
Make sure to actually address the problems and interests of your readers in your blog posts by doing some research beforehand.
Also, be sure to use the words your audience is typing into the search engine when looking for a topic they are interested in—which brings us to the next mistake art bloggers make…
Art Blogging Mistake #5: You don’t do keyword research.
Many artists start a blog and make one of the following mistakes: either, they choose keywords no one is looking for. Or, they pick such highly competitive keywords that they don’t have a chance of ranking in the search results.
One thing you must know is that Google ranks websites according to domain authority. That means websites that have been around for a very long time are more trustworthy in Google’s eyes and therefore given a higher page rank.
If you are a beginner blogger focusing on highly competitive keywords, you are competing with thousands of established websites. As a result, your blog post doesn’t have a chance of ranking anywhere near the top search results.
Unfortunately, most people never look further than the first search results page. In fact, the first three search results get the most clicks. After that, click-through rates decrease dramatically.
Keyword research tools analyze the competition level for each term and give you feedback which keywords are easy to rank for.
Here’s a selection of keyword tools you can use to figure out the best keywords for your art posts:
- KWFinder
- Ahrefs Keyword Generator
- Moz
- Ubersuggest
- Keyword Tool
- Google Ads Keyword Planner
- WordStream’s Keyword Tool
Read more: How To Find The Best Keywords For Artists To Boost Your SEO
Art Blogging Mistake #6: You're not telling Google that you have a blog.
All your keyword research won’t be of any help if you’re not letting search engines know that you have a blog.
Google Search Console, for example, allows you to register your website and to submit your sitemap.
A so-called XML sitemap is automatically generated by your website building platform, e.g. WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, etc., and contains all the posts and pages of your website.
By submitting your sitemap to Google Search Console, you are notifying Google that there is a new website. Google will regularly crawl your sitemap and over time, all your posts and pages will be indexed and ready to appear in the search results.
Learn more: SEO For Artists: 5 Game-Changing Tips To Get Traffic To Your Art Website
Art Blogging Mistake #7: You write in star chamber mode.
This is one of the mistakes art bloggers make when they are new to blogging and feel insecure.
This may also be one of the reasons why you have a number of posts in the queue, but you never hit Publish.
Writing in Star Chamber mode is something that happens to all writers at some point in time. It’s like artists being scared to make art.
We don’t know how people will react to our art or our writing, for that matter. We’re unconfident about our skills and believe people will laugh at us, judge and criticize us once we come out with a new piece of content.
The problem is that this fear reflects in the way we write. Our writing sounds grim and rigid.
If you want your readers to enjoy your posts and come back for more, it’s important to let go off the pressure you put on yourself.
The more you practice, the easier it will get to be yourself in your posts. Your unique artist voice will shine through and you’ll be able to provide more helpful and relatable content to your readers. It’s a win-win for everyone!
Related: How To Build Creative Confidence [8 Tips From An Artist]
Art Blogging Mistake #8: You don't have a newsletter opt-in.
The last but huge mistake art bloggers make is not having a newsletter opt-in on their blog. Your blog is the ideal place to get in touch with your greatest art lovers—and a newsletter opt-in helps you stay in touch with them.
The people who sign up for your email list are those genuinely interested in your artwork and the content you provide on your art blog. By sending them regular email updates, you can let them know about new pieces of art, sales, new blog posts, or special discounts.
The fastest way to build an email list is by offering people an incentive to subscribe. That so-called lead magnet can be a free eBook, a printable, or other freebie.
You can place your email opt-in within your blog posts, in the sidebar or in the header or footer of your website.
More powerful, however, is a pop-up that appears on-screen whenever someone turns up to your blog!
Great platforms to create newsletter opt-ins are AWeber, ConvertKit and MailerLite.
I’m using AWeber for my site and I really like their service. It’s free up to 1,000 subscribers and allows you to create automated mailing campaigns, send broadcast emails to all your subscribers, and have multiple email lists.
- Get the Best Lead Magnet Ideas for Artists in a FREE PDF
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Now it’s your turn! Have you been blogging for a while? Then you’ve probably made some typical blogging mistakes yourself. Feel free to share your experiences and advice in the comments so we can all learn from each other!
Also, don’t forget to sign up for my email list below so you don’t miss out on new blog posts and other cool stuff. ♥
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