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Message
Posted
You built a website from scratch - haven't got any tips have you, because I'm faced with the probable necessity of doing the same, for reasons with which I shall not bore you - (other than to say someone else set it up, I've lost contact with him, and I don't know the password to get into it).
I am not of an age at which these things come naturally to me - 70 has come, and been overtaken.....
Posted
Robert, when I first built my website there were very few ready-built options available and learning HTML, PHP, CSS and the like really stretched my one brain cell. I was in my mid-fifties then and that was 20 years ago. Things have changed a lot since then. These days there are several good "drag and drop" sites which you can build very easily without having to learn all the technical stuff. I really enjoyed building my site the hard way. It distracted me from my art for a long time but I had a huge sense of achievement when it started getting visitors. In my opinion, building from scratch now is only really an option if you want something new to get your teeth into.
My advice, for what it's worth, is to do all you can to get the password for your site so all you need do is learn how to maintain it. Failing that, there are two very good "drag and drop" options .... a website template and a blog. Blogs are very easy and allow you to comment frequently on your work as well as display pages of your art. Mine is with Google Blogger but there are many others including Wordpress.
Weebly provide very good website templates where you can choose a basic design and then drag and drop your art (and articles) into it. It's perhaps a little more involved than a blog, but it is infinitely more versatile.
I don't know what the rules are with regards to posting external links but I will happily show you my sites if it's permitted. I'd also be happy to look at your existing site to see if I can add anything to what I've already posted. I'm very happy to help in any way I can.
Posted
Robert, I created my first website (now defunct) from scratch about 20 years ago - I simply bought myself a book on HTML3 and taught myself coding, the slow way. Things have got much less simple since then, so when I had a need for a new website last year (www.tonyauffret.com) I used Wix. Despite also having passed 70, it wasn't too difficult to get my head round and it's quite easy to update, though I usually have to relearn how to do so, but that's just poor memory. The disadvantage of course it that it costs pennies - well pounds more than pennies but you know what I mean. My first site was essentially free as my Internet Service Provider package included to option to host my own site and I didn't go as far as to buy my own domain name (= personalised website address).
Edited
by Tony Auffret
This post has been removed as it violates our forum rules and guidelines.
Posted
Gentlemen - thanks very much for this advice, I either forgot to thank you at the time or maybe didn't even see it. I've not done anything about the site yet - which is par for the course for me, I'm afraid - but thinking about it: I do have a blog, which I suppose is a website of sorts, minus bells and whistles; the snag lies in getting anyone to visit it. I have two Facebook accounts, which irritates me because I hate Facebook (shh - don't tell Zuckerberg); I don't use Instagram, having no great desire to share space with soft and not so soft pornography; and as for Twitter/X - just no. I left that cess-pit even before the Musk creature bought it.
Point is - the blog pleads for attention but doesn't get it; people seem to go to Facebook just to chat, or seek free advice; I have sold a few things from there, but nothing hugely profitable; I did get a commission from it. The trick I seek to find an answer to is - revive the website or get a new one; and then - find ways of publicizing it to those prepared to dip into their bank accounts. The "easy" answer would be just to book a hall and exhibit, but - there's physical work there that I need a lot of help with ...
We shall find a way through. Somehow, sometime, and preferably before death supervenes.......
Posted
My website gets few visitors (barely 100 per day) and my blog gets even less. It doesn't matter a lot to me because my work isn't saleable so I'm not seeking to make any earnings from either. Though I maintain a small Facebook presence, it's only to share my art with family and friends. As for the other platforms you mention, I'm with you. Yuk!!!
If it's the sale of your art that is your prime concern, then have you considered platforms such as Etsy and Redbubble? I have no knowledge of the latter but I do have artist friends who use Etsy. It seems like a reasonable way of displaying your art in a place where it will probably get seen. I understand it's very easy to open and maintain an Etsy shop and I thought I could sell my work it's the first place I'd look at. Just a thought.
Oh, and as an afterthought, Google allow you to create a website on their platform using their tools and facilities, and it's all for free.
Posted
Hi John,
I'm new too and following a very similar pathway. It's so good to find others on a similar journey. I recently retired and have been trying my hand at different crafts. I have dabbled with acrylics and have recently taken up watercolours. i just wanted to say hello and wish you well with your pursuits.
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