Ok so,  what are H1, H2 & H3 headings and Why do you need to know?

H1, H2 & H3 are simply a way of categorising the headings on your pages and blog posts.

They will do two things:

1. From a design point of view, in setting these up you can specify different sizes, different colours, and different weights bold, italic etc. for each of the settings. In Microsoft word they have a similar thing known as styles which you might be familiar with. In essence, you can specify all the H1 headings to be one way and all the H2 headings to be something else. This is an advantage from a visual point of view cause it means the styling will be consistent across all areas of your site, it will also save time as you don’t have to go in and set this up each time you want to use a particular style.

1. The second part of this is areas of importance for each of the headings.  The rule of thumb is that your most important bit of information set on your page such as your page title is always set as H1, then subheadings and categories flow down from that as H2, H3. Generally, these sizes are different as you go down the line but the important thing here is from a content view,  is the ranking of importance of each of the headings. Google will be looking for bits of content which are coded as this H1, H2, H3 headings and will make a note that this page/bit of content is important as opposed to the paragraphs of text on your page.  Therefore,  when you are creating your content or when you / your designer start to put your page together its important that key bits of  message, content, services should be selected as one of these headings so as to make sure you are optimising and categorising your site giving it the best chance you can being found in Google. Its also a good way to structure for visitors to your site which bits are important particularly if people are “skimming” your site and just checking out what you are about.

Now you know the why we get to the how do you do this?

It obviously depends on how your website is built as to the exact steps of how you do this. A step before this is, when you create your content you should have this mind as to which parts of the content CAN be coded under this structure. Each page should have at least 1 heading coded as H1 which is separate from the main paragraph of text. Try to use your key phrases in this heading.

Once your content is written In wordpress it is simply a matter of selecting/highlighting the text in your editor (just like you would if you were making a section Bold in Word) and choose from the drop-down list above the editing box either H1, H2, or H3 and SAVE the page you are done.

For example of my headings here on this site.

This is a H1 heading

This is a H2 heading

This is a H3 heading

There is also a H4 if you need it 🙂

I hope this explains abit about these headings and why you need it 🙂

The post What is a H1, H2 & H3 heading? appeared first on Belinda Lindhardt - Artist, Designer, Illustrator & Creative Mentor.

Many of my clients do! For some its the last thing they want to do and are happy for me to take the reigns, for others they really want the control to be able to do the basics themselves and I have over the years shown many of clients how to do their own website updates and have me there in the background for the extras.

So, in order to help a bunch of my existing clients and hopefully a few new ones out I have created a new online course on

Learning How to Update your WordPress Website with the Divi theme. 

What is Divi?

Divi is a wordpress theme made by Elegant Themes,  its a super easy to use theme and allows you to customise your site and create an awesome site fairly easily (she says). It very easy to use but there is a bit of a learning process along the way, and there are heaps of tutorials out there, but I wanted to share my NO GEEK SPEEK version of how websites come together and my explanation of how to use Divi.

So this course is for whether you have an existing website and updating your theme or whether you have a brand new website, this will talk you through the ins and outs of how to put things together.

There are over 6 videos to watch which will take abit over 2 hours. I walk you though step by step where to click and an explanation of what each thing  is. I am also avaialble for questions and comments to help you along the way.

If this is something your interested in, head on over to the course website and sign up for the course I would love to see you there! 

https://over-my-shoulder.thinkific.com/ 

The post How to update your WordPress Website with Divi – ONLINE COURSE appeared first on Belinda Lindhardt - Artist, Designer, Illustrator & Creative Mentor.

As an artist myself and a website designer / marketing consultant, you would think I would easily have all this stuff sorted and SHOULD be smashing it out of the park when it comes to my own marketing and I am here to be 100% transparent to say …

Marketing your artwork & being an artist is hardwork and its different to other sorts of marketing & small businesses. I have worked on many businesses marketing and websites over the years and been able to achieve for them some great successes, but i found this difficult to do for myself. After over 20years running this business and over 15 years being a proefssional artist I am not where I thought i would be. I will say though i have invested alot of money in training different processes and systems and been a student of trying things to see how they work and whether they will work for me. Lately after working through a massive #burnout and talking with other artist friends I realised we all are having the same issues but not necessarily our solutions are all the same. Artists are variable, our art is different, our customers are different, our capabilties are all different.  What did discover is that there are a couple of things key things i have missed along the way, perhaps you may have missed them to?

There are 3 things that you have to KNOW inside and out about being an artist & marketing yourself that will help you make decisions for anything else that comes after…

…these things will help you save time, save money & my most important take away will save you the mental headache and overwhelm that comes with thinking that everyone else has it together and the “SHOULDS” of marketing yourself as an artist.

1. Know your difference in your public art & your personal art.

I can’t tell you how many times I have been told that I should do the art I love and the sales and the style will follow, here I am 15 years later, I feel like I could be doing this for another 15 years and still have the same varied range of art styles and not necessarily be any further towards my art business supporting me financially.

Here i am in my 40’s I don’t have time to muck around with this much longer “waiting” “hoping”…. I think this advice is missing something… YES still make the art your love, YES attend workshops, YES is so important to play and nurture your inner artist…. BUT not all of those things have to be put out for “sale” these are your PERSONAL art projects they are your muse, your process these are your PLAY and are so important for doing what you do! But when you come to marketing yourself you are moving into a different arena, just like a curator would curate work for a show, you need to be your own curator and think about the people who come to you for your art.

Your “public art” particularly if you are looking for a gallery or representation in a gallery will be different than the work you do in your studio. It’s so easy just to put a photo up on Instagram or your blog thinking its great but when your collectors or fans see it .. they might become confused if its something completely random or different to the reason they love you in the first place.  Knowing how this piece fits into your public presence is important and something I am going to practice on more from here on out. This is though where it gets a bit tricky, don’t be stifled by this be aware of it. You may decide you love a new series and want to release a series of artworks, or you may do an exhibition of particular theme, this will make more sense to your fans that just a random bit here and a random bit here.

The great thing is YOU get to make that decision, not a mysterious curator who knows nothing about you. There technically is no right or wrong but take it from me who has done the random thing for many years KNOW that its ok to have art that’s just for you! Or just for play, this could make to your blog or to your Instagram to test your market but not necessarily for sale or in your gallery on your site or into your next group show.

#TIP…the second you are marketing your art it immediately becomes about the other person (audience and their relationship to the artwork), not about what you want to create, so remember this – how does it serve my fans / buyers?

2. What do you want your art business to do for you. Contact, Selling to existing people, or do you need new people??

Artists create for different reasons, some want to capture, others want to highlight or convey a message.  That’s all about what the art does. What does it do for you? After you create your art, then what? Afterall, if its not serving YOU the creator then its not going to last very long –  as it doesn’t exist without you!

Are you exhibiting in group show? Or are you wanting to get into a gallery? Or are you installing in a public display to help the community, or are you wanting share with collectors who get you. Perhaps its just a creative outlet then perhaps it doesn’t need to be looked at like a business all its more like a hobby? That’s ok too!!  Does this art sell, is it given away? Is it donated / rented … does it need to cover its own costs in materials, in my case help cover my rent and feed my children or are you wanting make a profit (so that you can create more pieces work bigger/ reach a wider audience) ? Think about what reasons resonates for you, it needs to serve you in some way. Write these things down in a list until you feel clear on the goal. If you like me an go blank every time someone asks you to do something like this, just get a little notepad and put it near your desk and add to it overtime, don’t feel like it needs to be churned out in one session.

I find artists often say they want one thing but really want something else ie. (I will just put it up on my website and see what happens) but really they are wanting this artwork to sell but they are just afraid to say it. This can be about fear or something else. If you want it to sell and make a profit there is nothing wrong with that. If you feel there is something wrong with that… then why?

Imagine yourself about it in 5 years time, you still have the same artwork in your cupboard / on your website that you do now… how will you feel ? …

[bctt tweet=”KNOWING what your WHY is .. will help you make decisions about what happens for your art business and what happens to the art after it created.” username=”creativehardt”]

If your not fussed about selling your art online – I question.. Why do you need ALL of it displayed on your website? You may just want people to contact you because they have heard of you,  really a couple of photos and an email address basically covers what you need it to, doesn’t it? People skim websites these days if they see 5-6 images of your work they will get gist of what your about yes have more if you like but know why don’t put prices on there if your not trying to sell what would be the point in that?

If your wanting to make a bit of money to cover your costs you might need to put a bit more work in contacting your friends and collectors about new work you have done, you have to let them know about your next exhibition. Selling every week might not be your jam but if your vision is to grow your business in that you need new people who don’t have your art already to be able to find you, follow you and perhaps one day buy or come to your exhibition then that takes a different mindset and action to the first artist who doesn’t really care about selling their art or not. If this second option is you then you need to think about ways in your marketing to get in front of these people there needs to be a strategy this isn’t just going to happen if you just post a couple of times on your facebook page and hope for the best you need to actively be behind your business, but you also need time to create your art right? No one said being an artist was easy.. but deciding what you want is the first step. Crossing your fingers and just hoping won’t get you there.. believe me I have been there.

3. What is your commitment level? How much time and what resources & budget do you have?

It’s no good thinking that you want a big shop on your website with 50 artworks for sale if you have no idea how to build a website shop and you don’t want to pay anyone to set this up for you. Then once the work is done and the website is up there is whole bunch of time in getting people to your website and then building their trust enough to actually buy something. Do you have the time to do that or will you be out in your studio making more are? Another part of that, I see often is people thinking oh i don’t want to spend all that money on a professional developer so I will just get my son, neighbour, etc to do it – YES you can use a cheap / free website shop system with a bunch of ads all over it but ask yourself this…

Would YOU feel comfortable parting with your $500-$2000 of your money to buy something from a shop that looks unprofessional?

I often think about a local fish and chip or chicken takeaway shop… if you had 2 side by side one nice and clean beautiful salads and the one looking a bit dated, floor is a bit dirty with old paint on the walls and dirty tiles,  which one would you go into or recommend to your friends for your meal? I don’t think it would be dingy one.  Art is a luxury good it is not a necessity, so you are connecting with people who have money to spend on something they love it, not because they need it to survive!  Looks, presentation and catering to customers needs are much more important in this business than they are if you are providing a necessity that someone has to buy.

If you have resources and the desire to do things yourself then great. Go right ahead, but before you get too far ahead of yourself and getting those artworks on the site with all the bells and whistles because you can. Please go back to point 1 & 2… What do you really need? … Do you need all your artworks on your website, if your not really fused about selling online? No? Then why waste time and energy going there?
Just get a nice contact page with a couple of images, I guarantee it will take you a lot less time and without the headaches and you will likely have the same result as if you build something that you will never update and don’t have the inclination of promoting ?.

What about social media?

Do you detest facebook and have no inclination of being on there and talking to people?

Then why have a facebook page? Marketing people will say well its super important to be on Facebook to reach the people who may want to buy your art… Yes I agree.. BUT if you are never going to go on there yourself and you don’t have the budget or want to pay someone to do this for you .. then its never going to work.  People may message you ask you questions but if you never go in there you will never see them. Your page will be outdated and you will miss opportunities because you haven’t bothered to answer someone’s question rather than because you chose not to be on there. (Replace facebook with any other social media platform in the above statement ?

If you have no idea about how to upload images from your phone/camera to your website, then you will need to decide whether to pay or get someone to do this for you –or just not have photos of your work on your site updated regularly…  see there is a pattern here? Why set yourself up for something you will never do… Life’s too short, and I am sure you would just rather be painting.

In conclusion…

If you have stuck with me so far  I hope so of these things will have at least triggered some thoughts and will help you avoid some of the regular pitfalls I see happening with artist colleagues and that I have also made myself – don’t wait 10years to work these out like I did!

Knowing YOUR 3 things will help you let go of the overwhelm, have a system and concentrate one what matters to you.. making art… it will be different for every single person reading this post… but once you are clear write them out pin them on your wall in your studio.

1. Know your WHY.
2. Know HOW does your art serve YOU.
3. Know WHAT you have available to you or WHAT you are prepared to do.

Pretty soon you will be presented with options that will challenge one of these that’s right for you … they may come from friends, from family members, from other artists, you hear what they are doing and think maybe you should do that too?… you will look at an artist website and think “maybe I should do that”? … you will visit and exhibition and see what they are doing… or check someone new out on Instagram and see how many followers they have and wonder if maybe they have the secret to a better systems than you..you will question yourself…

WHEN THIS HAPPENS remember to GO back to YOUR list you wrote out and ASK…

How does this thing relate to me and my work? How does it relate to what I want my art to do ? Does it serve me? Will this get me further to achieving my goal ?  OR will it cost you in terms of time, money and taking you away from your art and your family! … Remember,  we are all different we all have different reasons for making art and different outcomes we want.. taking on someone else’s reason wont get you to where you want to go it will just take you further away.

You make the decisions and when it comes to marketing its crossing the invisible line that now it’s about your art in the world it’s no longer just about you and the art!

The post 3 things to Know About Yourself when Marketing your Art appeared first on Belinda Lindhardt - Artist, Designer, Illustrator & Creative Mentor.

Are you looking to get a website? Do you have Questions?
Here are some answers to frequently asked questions.

Here are the topics, scroll down or click  to jump to the answers:

• What is a contact form?
• What is a widget and sidebar?
• What is SEO?
• What do I need to know about hosting and domain names?
• What about colours and images on my site?
• I can’t write or I dont know what to write so what about the text?
• Can I add photos/text to the website myself?
• How do I organise my artworks and photos?
• What is WordPress?
• What is Google Analytics and why do I need it?
• What is a theme?
• What is a slider?
• What is a mailing list, and why do I need one?

What is a contact form?

A contact form is a form on your site that people can fill out. The information entered into the form will automatically be sent to your chosen email address. This is preferable if you need specific information sent to you, areas can be added that people need to fill in. An example is on our contact page – see here.

What is a widget and sidebar?

A sidebar is an area to the left or the right of your main content on your website, sometimes especially for artists its good not to clutter the page with extra information and just show the art! However, for the sake of your visitors its also good to have a sidebar on SOME pages to direct them other important information on your site, whilst keeping your gallery clutter free. Sidebars are typically used on a blog or shop page to make the site intuitive to use.

A widget is what is referred to as the components of information that are visible in the sidebar for example you can have a Signup for email widget, a social media widget (where it displays all of your social media icons) or a Recent posts widget where it displays the most recent posts on your site. Widgets are also sometimes placed in the footer (a section of information along the bottom of every page such as on this page) or specific widgets just on your homepage.
As part of this demo we have chose the most relevant and commonly used widgets that most sites use, all are optional and will depend on your practice and visitors as to which ones you can use.
Please visit the blog page to see the sidebar and widgets on this site, these are located on the right hand side of the page.

What is SEO?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation. Basically the search engines ie. Google, would like for your site to be optimized so that they can easily search &  store the information about your site and deliver it to people when they search on google. There are many degrees of specialisation and strategies that can happen with SEO on your website, and it can be really really involved particuarly if you have specific campaign or product you want to launch.
When your just getting started, we recommend that your site be search engine optimised and we apply basic SEO bits and bobs on your site where we can and then if you would like more in-depth strategy that can be worked out later. Ofcourse, if you have specific search engine need please discuss that with us first.

What do I need to know about hosting and domain names?

> Read our post about hosting and domain names here.

What about colours and images on my site?

Some clients are suprised to know that it doesn’t “cost extra” to have lots of colours on your site, but that doesn’t mean you should have every colour of the rainbow either! Your colours and branding will be determined by your logo, corporate colours, feelings that you want the visitor to feel when viewing your site and all about the customer experience. It unfortunately has nothing to do whether you as the owner like a colour or not, if your customers identify a colour with your brand that that should be part of your design somewhere! 🙂

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I can’t write or I don’t know what to write so what about the text?

I am not a copywriter, if you require copywriting services I can put you in touch with some people I know who are excellent at this service. If you are writing your own content or if you are engaging a copywriter yourself, make sure they are writing for a website rather than a booklet or flyer. The style of writing is different on the web, people will read on a screen rather than printed out, they are bombarded by information so writing a website has to be something that is engaging as well as informative, as well as that we like to get little chunks on your topic written regularly to help out those people at Google and help your site become “known”.

Can I add photos/text to the website myself?

YES! Our goal is to supply you with the system setup and ready to go, a guide is supplied on completion of your site to help you step by step on how to add a blog post, add links and text etc. I can connect with you on Skype in a training session to  through it and if your local we can even walk you through it on your computer so you are confident in doing it all yourself. A
Ofcourse, if you would rather not have to think about it and just send it for us to do, we can do that also!
Just check out the Service Agreement Packages and i can take care of all that for you!

How do I organise my artworks and photos?

I love to work with Aritsts as I am one too, and i know all to well the headache that can be in having all of your photos of artworks and details in an easy to use format. Please take a look at Artwork Archive by clicking the link, its one of the best things I ever did the hours i would take everytime there was a exhibition in finding details, finding photos, printing labels… this system does it all for you at a very affordable price.

What is WordPress?

WordPress is the software that is used to run your website, in short its the engine that allows you to update your site without the need for all the code bits and holds the structure for the widgets etc detailed above.

It’s slightly confusing because you can have a wordpress site on wordpress.com servers (hosted by them ie. they control it ) OR you download the software that you put on your own server ie. wordpress.org that you can control it. Again I can’t stress enough it really is best that you have control over your own website, there are a number of  “free” websites that you can get over the internet, it seems simple at the time to go for one of those, but they will commonly place ads on your site in replace of their “free” service, or if they decide to change or upgrade their system or just remove the site completely you are at their mercy.

WordPress software is widely used throughout the internet it can be place on most webservers and there is much support, that why we recommend it. For info visit: http://wordpress.org

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What is Google Analytics and why do I need it?

In basic terms Google Analytics is a tool that you use to track your visitors to your website. Its a very comprehensive tool there is much you can do. You need it on your website as it allows you to see who is coming to your site, where they have come from, what pages they are visiting how long they have been there and what they do when they are there. You want to know this because it allows you to spend time or change things on your website that may not be working for you or see whether people have come from facebook or from google itself and what words they have typed in to get there. Its important if your trying to get more visitors to your website – afterall what is the point of having a website if no one is visiting and you don’t know what they are doing when they are there.

It seems very technical and lots to it and i won’t lie it is, people do whole strategies and campaigns about this. As an artist or any website owner, you want it setup, so that it captures this information. Whether you decide not to look at the info every month, every quarter, every year – Knowlege is power and without it you are going in blind.  I can set this account up for you when creating your website or on an existing site.  Ongoing review of your data  can be done with an SEO report which can be done as a one off fee or as an ongoing arrangement.

What is a theme?

A theme is the look and structure of your wordpress website, there are 100’s of themes available. Themes can include various functions as well as colours, styles etc. We have chosen a very basic theme as most artist websites don’t need to be too funky and tend take away from the art, there is alot of visual elements going on and they can be quite cumbersome to maintain if your not a graphic designer able to create your own graphics. We recommend a basic theme to  start off with such as the one we have provided in this demo. You are able to update your theme at a later date should you decide you wish to vamp up your design. Ofcourse if you have a special request for your website design just discuss this with us before starting sometimes its really easy to tweak a few things before we start, but can be harder to implement later on.

What is a slider?

A an example of a “slider” is shown on our homepage, it is the large rectangles area where photos are sliding in an out in an moving motion.
Having a slider on your homepage is optional, you can have up to 6 “slides” as part of our package which are graphics created at set height and width that will slide in and out. It can be a good idea to have a slider to show off key pieces in your gallery and then directly point people to information about those. Or if you have an event or workshops coming up one of your slides can be a promotional graphic directing people to more information about that.
You will be able to easily add your own slides to the slider if you so wish when your site is live.

What is a mailing list, and why do I need one?

A mailing list is a list that people subscribe to receive further information about you or your art. Not everyone will remember they have visited your website, a mailing list is a way for you to keep in touch with your visitors and for people who are interested stay connected to what you are up to. Mailing lists are really important and there is a bit more than just having a list.
At the minimum to start with, a list where people can subscribe and unsubscribe without you having to do manually add them is an important asset to have. Strategies about how to grow your list and sending information can come later. As part of our package we setup a list for you with Mailchimp. There are other facilities for doing this but Mailchimp is a free service and we setup the account (to your details) send you the login information and add the bits of code to your website so your visitors can signup.
Then when you wish to do more with your list we can talk about that when the time comes. More about mailchimp is at http://mailchimp.com

Still have more questions?

 Pop on over to my contact form and shoot me an email, happy to help!

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The post Websites – Frequently Asked Questions appeared first on Belinda Lindhardt - Artist, Designer, Illustrator & Creative Mentor.

and this is where I like to step in!

When you are trying to do it all yourself, the information out there can be very overwhelming! You will hear so many different things from people, the media and see other people doing things on facebook or on their website, but then when you go to do it yourself  your phone / computer won’t let you do it or you get completely bamboozled on what tools to use or HOW TO do it. Or even if you should be doing it in the first place!

This is where I like to step in! I particularly love doing this with other artists & small businesses but I have helped  community organisations  & individuals just get all that stuff sorted in my practical 1 on 1 sessions. In a session like this it involves me sitting down with you and just talking about what you currently have setup in terms of website, facebook, SEO and any other online systems, as well as the issues you are having in terms of what you want to do, then with YOUR computer (preferable) and phone if desired i will give you the tips and a step by step walk you through on whatever it is you need doing!!! So it is completely tailored to you! People I have done this with come away with a refreshed and renewed understanding of how to continue to manage their online presence but they will be able to do it better & quite often i pass on many time saving tips!

I love doing this kinda work with people as it can give them instant results and to be honest it really feels for me like I have really solved a problem and helped people in their business!

Get practical one on one help with all your web stuff!!

Includes:

• Websites,
• Facebook,
• Facebook Ads,
• Instagram,
• Pinterest,
• How to do better blogs,
• SEO, & anything else online you need just ask.

Targeted for small businesses, artists & individuals I have kept this one quite affordable as i really just love helping people out with this stuff!!

Prices start at $35- inc GST  depending whether you would like 30min or a 1hour session and whether you are able to come to me here at my studio at Umina Beach, Central Coast or if you would like me to come to you. 

If your interested in a 1 on 1 session with me, simply contact me.

The post Now, how to get Help with your webby things appeared first on Belinda Lindhardt - Artist, Designer, Illustrator & Creative Mentor.

The design, aesthetics and content all come AFTER the parameters of how your site will be structured and are planned out. It will save you time and money the more organised you are, and it also means as you won’t have to go back and redo all your hard work if you ensure your site from the onsite contains all of the elements you need it to.

The best place to start is to always think about WHO is visiting your site, and organising things in a language or system that is easy for them to understand, this also needs to be coupled particularly in the case of galleries and portfolios into:

• What artworks you have available and how you work as an artist, ie. do you work on “projects”, in a “Series” or on a piece at a time?
• The type of information you think is of value to the viewer that you will display on your site alongside your art and in general on your site
• How will they flow through the information / categories that makes sense.

For example this could be: –  Do you work in Landscapes could your artworks be sectioned into local scene’s / areas would that make sense? Or do you do Landscapes as well as Abstracts as well as Still Life? We need to keep your site as easy to navigate as possible that makes sense to the most people.  These decisions essentially have to come from you (though I can help you if you need it) as you know your artwork best!  However, sometimes its hard to see outside your art and view it from the visitors point of view in terms of   how they view will see the work and how you will maintain this information in the future (technically, and this is where I will come in).

Here are a few tips that I always recommend people do when thinking about their website structure.

I recommend you have a think about it and write some notes down in an email or paper, in the context of how this website a bit like a flowcart.

1. Draw a box representing each page of your site and think about what will go on that particular page. Start with all the pages/items you will see visible for people to click to from the homepage and work your way down.   Start with the menu items I have on this page: About, Contact, Gallery. etc  Have a go and See where it takes you, thinking about it from a the point of view of a visitor to your website what other information will they need? Do you have a specific process you want to showcase where do you want to show them this ? in the future do you want a blog, a shop? how do you want them to contact you?
2. Galleries/Portfolio – Take a look at the galleries page for info on types of galleries you can have and see how it will relate to your work.
3. Write down all of the words / categories that your artwork falls into. Break it into projects or series or artworks that can be grouped together.  Then simply the list into 3-5 sections. You can have subsections but make sure they are relevant and logical and aren’t too many.

* Its tempting to include lots of information and all of your past artworks, experience has shown me though that you really should only include your BEST artwork and alot of extra information included about artworks isn’t always read by visitors so it might be better to spend time just to give an overall display rather than quantity.

The post Tips for working out what pages and galleries to have on your website. appeared first on Belinda Lindhardt - Artist, Designer, Illustrator & Creative Mentor.

WHAT is a domain name?

A domain name is yourname.com.au or .com. Having a domain name is like when you register your car and you wish to have personalised number plates. Rather than having a generic name given by someone else you can choose to have www.myname.com or www.myname.com.au for your website.
There are a few steps to having your own domain name, it firstly needs to be registered and allocated to an owner ie. YOU. and then it needs to be pointed (delegated) to your website.

Before you start you need to make sure no one else has already registered your name by conducting a search on one of the online domain name searches,  then the steps to have own your domain name are as follows:

1. Register yourname with a domain name provider (these guys are kinda like the RTA, we can refer you to our recommended providers)
2. Then you need to point it (delegate) it to your website which is done through your website host (see Hosting).

If you are getting someone to help you out with your site you then will need to forward all the information to your webdesigner to help you delegate your name to your host.

Any info you receive make sure you print this information out and keep it on file, it is important! Retrieving it later can sometimes be very time consuming!

TIP: You need to chose a name that is relevant to you but also easy to type in and something that will stick in the minds of your potential customers.

WHY should you have your own domain name.

Here are 3 reasons (there are plenty more) but to keep this brief:

1. It looks more professional – and it instills trust that this person /business takes this seriously, think about when you purchase something you will subconsciously wonder can trust them to do the right thing? Having a website is like your shop front or your professional portfolio for artists it needs to look professional.
2. People can easily find you – your domain name can travel with you, if you do alot to market your name as an artist, its common place these days for people to search for Yourname.com. It also is more easily remembered and on your business cards etc is shorter than a long generic name.
3. You OWN it. I can’t stress this enough, if you have it under someone else’s name and they decide to change it (which they can do at any time), then your customers will have a hard time finding you again, all your hard work will have to be redone. If you have your own name (and have all the details registered in your name -read the HOW below on this page) then if you decide to move your website to another host you can .. you are in control.

WHAT is website hosting?

When your website is built it needs to be placed somewhere with a webhost. In brief, hosts have a bunch of computers which are setup to be accessed and connected to the internet.  Typically you will buy a space on a computer which is shared with other people and permanently connected to the internet.  Generally a hosting plan will run for a year but you will receive discounts if you perhaps 2-3 years in advance.

Once you have organised your account with a provider, you will have access to a control panel where you can delegate your domain name, have your email hosted and upload your website to their computer so it can be accessed by people on the internet. It is necessary that you will need to login to your control panel to manage your website or provide this login info to whoever is looking after your site.

In summary to have your website hosted online you will need:

1. A hosting account with a hosting provider.
2. Then setup your email and upload your website to your provider so that it can be accessed by the public.

Don’t worry we can do all of this for you, on your behalf if you are unfamiliar setting up online accounts – see the How below.

THE HOW…

We believe that you should own and control your own domain names, and hosting!

Contrary to most web companies who will set all of this up for you, the problem is however, then they will put their names on the forms and for you at some later date to change web developers, change providers or just do anything without their permission it becomes really hard work! (ever tried to edit the details on a policy that your not named on! – yep its like that!)

We believe that if you have paid the bills,then its yours and to be 100% honest I really don’t need the responsibility for managing YOUR details so I always suggest for clients to register their own domain name and organise hosting under your own details that way you get the bill from the providers and the details that are needed are provided to me to do with it what I need…. before you panic, DON”T worry…

I have resources to help you do this which can point you in the right direction to get all of this done. I have preferred providers who have provided services to my other clients and I can send you the links for you to set that up so you don’t have to go searching around. It can become a bit confusing, and I do also provide the service of setting these accounts for you up on your behalf but in your name.

As a guide, domain name registration can cost around costs from $20 for a two year registration for .com.au domain.
And hosting can go from about $120- per year depending on whether you pay monthly or annually, savings are available for 2-3 years in advance.

WHAT else do you need to consider?

There are a few important things to consider when choosing your host.

1. Cheapest is not always BEST. The thing with web services is that sometimes they go down. You need someone you can count on to call when something goes wrong, typically you will pay a bit more for Australian Hosting Services, but at least you can call them up and get things fixed if need be, and trust me there usually will be a time you need to do this.
2. Will you have multiple domain names or other websites, quite often you can get a plan which will allow you to have multiple websites and domain names under the one account. If this is a consideration its good to know this ahead of time and get a plan that allows you to do this.

Email or phone to discuss this further we will ask you about your hosting when you wish to proceed with your website.

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