Why websites matter now

Remember your website? The one collecting dust while your socials scream for attention? Time to reopen that quiet door.

In 2025, your website isn’t a relic, it’s your mirror. It reflects your studio, your tone, your story.

It’s the calm after the scroll, the gallery that never closes, the only space where your art gets to breathe without an algorithm yanking it away.

Social is noise. Your site is silence, and silence, dear artist, reads as serious.

Think of it this way: your site is the midnight studio visit people take when they Google you. It’s where work sits with titles, years, and readable captions. It’s where curators find the right image, where writers borrow your phrasing instead of guessing it. A clean domain says: this artist knows what they’re doing.

Why it pays off

Your website turns curiosity into trust, and trust into opportunities.

SEO helps people find you. Backlinks connect dots. A working contact form leads to invitations you don’t even know exist yet. Start small: swap your hero image, update your last two shows, add that press mention. Then publish. Keep it alive.

What your site does that socials can’t

Context that lasts. Work sits beside its title, year, and materials, not between someone’s brunch and a meme.

A flow, not a loop. Home → series → work → about → contact. Everything connects. No dead ends.

Serious tools. Press kits, credits, hi-res on request, the grown-up stuff curators wish existed.

Your voice first. No sponsored posts, no kittens in hats.

Structure that search loves. Clear titles, alt text, internal links, the invisible proof that you exist.

Proof, not vibes. Real exhibitions, correct dates, a human bio. Socials tease. Your site tells.

What changed since 2020

Socials fade. There’s too much noise. We’re already being pulled to the next thing. Fast, fast, fast. Your website is the calm: no distractions, pure you. It puts everything in one place that feels complete, the work with real labels, a short human bio, a press corner with credits, and a clear way to get in touch.

People arrive on a phone with short patience. The page that loads fast and answers everything stays open. Posts fade. Pages keep working. That is why websites are a thing again. If yours is active, you show up when it counts. If it sleeps, someone else gets the yes.

Proof and visibility

Galleries and curators come to your site to learn about you without the noise. They want a quick news note, a press corner that works, and an About that reads like a wall label that says who you are and what you do, so people get you fast.

That same About also gives search engines the facts they need to index and file you, so you can show up again when someone looks. When dimensions, dates, and materials are clear, it reads as care, not admin. Instagram is a glance; your website is a look.

Backlinks: your unpaid PR team

Most galleries already link to you. The gap is on the artist side. Backlinks you add (and how you add them) create a web around your name.

Back link means Link back!

Make it practical:

Build a Press page. Every show, review, and feature gets a clickable partner name that links to their page about you.
Cross-link your own work. From each artwork, add “More by [Your Name]” back to your Portfolio or About.
Use speaking link text: what this means? Search engines read the words you make clickable. Write links like “Artist Name - Work Title, 2024” and make that exact text the link. Do not use “click here” or “read here”. Those give search engines zero useful reference signals.
Keep it current. Add new press within 48 hours. Check links quarterly.

Want the deeper dive with examples and mistakes to avoid? Read:

Money and tools: the no-drama edition

Building a site used to be expensive. Now it’s drag, drop, done.

Use your name as your domain. It isn’t vanity, it’s ownership. Platforms like Wix, SITE123, or WordPress.com let you start free and upgrade when you’re ready. Stop paying others for tiny edits. Keep it simple enough that you can update it after coffee.

Quick wins for 2025

Essentials
Portfolio with captions. About page. Working contact form.

Recommended
News page. Press section (with “hi-res on request”).

Avoid

Autoplay audio/video — surprises people and slows the page.
Hidden or “clever” menus — if I can’t find “Work” in two seconds, I leave.
Giant PDF CVs — slow to open, hard to read on phones. Put the CV as a page and offer a small PDF download if needed.

Small habits
Swap one image. Add one show. Test your form. Compress images. Send one short newsletter. Add one backlink every week.

Fast options if you want it live today

Wix — Free plan. Most creative freedom and beautiful templates.
SITE123 — Free plan. Fastest setup, no stress.
WordPress.com — Free plan. Best if you plan to blog or share updates.

Free plans include subdomains, tiny ads, and limits — fine for a start. Upgrade when your name deserves its own address.

Appendix: Free builders and trials

Free builders that actually work. I asked around. No paid ad here.

Platform	Key features	Free plan	Ideal for
Wix	Drag-and-drop builder, AI setup, 2500+ templates, SEO tools, galleries	Yes (free forever)	Artists who want full design freedom and visual storytelling
SITE123	Simplified block editing, built-in mobile design, easy onboarding	Yes (free forever)	Beginners who want a quick, low-effort setup
Webador	AI builder, modern one-page design, built-in contact forms	Yes (free forever)	Simple portfolios or landing pages
Jimdo	Minimalist templates, auto design option, store integration	Yes (free forever)	Small portfolios with basic features
Webnode	Multilingual sites, clean templates, AI-assisted setup	Yes (free forever)	Artists showcasing or selling internationally
WordPress.com	Customizable themes, blogging and portfolio tools	Yes (free forever)	Portfolios that will grow with posts, essays, or news

Notes on free plans: You’ll likely have a platform subdomain like yourname dot wixsite dot com and small ads or limits. Upgrade later to connect your own domain for a low monthly cost. All of the above are hosted, SSL secure, and friendly for non-technical users. All important stuff.

Platforms with free trials or AI help

Squarespace: 14-day free trial, strong templates and typography.
Hostinger Website Builder: AI tools, multilingual, free trial, low-cost plans.
Format: 14-day free trial, elegant for photographers and visual artists.

My quick take
Best all-rounder: Wix (flexibility, galleries, SEO on a free start).
Fastest no-stress: SITE123 (live today).
Future blogger: WordPress.com (process notes, exhibition updates, essays).

Go now. Make a new site or fix the one you have. Hit publish. Keep it alive.
Your website is an additional necessity you should not miss out on.
If you dont believe me feel free to ask around.

I’m trying. We all are.

Dominique’s Lost in Translation.
New series every Tuesday.
If nothing breaks, burns, or beeps.

This is independent art writing - no paywall, no ads, no bullshit.
If you value this voice, support it.

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