Websites Are Back: Why Artists Still Need One

Do Artists need a Website and Why this matters now

A website is the quiet room where your work can breathe while the feed sprints by.Why bother? Because galleries and curators need a quiet place to understand you.

I want the edge

Let’s talk about your website. Cobwebs, hello.
Your socials, your insta, your headache, sprint past at full volume. Your website, that quiet page sits there like a museum room after closing. That is why it is becoming attractive again.

You step in and the work finally breathes. No push, no ping, no pile of comments flying by at the speed of light, distraction level high.
Just you and the work, peace, and appreciation.

I guess you’re just thinking, Oh no, not one more thing to work on.

Is it really worth the effort? My short answer: A room that frames the work, not the noise, is a win. So yes, it is worth it, absolutely.
And it is not rocket science-promise. It just needs a little bit of time, and a wee bit more care.

Fact is, and I promise you it is true in 2025, websites are no longer a relic, they are a thing. A mirror. Studio, tone, story.

A curator wants facts, not vibes.

Your website is the white wall your work deserves, not a queue of emojis. When someone searches your name, that calm page can be the place where decisions begin.

A curator wants facts, not vibes. A collector wants clarity, not a scavenger hunt. Your site is where they get both.

Read also Why Your Home likes your posts first

Picture this: your website is the midnight studio visit people take when they search for you. Works sit with titles and years. Captions are readable.

The right image is easy to find. They want context. Your titles, captions, and a short bio show where the work is coming from. They want to get in touch easily, no DMs that get lost, clear and simple, them to you.

You know it is true. Proof lives on pages, not in posts.
Posts fade. Pages keep working. But you have to do it right. A small news note that is not from years past. A press corner that tells us how others see you.

An About you page that reads like a wall label. Who you are. What you do, it matters. Search uses it to understand and file you, and people use it to understand you at a glance. Clear dimensions, dates, and materials read as care, not admin.

Instagram is a glance. Your website is a look.

Can’t say it enough: link back, people.

The quiet multiplier you keep forgetting.
Confession: I ignored backlinks once.

You have to see them as signposts leading to your door. When partners mention you, they point to you. It is clear etiquette to say thank you and point back.

Link Internally too. If you mention your top exhibition, fair, or feature, link to it, on your site. Point from about to work or news and back.

Think Polaroids on a studio wall. Add the strings. Let people see the story.

There is something a website can give you that social cannot: context that lasts, a clear path that connects, your voice first.

It is the place for professional needs like a press corner with credits and a simple way to request images. Structure it so search can read it. Proof, not vibes. The social feed flirts. The site commits. Think lighthouse, not billboard.

Swimming, not sinking
I am not perfect. I procrastinate. I forget to swap the hero image. I try again. The site rewards small honesty. One image replaced. Two dates updated. One new link on the Press page. A quick check on the About page, does it still sound like me. Publish. Keep it alive.

Quick tips, if you want them

Top rule for being found: use speaking links.

If your link says nothing, you fade. Make the clickable words say what is behind the click. Link the title, not “click here.”

Real names, real titles. Think “Mara Ilyas: Rooms That Breathe” for an article, or “Jonas Varga: Folded Light, 2025” for a work.

Make that exact phrase the link. Then keep the trail alive. About points to Portfolio and Contact. Press shows real headlines that click out.

Each work links to a related work, back to the series, and back to About. No dead ends. Still unsure, quick explainer here: Backlinks: The One Click That Changes Everything (see here that's the perfect example.)

Blue pill is applause. Red pill is context. Pick your reality.

This is not a movie. You can take both. Keep the feed for noise and reach, keep the site for calm and decisions.

Give the work a quiet room so it can speak.
Your site holds the frame while you make the art.

Open the door, tidy the room, leave the light on.
If a yes walks in, let it find you.

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

Learn more about Membership