SEO Strategies for Artists With SEO Expert Henry Purchase
In last week’s blog post, I unpacked whether SEO is just a buzzword or if it genuinely holds the key to unlocking more visibility for your art. In this post, I’m going a level deeper with a special guest, Henry Purchase, a seasoned expert in Squarespace SEO.
Henry isn't just familiar with SEO; he's mastered the art of making his clients’ websites rank #1 on search engines (yours truly included), using Squarespace. In our chat, we tackled some actionable SEO strategies that are practical for any artist's digital toolkit (including keyword research and his SEOSpace Pyramid!). And good news—I’ve included our full conversation here for you to watch!
While this post does talk about SEO in the context of Squarespace, the artist SEO techniques you’ll find will apply to any website builder out there.
Before we jump into the meat of the discussion, if you haven’t yet, check out my foundational post, SEO for Artists: Is it Worth the Hype? to see where we're building from.
Ready to explore how you can use SEO to better showcase your art online? Let’s get to it!
How to Rank on Page 1 with Squarespace: Unpacking SEO for Artists
By the way, these strategies do work for other website builders!
Watch our conversation below to get SEO tips for artists:
SEO Essentials
First of all, I can’t stress enough how having a fantastic and professional-looking website is a foundation (ahem… I can help with this part!) for making the most out of any SEO strategy. In fact, if you’re in need of a rebrand soon and you also want to implement a serious SEO strategy, I recommend you do the rebrand first, so you build your authority on the new website. Optimizing art websites for search engines is much easier when you know what your messaging and website conversion strategies are!
Keyword Optimization (i.e., the map)
You wouldn’t start an epic journey without figuring out where you want to go (well, maybe you would, but work with me here). The way to approach this for your website is to think about what words potential collectors might be using on the Google search bar to find your work.
Once you have those keywords, it’s all about infusing them into your messaging, blending them seamlessly into your website copy.
Technical Optimization (i.e., the engine)
“Just because it’s technical, doesn’t mean it’s difficult” –Henry
This part is about following the best practices so humans and bots can easily read your website
Backlinks (i.e., the fuel)
This is also called Off-Page SEO, and it means getting authoritative websites in your field to link to your website from theirs. This boosts your domain authority, a score Google gives your website that deems what an authority you are in your space. The higher your domain authority, the more likely Google will want to rank you higher on page results.
Henry also mentions Local SEO as an essential component. We don’t go into that strategy in the video, but here’s a link to his post and video all about Local SEO.
↓ Pin for later ↓
Squarespace SEO: Common Misconceptions
SEO works quickly
Henry stresses that it takes time for an SEO strategy to kick in. While yes, SEO can help you reach more potential collectors, it is more of a long-term strategy.
SQUARESPACE ISN’T GOOD FOR SEO
Henry walks us through based on data he has collected, Squarespace is better for 95% of people than other website builders. It’s easy to use and once you have a great website and engaging messaging, Squarespace SEO can work just as well as SEO on any other builder.
Underestimating the Importance of Demonstrating Expertise
Henry explains why showcasing that you are an expert at what you do, telling your story, and demonstrating you’re a real person are keys to ranking on Google. He presents the EAT (Expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness) SEO Checklist to help us stand apport.
The SEOSpace Pyramid Strategy (and great news—it works for any website builder!)
You’ll love Henry’s signature framework to help his clients rank on page 1 of Google. It’s easy to understand and ideal for artists who love blogging, vlogging, or podcasting.
He stresses that only 10% of your target customers are ready to buy from you. This strategy will help you reach the other 90% so you can hopefully nurture them into prospects (like with a solid email marketing strategy)
SEO Keyword Research for Artists
The SEOSpace Pyramid Strategy breaks down the complex world of SEO into manageable, structured layers, each building upon the other to maximize your website’s search engine performance. Here’s how it works:
Pillar Page: At the base of the pyramid is your pillar content. These are pages that rank for “money” keywords used by people who are looking to buy, such as individual product listings, service detail pages (like commissions), sales pages, or shop pages.
Keyword Clusters: The next layer consists of 3-5 blogs added to the website that link back to the Pillar Page and to each other. Yes, blogs are SUPER HELPFUL FOR SEO! The topics for these blogs should be what your target audience, the 90% who are not ready to buy right now, is searching for. These are keys that will help you rank faster.
Finding Keyword Clusters for your Commercial Page
A solid messaging strategy can also help you be strategic about the type of keyword clusters that will help position you as a professional artist. I help my mentorship and Liberated Artist Blueprint clients uncover the messaging they can use to help them identify the best keyword clusters for their SEO strategy and showcase them as authorities in their field of art.
Watch the video for Henry’s examples and the ChatGPT prompt you can use to create a jumping off point for your keyword clusters.
Remember: SEO is an advanced strategy (ya think?) and one that is best reserved for artists who have found their artistic voice and have solid offers. Check out my previous post on SEO, SEO for Artists: Is it Worth the Hype? Here, I give you an unfiltered look at what SEO entails and if it’s the right strategy for your stage in your artistic journey.
Advanced Keyword Research
You want to make sure the keywords that ChatGPT gave you are legitimate. Therefore, Henry recommends a tool called Keywords Everywhere for those artists who are serious about DIYing an advanced strategy. It gives you the number of people searching any keyword you type into the Google search bar per month.
If you see there’s no volume on a keyword, then it’s a sign you should not use that keyword in your strategy. If the volume of a keyword is high, then it will be very difficult to rank for that keyword. You may try to use another. Keywords Everywhere will give you Related Keywords and What People Also Search For. You’ll find great ideas there!
COMPETITOR KEYWORD RESEARCH
Henry suggests a way to look at your competitors who are ranking higher than you to get more ideas for keywords you can use on your website.
Content Creation
The top 10% of people who are top-ranking on Google always have more high-quality (i.e., valuable) blogs. So it’s really important to think about how you can leverage a blog to help you bring traffic to your site.
I’m planning to write a blog post about content writing that takes into account art SEO best practices, so look for that coming soon. For now, watch the video to get an overview of Henry’s suggestions for content creation, so the next blog you write will work to boost your SEO juice over time!
“Don’t strive for perfection.
Strive for momentum and progress.”
Monitor & Improve Over Time
Google Search Console is a must-have tool to help you gather data on your website and SEO strategy. After all, you want to ensure your energy is well-spent! SEO isn’t an intuitive strategy. It is 100% data-driven.
If you’re looking to invest in a Squarespace SEO tool, I recommend Henry’s SEOSpace plugin, it’ll guide you on how to connect your Squarespace website to Google Search Console and you can run reports that will give you actionable items + an SEO score. With a tool like this, I’ve only seen my SEO get better and better!
Use code: MARIANA to get 50% off your first month!
By the way, this post includes affiliate links to SEOSpace, the plugin and audit tool for Squarespace websites, because I own and use it. I’ve worked with Henry since the early days and I love his customer service and pursuit to helping Squarespace website owners DIY their SEO. If you purchase SEOSpace, I will get a small kickback at no additional cost. My art supply fund thanks you!
The Takeaways
It’s important when it comes to your artist website SEO, to do little and often. You don’t need to set aside an entire month to do everything from scratch. Focus on the high-impact tasks first to make things sustainable.
We’ve covered a lot of ground today, exploring the essential SEO strategies for artists on Squarespace with insights from the SEO expert Henry Purchase. From the essentials of SEO to specific tactics like the SEOSpace Pyramid and keyword research, we’ve delved into practical steps you can take to enhance your website’s visibility.
The most sophisticated SEO strategy can only succeed with a solid foundation. If your website or messaging isn't robust, you risk diluting your story to satisfy keyword demands and algorithm preferences.
While SEO can effectively bring potential clients to your digital doorstep, it's the strength of your messaging and the appeal of your website that keeps them there. That’s where the Liberated Artist Blueprint comes in. This comprehensive program is designed to ensure that once visitors arrive, they are captivated by what they see, compelled by your story, and ready to engage deeper with your art.
Ready to transform your online presence into a powerful hub for your art and story? Learn more about the Liberated Artist Blueprint and take the first step towards a more aligned online presence today.
