Artist website: the 8 essential pages to sell in 2026

I've seen artist websites with 24 pages: news, blog, videos, references, workshops given, conferences, international press, local press, Q1 press, Q2 press. Each page adds a dose of confusion for the buyer. The 8 pages I list here are the effective minimum and the recommended maximum.

According to Hiscox data on the online art market, a potential buyer spends an average of 90 seconds on an artist's site during their first visit. If they don't find what they're looking for in 90 seconds, they leave. Your architecture must serve this timing, not the other way around.

First role: position in 5 seconds. The homepage answers 3 implicit questions:

• Who is this artist (1 sentence)?
• What do they do (3-5 recent artworks visible)?
• How to buy or contact (clear CTA)?

No slowly rotating image sliders (it disorients). No philosophical quote in the intro. No autoplay video.

Most strategic page. Grid of all available artworks. Filter by availability (Available, Reserved, Sold, Not available) and by format if there are many works. Each thumbnail must display: photo, title, dimensions, price, status.

Default sort: available first, sold at the bottom (with the mention 'Sold, reference price $X' to document your progression).

The page a buyer discovers via Google. It must contain, in this order:

• High resolution main photo
• Title, year, exact dimensions (in inches and cm)
• Medium (acrylic on canvas, oil on panel, mixed media)
• Price with GST/QST and shipping fees mentioned
• Status (Available, Reserved, Sold)
• Short description (2-3 sentences about the artwork, not the artist)
• Additional photos (details, situational view)
• Buy or contact button
• Link to other similar artworks

Short biographical page. 200 to 400 words maximum. Recommended structure:

• Photo of yourself (face, studio or in action)
• A hook sentence that positions you
• Your background in 3-4 lines
• Recent exhibition venues (without listing everything)
• A personal anecdote that humanizes

Not an exhaustive CV. The CV is on the Exhibitions page.

Your statement in 5 paragraphs according to the recommended structure in impactful artist statement. 250 to 400 words. Not a philosophical essay.

Structured list by descending year. Differentiate:

• Solo exhibitions
• Group exhibitions
• Art fairs
• Residencies
• Grants obtained
• Public collections featuring your works

Standardized format: Year. Exhibition title. Venue, City (Province).

Page compiling your media mentions. Each entry:

• Media logo (without visually saturating)
• Article title
• Short excerpt (1-2 sentences)
• Link to the full article (if still online)
• Date

No anonymous blogs. Only recognized media (La Presse, Le Devoir, Vie des Arts, international media).

Utility page. Simple form: name, email, subject (purchase, exhibition, press, other), message. Direct email address as a secondary option.

Link to your social networks. Studio location (city, not precise address for security).

The pyramid architecture to follow: Home > Artworks (catalog) > Individual artwork (most frequent Google entry). Then About > Statement, Exhibitions, Press. Finally, Contact.

An artwork must be reachable in a maximum of 2 clicks from the homepage. If you put 3 clicks or more, you lose 60% of visitors.

• 'Blog' or 'News': unless you really publish at least twice a month. Otherwise, a last publication dated 8 months ago discredits you. Better: integrate news into your social networks or newsletter.
• 'Testimonials': too commercial for an artist's site, it smells like a coach. Buyers judge by the visible quality of the artwork, not by praises.
• 'FAQ': unless you sell a lot of limited editions or commissions. A basic FAQ can be integrated at the bottom of the Contact page.
• 'Shop' separated from Artworks: creates confusing duality. Better: integrate the buy button directly on the Individual Artwork page.