How Poor Website Navigation is Hurting Your Art Business

Oct 17

Let’s be real—your website’s navigation is either your biggest ally or your worst enemy. It’s the difference between a visitor scrolling through your art or rage-quitting your site in two seconds. And if your menu is a confusing maze, people will bounce faster than you can say “back button.”

The Problem: Bad Navigation = High Bounce Rates

I’ve been deep-diving into artist website audits, and the #1 thing that keeps coming up is poor navigation. Imagine you’re at a concert and trying to find the bathroom, but all the signs are upside down and written in Comic Sans. You wouldn’t hang around for long, would you? That’s how people feel on your site when they can’t find what they’re looking for.

Google Analytics gives you insight into this with your bounce rate. If you’re seeing a rate over 40%, it’s a red flag that something’s off. This could mean people are leaving because they can’t figure out how to get from point A to point B—aka your shop, portfolio, or service pages.

Need to learn more about optimizing your website to lower your bounce rate? Check out this guide on Creating a Stellar Art Website.

How to Fix Your Navigation (So Visitors Stick Around)

1. Separate Landing Pages for Each Service

Stop trying to cram everything onto one page like a sad burrito. If you’re offering commissions, original art, murals, and prints, each of these should have its own landing page. It helps visitors find exactly what they want without scrolling endlessly through your portfolio like they’re trapped in an art-based version of “Groundhog Day.”

2. Keep It Simple, Keep It Clean

Your menu shouldn’t have more layers than an overstuffed lasagna. Keep it tight—5 to 7 clear categories max. If you’ve got an online shop, use logical categories like “Prints,” “Originals,” and “Stickers,” instead of making people search through one giant “Shop” page. For some detailed strategies on simplifying your menu, check out our article on Marketing Basics for Illustrators.

3. Add a Search Bar

Give the people what they want: a search bar. Think of it like a magic wand that takes visitors directly to what they’re looking for without playing menu hopscotch. They want your dragon sticker collection? Let them find it with a simple search.

4. Optimize for Mobile

News flash: over half of website traffic comes from mobile devices. If your navigation turns into a hot mess on a phone screen, people won’t stick around to figure it out. Test your site on mobile and make sure your menu is functional. If visitors have to zoom in like it’s the 2000s, your mobile navigation needs some serious love.

5. Use Clear Labels and CTAs

Use simple, one-word labels in your menu. No one needs a creative menu title like “The Magic Room” when what you really mean is “Shop.” Be clear and direct. And throw in a bold call-to-action (CTA) like “Shop Now” or “Hire Me” to guide people to the most important parts of your site.

And hey, if you’re looking for tips on how to pump out content for your site and get it to rank higher on search engines, we’ve got you covered with this guide on Writing a Blog in an Hour Using AI.

Want More Help? Let’s Chat.

Feeling overwhelmed? You don’t have to navigate (see what I did there?) this alone. Book a coaching session with me, and I’ll help you turn your website into a smooth-sailing, client-attracting machine!

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Dean Rodriguez

Every day I combine my 10 years of design experience to create lettering that entertains, engages and inspires a community near you. The kind of design that’s custom-made to attract your audience through the combination of beautiful letters and handmade illustration.

Over the past five years, hand lettering has been the primary focus of my career. What started as a hobby drawing letters for a few hours every day, quickly turned into a full-time passion doing client work for companies like American Greetings, Wacom, and Penguin Books.

Since 2013, I’ve worked with over 300 carefully selected clients working on everything from apparel design to chalk murals for businesses all over the United States.

Early on I started teaching everything I know on lettering and freelance so I could better understand my craft to help others do the same. I started blogging, writing books, and began to live stream my work on Twitch twice a week so I could build a creative community around my hand lettering.

Fast forward to today, and I’ve named 2017 as the year of art education for my brand. I’ll be traveling the country teaching lettering and the business of illustration at design conferences like Creative South and Design Week Portland. I also recently landed an opportunity at the Pacific College of Fine Arts teaching Illustrated Lettering once a week.

All this teaching means I’ll be devoting my time and skills to just one new client a month. So if you are looking for an artist with a broad range of lettering styles with a proven track record of happy customers, then I invite you to fill out my Project Questionnaire to get started on your next creative idea.

https://womenofillustration.com