Name of your website?Daniel MacGregor Studios
Your name?
Daniel MacGregor
Your Location (city, etc)
Brandon
Please give us a short summary of your website?
Our Abstract Art Gallery in Brandon, Mississippi is a great place to buy art online. Choose original abstract art paintings of landscape art, floral art and abstract art by local artist Daniel MacGregor.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
I wanted to have a nice place to present my artwork and sell it to those who are drawn to displaying it in their home or business. It makes it worthwhile to see the pleasure my work brings to my customers. There is nothing more satisfying.
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
I stated my first site around August 2008, when I started selling my artwork. I have since updated the look and feel of the site and plan to bring much more content.
How did you decide on a name for your website?
Most artists use there name, but I wanted to provide a more professional flare. Daniel MacGregor Studios seems to give potential clients a more professional feel than just a guy selling art on the street. Also, when I plan to create other products than just paintings, it will fit nicely within the same site.
What makes your website different from other, similar offerings?
In time, I want to have videos, tutorials and guidance to my customers, not just a basic place to buy art. I want to bring a lot of unique content to my site to provide more interest.
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
My goal is to have my artwork on books, on television shows, in movies and eventually have my own design/line of computers.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
I am doing everything I know how to do to build myself a name locally and develop myself on social networks like twitter, facebook, utube, etc. to generate interest. I know it will happen in time. I won't ever give up.
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
If budget was unlimited then I would hire a company to develop and maintain the site and SEO for the site, while I would be free to simply paint and upload images of my new abstract paintings.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
What a wonderful problem to have. Of course I would...who wouldn't?
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
Trying to get your site noticed is the biggest challenge. It costs some money and takes time to learn exactly what keywords to use and how to get listed properly so you get noticed.
What has been your biggest challenge?
Time and Money. There is never enough time in a day to get everything done. With that my budget is not limitless. If it were I could outsource a lot and just paint...but like most artists, money is tight, especially in this economy and time is limited.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
So far. Nothing. Website promotion on a small budget is difficult; the rules have changed over the years as well as the number of sites. I would say the best method is submiting my site to social networks and to other sites that are created to promote local artists.
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
I thought that after researching and adding my site the correct way would get me noticed, but it has not. I find SEO to be more difficult now than in previous years (or maybe it is just art is saturated online) and that it makes it more difficult to get noticed. Everyone loves the site and the artwork, but I find that very few visit. I have spent some money to optimize and yet it doesn't seem to help yet. But I wont give up, there is a way, it will just take some time.
How long have you run the site already, and how long will you continue to keep it up if you don't enjoy big gains in traffic, income or popularity?
I will continue the site until I stop painting. That may be when they pry the brush from my hand! Seriously, I would not stop painting for anything as there is someone out there that would love to have it. Some may like Landscapes or florals more than Abstract art, but for me I love them all.
How does it make you feel when someone buys your art?
There is no other feeling than pure bliss. To love a piece of work enough to buy it means more to me than the few dollars I may have made. I don't ask a lot for my art, just that you love it enough to being it home.
What is your website address?
Daniel MacGregor Studios
