What is ArtSites.ca?

What do I need to get started?

How easy is it to use ArtSites.ca?

Can I try it out?

Can I change my website after I set it up?

Can I sell my work online?

How many images can I upload?

How much does it cost?

Can a group of artists use a single account?

How can I protect images of my artwork online?

How does the included domain name work?

Who owns the domain name for my website?

Can I use a domain name that I already have?

Is email included with an ArtSites.ca subscription?

How should I use my email address?

Can you provide some examples of email address that I could use?

Can I send email from my new email address?

I've made changes to my website but Google still has my old information. What else do I need to do?

What is ArtSites.ca?

ArtSites.ca is an affordable, easy-to-use online tool that creates elegant and professional artist websites.

What do I need to get started?

All you need is a computer with a web browser and a connection to the Internet. We also recommend that you have digital images of your artwork, a personal bio, and contact information. For more details, check out our Getting Started Guide.

How easy is it to use ArtSites.ca?

If you can select options from a list or fill-in text for titles, descriptions, etc., you can use ArtSites.ca. We have had artists set up professional websites in 30 minutes -- start to finish! For more information, please take our Quick Tour!

Can I try it out?

Of course! In fact, we recommend everyone sign up for our 10-Day Free Trial. During your trial period, you will have full access to all of our tools. Have fun! Experiment! If you like what you create, we will automatically transfer your artwork and web pages to your purchased website.

Can I change my website after I set it up?

Absolutely! We have designed ArtSites.ca to be extremely dynamic and flexible. All of your data, i.e. images, titles, text, etc. are kept separate from your design. So, if we introduce a new layout that you prefer or if you simply want to change the look of your website, select a new layout and/or colour scheme and all of your existing text and images will automatically be formatted with the new look. Want to rename, reorder or add galleries or images, go ahead. Change whatever you want, whenever you want!

Can I sell my work online?

While ArtSites does not have any specific e-commerce features, it is quite easy to add a PayPal.com button, created via PayPal's button creation tool, to the description of any particular work. See the PayPal.com website for details of how to create these buttons.

How many images can I upload?

We want artists to fully showcase all their art. So, we have no preset limits on uploaded images or the number of galleries. We will try to accommodate all legitimate image needs.

How much does it cost?

We have a simple pricing model: $100 per year - No setup fees! For more details, see our Pricing page.

Can a group of artists use a single account?

Yes. ArtSites.ca is not specifically setup for this purpose but it is suitable for a small group of artists to showcase their works. We do ask that any support requests come from the individual that sets up the account.

How can I protect images of my artwork online?

This is a fairly complex topic so we have created a whole article on the subject: Protecting Artistic Works on the Web

How does the included domain name work?

Each subscription to ArtSites.ca includes a unique domain name. We will work with you to choose a suitable and available domain name for your website. Once chosen, we will register and setup your domain name and attach your website to that domain name.

Who owns the domain name for my website?

We register the domain name in your name at a major domain name registrar. If at some future time, you would like to take your domain name to another hosting provider, you may do so and we will facilitate whatever transfer is required.

Can I use a domain name that I already have?

Yes. We will take the appropriate steps to transfer your domain name to our domain name registrar. We will minimize your need to be involved in this process as much as possible. The steps involved in transferring a domain vary considerably from registrar to registrar and often take up to a week to complete. In most cases, we can make arrangements for you domain name to work with your ArtSites.ca website before the transfer is complete so that there will be no interruption in service.

Is email included with an ArtSites.ca subscription?

Your ArtSites.ca subscription includes a small number of email addresses that will be forwarded to any email address you choose.

How should I use my email address?

Generally, you should provide your new email address to those that know you as an artist as well as on any publications or printed matter. For example, business cards, post cards, magazine articles, etc. You can even make this email address your primary email address for all purposes, professional or personal.

Can you provide some examples of email address that I could use?

If your name happened to be Jane Artist and you had chosen the domain name JaneArtist.com for your website, it would make sense for you to have the email address Jane@JaneArtist.com. You might also want the email address Info@JaneArtist.com that you could use on the contact page of your website. Keep in mind that the doesn't care what case you use use in email addresses

Can I send email from my new email address?

Yes you can! This can get a bit tricky and won't work with all email software but it should work with most. Most email software will allow you to set the email address on your outgoing independently from the incoming email configuration. Most Internet Service Providers (ISPs) will allow outgoing email with an email addresses that is different from the one that they assigned to you. While we cannot provide explicit instructions for all email software, in general this change can be accomplished by putting your new email address into your email software's account configuration under "E-mail address". If you do this, make sure you make note of what was in that field before you change it. After making the change, send a test email to yourself to see that it gets through.

I've made changes to my website but Google still has my old information. What else do I need to do?

Generally speaking, nothing. Google only updates information about your website every once in a while. The exact frequency is something that Google adjusts based on a lot of factors but it seems to be somewhere around a week. If you are in a hurry to get your updates into Google you can go to https://google.com/addurl/ and prompt Google to update your information. This may not get your changed information into Google any faster but it won't hurt.