Artists on the Web Initiative Description #

Part of the AlylaTech’s initiatives project, the Artists on the Web Initiative is a set of goals that AlylaTech will pursue during the calendar year of 2023, starting from January 1.

The Artists on the Web Initiative’s purpose is to help 1,000 visual artists obtain the platform they need to sell their artwork online and to gain the knowledge they need to make their career sustainable. This will be accomplished by achieving three goals, which are:

• To build websites for free for at least 1,000 visual artists by the end of 2023.
• To educate visual artists about how to market themselves and earn more money from their work.
• To educate visual artists about how technology can aid them.

Free Websites for Artists #

There is no question that, in order to reach a wider market, artists need a website. Though there are artists that have the technical skill to build one or the resources to hire someone to build one for them, their are many artists who have neither of these options.

Though there are solutions out there like Shopify, Etsy, and others, they still require initial set up that can be complicated and intimidating.

This is why building a website at no cost for the artist is an important component to the Artists on the Web Initiative.

What Comes With the Website #

The websites that the AlylaTech team build are constructed on top of the WordPress system. This allows for maximum versatility, more efficient maintenance, and easier scalability.

Each website includes:

• Homepage
• About page
• The option to have either a fully functional eCommerce shop or a gallery
• Optional blog
• Optional events page
• Contact page
• Backend access that allows the artist to edit or add content to the website pages, manage the eCommerce shop or gallery, manage the optional blog, manage the optional events page.
• Stripe account to handle transaction functionality

The websites are assembled from one of three templates AlylaTech built ahead of time. All of the websites are fully mobile-friendly and will look good on everything from the size of a cellphone up to a smart TV.

Domain Name #

Though the website will be built for free (a value of $750 at AlylaTech’s standard rates), there are two items that the artist must pay for. The first item is the domain name for the website, which would also have to be paid for no matter what other website solution the artist could have chosen to use.

The artist may chose from a domain name with either a “.com” or “.art” and the fee is $23 per year.

Managed Hosting #

In order for any website to be viewable by visitors on the internet, it must have hosting space on a server. AlylaTech provides managed hosting. The managed hosting is one of the two items that the artist does have to pay for.

The rate is $25 per month and is not only at a discount of the standard rate AlylaTech charges ($30 per month), but is also competitive to the monthly rates charged by other website solutions.

The managed hosting includes:

• 1GB of hosting space (free scalability is included)
• Management and updates to the WordPress software
• Management and updates to all plugins incorporated into the website’s functionality
• Periodic backups of the website
• Monitoring for malware

Educational Webinars, Podcasts, & Other Events #

A very important aspect of the Artists on the Web Initiative is to help educate artists how to make their career sustainable. This is the objective of two of the initiative’s goals regarding educating artists about how to market themselves and how technology can aid them in their endeavors.

AlylaTech will make various resources available to artists. Some of the resources will be produced by AlylaTech, while other resources have been produced by outside sources. The resources will come in the form of videos, podcasts, AlylaTech sponsored webinars, and even live appearances by CEO and founder Shenole Latimer.

Conclusion #

The Artists on the Web Initiative will help many artists to not only gain the tools they need to expand their reach and secure an income stream, but also provide them with the knowledge on how to make their efforts sustainable.