Finding Great Keywords For Wall Art: A Beginner’s Guide

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Written By Sam Davis Ph.D.

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Do you need help finding keywords? No worries – we will guide you through the process to finding the perfect keywords for your wall art. Since there are so many different types of wall art out in the world, it can be difficult choosing the keyword ideas that will suit your art best.

Luckily, search engines are not nearly as mysterious as we first think they are. With a mixture of scientific reasoning, luck, and patience, you'll be able to find the perfect keyword phrases for your custom wall art.

If you're ready to learn how to find great keywords, you've come to the right place. By the end of this blog, you'll be able to identify the ideal art keywords for your art business or online art gallery. Heck – even your Etsy shop. Let's get started!

Woman draw a light bulb in white board

Why you should care about keywords in the art industry

In the online world, listing your products for sale is often cheap or free; but the catch is the competition. From online art galleries to mega marketplaces like Etsy, getting your art in front of the right eyes is difficult.

Search engines are one of the best tools an artist has to get their art seen and sold. For example, when you search for “modern abstract wall art” on Google, not only will you find a variety of different pieces that suit your tastes, but also the prices range from $30-$30000!

If you're ready to take your art online, you need to find the right art keywords. When we talk about search engine optimization (SEO) – we often immediately talk about Google. This is because Google is the largest search engine in the world, and it owns the second largest (YouTube).

Finding all the keywords with Google's keyword tool

Lucky for us, Google offers some great tools for keyword discovery. One of the most popular tools is the Google AdWords Keyword Tool. This tool allows you to type in a word or phrase and receive a list of related keyword ideas.

For example, if I wanted to find keywords for my modern abstract wall art, I would give it a few words or phrases that were related, and then just start tweaking the SEO tool until it gave me results that felt good and relevant. I might start with keywords like:

  • art for sale
  • abstract art
  • wall art
  • painting for wall
  • best art for office walls
  • oil painting
  • oil paint art

Or whatever made sense for my artwork. Then, Google might suggest a few keywords. Some may be too specific, but some might fit just right.

The important thing is that you need your keywords to match what people are searching for. There are countless Google searches done every day – you just need to figure out how to match. People searching for “monkey art” aren't going to like your photo of a crocodile eating a monkey. But people searching for “crocodile fierce art” might.

The correlation between search volume and search ranking

One of the secrets to great SEO practice in the art business is finding the right trade off between search volume and relevance. Obviously, what you're selling is “Art” – but you shouldn't just rely on “Art” as your keyword, because it might also pull results like:

  • Art history degrees
  • Art world tours
  • Contemporary art experts
  • Other artist websites

It's just not specific enough. There are going to be a lot of results, and you'll never end up on the first page.

Instead, “watercolor dog art” might be a better way to reach your target audience AND the first page of search results.

Don't forget about your own searches

The best way to pick keywords is trial and error; it's even more important than using Google's keyword tool or any other SEO tool out there. Google Adwords keyword tool will only get you so far. Putting your own searches into the search bar is going to get you much, much farther.

You'll be able to see right away whether you'd be competitive in the search results. You'll be able to see your competition and also key in a little bit better on your target audience.

When you're doing your own searches, it's important to think about what you would type in if you were looking for your artwork. What are the specific things you would want to know? If you were buying your art for your grandma, how would your search differ?

Work WITH – not against – the search engines

Use the free tools that you have to get the most bang for your buck in digital marketing. Also, keep in mind that related keywords may change through time. So do some SEO keywords research every few months so you don't get left behind.

Take a hard look at your own website, use Google Analytics, or even use a 3rd party tool like Marmalead if you're an Etsy seller to pick your art keywords.

BONUS: Irresistible keyword phrases

Tired of typing in your search bar? Here are some freebies.

  • wall art for [[holiday]]
  • art gift for [[relation/family/friend]]
  • [[color]] art for [[business type]]
  • [[adjective]] [[object]] art/painting/sticker

Holidays list: St. Patricks Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Memorial Day, Veteran's Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Birthday, Black History Month, Women's History Month, etc.

Adjective: Cute, adorable, classy, fun, simple, line, beautiful, ugly, scary, antique, rustic, etc.

For example, “cute gorilla sticker” is going to be a great, specific phrase for your blog post, abstract art posting, or sticker sale. It's going to drive more traffic than any of those three words separately, and your competition will be lower.

That keyword may send less traffic, but those traffic sources will be much better.

This is the start, but not the FINISH of your keyword list. Keep working on it, and come on back when you're ready for some advanced keyword tips.

Want even more intel?

My upcoming book, "Bulletproof Marketing for Digital Artists" will have everything you want - and more - on digital art and building your digital business. Preorder today, and be the first to get your copy in January 2024!

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