Discoverability for Creative Content
/On November 25, the BC Alliance hosted a workshop on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for artists and arts organizations, with a focus on reaching artists and audiences with disabilities. Presenter Barb Taylor has shared an in-depth guide on SEO, accessibility best practices, and other rapidly growing technologies like artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things (IoT). Read below for an excerpt, and click through to the full resource on IMAA.
The recording of the workshop is also available on our YouTube channel – click here to watch!
Artists and art organizations need to connect with audiences. Today, the easiest methods are creating content for computer, tablet and phone, or sharing content on social media. With the growth of device types and internet speed there are many more places content can reach. Audiences would like to connect to content when they want it, how they want it and where they want it. As a result, artist digital content needs to be formatted to reach all these places.
The increase in types of devices such as smart watches and speakers, digital content aggregators and better technology for voice and accessibility means that content can be accessed through expanding means. The development of 5G worldwide will mean that even more data can move faster across available pipelines. On the flip side, there are still places in Canada with little or no internet connection, especially rural areas. Some Canadians access the internet at the library.
In this resource, you’ll learn how to use Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and other best practices to ensure your digital content reaches as many people as possible – including Disabled Canadians. The good news is, the best practice to address both situations is the same: keep content in the simplest form so all can access it. At the end we’ll share some thoughts on what the future will bring and some alternatives to internet giants.
1. SEO
a. What is Search Engine Optimization and Why Does it Matter?
For artists and arts organizations, getting your name and your work out into the world is important, and having a website is one of the key ways to do just that. But what’s the use of a website if nobody sees it?
That’s where Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, comes in. SEO is a set of techniques to help make a website rank higher in search engine results pages (which are referred to as SERPs).
Why does this matter? Well, most people don’t actually go past the first couple of pages of search results. That means that if you want people to find your website more easily through search, you’ll want to make sure it ranks on those first few pages.
Fortunately, there are things you can do to help make this happen.
Keep in mind that SEO is a long-term strategy. Once you’ve started implementing these techniques, don’t expect for traffic to flow to your site overnight. It takes time and patience to see the benefits, and optimizing your website is something that you should keep up with as long as your site is up, especially since search engine algorithms are always changing.
Read the full guide over at IMAASource.
