Website Builders for Artists: Design, Sell & Grow Online

Creating art takes heart and hard work. But once the piece is done, the next challenge is getting people to notice it. Building a career isn’t only about your skills with a brush or pen. It also takes a strong online presence to reach a broader audience.   

A website is your gateway to growing online. In fact, 23% of online creatives and 41% of paid online artists have seen significant career growth because of their web presence. Still, many artists hesitate to start a web platform due to the technical side—designing, building, and maintaining a website—that seems too overwhelming.  

Luckily, website builders are here to help. They provide an easy way to create an incredible online gallery, even if you’re not tech-savvy. 

In this post, we’ve scoured the web to bring you the top 5 website builders perfect for artists. We’ll break down the five best options, their features, and how they work. So, regardless of your art form, you’ll know exactly what to look for and which of them is the best website builder for artists like you. 

5 Top Website Builders for Artists 

Having the right website builder can help you share your work with the world and attract audiences. It lets you create your own website without needing expert help from a web developer or a web designer. Here are some of the best website builders you can find in the market.  

Platform	Best for	Key Features	Pros	Cons	Pricing
Web.com	Artist portfolios on a limited budget	-Budget-friendly pricing -Drag-and-drop editor -Artist-specific templates -eCommerce integration AI tools	-Cost-effective -Easy-to-use -AI tools for optimization -Good for small portfolios	-Limited advanced customization -Not ideal for complex eCommerce needs	–Budget-friendly plans starting at $4.99/month -AI website builder free trial available for 30 days
Hostinger	Ease of use and customization	-easy drag-and-drop builder -AI design suggestions -Visitor heatmaps -Responsive templates	-Beginner-friendly -Intuitive tools -Affordable plans -Fast-loading responsive sites	-Limited scalability for large businesses -Fewer advanced features	-Affordable plans starting at $2.49/month -Free trial runs up to 30 days
Wix	eCommerce and growth	-Robust eCommerce tools -Artist-friendly templates -Seamless shopping experience -Sales-boosting tools	-Strong eCommerce features -Wide variety of templates -Easy setup for promotions and discounts	-SEO capabilities are less robust -Costs can add up with add-ons.	Free plan available paid plans start at $17/month
Squarespace	SEO and social media	-Powerful SEO tools -Seamless social media integration -Mobile-responsive -Customizable templates	-Excellent SEO tools -Stunning templates -Streamlined social media integration	-Limited advanced customization -Not ideal for complex eCommerce needs	With a 14-day free trial premium plans start at $16/month
Shopify	full eCommerce setup	-Advanced eCommerce features -Inventory management -Multi-channel selling -Shopify POS -Scalable growth	-Powerful tools for large-scale eCommerce -Excellent for scaling businesses -Vast app integrations	-Steep learning curve -Design tools focus more on functionality than creativity	-No free plan -With a 3-day free trial plans start at $29/month

Web.com: Best for Artist Portfolios with Limited Budget 

Web.com is an excellent place for budget-minded artists who want sleek and striking designs. This website builder combines affordability with customizable and beautiful templates alongside easy-to-use tools. 

Key Features 

Design and Templates

Web.com offers a wide selection of pre-designed templates tailored for artists. These templates are visually appealing, customizable without coding, and easy to edit with the drag-and-drop editor. You can adjust layouts, colors, and fonts or add images and art galleries to match your brand.

Cost-Effectiveness

Web.com offers transparent, budget-friendly pricing starting at $4.99 per month. It supports high-resolution images to showcase your work and provides customizable galleries for organizing your portfolio. Its flexible plans come with no hidden fees, so you only pay for the features you need. 

Ease of Use  

Web.com boasts a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface. This intuitive website builder allows artists of all technical skill levels to build and modify their websites with no fuss or muss. You don’t need to be a web designer to create your desired layout. Just drag and drop items such as images, text, and galleries. That easy!  

Customization  

Web.com integrates helpful AI tools like an AI site builder, AI writer, and AI logo builder. These advanced website-building tools can automatically suggest design elements based on your style. Not only does this give you more control, but it also helps optimize your site’s performance for a better user experience. 

Additional benefits: 

eCommerce Integration

If you plan to sell art online, Web.com offers built-in eCommerce features that let you launch an online store straight from your website. Not only that, but it also allows you to manage your inventory and handle secure transactions with SSL certificates.

SEO and Marketing Tools

Web.com provides SEO and marketing tools to help visual artists expand their web presence and attract a larger audience. With that, the platform helps refine your content with targeted keywords while using email marketing and social media to bring in more visitors. 

With these cost-effective solutions, artists can easily build websites, manage online stores, and reach a wider audience. And no doubt, you can take your creative freedom far online. 

Hostinger: Best for Ease of Use and Customization Options 

Hostinger is perfect for beginners with no coding experience. The platform simplifies website building—eliminating the need for a professional developer. With just a few easy steps, you can set up a site and start showcasing your art. 

Key Features 

Easy Drag-and-Drop Builder

If you want to build a visually appealing artist website without any coding fuss, Hostinger is a user-friendly option. Simply drag, drop, and place elements in your site exactly where you want them.

AI Design Suggestions

If you’re stuck on a design, you can let Hostinger’s AI tools offer layout and style ideas tailored to your artistic vibe. It’s like having a web development assistant on hand.

Visitor Heatmaps

The platform empowers you with the ability to find out where people click and scroll the most. You can use these insights to improve your artist website layout and content. 

Design and Templates 

With Hostinger, you can create a website that feels uniquely yours. This website builder includes AI-powered features ready to take the hassle out of tweaking backgrounds, adding images, and bringing your artistic vision to life—even with little to no technical knowledge. 

eCommerce Features 

If you’re selling online, Hostinger’s Business Website Builder plan has the tools you need. It offers secure payment options and user-friendly eCommerce tools that allow you to set up your online store with perfect simplicity. However, while the features are reliable, the platform’s scalability might feel limited compared with other website builders. 

Mobile Optimization 

Hostinger’s responsive templates help artist websites look great and work well on mobile devices. Since most people browse on their phones, this feature improves accessibility and navigation. 

With all these factors considered, Hostinger is an excellent choice for artists and small businesses looking for a simple, customizable website builder. Its user-friendly features and responsive design are the perfect solution that gives your art pieces a digital home that connects you to a wider audience. 

Wix: Best for eCommerce and Growth 

Wix is perfect for artists selling online as it simplifies setting up a store, managing products, and accepting payments. With a Wix site, you can beautifully showcase your art while easily reaching new customers. 

Key Features 

Robust eCommerce Functionalities

Wix delivers a broad array of templates designed specifically for artists selling online. The platform also ensures smooth browsing with a quick and hassle-free checkout. Customers can pay using digital wallets, cryptocurrency, or buy-now-pay-later options. Wix tailors payment provider options based on your location to simplify transactions for you and your buyers. 

Discounts and Promotions

Wix provides tools to set up discounts and promotions that can help boost sales. You can create discount codes to encourage purchases, offer coupons for special deals, and run promotions to draw in new customers while maintaining interest from existing ones. 

Sales-Boosting Tools

Wix’s built-in features and the Wix App Market include tools like email marketing and social media integration to increase visibility and grow your audience. 

Customizable Online Stores  

Wix is equipped with a drag-and-drop editor that lets you add art galleries and set up online stores with ease. Its Store Manager feature also enables you to keep track of orders and inventory. 

Security and Copyright 

This website builder provides strong SSL encryption for secure transactions. And if you’re worried about theft, Wix allows watermarking and image setting to help protect your artwork. 

Marketing and SEO Tools 

Wix offers a solid set of SEO tools, such as the Wix SEO Wiz. However, while this tool helps you enhance your site’s visibility in search engines, some users report that Wix is not as robust in SEO as other website builders. 

With the platform’s powerful eCommerce tools, artist-friendly templates, and built-in marketing features, a Wix site is a definite tool to sell art online.  

Squarespace: Best for SEO and Social Media  

Squarespace is perfect for artists and small businesses given its ability to combine ease of use with visually appealing results. It offers customizable templates, eCommerce tools, marketing features, and built-in analytics—besides its seamless Google Analytics integration. But what makes it stand out is its ability to help artists, small businesses, and bloggers enhance their search engine visibility and strengthen their social media presence. 

Key Features 

Powerful SEO Capabilities

Squarespace comes with built-in SEO support to increase your site’s online visibility. With its advanced SEO tools, you can edit URLs, meta descriptions, and alt text to optimize your content. Squarespace also generates SEO-friendly code automatically that not only helps with search rankings, but it also helps showcase your artwork to a wider audience effectively. 

Seamless Social Media Integration

Squarespace allows you to sync your site with your social media accounts easily. You can display your Instagram feed directly on your site, so visitors see your latest posts without leaving the page. You can also link multiple social media profiles to encourage engagement and grow your audience. 

Design and Templates 

Squarespace offers customizable, beautiful templates that emphasize visual content—perfect for artists and creatives. All designs are also mobile-responsive, which makes your artist website look perfect on any device. 

Ease of Use 

Squarespace helps you build a website easily, even if you’re new to it. Its drag-and-drop editor simplifies the design process, while its AI-powered design assistance offers personalized templates to help you create a professional site quickly. With over 180 stunning templates to choose from, you can design a polished and unique website without much hassle. 

With all these features, it’s clear that Squarespace is ideal for artists and small businesses, especially with its powerful SEO tools and seamless social media integration. It helps improve search rankings, engage with followers, and present your work with ease. 

Shopify: Best for Full eCommerce Setup 

Shopify is the ultimate website builder for a full-fledged eCommerce setup, making it a perfect choice for growing businesses. With its advanced capabilities and user-friendly interface, Shopify handles everything from product listings and secure checkouts to shipping and marketing. It’s also packed with powerful sales features that allow you to manage your store efficiently as it scales. No wonder millions of businesses around the world trust it to get the job done—and your own site can be next. 

Key Features

Powerful eCommerce Capabilities

Shopify excels as a robust eCommerce solution with tools tailored for online selling, not only for simple sites but also for a professional artist website. It comes with: 

• Inventory management to help organize and track art pieces and merchandise easily. 
• Integration with numerous sales channels, including social media and marketplaces. 
• Support for Shopify POS hardware for in-person sales. 
• Advanced tools like apps for bundles, subscriptions, and customer reviews to improve shopping experience and increase sales. 
• Robust shipping solutions and built-in options for customer reviews. 

Design and Templates 

Shopify’s design features are built to create highly functional and efficient websites for businesses and retailers. For artists, this offers a significant advantage as it helps them simplify sales management and scale their creative business effectively.  

Ease of Use 

Shopify’s interface reduces the complexity of managing orders, inventory, and sales channels. This makes the platform a practical choice for artists running galleries or online shops. It may have a steep learning curve at first, but its dashboard becomes easy to navigate with a little practice. 

SEO and Marketing  

Shopify provides built-in SEO features and integrates well with email marketing tools. It also has a vast app market with tools for promotions, customer loyalty programs, and reviews. Plus, its AI-powered tools, like Shopify Magic, assist with generating product descriptions and optimizing the product listing process, which further streamlines marketing efforts.  

With Shopify’s complete solution, you can launch and manage your online store without frustration. Its advanced tools help you manage sales, marketing, and inventory so you can focus on running your business. 

Key Features Artists Need in a Website Builder 

A great website builder helps you showcase your art, attract visitors, and grow your online presence. With the best features in place, you can focus on creating while your website takes care of the technical side. Let’s get to know what these features are: 

Image Management 

Images are everything. As an artist, images will tell your story, highlight your creativity and draw people in. That’s why you need a website builder that guarantees hassle-free support for the following:  

• Upload in high quality: Your work deserves to be seen at its best. Make sure you have an artist website that has the capacity to handle large, high-resolution files without slowing things down. 
• Keep it optimized: A good website builder ensures your images load fast while still looking sharp. Visitors won’t wait around for slow pages. 
• Easy organization: You should be able to arrange your images into simplified art galleries or portfolios easily. Drag, drop, and display them exactly how you want. 

Remember, at this point, your art is your focus, not the technical stuff. Pick a platform that takes care of all the relevant details so you can focus on creating and sharing your work effectively. 

Search Engine Optimization  

SEO or search engine optimization helps your work show up in search results on platforms like Google. Although the thought of it may seem daunting, it’s actually simpler than it sounds. Here’s how you can start: 

• Use descriptive titles: Give your artwork clear, meaningful titles. Consider what people would search for, like “oil painting of a sunset” or “abstract watercolor art.”
• Add image descriptions: Write descriptions for each image, describing the medium, colors, or theme. This helps web services better understand and rank your content. 
• Keep file names simple: Name your image files descriptively, like “beautiful-forest-landscape.jpg.” Search engines love this. 
• Share your story: Add a bio, blog posts, or descriptions that share your creative process. This will help visitors and search platforms connect with your work. 

SEO makes a big difference with your online presence. Use it properly so you can connect your art with the people who want to see it. That’s the goal, right? 

Social Media 

Your website and social media should work together like a team. A good website builder makes it easy to connect your site to platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. This helps you reach more people and keep them engaged with your work. This way, you can: 

• Showcase your feed: Embed your Instagram or Facebook feed directly on your website. With this, visitors can see your latest posts without leaving the page. 
• Add social buttons: Make it easy for people to follow you. Use clickable buttons that direct visitors to your social media. 
• Share with one click: Look for tools that let you share new art, blog posts, or updates straight to your social platforms. 

Your audience is already on social media. When you link your website and social accounts, you can share your art in more places and build stronger connections with your followers. 

Security and Copyright Protection for Artist Websites  

A website should do more than display your art—it should also keep it safe. The best website builders offer built-in security features that protect your work from theft while allowing you to confidently share it. Here’s what you need to know: 

Protecting Art 

Your art results from your hard work and must be protected no matter what. The best website builders offer tools to keep your work safe while still showcasing it beautifully. These are the necessary features to consider: 

• Watermarking: Make sure your website builder allows you to stamp watermarks on your images to prevent unauthorized use. This is a simple way to mark your work as really yours. 
• Password-protected galleries: If you wish to share art privately with clients or collectors, lock your galleries with a password so only the right people see them.
• Secure hosting: A hosting provider with strong SSL encryption keeps your website and content safe from online threats. Be sure to select the right hosting service.  

Your artwork deserves to be shared and flaunted. But keeping it safe is just as important. With these tools in mind, you can protect your work from theft or misuse while showcasing it with confidence. 

Secure Payments and Customer Data 

When you sell art online, payment and customer information safety must be a top priority. The right website builder should be able to offer you reliable, built-in security features, which is a huge plus for both you and your customers. So, look for a hosting service with:  

• SSL encryption: SSL certificates protect your transactions by keeping payment details and personal data secure. These also prove your artist website is trustworthy, making anyone who browses and shares information trust you with the sensitive details they share. 
• Trusted payment options: The best way you can give buyers peace of mind is to ensure you have secure payment options like PayPal or Stripe. Make sure that your website builder plan includes support for these features.
• Data privacy: Customer information must be handled securely. Your hosting service should protect any personal data collected or shared from leaks or breaches. 

Make sure your customers feel secure when buying from you. Trust goes a long way, so don’t just focus on your art. Ensure you have the right tools to make every sale safe, smooth, and professional. 

Pricing: What You Get for Your Money  

Building a website doesn’t have to be expensive but free website builders come with trade-offs. While they let you start without upfront costs, they limit customization, storage, and creative inputs. 

Upgrading to a paid plan unlocks better tools, more flexibility, and a professional look. If you need an affordable option or a full eCommerce solution, be sure to choose the right plan to get the best value for your needs. Here are important details to note: 

Free Versions 

If you’re on a tight budget, free versions are a great way to get started without any upfront costs. Many platforms offer free plans, but they come with limitations. Here’s what you can expect: 

• Basic features: While a free plan lets you build a simple website with tools like drag-and-drop editors and pre-designed templates, it doesn’t give you a lot of choices.
• Limited customization: You’ll often have fewer design options, and some platforms will display ads on your site. 
• Storage and bandwidth caps: Free versions usually come with limited storage and slower loading speeds. That’s why a free website builder isn’t an ideal option for large portfolios. 
• No custom domain: Whether you’re selling or just blogging, it’s well worth the effort to have a unique web address for your own site, especially for branding. Consider investing in your own domain. Register a well-thought-out domain name that reflects your art, style, and business. 

If you want to test the waters before actually building your artist website, it’s wise to opt for a free trial. This gives you the opportunity to explore the platform and see if it works for you. If satisfied with the tools, you can upgrade to a paid plan. This provides you with more control, better tools, and a polished look for your site. 

Paid Plans 

When you’re ready to invest in your website, premium plans provide more tools and greater flexibility to promote your art. Entry-level plans offer a strong foundation with ad-free websites, extra storage for images, and simple templates. Mid-tier options add advanced features such as eCommerce tools, more storage for high-quality images, and customization options to make your site truly yours. For artists looking to scale, higher-end plans provide unlimited storage, advanced sales tools like inventory management, and priority customer support. 

A paid plan allows you to create a website that reflects your artistic style. And with the right setup, you can engage with a wider audience and grow your art career online. 

Value Comparison 

When comparing website builders, make sure you get the most for your money. Different platforms shine in different areas, so here’s a quick breakdown to help you decide:

• Budget-friendly options: Platforms like Web.com and Hostinger offer affordable plans with features like beautiful templates and scalable storage.  
• Mid-tier value: Wix and Squarespace stand out here as they offer artist-friendly templates, eCommerce tools, and enough storage to showcase high-quality images. You also get helpful marketing features like SEO tools and social media integration. 
• High-end plans: If you’re serious about selling, Shopify offers the best eCommerce solution for inventory management, secure payments, and scaling your store. 

If you need a balance of affordability and features, pick a website builder that offers the best value for visual artists. But if selling art is your priority, Shopify is a good option. 

Choose the Best Website Builder for Your Artistic Journey 

Finding the right website builder depends on where you are on your artistic journey. If you’re just starting out, platforms like Web.com, Wix, and the other builders mentioned above offer easy-to-use tools and straightforward portfolio setups. With their incredible AI tools, you can create a professional site quickly, even without technical skills. 

For artists ready to expand and sell their work, platforms like Shopify provide powerful eCommerce tools. They help you manage your store, attract customers, and grow your business efficiently. 

Think about what you need now and where you want to go. Whether it’s building a beautiful portfolio or growing an online art business, the right platform will help you share your work and connect with the audience you most deserve. 

So, what are you waiting for? Start your free trial with Web.com and discover the best website builder for artists today! 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)