Ever felt like your art is a tree falling in the forest with no one around to hear it? Buckle up, as we uncover the secret sauce to getting your artwork the attention it deserves—backlinks. In a conversation that's equal parts tech-savvy and spiritually guided, we discuss the underutilized power of backlinks in enhancing your art business's online visibility. Listen and learn how these digital threads weave a web of authority for your site, convincing search engines like Google that you're the real deal.
But that's not all, fellow artists walking in faith. I introduce you to the Christian Artist Directory, my personally curated platform designed to foster community, connection, and mutual growth. It's about more than just boosting website traffic; it's about creating a network that echoes our values and propels our work into the world. Through strategic partnerships and reciprocal linking within a supportive Christian framework, this episode is your guide to making meaningful connections that resonate with your divine calling as an artist. Join us for a masterclass in leveraging the magic of backlinks, all while staying true to our creative, spiritual roots.
Apply now to the Christian Artist Directory at http://www.matttommeymentoring.com/christianartistdirectory
Speaker 1:
Welcome to the Thriving Christian Artist, the podcast, where we hope you connect with God to bus through the roadblocks that have held you back for years, create the work you love and really live the life you know. God created you to live as an artist in His kingdom. I'm Matt Tomah, your host. Let's get started. Well, hey, my friend, welcome to another edition of the Thriving Christian Artist podcast. Super glad that you are here.
Speaker 1:
I want to talk about something today that you may think is a little bit technical, but I promise it's going to pay big, big, big dividends for you in your art business, and it's something called back links. Now you may be thinking what is a back link? I don't even know what a front link is. Well, let me pull back the curtain on this. You know, on your website, a lot of people complain, especially artists out here at all the time. But oh my gosh, I got this great website. I spent so much time and energy building it and putting my work on it and keeping it up. Again Nobody's coming to it.
Speaker 1:
Well, one of the things that really really makes a difference in whether or not Google will recommend and list your website on searches is what's called your page authority. Does your website have authority? Does it? Does Google see it as important? Does it see it as one that is valid in the area that people are searching for? Is it something that has rich content and is it something that people are going to over and over and over again? They're spending time on the links work, all the stuff. So all of that kind of goes into your page authority. Now, obviously, we go into a lot more detail in our search and optimization lessons inside the Creative to Thrive Artist Mentoring Program, but just suffice it to say that's how it works.
Speaker 1:
All right, and one of the things that helps to really build page authority that a lot of people don't pay attention to is not just what you're doing on your page, but actually other websites that are linking to your website. This is called back links. It's links that are linking back to your website from their website, and so if you have opportunities for people like an art guild that you're in, or newspaper or magazine articles that have done you know, an article on you, or a feature on your work or something like that, if you've got friends who are artists, who have great websites, that are willing to put a link on their website to your website and you can link back to them. What starts to happen is this sort of backlink magic, where, when Google is sifting through the gaugillions of websites that are out there and is determining which ones am I going to put high on the search results and which ones am I going to put low on the search results, the ones that have backlinks and have lots of other websites linking to it, tells Google that, hey, this must be a great website because other people are referring to them. We're going to put it up higher on the search list. Now, why is this so powerful? Well, this is powerful because you have total control of how many backlinks that you're getting, simply by being intentional about that. And so, anytime you're working with a strategic partner that's referring work to you, anytime somebody becomes maybe an affiliate for the classes that you're teaching, anytime that you have, like I said, editorials, or you're on a podcast, or you just have friends that want to refer each other back and forth, having a link on your website to them and them back to you is a huge way that you can begin to build page authority for your website.
Speaker 1:
Now, why am I saying this? Well, one of the things I am really passionate about is obviously helping artists really thrive in everything that they're called to do and getting traffic to you in a way that is beneficial for what you're doing, and so not too long ago, I had this idea and we've kind of launched it out in the water and it's going phenomenally successful, which is great. Now I wanted to just give you an opportunity to participate. It's something that I'm calling the Christian Artist Directory. It's absolutely free. It's actually a page on our website, mattonymentoringcom, that is a listing of great Christian artists all over the world in just about every different medium that you can think of, in the visual arts, and so painting and sculpture and mixed media and ceramics and fiber art and basketry all the stuff, wood and metal. We're gaining ground in becoming really, I believe, the most significant directory of Christian artists in the world anywhere on the web, and I want to invite you to participate. Like I said, it's absolutely free. It's just a way for you to have a listing on my website and then on your website you can list a link back to us, letting everybody know that you're a part of the Christian Artist Directory and what that's going to do. The old saying a rising tide floats all boats. It's going to give more and more confidence to Google to refer people to everybody's websites because there are links going back and forth.
Speaker 1:
Listen, I know that you're probably excited about this. I'm excited about it, and so there's a link in the show notes right here that you can go. You can see the page. There's a little link, a little button at the top of the page that says apply now, and if you have a website and you want to become a part of the directory, all you have to do is apply Now. I need to say this not everybody that applies is going to get in. We're looking for beautiful work. We want to have this be a high quality directory and listing.
Speaker 1:
We're also looking for people that have websites. Not your social media link is not your website. Your Facebook account is not your website. Your Instagram account is not your website. A website is like matthommycom or matthommymentoringcom. You got to have your own domain, your own website, that a link can go on and that we can send traffic to and that you can send traffic back to us.
Speaker 1:
Again, having great art and having a website, we would love to consider you to be a part of the directory, so I would encourage you, whatever you're doing, to build if you've never thought about building backlinks start doing that. All right, be intentional about it. And secondly, definitely become a part of the Christian artist directory. We'd love to send some traffic your way. Our website gets thousands and thousands and thousands of hits every month People that are looking for art classes, people that are looking for art to buy, people that are looking for other artists in their area to connect with, and we believe that this, this directory, is going to continue to morph and grow and evolve in a way that's going to be really, really beneficial for artists just like you.
Speaker 1:
All right, so, hey, go to the link that's in the description, apply today and I hope to see you on the Christian artist directory. All right, love you, friend. Thanks for joining me here on the Thriving Christian Artists and I'll see you again real soon. Bye, hey. Thanks so much for spending a few minutes with me today on the podcast. Listen, I hope it's been a huge encouragement to you on your journey as an artist. Hey, also, before you leave, make sure to hit the subscribe button so you don't miss any of the other episodes of the Thriving Christian Artists podcast, and also be sure to connect with me on Facebook, instagram or at my website, which is matttommymentoringcom. Until next time, remember you were created to thrive. Bye-bye, bye.