Sell your article online

(Note: This article was originally written for collectors, but this version has been written especially
 for artists selling their own art. Artists selling art at online auctions will also find this article helpful--
 You Can't Sell Your Art Until You Learn How to Sell It.)

These days, some millions of works of art are for sale at any given moment at online auctions--
well over two million on eBay alone-- and the competition to sell pretty much all of it is intense
and international. Smart artists are aware of this competition as well as of their online auction odds
 for success and, as a result, have developed various strategies and techniques in order to minimize
competition, maximize the people who see their listings, incite bidding, and bank the bucks when
the time comes to  cash buyers' checks.


Begin by making a list of keywords that accurately describe your art. These may include the your
name; the city, state, region, and country where you live; the type of art you make, the subject
matters, and other pertinent details.Type these keywords into an online auction search engine like
eBay's, one at a time, and see what kinds of results come up. At this early stage, typing more
 than one word at a time greatly reduces the number of search matches; start with single words and
 gradually increase the number. Search combinations of keywords only if you get hundreds or thousands
of matches on a single keyword search. Add keywords one by one until your search narrows and
the results pretty accurately reflect the look and feel of your art in terms of description.


The title line is the most critical part of your art's online auction listing. Those few words are what
attract the great majority of potential bidders to your art. Your list of the most popular keywords
that most accurately describe your art will essentially become your online auction title line.Pack
 your title line with as many keywords as possible. Try different combinations in order to get the
most words into the limited space provided. Be aware that your art might appeal to more than one
 type of buyer so make sure your keywords take all such people into account. For example, a
 painting of a sailboat might be described with keywords that appeal to both nautical enthusiasts
and art buyers.