10 MUST-DOS TO MAKE YOUR ILLUSTRATION WEBSITE MORE FINDABLE
You have a website. You have great work. But can potential clients actually find you? This guide will help you understand why online discoverability isn't just about having a beautiful portfolio.
Online discoverability is about making sure search engines like Google and AI interfaces like ChatGPT can find, understand, and properly index your website, and ultimately share it with your target audience—art directors and illustration buyers. Here are 10 foundational things every illustrator should pay attention to.
1. Ensure Your Website Can Be Indexed
Before Google/AI can show/reference your website in search/prompt results, they need to be able to access and index your pages. You can have the best portfolio in the world, but if Google/AI can't see it, neither can potential clients. Some website builders have settings that prevent search engines from accessing your site, sometimes without you even realizing it!
Check your website builder's settings to make sure search engines are allowed to index your website. Look for options like "Allow search engines to index this site."
2. Fix Broken Links
A broken link leads visitors (and search engine crawlers) to a page that no longer exists. This creates a frustrating experience and can make your website feel neglected. This is a bad user experience that Google/AI would rather not subject people to! Links can break when you rename pages, delete old projects, or change your website structure.
Find broken links on your website with this free tool: ahrefs.com/broken-link-checker
3. Make Your Website Mobile-Friendly and Safe
Your website should look and work well on a phone, not just on your desktop. Potential clients often discover illustrators while browsing on their phones. Make sure images display properly, text is readable, and navigation is easy. Also, your website should use HTTPS (the little padlock in the browser address bar), which provides a secure connection.
Open your portfolio on your phone. Can someone easily browse your work, read your bio, and find your contact information without pinching and zooming?
4. Write Descriptive Page Titles Using Keywords
Page titles help Google/AI understand what each page is about. They're also often the clickable headlines people see in search results. Instead of clever but vague titles, describe what you actually do and what someone might search for.
For example, instead of "My Work," try "Food Illustration | Editorial and Commercial Illustration by Nate Padavick."
5. Create Clear, Keyword-Rich URLs
Your page URLs should be short, descriptive, and easy to understand. Think of them as little signposts telling Google (and visitors) what's on the page. Avoid random numbers, dates, and meaningless strings of characters.
For example, yourwebsite.com/children-book-illustration is more informative than yourwebsite.com/page-17.
6. Rename Your Image Files Descriptively
Google/AI does not automatically interpret an image file's contents. The filename gives it useful context. Those generic filenames straight out of ProCreate aren't doing you any favors!
Instead of untitled-01.jpg, use something like illustrated-map-of-NYC-by-nate-padavick.jpg.
7. Write Good Alt Text for Images
Alt text describes an image for people using screen readers and helps search engines understand what the image depicts. Be specific and natural. Describe the actual illustration rather than stuffing the description with every keyword you can think of.
Instead of "map illustration," try something like "Hand-drawn illustrated map of downtown Burlington, Vermont, showing shops, restaurants, and waterfront landmarks, designed by Nate Padavick."
8. Fill in All Other SEO Fields
Most website builders provide additional fields labeled "Meta" or "SEO." Find them all and fill them in! Pay particular attention to meta descriptions: short, human-readable summaries that may appear beneath your page title in Google search results. They won't directly improve rankings, but they can encourage someone to click.
A food illustrator might write something like: "Explore the colorful editorial food illustrations of Nate Padavick, available for publishing, packaging, and advertising projects."
9. Apply Proper Heading Hierarchy
Headings help organize your content and tell Google/AI what your pages are about. Think of them like the outline of a book: one main H1 heading, followed by supporting H2 and H3 headings. Don't choose heading sizes just because you like how they look.
An H1 might be "Illustrated Maps by Jane Smith," followed by H2 headings such as "Campus Maps," "Visitor Guides," and "Custom Illustrated Maps."
10. Build Internal Links
Internal links connect one page of your website to another. They help visitors discover more of your work and help search engines and AI understand how your pages relate to one another. Every page should include at least one link to another page on your website, ideally as part of the content or at the end.
For example, within your brand statement on your homepage, link the words "children's book illustrator" directly to your children's book portfolio page. On a project page, link to related work or your commission information.
The Bigger Picture
There are plenty of other ways to improve your online discoverability, from building backlinks and publishing useful articles to developing your presence in industry directories. But don't overlook these ten basics. They're foundational. Before worrying about more advanced SEO strategies, make sure your website is accessible, organized, descriptive, and easy for both people and search engines to understand. First, make yourself findable. Then make yourself impossible to overlook!
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