Website Design & Build
Your website is the marketing foundation and online anchor of your art business. Artists with their own website are more credible to potential buyers, collectors, gallerists, agents, businesses, and more. Whether you’re starting from scratch or need a website overhaul, we can help.
The website plans we offer can also be a good fit for galleries or other art spaces.
We offer 3 website levels plus several Add-On options. With any level you choose, your art business will have a professional, responsive website that looks great on any device and is structured to add more features as you want them.
Although prices are listed below, the best way to get an accurate cost for your website project is to schedule a free consultation. With several factors to consider, we'll help you choose the right plan to achieve your goals.
How Pricing works
One-Time Costs: Prices shown in “Levels & Pricing” below are one-time fees you pay to Austen Agency for the initial design & build of your website.
Ongoing Platform/Hosting Costs: The platform cost (with website hosting) is a separate fee that’s paid directly to the platform since you will be the sole owner of your website. These costs are set by the platform, not Austen Agency. The annual cost ranges between $200 - $600/year, depending on the capabilities you need. Most platforms allow either monthly or discounted annual payments. We will walk you through these costs during the Initial Consultation.
Note: We recommend and build on the Squarespace platform for most of our clients. Please do not purchase your Squarespace Plan before your Free Consultation with us, because you’ll save 20% off your first year when we initiate the plan for you. (Because we’ve built many websites, we’re Squarespace Circle Members and are able to pass these discounts on to you.)
Free Training: As part of your project, after your website is built and released, we’ll conduct a 30-minute Site Overview on basic website functionality.
Technical Support Costs: After your website is published, if you do not have the time or technical skills to make future changes to your website, we strongly recommend opting into a Technical Support Plan (TSP). If you opt-in, it’s a required 6-month commitment with a separate cost, ranging from $30 - $75/month. You can start/stop the TSP at any time (outside of a 6 month term). Most of our clients use the TSP and find it very helpful to change out their artwork, add fresh content (helpful to SEO), and perform various updates to their website. Learn more about our TSPs.
Levels & Pricing
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Free Consultation: We’ll explore your hopes and goals for your art business and make a recommendation on which website level would work best for you. Schedule yours today.
Online Contract: No surprises or gimmicks. We’ll spell out what you’re getting and when.
Tech Start: When we initiate your Squarespace plan for you, you’ll get 20% off your first year when you choose their annual payment plan.
Domain Name Acquisitions or Transfers: We'll help you determine the best domain name for your business based on availability and experience.
If you don’t already own a domain name, please wait until our project starts so that your new domain name will be free or discounted for your first year.
If you already own a domain name, we'll evaluate where your domain lives and handle all domain name questions, issues, transfers (if needed), and set-up.
No Co-Branding: We never require (nor ask for) our name to be on your website (but we do reward referrals.)
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer): Your site will be secure using the latest standards. SSL ensures that your site's visitors' information is secure and encrypted on your site, and prevents hackers from stealing data submitted through your site's forms (and if you include eCommerce, your checkout page), including personal information.
Minimal Custom Code: We only use custom code on your site when absolutely necessary.
SEO Start: We ensure good filenames, URLs, and keywords throughout the website that will help with your appearance in search results.
Site Analytics: We’ll show you how to access your website health and visitor data at any time.
Ownership & Control: After your website is finished and your final (“Remaining Due”) payment is complete, we make sure you fully own and are in control of your domain name and website.
Responsive Design: Your website will be designed to look good and work well across desktop, tablet, and mobile.
Browser Icon/Favicon: We’ll design and implement the browser icon for your website.
Image Sourcing & Design: Based on your brand and where needed, we'll source and recommend any stock images needed for your site; we'll also design up to 2 custom graphics as needed.
Communication: We're here for you. If you have a change request, question, or concern at any time during your project, email or text us. We'll respond within 1 business day.
Site Overview: Once complete, we'll walk you through how to access and make minor changes to your site.
1 Free Week of Technical Support: We'll make minor changes to your site as requested for 5 business days after launch. After 5 business days, we're happy to keep serving you through our Technical Support Plan, which is a separate cost, paid for in 6-month increments.
Note: A TSP is optional for Mini-Showcase and Showcase levels, but one TSP instance (6 months) is required for Show & Sell.
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This is the perfect starting point for any artist that needs a budget-friendly, simple and quick digital presence.
This plan does not include eCommerce features; visitors cannot purchase your works via your site, but they can contact you to purchase. You can also link to any platform where your works are for sale (such as a gallery that sells your work, or online marketplace like Fine Art America or Etsy).
The Mini-Showcase is a 1-pager website with 7 sections. It includes everything in the “Standard Features” plus the following:
Pages: 1
Works: Up to 15. Have us add more once on a Technical Support Plan or on your own.
Navigation: Basic
Home Page Sections:
Header/Navigation with your name or logo + your social links
Large banner image and wording
Gallery of up to 15 images of your works with optional title, description, price and one button link to any gallery or online marketplace.
About Section with image
Contact Form for consumers to reach you
Subscribe Section with button link to join your mailing list (if applicable)
Footer with Copyright information
Color Options: Simple black, white, and gray theme so that your artwork stands out.
Font Options: Montserrat or Open Sans.
Timeline: After our Free Consultation, domain name acquisition, and you’ve submitted all of your images and wording for everything using our Upload Form, our build time is 4 business days.
Deposit: $200 (non-refundable) + any Add-Ons
Remaining Due (after completion and before we transfer ownership to you): $200
Technical Support Plan for this Level: Recommended, $30/month
Add-Ons for this Level:
Additional Works in Shop: $50 for every 10 additional works, or add more as part of the Technical Support Plan
Instagram Feed Section on Home Page: $60
Video Banner on Home Page: $75 (your file)
ChatBot Set-up + Training: $250
Email Marketing Set-up + Training: $300
Developing a Video Banner for your Home Page: $400
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Showcase is an excellent choice for any artist that desires a professional digital presence. Compared to the Mini-Showcase, this plan adds more pages, artwork, and options that provide an excellent impression and helps your SEO.
This level does not include eCommerce features; visitors cannot purchase your works via your site, but they can contact you to purchase. You can also link to any platform where your works are for sale (such as a gallery that sells your work, or online marketplace like Fine Art America or Etsy).
The Showcase Plan features 5 pages including the Home page with 7 sections. It includes everything in the “Standard Features” plus the following:
Pages: Home, Gallery, About, Contact, and your choice.
Works: Up to 50. Add more once on a Technical Support Plan.
Navigation: Basic
Home Page Sections:
Header/Navigation with your name or logo + your social links
Large banner image, wording, button link
Gallery section with 15 images of your works with optional title, description, price, and button link to your larger Gallery page featuring up to 50 works.
About Section with image and button link to your About page
Contact Section with button link to your Contact page for consumers to reach you
Subscribe Section with button link to join your mailing list (if applicable)
Footer with several links and Copyright information
Color Options: Choose your colors.
Font Options: Choose your fonts.
Timeline: After our Initial Consultation, domain name acquisition, and you’ve submitted all of your images and wording for everything (using our Upload Form), our build time is 5 business days.
Deposit: $400 + Add-Ons
Remaining Due (after completion and before we transfer ownership to you): $400
Technical Support Plan for this Level: Recommended, $40/month
Add-Ons for this Level:
Additional Works in Shop: $50 for every 10 additional works, or add more as part of the Technical Support Plan
Instagram Feed Section on Home Page: $60
Video Banner on Home Page: $75 (your file)
ChatBot Set-up + Training: $250
Email Marketing Set-up + Training: $300
Blog Set-up + Training: $300
Developing a Video Banner for your Home Page: $400
View-in-Room + Virtual Exhibitions Technology Integration: $400 one-time fee; vendor cost is ~$280/year
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Show & Sell is a wise investment for any dedicated artist that wants to optimize their profit by selling to buyers directly through their own professional online shop/gallery.
Compared to Showcase, this plan adds a wide range of eCommerce capability options and creates an impressive site, enabling visitors to confidently purchase your works instantly. Buyers can pay using a wide range of cards, Apple Pay and more.
View our Add-On options below to create the ultimate art business website.
Show & Sell features 7 pages including the Home page with 7 sections, plus the additional pages required for eCommerce capability. It includes everything in the “Standard Features” plus the following:
Pages: 7. Home, Shop/Gallery, About, Contact, Policies, and 2 of your choice.
Works: 50 to start. Add more once on a Technical Support Plan or on your own.
Navigation: Complex, Filtered
Home Page Sections:
Header/Navigation with your name or logo + your social links
Large banner image, wording, button link
Gallery of up to 15 images of your works with optional title, description, price, and button link to your larger Gallery page featuring up to 100 works, and/or any gallery or online marketplace
About Section with image and button link to your About page
Contact Section with button link to your Contact page for consumers to reach you
Subscribe Section with button link to join your mailing list (if applicable)
Footer with several links and Copyright information
Color Options: Choose your colors.
Font Options: Choose your fonts.
eCommerce Requirements: Launching a website with eCommerce capability requires the business owner to have several processes and policies in place; we can advise but not decide these for you. You’ll need to spend 1 - 3 additional hours of online work time with us in order to enter your business details into the appropriate areas. This includes:
Data required by Stripe, an online payment processor integrated into Squarespace, used by millions of businesses to process and manage consumer payments and payouts to business owners. This will require your legal name, address, social security info, business banking information and other important data.
Optional: Data required by Square, a Point-of-Sale payment processor. PayPal is also an option.
Selection of Apple Pay and other payment options
Shipping Policies and Processes, including your shipping provider(s), the shipping options you want to offer, price of shipping, areas you’ll ship to, shipping insurance policies, and other information.
Refund Policies and Processes.
Sales Tax Policies and Processes (we recommend TaxJar as an added monthly service, directly payable to TaxJar but will be set up with you in Squarespace)
Commitment to regular log-in to your website platform to manage transactions (to print shipping labels and mark orders as fulfilled, for example).
Categories of your work as applicable to allow visitors to use filters (such as size, medium, theme, etc.)
Timeline: After our Initial Consultation, domain name acquisition, and you’ve submitted all of your images and wording for everything using our Upload Form), our build time is 15 - 20 business days.
Technical Support Plan for this Level: Due to the technical and process-oriented nature of eCommerce, we require at least one instance (6 months) of our Technical Support Plan after your website is built. 100% of clients have various questions and situations come up in their first few sales, and since we do not handle questions without a TSP, this is required for the first 6 months.
Without major Add-Ons, this level TSP is $55/month.
With major Add-Ons of View-in-Room, Offer Courses, or Membership Areas, this TSP is $75/month.
Deposit: $1000 + any selected Add-Ons
Remaining Due (after completion and before we transfer ownership to you): $1000, plus one 6-month instance of our Technical Support Plan.
Add-Ons for this level:
Additional Works in Shop: $50 for every 10 additional works, or add more as part of the Technical Support Plan
Instagram Feed Section on Home Page: $60
Video Banner on Home Page: $75 (your file)
ChatBot Set-up + Training: $250
Email Marketing Set-up + Training: $300
Blog Set-up + Training: $300
Developing a Video Banner for your Home Page: $400
Augmented Reality / View-in-Room + Virtual Exhibits Technology Integration: $400 one-time fee; vendor cost is ~$280/year
Offer Online Courses - Set-up + Training: $1000
Membership Area(s) (for Patrons, Exclusive Buyers, etc) Set-up + Training: $1000
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For all:
Instagram Feed Section on Home Page: $60
Video Banner on Home Page: $75 (your file)
ChatBot Set-up + Training: $250
Email Marketing Set-up + Training: $300
Developing a Video Banner for your Home Page: $400
For Showcase & Show & Sell Only:
Blog Set-up + Training: $300
View-in-Room + Virtual Exhibitions Technology Integration: $400 one-time fee; vendor cost is ~$280/year
Show & Sell Only:
Offer Online Courses - Set-up + Training: $1000
Membership Area(s) (for Patrons, Exclusive Buyers, etc) Set-up + Training: $1000
The Process
Schedule your free consultation phone call to discuss which level would work best for your goals and budget. To proceed, we’ll send an agreement and payment link for the deposit, collect your files and wording, and get your website built! Depending on the website level you choose, this service will require 30 minutes - 3 hours of your time across a few Zoom sessions for prep and review.
