What bugs you?

Does anything on this page hinder or even irritate you?

I would love to know. Nothing is unimportant, too small or too big.

If there is something I can fix, I will certainly do it.

Please let me know right away

Your very first step to get control over your web presence

Most gallery owners look at their gallery's site like a 'good parent'. On every new opening, they check that everything comes up as expected or briefed: no pages that go astray, no broken links, opening dates and artist's pictures are ok, etc.

Quick checks like these are paramount ... but why do they rarely look 'back stage'? Even once. Most never do.

 

Do you also act like a good parent?

If you never look at your gallery site's back stage, you won't see much more than any visitor does: you visit your front room's display and that's it. Necessary, but not really sufficient to get in control.

Even if you consider it's your gallery manager's or your assistant's task, you still own the final responsibility for the good management of your gallery's site.

And you can't get in control if you never look in detail at what's really happening back stage, how things interact and fit together. So ... you have to take up the role of a supervisor.

Or better ...

 

Proceed as your own security guard

Just like any security guard has access to a plant or shop at any time of day to check all alarm panels’ settings and adjust or reset where necessary, you need a master key or access code. Right?

Never received the master code or master key from your web designer or programmer?

 

Here's your master code

Mac user:

  • Safari, Google Chrome: Alt + Command + U
  • Firefox: Command+U
  • Command + U in Internet Explorer

Window user:

 

  • Internet Explorer: via menu topbar
  • Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera: Ctrl +U

For those who know already, keep reading.
There's a little suggestion at the end of the article that most gallery dealers rarely follow.

 

Don't jump up at the sight of your screen now

Surprised? Well ... you’re looking at the real thing.

You know, as well as I do, that back offices look mostly packed, busy and a bit awkward, nothing to do with the lavish front room. Yet, the real thrill of any gallery happens in the back office.

Likewise the thrill of any site - your gallery's site too - is backstage.

As long as you don't unlock your site's back room's door, you're cut off from your most important online asset. This is the virtual space where you manage your gallery's site.

The core of your gallery's success on the web lies here.

 

Your site is so much more than a lavish spot 'selling' your roster

I know from experience that most gallery dealers focus on the visual impact of their site rather than any 'obscure' technical aspect. And they are correct to some extent. First impressions still count.

Moreover, it's not their job. It's the programmer's or designer's job to do the setup.

Once the setup is finished, then the management of your site is your responsibility or your staff's task.

What if you could enhance your site's impact and potential by following-up and understand the technical aspects of your site via this simple command.

 

Is it this simple?

Yes, it is.

Like turning the key in a door you’ve never opened before, being blown away by the first glimpse inside then discovering how everything is neat and straightforward.

 

Will this action deliver all the pages’ secrets right away?

No, programming is full of little tricks and that's exactly what you will start to discover. It's a first, but important step.

Next you should contact your web designer or programmer and ask him to guide you through your site's back room. If he has never done so before, ask him to clarify for you the most important segments of a web page's coding, their role, what to pay attention to, etc.

 

Once again, it's a very first step

Start to do it with every update. And then whenever you have a spare moment. I can assure you that it doesn’t involve rocket science.

It's the way to start 'working' with your site and look at it as a tool. Being able to locate the distinctive elements of a web page, tracking and updating the tags on a page, being able to readjust a page link, being able to complete the 'alt text' image and so on.

You're a gallery owner, so an important part of your job is to do exactly that: check how your gallery's site is performing, how it is programmed, what's ok, what's missing or what needs some care and adjustments.

So ...start to look at your site with the eyes of a professional.

 

Oh ... one more thing about 'master keys'

Now that you're able to get into your own back room to look up your site's source code, you can just as easily have a look at any other gallery site. Web professionals use this for a better understanding once they discover a little 'something' in the 'front room'.

Nothing more instructive than to see and discuss with your programmer how other galleries program their sites , use tags to help their web pages score, build their page titles, etc. I can guarantee that there is no faster and more rewarding way to get ahead on the web than being able to discuss on the same level with your programmer.

All these elements represent a wealth of information and a sure source to fine tune or adjust your own site's coding or to be assured that it performs technically as well as well as possible.

Welcome to the real web.