Knowing the Artisan Competition

Before they go on-line, get your crafters to think about what they might find online.

Think of what mediums artisans in your community work with, what words would you use to search for artisans in the same business? Think about a keyword search.  

1. Search box:  Craft (note number)
2. Search box: “Craft Metal” (note number)
3. Search box: “Craft Metal [your state]”
4. Note how the number decreases as keywords become more specific.

Once you have created your specific key words, enter them into the search engine below and see what artisan businesses come up? Are these possible competitors?

http://www.google.com

Keyword searches will help the artisan know their competition and allow then to review other sites with the same medium or crafts focus.

Once you have identified some potential competitors then artisans will want to list the key information about their competitors such as:

1. Type of Web site
2. Advertising
3. Prices
4. Packaging
5. Hours of operation
6. Target market
7. Size
8. Location
9. Quality of photography
10. Site likes and dislikes

Take your notes.

Researching online competition is a key to the Web site development process.

Artisans should take all the time they need to explore these sites to see if they are user friendly.