The Ultimate Devious Guide to Pageviews!


Ever wonder why some deviant’s get more pageviews than others? Get angry when you can’t seem to increase yours? Maybe you don’t care about pageviews at all! This little tutorial will cover the basic ins and outs of pageviews with some reasons behind high pageview counts and suggestions for increasing yours… if you so choose!


A little DISCLAIMER before we get started!

This is not a space to debate importance of pageviews. If they’re not a big deal to you- that’s fine. This deviant happens to believe they matter to every artist just with varying importance… and I’ll justify that as we go but just remember these are my opinions based simply on my own experience of DA… you may have a different experience and that’s fine- share it in the comments section! BUT do NOT flame other artists, call anyone stupid, bash an artist’s choice of art, or argue and harass people who disagree with you. This may be a newsletter… but I’ll report any nasty inappropriate comments that break DA police! There’s no reason why you can’t be civil! …Moving on…


Why Do People Care About Pageviews?

There are several reasons why someone may care about pageviews and they’re all quite valid!
Interest - A deviant isn’t a bad artist, vain, or shallow if they’re simply interested in how much traffic their page attracts. With a community like ours that’s so active it’s easy to see why someone would be curious how often their page is visited! And there’s nothing wrong with that!

Sales and Professionalism- Many artists use deviantART as a means to attract customers or commissioners! They may or may not use the prints program but DA is usually an extension of their business if not the main means. Keeping on top of their pageviews means keeping on top of their clientele! It can help them notice trends that can be used for further marketing and can be an overall valuable source of information. That’s nothing to scoff at!

Feedback and Popularity- Though we tend to frown on “wanting to be popular” in our DA community… the truth is… we ALL want our art to be noticed! It’s part of being an artist! If you’re uploading your artwork to DA you want people to see it- you’re not making it and locking it away in a closet to never be enjoyed! Don’t be ashamed if you keep track of your pageviews for this reason! We all like to see that our work is being received, that people are stopping by our page, and that people like our art!

Encouraging New and Existing Watchers- Some people use pageviews as a means of encouraging their existing watchers to actively watch them, or to encourage new ones to watch. It’s usually done by offering a small prize to someone who captures a screen shot such as a journal feature or gift art of a certain pageview. It’s a nice little thank-you to watchers who are being active and a neat way to entice new people into checking out your art. It may not be for everyone.


Well How Do I Increase My Pageviews?

Coming to you now… after my 5 and ½ years of being an active member on deviantART… the best ways I’ve learned to increase your pageviews!!!

Adcast- If we didn’t care about pageviews for one reason or another… there wouldn’t be a market for Adcast! Adcast is deviantART’s way of advertising deviants to each other! You pay a fee for a set amount of pageviews and deviantART will advertise your work in banners on non-subscribed pages until the quota has been met. This can be a great investment for people looking to make money off of their prints or draw attention to their art business.

Be Polite! Sounds silly right? Being polite getting you pageviews? Well… when someone stops by your page, gives you a comment or a fav, or adds you to a watch… what do you think will ensure they come back again and again? BE NICE TO THEM. Just be a sincerely nice person! Thank people for checking out your work – make use of the “show visitors” option if you’re subscribed and when you see a member consistently checking out your page… return the favour! Check theirs out and give them a thank-you! The majority of watchers I’ve gained have been through interactions like these and only a small amount from deviation view. When you’re a kind, level headed, polite person… other artists will want to approach you and see what you have to offer. Couldn’t hurt your business either! Even when you’re inbox is full… strive to give a thank-you.

Take Part in the Community- Get to know others in the community! Get involved in some groups- that’s a great way to bring people to your page and your deviations! Chat on DAmn or in the shoutbox! Post in the forums! Get involved in contests and community events… TALK TO OTHER DEVIANTS. It’s always amazes me how many people complain about never getting any attention on deviantART when they do nothing with the community! Of course no one’s going to notice you. You can’t simply rely on deviations being uploaded and all of deviantART taking notice. Some people may have accounts where that happens now because they’ve gained a following… but that wasn’t always the case for them!

Be an Active Member- Keeping with the theme of being active in the community… how can you expect people to check out your page if you haven’t updated anything in forever? Don’t complain about pageviews when your latest deviation is from 06! Be an active member. Update your account, enjoy some of these nifty profile functions, try out a new art form! If you haven’t uploaded anything in a while jump into a different style. In my gallery it’s predominantly photography but I believe in kizan- the art of constant improvement. Instead of staying stagnate when I felt a dry spell in photography I tried using a tablet, I tried my hand a lineart, I tried sculpture, I tried textiles! Nobody says you have to be good at it… but venturing out into different galleries will gain you new interested and even if you’re not very good at what you’re trying it’s all helpful to the creative process. Also… WRITE IN YOUR JOURNALS. Even if it’s just a simple hello. We’ve got these amazing userpages… MAKE USE OF THEM.


Some Common Misconceptions About Pageviews
Here I will address frequent assumptions and complaints about pageviews that I’ve witnessed during my time on DA

That User is Too Popular To Care/Notice If I’m On Their Page doesn’t this one just keep rambling on? Well the truth of the matter is when you look at a pageview you’re seeing the total from the ENTIRE time the deviant has been on deviantART. For me, I have 100,000+ pageviews… BUT I have been on deviantART for 5+ years! When you couple that with how active I’ve been as a member with my account but also as a member of the community, and how many people watch me and I watch in return… it’s not that silly an idea that I have that many pageviews. Just because a user has a bunch of pageviews doesn’t mean they don’t value your support and feedback. It doesn’t mean they got them all at once and it doesn’t mean they won’t reply or return the favour. Also, many deviants are busy! They’re incredibly active on DA but have real lives of their own! Don’t take it personal if they can’t reply to every comment… but don’t think for a moment that they aren’t noticing the support they’re getting. After all… you notice when it happens to you! Why accuse them of any less?


That User Has So Many Pageviews Because They Do a Popular Style of Art Again, this isn’t usually true (and even if it is… it’s not bad- but we’ll get to that!) For instance: I have Nude Photography in my gallery! So people automatically assume I’m ‘ popular ’ because I submit it. Not true! I gained the majority of my pageviews and watchers long before I ever submitted to the nude category and checking out my pageviews shows me a slight increase usually the day I submit pieces but after that it’s a calm ocean! (and I used all the methods I’ve listed to gain pageviews too) But there’s lots of issues with that statement. For one thing- writing off a deviant because you think they’re popular isn’t cool! And just because something is popular doesn’t mean it doesn’t deserve to be popular! You may not be a fan of the popular art but lots of people are and that’s not a bad thing. It doesn’t mean that people are any less talented either for being really good at a popular style. (FYI all styles of art of popular with the right niche! That’s why it’s important to find people on DA!) Besides… passing on a deviant for such a silly reason could really cost you a good experience. You might really enjoy their art and following them, you could have even missed out on a friend. Don’t let something like pageviews stop you from getting to know someone!


Conclusions

It’s silly to let something like pageviews determine your merit as an artist, but it’s also silly to disregard the positive effect gaining more can have on an artist! They may just seem like a bunch of numbers but they represent each and every person who ever took the time to stop by and look at your work. Whether that’s 100 people or 100,000 people each one counted. There are many different reasons why people have lots of pageviews including the ones listed above but also consider some people come to DA already with a following! Some are professional mainstream and widely known artists- you see their work on TV and in Magazines! That however doesn’t mean you should disregard the positive impact visiting their page can have or that they won’t appreciate it!

It’s not ok to judge people through pageviews in either sense, and it’s not OK to make ignorant assumptions about why a deviant is “ popular”. What you think is popular may be a well established active deviant who’s been online for years. (even if their page says they’ve only been on a few months many have multiple accounts or start new ones!) It’s not OK to belittle someone else’s work just because you think it’s popular or that it takes no talent. Remember, we are all artists. Everyone has to start somewhere, everyone deserves the chance to grow and gain feedback.

Pageviews aren’t meant to divide the community- so don’t let them! Refuse to be upset by them, instead embrace them as a tool to make you a stronger artist! Don’t get discouraged if you don’t have many. It all takes time and a lot of effort.

Good Luck! Have fun getting active!