The exhibition opens Friday. Search still shows last season's.
Your programme is strong and your regulars love it. But every new show, festival or late opening creates a rush of searches, and the answers point to whoever published the event page first. Between the peaks, your collection, history and membership are barely visible. This playbook covers both.
The short versionArts and culture organisations usually lose visitors and supporters because event pages go live late or only on a ticketing site, the permanent presence (collection, visiting, membership) is thin, and group and sponsor enquiries wait. Early event pages, a clear membership offer and a reply path fix it.
Why these three“This weekend, Large city museum has a late opening; its event page lists times, access and prices…”
Leak 1Late event pagesThe show is live on a ticketing site, not on yours.
Leak 2Vague membership“Become a friend” with no word on what it funds.
Leak 3Slow replyA school group request waits a week for learning.
Start here
Tick anything that sounds like your week.
Eight things arts and culture organisations commonly describe. Select the ones that apply and we'll show what usually causes them, in the order we'd tackle it. Nothing is submitted.
Tick what applies3 of 8 selected
Why a good programme still misses visitors
Visitors search the event. Supporters search the institution.
Arts organisations live on two clocks. Each show, festival or late opening creates a short burst of searches: what's on, when, how much, is it suitable for children. Underneath runs the permanent presence: the collection, the building, the history, membership, learning. Visitors decide in minutes from whichever page answered first; members and donors decide over months from what the institution looks like online. Most organisations under-serve both.
01
The event spike you don't catch
What's on at galleries this weekend?
1Large city museumNamed first · event page
2Ticketing listings siteQuoted · times only
–Your venueNot namedPage not live
Why don't our events show up when people search what's on?
People search for an exhibition or performance when it's announced and again when reviews land. If your page goes up late, or the details only exist on a ticketing site, search and assistants quote someone else. Event pages live at announcement, with structured dates and prices, catch the whole curve.
02
The membership question unanswered
is it worth becoming a gallery member
Your page“Support the arts — become a friend.”Tab closed
Answered pageWhat members get · what membership funds · free vs paid eventsQuoted by AI
How should an arts organisation explain what membership funds?
Visitors ask two money questions: is it free, and if not, what does it cost? Members ask a third: what does my membership pay for? A page that answers all three, including what free entry costs to sustain and what gifts fund, turns a pleasant visit into ongoing support.
03
The group booking that waited
Can we bring a school group of 25 next month? Any workshops?Email · Wed 4:45 pm
Thanks — our learning team will reply soon.Next week
We've booked the museum across town instead.Same day
Why do school and group enquiries to arts venues go cold?
Schools, community groups and corporate hosts plan ahead and ask several venues at once. An enquiry that waits a week for the learning or events team usually goes to whoever confirmed first. Group, sponsor and hire enquiries need one inbox, an owner and dates on the page.
What we'd do about it
Five moves, in the order that pays.
Fix the leaks first, then grow. Scaling a funnel that loses enquiries just spends more to lose more.
Move
W1W2W3W4W5W6W7W8W9W10W11W12M3+
01Catch every event spikeEvent pages live at announcement with dates, times, prices, access and age guidance in structured form, consistent with ticketing and listing sites.Content Marketing
Weeks 1–4
02Fix the visit basicsOpening hours, free days, prices, access and directions corrected on your site and map profile, with the questions visitors ask answered on one page.Web Development
Weeks 2–4
03Explain membership and givingA membership page that says what members get and what their money funds, plus a plain page on what gifts support. No claims you can't stand behind.Content Marketing
Weeks 3–7
04Close the reply gapOne inbox for schools, groups, sponsors and hire, with named owners, dates on the page and an acknowledgement the same day.Marketing Automation
Weeks 4–8
05Then build the permanent presenceAn archive of past seasons, collection and history pages, and tracking of how assistants describe you. Only once events and replies work.AI Search Optimisation
Month 3 onward
Social presence · where visitors check you
They saw the opening on Instagram. Then they looked for tickets.
Visitors find shows in feeds and check what's on before they set out. Six things decide whether a scroll turns into a ticket, a membership or a school visit.
9:41●●● 5G
yourgallery
YGYour GalleryArts venue
Exhibitions, talks & late openingsFree entry · members' previews ↓What's on & tickets ↓
TicketsMessageCall
What's onVisitMembersSchools
Opening nightCurator tour · by ElenaLate opening FridayOne work, up closeBehind the hangA visitor's viewSchool workshopAccess informationWhat members fund
InstagramWorks up close and opening Reels, date and venue named.Discover
FacebookEvents with tickets, and local groups planning weekends.Book
Google Business ProfileOpening hours, current show and access for map searches.Check
YouTubeCurator talks and archive films that outlast the show.Trust
LinkedInSponsors, partners and corporate members.Give
A week that books, not just posts
Social Media Marketing Included in Zero to Hero (2 platforms) and Own The Answer (4 platforms).
MONOne work, up closeA detail and the story behind it.
WEDCurator clipWhy this show, in under a minute.
FRIThis weekendEvents, lates and ticket links.
SATMembers' postWhat membership funds and includes.
DAILYRepliesGroup and access questions, same day.
What we'd watch
Your dashboard, minus the vanity metrics.
Six numbers that show whether the work is turning into bookings, members and gifts — each pulled from a system you already own. The audit fills in your baseline; every sprint after shows the trend.
Audience growth · weeklyYour dashboard after the free audit
Event page visits by weekWebsite analytics
Baseline—
What's-on answers you're inAI visibility tracking
Baseline—
Time to first replyShared inbox
Baseline—
Tickets sold by sourceTicketing system
Baseline—
Visitor to memberMembership CRM
Baseline—
Group bookingsBookings calendar
Baseline—
Your numbers, not ours
What is the slow reply actually costing you?
Three inputs only you know. We don't know your business yet — so nothing here is a benchmark, just your own arithmetic.
Runs in your browser. Nothing is stored or sent.
What you may be losing
$3,897a month in visitors who book somewhere else — worked out from your three numbers above.
6 × 4.33 weeks× 1 in 2× $300
The fix is routing, not a bigger campaign. One inbox, named owners, dates on the page — weeks 4 to 8 of the plan.
Free with any monthly plan from $499. Domain, hosting and paid tools are bought by you and stay in your name; shops and booking systems are quoted separately. The 48-hour clock starts once your plan is active and the launch checklist is done.
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Questions arts organisations ask
Straight answers, no sales script.
Straight answers. If yours isn't here, a 30-minute call is the fastest route — no pitch, no deck.
Our tickets sell through a ticketing site. Do we need event pages too?
Yes. The ticketing page answers “how do I buy”, but your page answers “what is it, is it for me, how do I get there”. That's the page assistants quote and the one that builds your institution's presence, so link the two.
When should an event page go live?
When you announce, not when you open. People search when they first hear about a show and again when reviews appear. A page that exists for the whole period catches both.
Should we keep pages for past exhibitions?
Usually, yes. An archive keeps links from press and partners working, shows funders a record of your programme and gives assistants a fuller picture of what you do.
How do we make membership appeal beyond the perks?
Say what it funds, specifically and honestly: learning sessions, free entry days, conservation, new work. Many members join because they care about the place, not only for the discount.
How long before we notice a difference?
Event pages and reply fixes can show within one season. The permanent presence, including how assistants describe you, usually builds over several months. We don't guarantee mentions, rankings or ticket sales.
We're a festival, not a venue. Does this apply?
Yes, with a different rhythm. Festivals need a permanent home page that stays live all year, with dates, past line-ups and how to support, so the annual spike lands on something established.
Which social platforms matter most for an arts organisation?
Instagram and Facebook. Visitors discover shows on Instagram and use Facebook events and local groups to plan a weekend. Keep your Google Business Profile current with hours and the current show, since many people check the map before setting out. YouTube keeps talks alive after a show closes, and LinkedIn suits sponsor and partner conversations.
Do we get a free website for our venue?
Yes. Every monthly plan includes a free 5-page website for your venue — fast, AI-readable and yours to keep. It goes live within 48 hours once your plan is active and the launch checklist is done. Your domain, hosting and any paid tools sit outside the offer and stay in your name; online shops and booking systems are quoted separately. What's included
Free · one business day
Tell us about your venue. Get a plan back.
A strategist reads your brief and replies within one business day with what we'd fix first for your venue, a timeline and the real cost.
Reply in 1 business dayFrom a strategist, not a bot
Search for your next show the way a visitor would.
We'll check how your events and visit details appear in search and AI answers, what your membership page says and how fast a group enquiry gets answered, then send you what we found.
Social presence · where visitors check you
They saw the opening on Instagram. Then they looked for tickets.
Visitors find shows in feeds and check what's on before they set out. Six things decide whether a scroll turns into a ticket, a membership or a school visit.
yourgallery
Is your profile ready to sell?
Tap what's already true.
Where your visitors look
A week that books, not just posts
Social Media Marketing Included in Zero to Hero (2 platforms) and Own The Answer (4 platforms).