THE MISSING LINK to ING Discerning Eye Virtual Exhibition 2020

The ING Discerning Eye Annual Exhibition is online this year.

You'd be hard put to find it though.  That's because the normal website makes no obvious link to the actual exhibition!

So what we have is

• the normal ING Discerning Eye website https://www.discerningeye.org/home/index.php - which, on its home page......
• references the exhibition 

For the first time this year the ING Discerning Eye exhibition is being held online. A virtual gallery of the works selected this year is live online where you can view and buy this year's works .....

• and includes a link described as DEINGexhibition.org
• so you click the link and go to this site which for some reason has this link https://www.ingdeexhibition.org/exhibition (i.e. not the domain name referenced) 
• BUT you are not at the actual exhibition. Instead what we have are 
• ENORMOUS photos of the six selectors and 
• a top line menu 
• as if the whole thing is about the selectors and NOT THE ART!

This is as much as I can see on my 27" iMac screen - really bad design!!!

• so then you click the "Exhibition" tab on the top line menu.....
• .....and you wait
• .....and nothing happens
• .....which is puzzling

So I'm really not sure after following this tortuous route how people are supposed to find the exhibition!

The people involved with creating the new virtual exhibition obviously do not have a clue that simply because you create a website does not mean people will find it.

For example - here is the top half of the first page of Google for the search query "ING Discerning Eye 2020 exhibition". The two websites which get a mention are:

• https://www.discerningeye.org/ i.e. the conventional domain name for this exhibition which has been used for years and fulfils all the requirements for it to be top of Google for this query
• https://makingamark.blogspot.com/2020/10/ing-discerning-eye-2020-selected-artists.html i.e. my blog post about the Call for Entries - because my blog ALWAYS features on the first page of Google for this type of search query because I have been covering it for so long - plus of course my blog has Google "weight".

This presumably explains why this week I was approached by a PR person who wanted me to highlight the proper URL for the exhibition

I thought what they were doing was asking me to review the exhibition in advance - in much the same way as I've been invited to PR previews for exhibitions and hence see them before they open, write a review and then people turn up because I've recommended it (or not as the case may be)

However it turned out that I wasn't allowed access to the website in advance! 

All they wanted me to do was tell people about the correct URL!!!

I pointed out to them yesterday that my blog is not an advertising vehicle and this is not the way it works.

However - because very many artists have artwork on the site - I am now going to tell you THE MISSING LINK - because I have it even if you don't!

THE MISSING LINK IS https://www.ingdeexhibition.org/ 

i.e. the domain URL MINUS the extension which links to "the page about the selectors"

- and nothing like the domain name URL it purports to be i.e. DEINGexhibition.org does not exist! 

If writing or linking to a domain name URL you need to do it correctly!! 

Plus "www" prefix does matter if that's how the site is setup!!

However if you click the link I was supplied with https://www.ingdeexhibition.org/  you get this home page

I next click the Visit the Exhibition box

BUT again come back to "the page about the selectors" with the giant photos of the selectors and the title "THE 2020 SELECTORS".

Bear in mind the details about the selectors is normally on a completely separate page on the main website

NOWHERE DOES IT SAY THAT IN ORDER TO SEE THE ARTWORK YOU NEED TO CLICK THE BLACK "VIEW SELECTION" BOX BENEATH EACH SELECTOR'S NAME.

Just a bit basic. TELL PEOPLE HOW TO VIEW THE EXHIBITION AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE!!!

ALSO Only when you review the selector's page do you get the instructions that are ESSENTIAL to viewing the art - in tiny italics!

Scroll down to enjoy [name of selector] full selection. Click on an image to enlarge it and if anything catches your eye head over to the shop for the full medium and dimensions. For works under £2,500 the cost of delivery has been added to the final sale price shown in the shop. Please note that prices shown on this page do not include delivery costs. Please read the delivery and returns notice for more information.

I'm just speechless. 

• The website and "flow" of communication is abysmal. 
• I'm also very sure it does not fully comply with all the requirements of the UK's Trading Law & Regulations and/or eCommerce Regulations. (I have one simple check which always tells me whether or not people understand what they are doing - and this website fails it).

The website reeks of 

• a lack of basic testing of whether what they assume works actually works for real people.
• a serious lack of awareness of what's required if selling art online.

I'll review the exhibition later. 

Right now this sort of disservice to artist just makes me very irritated and it's not a good idea to write when very irritated as I might say what I really think!!