Pages an art pop-up's website should have

An art pop-up has a problem most businesses don't. The space is borrowed, the run is short, and by the time anyone hears about you, you might be packing up. Your website has to do the job the shopfront can't.

So here's the short version. Build a few clear pages, keep them accurate, and don't let them go stale. Eleven pages are listed below, and you'll need some of them more than others. Start with the five at the end if you're short of time.

One thing to know about how people find events like yours. UK monthly estimates from DataForSEO (18 October 2026) put "pop up events london" at 210, "pop up near me" at 140 and "pop up shop near me" at 260, all national figures. "Art pop up london" has too little measurable volume to quote. People mostly find these events by place, date and artist name, not by a general phrase, so put those three things clearly on your pages.

Purpose: Tell any visitor, in a few seconds, who you are and what's happening next.

A pop-up's home page has two jobs. When an event is on, it points to it. When nothing is on, it still makes sense. That second job is the one people forget.

Put one sentence at the top saying what you do. Something plain, like "A pop-up gallery showing work by local artists in empty spaces across the city." Then a single block for the current or next event: name, dates, town, and a button to the event page. If nothing is booked, say so honestly and offer a way to hear about the next one. An email sign-up works. So does a link to your social account, as long as you actually post there.

Below that, add two or three photos from past events and a link to the archive. Photos of real people looking at real art do more than any slogan will.

Update the home page the moment an event ends. Visitors landing on it three weeks later shouldn't be told to "come along this Saturday".

Avoid welcome speeches, stock photos of galleries that aren't yours, and a banner for an event that finished months ago. Avoid hiding the dates in an image that can't be read by a phone or a screen reader. Avoid making people dig through menus to find out whether you're open.

Purpose: Give someone everything they need to turn up, in one place, with nothing missing.

Every event gets its own page. One page, one event. That's the rule.

On it, put the dates, the full address, the opening times for each day, and how to get in. Is it free, or is there a price? Say which. If booking is needed, say that near the top and link to it. If it's drop-in, say that too. People worry about turning up to a locked door, so reassure them.

Add the practical bits a visitor would ask on the phone. Is there a step at the entrance? Is it a ground-floor space? Is it suitable for children? If you don't know something, find out before you publish. A missing answer is worse than a plain one.

Include a short description of what's being shown and who's in it. Two or three paragraphs is plenty. Add a few images and the name of the venue if the owner is happy for you to use it.

Here's the part that gets missed. When the event ends, don't delete the page. Keep it. Change the top line to say the event has finished, give the dates it ran, and point to what's next. That page now works as an archive entry, and anyone who searches for the event's name later still finds something true.

Avoid copying the same page for each event and changing only the date. Google's spam policies treat many near-duplicate pages made mainly to manipulate rankings as spam, and more to the point, they read as lazy to a person too. Write each page fresh, even if it's short. Avoid leaving "tickets on sale now" up after the doors have shut. Avoid vague times like "afternoons" when you mean 12 to 5.

Purpose: Show that you're real, you've done this before, and you'll probably do it again.

This is a simple list. Each past event gets a line or two: name, month and year, town, and a link to its finished event page. Newest first. That's it.

Why bother? Because a pop-up is hard to trust at first glance. Nobody knows you. A visible run of previous shows tells a stranger, a landlord, an artist or a journalist that you've actually put things on. It also gives you somewhere to send people who ask "have you done anything like this before?"

Add one good photo per event if you have it. If you don't, text is fine. Don't invent a history you haven't got.

Keep it honest and keep it short. A dozen tidy entries beat fifty rambling ones.

Avoid deleting old events because they feel embarrassing. A small show that went fine is still a show. Avoid crediting artists who haven't agreed to be named. Avoid adding glowing quotes from visitors unless a real person actually said them and is happy for you to use them.

Purpose: Introduce the people whose work is on show, and give visitors a reason to care.

List only the people who have agreed. Ask first, in writing, even if it's a quick message. Check how they want their name written, what link they'd like you to use, and whether they're happy with the photo you've chosen.

For each artist, give a name and a sentence or two about their work, plus one or two images and a link to their own site or social account. Keep the tone plain. You're introducing someone, not selling them.

If you run several events with different line-ups, think about whether this page lists everyone ever shown, or only the current group. Either is fine. Pick one and say which at the top. People get confused when an artist is listed but isn't actually in the show they're about to visit.

Artists may share your page with their own followers, so make it one they are pleased to share.

Avoid listing someone as taking part before they've said yes. Avoid using their images without permission. Avoid writing grand biographies you've lifted from elsewhere. Avoid leaving an artist's name up after they've asked to be taken down; do it quickly and don't argue about it.

Purpose: Get a first-time visitor from the station to the door without a phone call.

Pop-ups often sit in odd places: a vacant shop, a unit behind a car park, the upper floor of somewhere with a door that looks like a different business. So this page matters more than it would for a normal gallery.

Give the full address and postcode. Name the nearest station and say roughly how long the walk takes. Add a note on buses or parking only if you've checked it's accurate. Link to a map.

Then do the part that helps most: photographs of the entrance. Take one from the street as someone would approach, and one close up of the door itself. If the door is unmarked, say so, and say what to look for. A banner, a coloured sign, a chalkboard outside. Whatever you've got.

Add access information. Is there level entry? A ramp? A lift? Are there toilets, and are they accessible? If you don't know, find out. If the answer is "there are three steps and no lift", say that plainly. Disabled visitors would rather know in advance than be turned back at the door.

Avoid directions that only make sense if you already know the area. Avoid "just off the high street" with no more detail. Avoid photos of the inside only; the hard part is finding the way in. Avoid claiming the venue is accessible if you haven't checked.

Purpose: Let people reserve a place easily, if your event needs one.

Only add this page if you use it. A free, drop-in show doesn't need a booking page, and a half-empty one just looks neglected.

If you do take bookings, put the essentials at the top: what the booking is for, the date and time, the price, and a clear button. Say what happens after booking, and what the person should bring or show on the day. Keep the number of steps low. People give up on long forms, especially on a phone.

Be honest about numbers. If space is limited, say so. If it's first-come, say that. If you've got a refund or change policy, state it in a sentence or two, in plain words.

Avoid sending people to a booking tool that doesn't match your event page. Avoid hiding the price until the last step. Avoid leaving the booking link live after the event ends.

Purpose: Tell visitors what they can eat and drink, and make sure you've got the right permissions before you serve anything.

Be clear about this one, because it's where well-meaning organisers get caught out. Serving a glass of wine at a private view feels casual. The law doesn't always see it that way.

Start with the plain description for visitors. Is there a bar? Is there tea and coffee? Is the food from a stallholder or from you? Is anything free, or is everything paid for? Is it bring-your-own, and if so, is that allowed in the venue? Keep it short and specific.

Now the permissions. If you sell or supply alcohol, provide late night refreshment or put on regulated entertainment at a temporary event, you may need a temporary event notice, usually called a TEN. Under GOV.UK's rules for England and Wales: fewer than 500 people at any time, including staff; the event lasts no more than 168 hours (seven days); up to five TENs a year, or 50 with a personal licence; you apply at least ten clear working days before; the fee is £21; and the applicant must be 18 or over and an individual. Check with your local council before you rely on any of that, because the details matter and your case may differ. Scotland works differently, so if you're there, ask your council or the relevant licensing body.

On food: anyone who sells, cooks, stores, handles, prepares or distributes food must register as a food business with their local authority at least 28 days before trading. That includes temporary and mobile set-ups such as a stall or van. If a caterer or stallholder is doing the food, ask them to confirm they're registered. Don't assume.

You may also see the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme. It covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with ratings from 5 to 0. Showing the rating is voluntary in England and a legal requirement in Wales and Northern Ireland. If a caterer has one, ask whether they're happy for it to be shown.

Avoid promising drinks on your page before you've got the permission sorted. Avoid assuming a venue's licence covers you. Avoid guessing at the rules from memory; ask the council. Avoid leaving "bar open late" on an event page when it isn't.

Purpose: Make it easy for the right people to apply, and for you to say yes or no without a pile of emails.

Only build this if you take applications. If your line-up is invited only, say that on your artists page and skip this one.

Say who the event is for and what kind of work you're looking for. Give the dates, the location, and the cost to take part, if there is one. Say what's included: a table, a wall space, a stand, access to power, set-up time. Say what isn't.

Then say how to apply and by when. Keep the form short. Name, contact and a link to their work, then a few images and a line about what they'd like to show. Tell them when they'll hear back, and stick to it.

Be upfront about terms. If you take a percentage of sales, say so. If there are fees to pay, say when. If they need their own insurance, say that, or tell them to check what's needed with the venue. Don't make it a surprise.

Avoid asking for much more than you need. Avoid vague promises like "great footfall expected". You can't know that. Avoid accepting applications with no closing date, because the page then looks abandoned. Avoid leaving it up once places are full; say it's closed instead.

Purpose: Give journalists, venue owners, sponsors and other organisers what they need without asking you for it.

Keep this page small and practical. Include a short description of what you do, in two or three sentences someone could lift straight into an article. Add a few good photographs they can download, with credits where you need them, and a line saying who to contact and how.

For each upcoming event, link to its page so the facts are in one place. If you've worked with venues or partners before, and they've agreed to be named, list them with a line on what you did together. That helps the next landlord or sponsor see you've got a track record.

Avoid claiming press coverage you haven't had. Avoid listing partners who haven't agreed. Avoid heavy "media pack" language when two plain paragraphs will do. Avoid a contact form that goes nowhere; use a real email address that someone reads.

Purpose: Know where listing and booking sites help, and where your own pages and Google listing do the work.

Listing and booking sites are a normal way to sell tickets, and you may want to be on them. But they are not the only way people find an event, and your own pages can do jobs theirs can't.

We looked at six activity searches in Google UK on 18 October 2026 (escape rooms, pottery, paint and sip, axe throwing and cooking classes), then asked ChatGPT with web search a question on each. It is a small sample: one day, one place, one AI tool. Treat it as a signal, not proof. In the one search with no town named ("pottery classes near me"), one of the top ten results was a business's own site and nine were listing or booking sites. In the searches that named a town and an activity, businesses' own sites held between four and ten of the top ten results, and a map listing appeared alongside. Every ChatGPT answer named between four and eight individual venues, and the links it gave pointed to Google, not to a listing site.

So a venue with accurate pages and an accurate Google listing has a real chance of being found by name, in "near me" searches and in AI answers. Keep both right, and use listing sites to sell tickets rather than as your only front door.

Avoid letting a listing site's page be the only place your details live. Avoid leaving your own page thinner than the listing about you.

Purpose: Make sure people searching on a map or asking an AI tool find accurate, current information.

This one is awkward for pop-ups. A Google Business Profile is built for places that stay put. Yours doesn't. But if you've got a space for several weeks, a listing can be worth the effort.

Some ground rules from Google's guidelines. Use your real-world name, the one that's on your sign and your website. Don't add extra words to the name to try to rank better; that's against Google's rules. You can't pay for local ranking, so don't be tempted by anyone who says they can sell it to you. Keep your hours accurate, including special hours for odd days or late openings. Edits can take time to show, so don't leave it until opening morning.

Fill in the basics: name, address, phone or email, opening hours, a link to your current event page, a category that fits and a short description. Add photos of the entrance and the inside. Make sure everything matches your website.

When the event ends, update the listing. Mark it closed, or remove it if the space is no longer yours. A listing that sends people to a locked shopfront does you more harm than no listing at all.

Avoid creating a new profile for every show if you're using the same space repeatedly; check whether the existing one can be updated. Avoid stuffing the description with place names. Avoid leaving out-of-date hours. Avoid asking friends to post glowing reviews they didn't earn.

Purpose: Say who you are and how to reach you, in plain words.

Visitors, artists and landlords all want to know there's a real person behind this. So tell them. Who runs it, why you started it, and what kind of work you tend to show. Keep it honest and a bit human. A couple of short paragraphs will do.

Then the contact details. An email address that works. A phone number only if you'll answer it. Links to your social accounts if you use them. If you've got a regular postal address, add it; if you don't, don't invent one.

Add a line about who to contact for what: visitors, artists, press, venue offers. Even a single email address can carry that if you say what each message is for.

Avoid an About page that's all mission statement and no names. Avoid hiding your contact details at the foot of a long page. Avoid a form with no confirmation message. Avoid links to social accounts you haven't touched in a year.

If you've got an afternoon and a shaky budget, do these in order:

1. Current or next event page: dates, address, opening times, price, how to get in; this is the page people actually need.
2. How to find the venue: address, nearest station, access details and photos of the entrance.
3. Home page: one line on what you do, a block for the next event, and a few honest photos.
4. Google Business Profile: your real name, accurate hours and a link to the event page, updated when the show ends.
5. About and contact: who you are and a working way to reach you.

Everything else can follow. Artists, archive, press and applications all matter, but they're no use if a visitor can't find the door.

Not sure what your pages are leaving out? Seracu offers a free snapshot that shows which topics your site lacks compared with competitors. It's a quick way to spot the gaps before you start writing.