How to Sell Digital Art and Graphics Online (The Easy Way)

Selling your art as downloadable files is one of the easiest ways to make money online. You don’t have to worry about shipping, inventory, or printing, and you can sell the same file again and again.

The hardest part for most creators is figuring out where to start. There are plenty of platforms available, but not all of them give you full control over your work or your profits.

We’ve helped thousands of users build their websites using WordPress, and we’ve seen how well it works for selling digital art. With WordPress and the Easy Digital Downloads plugin, you can upload your artwork, set your own prices, and deliver files securely to your customers, all from your own website.

In this guide, we’ll show you step by step how to sell your digital art and graphics online using WordPress.

Why Sell Your Digital Art and Graphics Online?

Selling your digital art online is a simple way to turn your creativity into income. You can reach a global audience, set your own prices, and keep full control of your work right from your WordPress website.

If you’re an artist, there are lots of ways to sell your work online. For example, you could create a print-on-demand shop and turn your graphics into branded merchandise or high-quality prints.

However, more and more artists are selling their work as digital downloads rather than physical products. These items may include stock photo libraries, ebooks, downloadable worksheets, Canva templates, and more.

Selling digital downloads saves you money because you don’t have to pay for printing and shipping fees. You also don’t have to worry about physical storage, supplies, or managing your inventory. All of this means bigger profits for less time and effort.

Now, let’s see how you can sell digital art and graphics online.

Which Platform Should You Use to Sell Digital Art and Graphics?

We recommend using WordPress and Easy Digital Downloads to sell your art and digital graphics online.

WordPress is the best website builder in the world. It powers over 43% of all websites on the internet, including millions of websites where people sell digital downloads. WordPress gives you full control over your website, so it’s easy to design a beautiful and eye-catching site where you can show off your work.

Easy Digital Downloads is the best WordPress eCommerce plugin to sell digital products. In fact, we use the plugin ourselves to sell many of our premium WordPress plugins.

This gives WordPress and Easy Digital Downloads a huge advantage over hosted platforms like Sellfy, Gumroad, and Sendowl, which often charge high transaction fees.

While WooCommerce is another great WordPress plugin, Easy Digital Downloads is much simpler and designed specifically for selling digital products right from the start.

With that being said, let’s take a look at how to easily create a WordPress site with Easy Digital Downloads, so you can start selling digital artwork and graphics online.

Here’s a quick overview of the steps we’ll cover in this tutorial:

• Step 1. Setting Up Your WordPress Hosting
• Step 2. Setting Up Your eCommerce Plugin
• Step 3. Adding a Payment Gateway to WordPress
• Step 4. Turn Your Digital Art Into a Downloadable Product
• Step 5. Customizing Your Digital Download Emails
• Step 6. Test Your Digital Download
• Step 7. Selecting and Customizing Your WordPress Theme
• Step 8. Promoting Your Digital Downloads
• Bonus Tools to Sell More Digital Art & Graphics
• FAQs About Selling Digital Art and Graphics Online

Step 1. Setting Up Your WordPress Hosting

Before you start building your WordPress website, it’s important to know that there are two types of WordPress software: WordPress.org and WordPress.com.

We’ll be using WordPress.org, also known as self-hosted WordPress, because it has more features and flexibility. For a detailed comparison, you can see our guide on the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org.

To start selling digital art and graphics with WordPress, you’ll need a domain name. This is the address that people will type into their browser when they want to visit your website.

If you don’t already have a name in mind, then you can see our guide on how to choose the best domain name.

You’ll also need web hosting, which is where your website’s files are stored online, and an SSL certificate so you can securely accept credit card payments on your WordPress site.

A domain name typically costs $14.99/year, and hosting costs start from $7.99/month. The price of an SSL certificate differs depending on where you buy the certificate, but you can expect to pay anywhere between $50 and $200 / year.

As you can see, the costs can really start to add up, especially for artists who are just starting out, or anyone who is working with a limited budget.

Thankfully, SiteGround is offering a huge 83% discount on their managed hosting for Easy Digital Downloads. Their plan comes with a free SSL certificate, Easy Digital Downloads pre-installed, and all the optimization features you need.

This means you can start selling your artwork for only $3.99 per month.

Let’s go ahead and show you how to easily buy a domain name, web hosting, and an SSL certificate. First, you’ll need to head over to the SiteGround website and click on ‘Get Plan.’

After that, SiteGround will ask you to enter a domain name for your website, and will also show some optional extras you can buy. You can add these extras at any point, so we recommend skipping this step.

Then, simply enter your payment information to finish the purchase. After a few moments, you’ll get an email with details on how to log in to your new account.

Once you log in, select the ‘Websites’ tab. Here, you’ll see two buttons: Site Tools and WordPress Admin.

Site Tools is SiteGround’s hosting dashboar,d where you can manage everything related to your site, such as setting up your emails.

To log into your new website, click on the ‘WordPress Admin’ button.

This will take you to a screen where you can log in to your WordPress dashboard.

Here, simply type in the username and password you created, and then click on ‘Log In.’

Now, you’re ready to start building an online store to sell your digital art and graphics.

Are you using a different WordPress website hosting service like Bluehost or Hostinger? Then you can check out our guide on how to install WordPress for step-by-step instructions for those hosting providers.

Step 2. Setting Up Your eCommerce Plugin

If you’re using SiteGround, then Easy Digital Downloads already comes pre-installed.

If you’re using a different hosting provider, then you’ll need to install and activate the Easy Digital Downloads plugin. If you need help, please see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Once you have access to the Easy Digital Downloads plugin, go to Downloads » Settings.

First, you need to set your store’s location.

You may plan to sell your art and graphics as digital downloads, but Easy Digital Downloads will still use your location to auto-fill some fields when a visitor makes a purchase. It may also use your location to calculate sales tax.

To add your location, simply open the ‘Business Country’ dropdown menu. You can then choose where your business is based.

Next, find the ‘Business Region’ field.

Here, you can open the dropdown and choose the area where your store operates from.

When you’re happy with the information you’ve entered, click on the ‘Save Changes’ button to store your changes.

Step 3. Adding a Payment Gateway to WordPress

When selling digital art and graphics online, you’ll need a way to accept credit payments in WordPress. By default, Easy Digital Downloads supports popular payment gateways including Stripe, PayPal, and Amazon Payments.

To add payment gateways to your website, go ahead and click on the ‘Payments’ tab.

If you want to accept payments with Stripe or PayPal, then click on either the ‘Stripe’ or ‘PayPal’ tab.

You can then follow the onscreen instructions to set up Stripe or PayPal for your online store.

With that done, click on the ‘General’ link.

In the Active Gateways section, check the box for each of the gateways that you want to add to your website.

If you check more than one payment method, then you’ll need to open the ‘Default Gateway’ dropdown and choose the payment method that will be selected by default.

You can use any gateway you want, but Stripe can accept credit cards as well as Apple Pay and Google Pay. That said, you may want to use Stripe as the default payment gateway.

After selecting one or more payment gateways, click on the ‘Save Changes’ button.

By default, Easy Digital Downloads shows all your prices in US dollars. Once you’ve set up your payment gateway, you may want to change the currency that’s used on your website.

To show your prices in any currency other than US dollars, select the ‘General’ tab, followed by the ‘Currency’ link.

Next, open the ‘Currency’ dropdown. You can now choose the currency that you want to use on your online store.

Please note that some payment gateways may not accept all currencies. If you’re unsure, then you can always check your chosen payment gateway’s website. Most have a list of currencies that they support.

When you’re happy with the currency settings, click on the ‘Save Changes’ button near the bottom of the screen.

Step 4. Turn Your Digital Art Into a Downloadable Product

Once you’ve set up at least one payment gateway, you’re ready to create your first digital product. This can be any digital art or graphic file that you want to sell online.

To create a digital product, simply go to Downloads and then select the ‘Add New’ button.

You can now type a name for the product into the ‘Enter download name here’ field.

This will be shown on the product’s page, so you’ll want to use something that catches the visitor’s attention and accurately describes your graphic or digital artwork.

Next, type out the description that will appear on the product page. You’ll want to give visitors all the information they need to decide whether this product is right for them.

For example, you might include the graphic’s dimensions and resolution. You might also talk about the product’s licensing and how the customer can use the art after buying it.

For example, it’s a good idea to create different license options. You could offer a ‘Personal Use’ license for customers who want to use the art for their own projects, and a more expensive ‘Commercial Use’ license for businesses that want to use your art in products they sell.

Being clear about this helps protect your work and gives buyers confidence.

Many online stores use product categories and tags to help shoppers find what they’re looking for. These categories and tags can also encourage visitors to explore related graphics and digital art products, which can help you get more sales.

You can create new categories and tags in the Download Categories and Download Tags box. To learn more, please see our step-by-step guide on how to add categories and tags for WordPress pages.

Next, you’ll want to set a price by scrolling to the Download Prices section.

Here, type in how much visitors will pay to download this graphic or digital artwork.

You’re now ready to upload the image file that you want to sell. When it comes to images, WordPress supports GIF, HEIC, JPEG, PNG, and WebP formats.

For most digital art, we recommend using PNG files if you need a transparent background, or JPEG files for high-quality images with smaller file sizes. For details, see our guide on using PNG vs JPEG in WordPress.

To add your downloadable file, simply scroll to the Download Files section.

In the File Name field, type a name for the file that shoppers will get when they make a purchase. Then, click on the ‘Upload a File’ icon.

You can now choose any image from the WordPress media library, or you can upload a new file from your computer.

Finally, you will need to add a product image.

When you’re selling your valuable digital art and graphics, it’s important to protect your work so that it can’t be used without permission.

For this reason, we do not recommend using your original digital art or graphic as the product image.

Instead, you can use a lower-resolution version of the original image or add a watermark.

If you do create a watermark using web design software, then make sure you show this watermark in a location that isn’t easy to crop out. Many artists place their watermark in the center of the image, or they use the watermark in a repeating pattern that covers the entire digital artwork.

A third option is to create a preview of how the shopper might use the digital art or graphics. For example, you could show your work on a mock-up mobile phone screen or marketing display. As an added bonus, this will encourage shoppers to buy the product.

To add a product image, simply scroll to the Download Image section and then click on the ‘Set Download Image’ link.

This launches the WordPress media library, where you can choose an image or upload a new file from your computer.

When you’re happy with your digital download, click on the Publish button to make it live.

Step 5. Customizing Your Digital Download Emails

Every time someone buys a digital download from your website, Easy Digital Downloads will send them an email with a link to download their product.

While this default email has everything the customer needs to download their file, we still recommend customizing it with your own logo, branding, and messaging.

To customize the default email, simply go to Downloads » Settings. Then click on the ‘Emails’ tab.

You may want to start by adding your own logo.

This branding appears at the top of your purchase receipt emails, so your customers can clearly see who the email is from.

To add a logo, click on the ‘Attach File’ button.

You can now either choose an image from the WordPress media library or upload a file from your computer.

You can also add a ‘From Name.’

This name will appear in the customer’s inbox, so you’ll want to use something that the customer will recognize, such as the name of your website or design company.

You’ll also need to add a ‘From Email,’ which will act as the ‘from’ and ‘reply-to’ address.

Some customers may reply to the purchase receipt email. For example, if they’re having problems downloading the file, they might reach out by clicking ‘Reply.’ With that in mind, you’ll want to use a professional email address that you check frequently.

After making these changes, click on the ‘Purchase Receipts’ tab.

On this screen, you can type in an email subject, add a heading and also change the email’s body text.

You could simply type in the text that you want to send to every customer. However, you can create more helpful and personalized emails by using the Conditional Emails feature.

Conditional Emails use ‘template tags’ to personalize your content. Every time it sends an email, Easy Digital Downloads will replace these tags with real values, such as the customer’s name and how much they paid for the digital download.

To see all the available tags, simply scroll to the bottom of the ‘Purchase Receipts’ screen.

When you’ve finished making changes, you may want to send a test email so you can see how the message will look to your customers.

To do this, simply click on the ‘Send Test Email’ button, and Easy Digital Downloads will send an email to your admin email address.

Have you clicked on the ‘Send Test Email’ button, but didn’t get a test email? Your site may not be sending emails properly, which can be a big problem. If customers don’t get purchase confirmation emails, they won’t be able to download your digital art and graphics.

With that in mind, you can follow our guide on how to fix the WordPress not sending email issue to make sure your emails reach your customers. You can also check out WP Mail SMTP, which is the best WordPress SMTP plugin.

When you’re happy with how the purchase receipt email looks, you can go ahead and click on the ‘Save Changes’ button.

Step 6. Test Your Digital Download

Once you’ve created your first Easy Digital Downloads product and customized the purchase emails, it’s a good idea to test that visitors can purchase it without any issues.

Before you make a test purchase, it’s important to put Easy Digital Downloads into test mode. This allows you to test the purchasing process without having to type in your credit or debit card information.

To put your website into test mode, go to Downloads » Settings and then click on the ‘Payments’ tab.

Under ‘Active Gateways,’ check the box next to ‘Store Gateway.’ This is a special testing tool that lets you go through the checkout process without using a real credit card.

After that, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click on ‘Save Changes.’

Now that you’re in test mode, go to Downloads » All Downloads. Here, hover over the product that you want to test and click on its ‘View’ link.

This opens the product page where shoppers can buy this digital download.

To make a test purchase, go ahead and click on the ‘Purchase’ button.

Easy Digital Downloads will now add this item to your cart.

After that, it’s time to click on the ‘Checkout’ button.

Since we’re in test mode, you can simply type in your email address and name, and then click on ‘Purchase.’

You don’t need to enter any payment information.

After a few moments, you’ll get a purchase confirmation email containing a link to download the digital artwork or graphic.

If everything works and you can access your file, then you can add more digital products to your site by repeating the same process described above.

Once you’ve completed the test, don’t forget to take your site out of test mode so you can accept payments from your visitors.

To do this, simply go to Downloads » Settings » Payments. You can then uncheck the ‘Store Gateway’ box.

Step 7. Selecting and Customizing Your WordPress Theme

Themes control how your WordPress website looks, including the colors, layout, and fonts. Your theme is the face of your WordPress site and plays an important role in how visitors see your brand.

There are thousands of free and premium WordPress themes to choose from, but you’ll want to choose a design that looks good and has exactly the features you need.

To help you make the right choice, we’ve put together a list of the most popular WordPress themes. Our top pick is the Astra Theme since it’s fully compatible with Easy Digital Downloads, free, and completely customizable.

Once you’ve chosen a theme, you can see our guide on how to install a WordPress theme.

Alternatively, you can create your own custom page designs with SeedProd. It’s the best drag-and-drop WordPress theme builder on the market, used by over 1 million websites.

SeedProd comes with more than 200 ready-made, professionally designed templates. These templates include layouts that are perfect for promoting files such as stock photos, worksheets, and ebooks.

You can even create your own custom themes so your digital store has exactly the design you need. For more details, check out our guide on how to create a custom WordPress theme (no coding needed).

Step 8. Promoting Your Digital Downloads

If you’re going to sell your digital art and graphics, then you’ll need to drive traffic to your different product pages.

This might mean adding a product page to your website’s menu. You might also create a sales page to advertise your digital products, and then include links to different products you mention so that visitors can check them out.

We’ve also seen digital artists create a blog where they write about their work, share advice and ‘how to’ guides, and cover other relevant topics. These posts are the perfect place to include links to any relevant digital art and graphics that readers can buy.

No matter how you promote a product, you’ll need to know its URL.

To find this link, simply go to Downloads » Downloads. You can then hover over the product you want to link to, and click on its ‘Edit’ link.

You’ll find the URL in the right-hand menu.

You can now link to this product page from any area of your website simply by using this URL. To learn more, see our step-by-step guide on how to add a link in WordPress.

Easy Digital Downloads also creates a unique ‘Purchase’ button for each product. You can add this button to any page, post, or widget-ready area.

When the visitor clicks on this button, it will add that item to their shopping cart. In this way, visitors can start the purchasing process from any page of your website without having to visit the individual product’s page.

You can add this button to your site using a shortcode that Easy Digital Downloads creates automatically.

To get a product’s shortcode, simply scroll to the ‘Purchase Shortcode’ section in the block panel. You can then copy the text in the ‘Purchase Shortcode’ field.

You can now add the shortcode to any post or page, or even a widget-ready area like your website’s sidebar. For more details on how to place the shortcode, you can see our guide on how to add a shortcode in WordPress.

After adding the shortcode to your website, you’ll see a new ‘Purchase’ button.

Bonus Tools to Sell More Digital Art & Graphics

To make more sales, you’ll need to get visitors to your website and then convince those people to buy your digital artwork and graphics.

This is where WordPress plugins come in.

Here are some of our top picks for plugins that can help you get more traffic and conversions:

• All in One SEO is the best SEO plugin for WordPress and can help you optimize your site to get more traffic from search engines like Google.
• MonsterInsights is the best Analytics solution for WordPress. It helps you see where your visitors are coming from and the actions they take on your website. This allows you to create a business strategy based on real data.
• OptinMonster is the best conversion optimization software on the market. You can use it to create optin forms to grow your email list and convert visitors into paying customers. It can also help reduce your shopping cart abandonment rates.
• PushEngage is the best push notification software for WordPress. It allows you to send personalized web push notifications to visitors and customers.

FAQs About Selling Digital Art and Graphics Online

In this guide, we showed you how to sell digital art and graphics using Easy Digital Downloads. If you still have questions, then here are our FAQs about selling artwork and graphics online.

Where Can I Sell My Digital Art Online?

You can sell your digital art on platforms like Etsy, Amazon, and Fine Art America. These marketplaces make it easy to reach buyers who are actively looking for digital art.

However, they usually charge fees or take a percentage of every sale. If you want to keep all your profits and control your brand, the best option is to create your own website.

That way, you can showcase your art, set your own prices, and build a loyal audience without paying marketplace commissions.

How Much Does It Cost to Create a Website for My Digital Art?

You can create a digital art website for less than $3.99/month using SiteGround EDD Hosting. It’s affordable, beginner-friendly, and works perfectly with Easy Digital Downloads.

Plus, you can use free WordPress themes and plugins to minimize costs. For a detailed cost breakdown, see our article on how much it costs to build a WordPress website.

Can I Also Sell Physical Products with Easy Digital Downloads?

Yes, you can sell physical items like framed prints, art merchandise, or branded products alongside your digital downloads.

Although it’s called Easy Digital Downloads, the plugin also supports physical products through its Simple Shipping addon. This lets you handle shipping directly from your store—so you can manage everything, digital and physical, in one place.

We hope this article helped you learn how to sell digital art and graphics online. You can also go through our guide on the best multi currency WordPress plugins and how to create a thank you page in WordPress.

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