There is no doubt that having a website is essential for an author. But how much money and time have to be invested in making one? And what should one expect from it? First of all, one needs to understand that having a website means establishing oneself as an author.
Now that almost everything revolves around the internet, having an author’s website has become a necessity as every author has fans around the world who want to know more about them and their works. He also needs to comprehend that according to ethics, for you to visit an extraordinary author’s website more than once, the author has to write extraordinary books as well.
Pages for marketing are not the same when it comes to writing, therefore readers have to understand that each sales website only promotes one particular book or silang ‘selling one page at a time’ to its licensors.
In this blog article, readers will understand how to create a website for their release and through what means that would happen – choosing platforms, creating content, and translating ideas into an actual website. Following these steps will boost not only brand sales but also brand purpose.
The Importance of An Author Website
A lot of people assume that the sole purpose of an author’s website is to provide specifics regarding them and their books. Most of the readers do not comprehend how a website contributes to the fact that they are familiar with the writer and his works. The authors on the other side can use the site to present their books, maintain their readers on events, and share behind the scenes of their writing. In this way, readers become part of a community and are encouraged to interact with you and your content.
Even more so, an author’s website is an effective weapon for marketing. This allows advertising for the coming works, providing some features for promotional items and helping advertising by collecting potential customer emails for future email sending.
The audience that comes to the website can further be attracted through links to social networks increasing exposure and interaction. Hence, if you forget about the intention behind creating an author’s website, it would be difficult to assign the overall shape of the site.
How To Prepare Your Author Website
Author websites are an important part of developing your author identity so you need to do some research and make preparations before you create one for the book launch. One thing you can do is to look up other author websites for ideas and what features you may like to include. Think of things that can help in exhibiting your books in the best light and at the same time help promote your brand.
In this process, deciding on a domain name is one of the first things that need to be done. Your domain name should leave an impression be easy to type and also be associated with the title or the theme of your book.
It may also help to add keywords that relate to your genre as it will also help in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), making it easier for prospective readers to locate you online. Furthermore, the choice of the right platform is also crucial, there are readable options such as WordPress or WIX that allow the authors to build a page without having to learn a coding algorithm.
Important Aspects of an Author Website
There are specific elements that must be included when designing an author website in light of your book launch maximization potential. The Author Bio section comes to the fore. Here, you are supposed to give every reader a glimpse of yourself as a writer through life stories and professional experience. People get interested after reading an interesting bio which makes them want to see more of your work.
The Book Showcase is yet another important aspect. There should be a separate page for every book which includes its cover images, a short description of the book, purchase links, and if possible reviews. Doing this will not only educate would-be buyers on what to expect from the book but it also makes it easy for them to buy the book. Besides, adding a Subscription Form also works since it expands your emailing list and people get to know about your new books and events.
Building your Author Profile and Website
It is very important to design the authors’ website nicely since it will help in attracting as well as retaining visitors. Clean designs with easy navigation mean a user won’t feel frustrated when looking for the information and comes to the conclusion they have everything in the structure they sought out. Incorporate graphics that are related to the topics you’re writing and include amazing pictures of covered pages for your books.
Fonts and colors play an essential role as well for those who conform to the theme of the publication however universal meaning is compatible across devices. Mobile-friendliness cannot be ignored; even for mass fashion, your website must be offered well via cellphones and tablets. By focusing on those design elements, you create accordance with the visitors and encourage them to know you and your publications at length.
Read also: Author Websites Done Right: 8 Examples to Fuel Your Creativity
Leveraging Your Websites For Book Launch Campaigns
In the course of your book launch, the author’s website can be very handy in the marketing campaign. Information about your latest one may be included among other elements in the Homepage Promotion. Here, an author might include an image of the book cover and a small mark to invite an audience to read the story or even buy the book.
Consider also having blog posts about ideas about your writing or behind-the-scenes of how you worked around your book. Such an addition fosters the retention of visitors as well as the creation of a community nurtured around your work. Furthermore, adding links to social accounts makes it easier for readers to grab you on the other platforms which increases engagement as well.
Read also: Top 10 Tools to Create a Stunning Book Website in Minutes
SEO Best Practices for Authors
Your author’s website should be searchable; to enhance that, you may want to implement Search Engine Optimization (SEO) practices. First, begin with book genre-related keyword research so that you can find out what authors are supposed to be searched for by readers in a bid to discover new books.
Such practices would contribute to making the book site appear in the search results if keywords are relevant, particularly including topics, header tags, and positional metadata. SEO techniques such as improving image descriptions with keywords can also be incorporated. A website performing optimally for everyone would be constantly updated with new content such as blogs, news, and emails, as search engines prioritize and index it like that.
Launching Your Author Website
Once all the critical components of your author’s website for the book are finally at the desired sample’s publication stage there is one final step: launch day! To fully understand the presented material, make sure to have a checklist that includes checking whether all the links function, all content pages are free of any grammatical mistakes, and no images appear broken.
Once your content creative is done, share this information via various social media platforms, newsletters, and foreign or native publications with your potential readers. Otherwise, use the site launch to schedule an online event where followers scroll through the site together while discussing projects that are being planned in the neighborhood.
Read also: 7 Author Website Platforms That Will Make You a Bestseller
Conclusion.
Establishing an author marketing website should not only be a way for you to be visible to your audience but to also seek engagement opportunities with existing and potential readers for your work. To fully capitalize on the site launch according to plan, start by comprehending the goals of the site and move through to its successful operationalization. Use this chance to demonstrate to the world who you are as an author while establishing some relations with supporters of your stories.