Author website: 4 key principles for your digital hub
Success as an author significantly depends on having a professional website. It is the cornerstone of your author platform and the foundation of your business. But how do you make a powerful impression?
When you’re starting as an author, your budget is likely tight. Besides the costs of editing and cover design, adding website hosting and building costs may seem excessive. However, investing in a professional website is one of the smartest moves you can make. Build it right the first time and eliminate the need for costly overhauls or rushed fixes later. To make sure it serves your needs well, apply these four key principles:
1. Stay on brand
Your website is your central hub where readers can find all the information about you, your works, and connect with you. No matter how unique or creative your design is, your logo, images, and fonts must stay on brand. Ensure that colors, graphics, and content express your values and support your messages.
That’s why I opted for a minimalist template. While not flashy, the simple design complements my brand’s emphasis on straightforward information and entertainment. It also boosts my credibility. A popular self-publishing expert recently complimented my website for being clean and well-organized. He said it proved I was serious about my business.
If you write two very different series, like slasher horror fiction and paranormal romance, you might need to launch two separate websites. Then again, consider if this mix of genres is a sound business strategy.
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2. Have clear and visible calls-to-action
You can use your website to sell books or merchandise. However, it’s unlikely to happen at the beginning because people don't know you yet. So, use your website to grow your fan base. A well-designed call to action (CTA) improves user engagement and conversions on your website. Place various CTAs on your website that encourage visitors to sign up for your email list, or connect on social media profiles. You may not sell directly, but you should still link to the online stores where you sell your books, such as Amazon and Kobo.
Optimize your CTAs. Use clear and attractive buttons that prompt visitors to act. Make it tempting for readers to click!
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3. Establish a good user experience
Make sure your author website is both functional and good-looking. Responsive design is a must, so it works great on phones, tablets, and computers. The look should grab attention, but it also needs to be user-friendly. Visitors should quickly find the information they’re looking for. Also, if images load slowly or links are broken, people might not stick around.
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4. Optimize your content
Besides social media, your author website is often the first point of contact between you and your audience. Unlike third-party platforms, where you must adhere to their guidelines, you control what and when you release your content.
As an authorpreneur, one of your key objectives is to ensure readers can easily find you online. Unless people know you, they won’t visit your website directly. Instead, they’ll just ‘Google’ you. This is where search engine optimization (SEO) becomes invaluable. Optimize your site with keywords about you and your brand, your books, and related products and services, and more readers will find you online. The higher your site appears in search results, the more traffic you’ll attract, and the greater your chances of turning visitors into readers.
Author website takeaways
One major perk of having your website is that you control not only the content of your author website but also how people interact with it and their overall experience. Unlike social media platforms with their rules, restrictions, and shifting algorithms that can limit your reach. Optimize your website for both visitors and search engines. A well-organized site is easier to use and gets you higher search rankings.
You don’t need advanced tech skills or a hefty budget to create an effective website. What matters is a clean, user-friendly design that is fast, and regularly updated.
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