An author’s website should be used as a marketing tool and serve as the heart of your online activity, including the sale of books, participation in social media, and blogging. It shouldn’t simply be a fancy business card. These components allow you to broaden your audience and boost book sales dofollow backlinks.
Even though every author will have a distinct vision for their website, and the author’s genre and personality should determine the site’s atmosphere, there are a few components that are standard for author websites, and they are as follows:
A Unique Domain Name
You should select and finalize your domain name before you launch your author website because it could impact your website’s design if it becomes the title or name.
You should definitely do this if you own more than one book. When you have many books listed on your website, it stands to reason that you wouldn’t register a domain name for just one of those novels. What happens if you already have a website under the name of one of your books that you want to redirect here? It may be the best time to concentrate all your online presence via a single website that uses your name.
You’re more likely to be found in search results, and compiling all of your works onto a single website makes it easier for readers to stumble into your other publications when they seek a certain book. It should remain yourname.com, even if you are a first-time author with only one book.
A Simple Yet Creative Theme
Theme selection is an important factor that determines the quality of author websites. Imagine a design template or theme serving as the skin that covers your website. It is responsible for dictating the aesthetics, including the colors, the layout, the typefaces, and the styles, among other things. The most basic themes may contain very little or no additional functionality, in contrast to more complex themes, which typically come with many unique customization options and additional functionality. This is especially true of WordPress themes. Your choice is essential because it impacts the style of your entire website and some of the possibilities you have to change your website or take it to the next level without knowing how to code.
An Interesting Author Bio
Your readers will most likely begin their journey through your website by reading your author profile. People have an innate need to satisfy their sense of wonder and will be interested in learning more.
Only disclose information you would be willing to make public elsewhere on the internet. There is no correct or incorrect thing to say, and there is no requirement for it to be very personal. Simply provide some information about yourself and your writing, as well as a photograph of yourself if available. Consider the type of reader you want to attract and the aspects of your background they could find interesting.
When you have hobbies and experiences similar to those of other people, they will feel connected to you on a deeper level. Do you perhaps adore felines? Or, during the weekends, you train at a gym to become a bodybuilder. People will feel more at ease due to this content and will be more likely to remember you due to its intriguing and quirky nature.
Your reputation as an author and as a person your readers will want to engage with will be established through a strong author bio.
A Section for the Latest News
You can maintain your website with the most recent information about you and your books by keeping it updated. Building your credibility as an author and gaining others’ acknowledgment of your status can be accomplished by actively promoting your contributions to the industry.
Think about all you’ve done to promote your book and how much work you’ve put into it. Keep updating this content on your author’s website as much as possible. It may result in many event invitations, excellent reviews, and intriguing interviews with industry professionals.
You can also let people know what will happen in the future, as they may also want to participate if they know what will happen.
Links to Social Media Profiles
Readers no longer have to resort to mailing letters of support into the void if an author maintains a presence on social media because it provides them with an additional communication channel. Because maintaining a social media presence is so common (and increasingly required), authors typically make it simple for their readers to locate their many profiles across various platforms.
Readers’ Testimonials
Including testimonials from people who have read your book would be an excellent way for others to know more about it. However, you should try to update these with other testimonials if possible, simply because it would make it more believable if you do so. If you cannot find any additional readers, you may begin with members of your family or close acquaintances.
An effective way to persuade people that your book is worth purchasing is to have previous readers rave about how glad they are that they did purchase your book. Therefore, testimonials are quite valuable if you can acquire them. Don’t be hesitant to inquire if you can get a hold of any of your readers’ contact information! If they have loved your work, the vast majority of people will gladly provide you with a recommendation.
Contact Info
It should be easy for readers to get in touch with you. Very few authors will receive an overwhelming number of messages, but the benefit is the opportunity to communicate with their audience and explore potential options. In the first point of contact, it is unnecessary to have either their phone number or address.
Use a form that obscures your email address so that spammers cannot “harvest” it and use it for their purposes. Be careful not to ask for excessive information, as the more details you require, the fewer people will get in touch with you.
Take Away
Although much information is presented here, try not to get overwhelmed. You are constructing your writing platform and career one plank at a time, indicating that some effort is required.
Think creatively; there are a lot of great methods to provide value to your website for your readers and keep them coming back for more!