When you’re an author, your own website is one of your most essential tools. It’s where readers can learn more about you and your work and a place for you to connect with fans and sell books. This blog will show you what you need to consider when creating your own site for your thriller novels.
Many different elements go into making a successful author website. Here are a few things an author’s website should be and have:
Well-designed and visually appealing
First impressions matter, and if your website looks dated or cluttered, potential readers will likely move on. Make sure your website looks professional. Show off your home page using high-quality images and design elements, and make sure the overall look is polished and cohesive. The content should be well written and error-free.
The book pages on your website should be well-designed and eye-catching, including all the information readers need, such as excerpts, reviews, and buy links.
Easy to navigate
The layout should be user-friendly and straightforward, with clear headings and links. Readers shouldn’t have to spend a lot of time hunting for information; they should be able to find what they’re looking for quickly.
Make sure your site includes engaging visuals (including photos, graphics, and videos) to help capture the attention of website visitors.
Informative and concise
Your website should give visitors a good sense of who you are as an author and what kinds of books you write. Include a bio, sample chapters or excerpts from your books, upcoming events, links to your social media accounts, and a contact page. If you have received reviews for your book, add them to your Home page.
The About page
Authors can use their author site to provide additional information about themselves, their work, or both. For example, an author might include a resume or a list of publications.
The blog
Make sure to add a blog to share your thoughts on the writing process or your latest book, give a great example of a special except, and other things book-related. If you’re actively promoting your mailing list and offering incentives for people to sign up, then it makes sense to add a sign-up form to your home page.
Updated website
Make sure your website is up to date. For example, if you have a blog, post new articles frequently, and have event information, update it regularly. The more frequently you update your website, the more engaged your readers will be.
Additional decisions to make and steps to take:
Decide on the purpose of your website
Is it primarily for marketing your books, providing information about you and your work, or both?
Author websites can serve various purposes, from marketing books to providing author bios and contact information to showcasing writing samples and blog posts. Therefore, it’s crucial to decide on the primary purpose of your website before starting to design it or populate it with content.
Who is your target audience?
Knowing your target audience is essential because that’s the group of people you’ll be writing for and marketing to. Therefore, you’ll want to consider their demographics (age, gender, location, income level, etc.), interests, and what motivates them.
It’s not always easy to determine your target audience, but here are a few things you can do to get started:
1. Look at your existing customers or clients. Who are they, and what do they have in common?
2. Consider your business goals. What kind of people do you want to reach?
3. Think about the demographics of your ideal customer. Age, sex, location, income level, etc.
4. Do some research on your competition. What kinds of people are they targeting?
5. Try doing customer surveys or focus groups to get feedback from real people about who they would like to see as your target market.
Choose a domain name
When choosing a domain name, you want to make sure that it’s short, memorable, and easy to spell. You also want to make sure that it accurately reflects your brand or business.
One way to develop a good domain name is to brainstorm a list of possible names and then run them through a domain name availability checker. You can also use a site like Name Mesh or Bust A Name to generate ideas for domain names.
Once you’ve settled on a domain name, be sure to register it with a reputable registrar like GoDaddy or NameCheap.
Select a platform and design your site
When selecting a platform, it’s essential to consider several factors such as cost, features, and scalability. If you’re starting a small business, you’ll likely want to go with a hosted platform like Shopify or Wix that offers a wide range of features and are easy to use.
If you have more technical skills, you may want to consider using a self-hosted platform like WordPress, which will give you more flexibility in terms of design and customization but requires a bit more technical knowledge.
In either case, be sure to research the different platforms thoroughly before making your decision.
Choosing a web host
The various web hosting companies out there offer different features and services. Ultimately, it depends on your specific needs and which company would be the best fit. Some things you may want to consider include:
-You’ll want to find a reliable web host with a good track record that is easy to use. That way, you can be sure your website will be up and running at all times. The last thing you want is to spend hours figuring out how to set up your website.
-You’ll want to find a web host that offers good value for the price. You don’t want to overspend on hosting, but you also don’t want to sacrifice quality.
Do some research and take some time to compare different companies before making your choice. And, if you’re still unsure, ask around for recommendations from people you know who have experience with web hosting.
Upload content to your website
There are a few different ways to upload content to your website, depending on the type of content you want to upload. If you’re going to upload text-based content, such as articles or blog posts, you can usually do this directly within your website’s CMS (Content Management System).
Most website platforms will have an “Add Article” or “Add Blog Post” button within the backend, allowing you to add your new content.
If you want to upload content (images, videos, etc.) to a website, there are a few different ways you can go about it.
If you have your web server, you can copy the files onto the server using FTP or some other file transfer method. If you don’t have your own web server, you’ll need to sign up for a hosting service.
Once you have an account with a hosting service, they will provide you with information on how to upload files to their servers.
Promote your website
As you know, book marketing is essential for the success of any book – and that’s especially true for self-published authors. Fortunately, there are many different ways to market your book, and it’s important to experiment with as many of them as possible to see what works best for you.
One great way to market your book is through social media. Platforms like Twitter and Facebook offer a lot of opportunities to connect with potential readers, and they’re also great for building a community around your work.
Additionally, don’t forget about traditional media outlets like newspapers, magazines, and radio – these can be great ways to reach a wider audience.
Whatever marketing methods, there are quite a few ways to do book marketing and promote your website – some free, some paid. Marketing is crucial for self-published authors.
If you’re on a tight budget, start promoting your site on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. These are great places to start because you can reach many people without spending any money.
Just create engaging content and post it regularly. Make sure to include links back to your website so people can easily find it.
You can give away a free book, offer a free trial, or run a contest where the winner gets a free copy of your book. You can also promote your book by writing guest posts on other blogs or by doing interviews with bloggers and podcasters.
You can also create a video trailer for your book and post it on YouTube and other social media sites. The most important thing is to be creative and think outside the box! There are many ways to promote your book, so don’t be afraid to get creative.
Another great way to get the word out there is by guest blogging on other websites within your niche. This will help attract new readers to your site, improving your search engine ranking by getting high-quality backlinks from authority sites.
And most importantly, keep your website updated with the latest news and information about your writing career.
When it comes to author websites, there are many things to consider. But by following these simple tips, you’ll be on your way to creating an effective and engaging site that will help promote your work and attract new readers.
Monitor your website’s performance
How often will you update your website content? Updating your content can be challenging, but there are ways to simplify it. One way is to use a content management system (CMS) like WordPress, allowing you to easily update your website content from any computer or mobile device.
There are several different tools you can use to track these metrics. Google Analytics is a popular option that’s free to use. Other paid options include Crazy Egg and ClickTale.
Ultimately, the best way to improve your website’s performance is to constantly test and iterate based on the data you’re seeing. Try different design changes, new copy, and calls to action to see what works best for your audience.
Visit other author websites and check how they designed their Home page. Over time, you’ll be able to build a website that is optimized for your readers and helps you sell more books.
That’s it! Those are the most important things to consider when creating your author website. Keep in mind that this is just a general guide – you may want to add or subtract certain elements based on your personal needs and preferences.
But at least you now have a good starting point for building your author website!
In Conclusion
Creating a website is an essential step in marketing your business online. It’s also one of the most challenging and time-consuming tasks. But it’s worth it! A website will help customers find you, but it can also be a powerful tool to drive sales and create brand awareness.
How do you make sure that yours stands out from so many websites? Follow these tips, and you’re on your way to creating a website that looks great and performs well.
If you’re working on your first novel and are looking for more help with your writing, please check out my other articles at https://ullahakanson.com/blog/
Best of luck with your writing!
Ulla