Creating an author’s website is incredibly important if you want to publish a sellable book that people will actually buy. There are a few basic things that you need to keep in mind when it comes to creating an author website, finding a host for your website, creating a domain name, and deciding on the type of content that you should be posting on your website.
Generally speaking, you have to keep in mind that all roads will lead back to your website. Your website is like your home hub, which is why it should comprise everything you need.
Find the Right Host
The first step is to find the right host for your website, such as WordPress, Wix, or GoDaddy. Wix is a great platform for those who are brand-new beginners and don’t know much about websites. WordPress is also for beginners, but you can do a lot more with WordPress as there are a lot more options.
Also, if you upgrade from “.com” to “.org,” you can enjoy even more options. If you have the WordPress.org website, you can avail of the amazing plug-ins and enjoy endless possibilities. Such websites offer a free and paid version – but when it comes to the difference between the paid and free versions, in the free version, you don’t have your own domain name, and in the paid version, you get to choose your domain name.
What is A Domain Name?
If you are new to all of this, you might be wondering about what a domain name is. A domain name basically starts with “www,” followed by the name of your website, and ends with “.com.” If you choose WordPress as your host, and you choose the free version, your domain name will conclude with “wordpress.com.”
While there is nothing wrong with using the free version, you should know that it is not the most professional. If you are first starting out, you can start with the free versions, but as you evolve as an author, make sure that your website depicts that, too. So, later, as you excel in your writer’s career, make sure to switch to the paid version, where you can have your own domain name.
Whenever you are ready to switch to the paid version of your host, you must register your domain. To register your domain, you need to find a third-party website, such as GoDaddy, and register your website through them.
How to Choose a Domain Name
When it comes to selecting your domain name – you must keep things simple. As a writer, you would rather have the domain name be your name instead of the book’s name. The reason why you shouldn’t opt for a book name is because every time you write another book, you will need a new website.
Ideally, you should have one website where you can contain everything, which is why you want to put your name in your domain. If your name is common or if there is another website out there with that name, you can include the word “author” in the domain name, as it will solve the problem.
Post the Right Content
Now that you have an official website, it is incredibly important to put out the right content so that you can build your audience. Many aspiring writers tend to overly focus on completing their first draft and getting published to the point that they miss out on building an audience who would actually be interested in buying their books after publication.
If you are working on your draft, you should know how to get published as a brand-new author, but you should also know who your ideal reader is and whether they will be interested in buying and reading your book. This aspect perfectly illustrates why you need an official website even before you publish your book or start working on your book altogether.
If you don’t know where and how to start, you can always look at other author’s websites for inspiration and get a general idea of what you could be doing. You can see what worked for other authors at the very start of their writing journey.
Must-Haves For Your Website
There are a few things that are absolutely non-negotiable to have on your author’s website. We are referring to your blog feed and the subscribe button. You want your feed at the front and in the center, and you want to integrate one CTA, which will be the subscribe button.
Also, make sure you have an “About Me” page on your official website. You don’t need to go overboard as a simple introduction, which includes who you were when you started to write and why you are writing, will suffice.
Include a list that clearly mentions where you are present on social media. This way, if someone is a huge fan of your blog posts and later your book, they can follow you on every social media or whatever their favorite platform is.
You also need a page for your books. If you have written a book or you have an upcoming book, you want to have a page for them. This way, you will have the book cover and the synopsis on display on your website. Don’t forget to add a link to buy your book.
Adding a book trailer or a chapter excerpt to hook the attention of your ideal readers is also a great way to build an audience around your product, which will be your book.
Additional Items to Have on Your Author’s Website
Include a contact form so that people can easily access you if they would like to talk to you, and you can never know about the potential opportunities that can arise just by having the contact form on your official author’s website.
Of course, you can include an event page where you can make a list of all the events that you are doing in the future for book signings. More importantly, keep your website up-to-date, relevant, and informative. Make sure that your author’s website is mobile-friendly so that everyone can access it whenever they want.
