Build a Killer Author Website
Hi, all,
Do you need a good author website? You haven’t studiously poured through all the how-to articles on the topic? I may be able to help. It’s taken me two days to devour dozens of resources, and here’s my take on the topic to help you nibble through at least a few layers of the Big Onion…
For me, the process of creating a “good” author website started as a straightforward exercise after reading a few articles:
- Subscribe to a website self-hosting service (for more control over your site… Lots of choices. I chose Bluehost), and get a custom domain name as part of the package. Mine is www.gkjurrens.com. Wait for it to be registered (you can actually start building your site right away on a temporary Bluehost domain). I’m in for about $100 a year introductory pricing. More next year, but reasonable.
- Don’t repeat my blunder: sign up for the Domain Privacy Protection for another $12 or you’ll start getting spam calls from New York to New Guinea,
- Load some top-shelf website software (for good reason, the most popular is WordPress, and it’s free),
- Snag a sexy WordPress template (or “skin” for an edgy “look and feel”… I’m still exploring. Lots to explore on WordPress and lots of expert advice on which templates to use – see resource list below),
- Add a few widgets (chunks of cool function) like an email list builder with a “subscribe” button, a “follow me” button, and maybe a search field, maybe an archives list for the older posts as your site matures,
- BUT remember, keep your sidebar (visible on every page of your site) uncluttered: less is more… Oops!
- Post regular content that your readers will find interesting and of value, enough to entice them to become regular visitors to your site (hopefully, this article is an example of that for you),
- Hit the Publish button,
- Et voila! One author website up and running.
So what else could there be to this author website gig, eh?
Well, let me say this about that. A lot.
Read on, my friends…
As I mentioned, I tapped dozens of resources to write this article and to improve the author website I’d already created. Here are a few of those expert resources:
Thanks to Joanna Penn, Kimberley Grabas, Derek Halpern, Joe Bunting, James Chartrand, Chris Hoke, Andy King, Simon Appleby, and Jane Friedman. I am humble in the presence of all this webbish greatness.
Check out the wonderful author and blog pages these web gurus post up for us mere mortals by clicking on each name above.
There are additional links to all these wonderful resources at the end of this article.
So, you know that pesky thread about a foot long that hangs out from under the sleeve of your t-shirt and tickles your underarm when you’re thinking you’re neat, groomed, and well, presentable? That’s the thread I started to pull instead of cutting, and it’s been a gratifying two days (so far). But my right sleeve is completely unraveled.
Allow me to elucidate… I skipped step zero above. Mortal sin, I’m told. Here’s why.
Apparently, I skipped the entire superset of philosophical and psychological aspects of building not just a “good” site, but a “great” site. Who doesn’t want “great”?
Actually, the philosophy and psychology of constructing a great author website are all tangled up with one another. Aside from the obvious punch list of making a good first impression, keeping the site uncluttered and professional in appearance (work in progress), and maintaining consistency from page to page, I gave that first little tug on that pesky thread when the pundits informed me I need my site to reflect my brand. My what?
Here we go…
I needed to answer the first round of questions about brand as reflected on my shiny new website including:
- Will people know what I write in seconds?
- Will my voice, tone, and mood resonate with my ideal reader?
- Will they understand the page? What it’s about? And know what to do next?
- Does the site appear credible?
- Is it clear why a visitor should buy my book(s) or subscribe for free updates?
Okay. Makes sense. Next, I came across some interesting tidbits for each page on my site. For example:
- The About/Bio page:
- Yes, every site should have one as this is statistically the most visited page; and yes, mine needs work!
- Always answer for the visitor, “WIIFM” (What’s In It For Me?),
- Include your image: a headshot to use here and consistently in all your marketing materials (social media, etc.),
- Cross-link from your home page,
- Break About/Bio page into sections:
- Persuasive headline,
- Reassure readers they’re in the right place, tell them what your site will give them,
- Strengthen your credibility with testimonials, reader quotes, and other “social proof”,
- Your personal story: frame around what led you to start writing, why you write, and what you love about it. Make your personality shine through.
- Your writing credentials,
- Ask them to join your email list and provide a link to your books, services… (tip: what do I want to know about my favorite author?)
Good stuff, right? But pretty high level. I’m a detail guy.
I still wondered what this brand thing was all about in more specific terms. I now had a general idea, but I hungered for more, so I kept digging until I discovered a deeper treatment of an author brand. Extracted from some of the author website greats, I distilled the following with respect to the author’s brand (thank you, Derek Halpern):
- Your brand is your implicit promise to your audience,
- Enhances your writing by giving it great focus and depth,
- Refines your voice (cultivates tone, texture, and phrasing),
- Easier for your readers to identify with you,
- Attracts new readers who will identify with you,
- Maybe even lead by example, create change, start a movement.
From there, other articles advocated discovering something called brand personality (thank you, Kimberley Grabas):
- Brainstorm: develop, define your central philosophy (ah-HA!),
- As an author, why are you different? Who are you? What do you want? How do you want to be known?
- Focus on strengths, passions, goals,
- What words, ideas, concepts, feelings do you want people to associate with you?
- What mood or immediate impression do you want to evoke?
- Do some research: check out sites of your favorite authors, bloggers… What attracts you?
- Start looking for themes; then refine, tighten, simplify,
- What truly represents you and your writing best? Focus!
- Look to the future: allow expansion of your brand for future work,
- Weave this stuff throughout your brand with words and images that reflect your refined ideology.
Well, kids, there’s lots more in the resource list at the end of this article that includes access to:
- Creating a solid marketing plan,
- Launching your new brand,
- Socializing,
- Managing your author brand,
- Identifying your target audience (specifically),
- Getting to know your audience (specifically),
- Learning how people think online (non-verbal website intelligence),
- Speeding up your site to improve your rankings and traffic,
- Using keyword phrases that direct targeted traffic to your site,
- Use tools like WordTracker to research various keyword phrases specific enough to bring your targeted audience to you at the top of a Google search list in BIG BOLD LETTERS,
- Employing SEO (Search Engine Optimization) best practices, so your site, articles, and posts pop up near the top of Google’s search engine results which means more traffic to your site, making it easier for your ideal readers to find you.
And to think all I wanted to do was steps 1-7 above! Adorable, right?
Nothing is easy, but the hard stuff is worthwhile in order to get from “good” to “great”, am I right?
With pen in hand,
GK (Gene)
Resource List:
How To Build Your Own Self-Hosted Author Website In Under 30 Minutes
https://booklaunch.com/how-to-build-the-ultimate-author-website-in-1-hour/
https://thewritepractice.com/building-an-author-website/
Building an outstanding “About” page:
https://writetodone.com/five-tips-and-a-bonus-on-how-to-write-a-fantastic-about-page/
Why email marketing crushes social media marketing every time
The Ultimate email list “bribe”: Webinars (“scarcity play”)
http://thewritingplatform.com/2013/02/ten-author-websites-that-really-do-the-business/
Non-Verbal Website Intelligence: 5 Invisible Forces Behind Effective Online Marketing (Learn how people think online) – Feel free to republish excerpts from this report, as long as you link back to this site: http://diythemes.com/thesis/nonverbal-website-intelligence/
Slow-loading author websites lose traffic. Resources to speed up your site:
Tutorial: Faster Site Load Times (to avoid PO’d visitors due to slow site loading)
Eight tools for image optimization (for faster load times)
Article on how to speed up website load times
Search Engine Optimization anyone? Ways to improve your website rankings
https://www.janefriedman.com/author-website-components/