Author Websites are Different

Many websites simply provide information. Author websites are different. They need to draw readers in, share what you and your book are about, and guide visitors to a next step. That step might be to sign up for your newsletter, buy your book, or contact you about scheduling a speaking event. We can work with you to design and build a website that brings visitors through these steps, conveys your personal style, has easy-to-use navigation, and contains key components that author’s websites should have.

Elements We Can Include in an Author Website

Every author and speaker needs many of the elements listed below in their websites, however they aren’t all appropriate for everyone. Having a website is key for marketing your book, and getting your message out. A newsletter, or a blog is very beneficial but is not necessary for everyone, and you simply may not have the time.

Curt Remington’s author website

Featured Product (Current Book)

The book or product you’re currently promoting deserves a prominent spot on the homepage, with a cover shot, brief blurb, and/or a link to a full description and option to purchase.

About/Biography Page

People want to know about you and what you do. The about page may be the most popular page on author websites. Consider including a professional headshot or a photo that captures your personality, possibly doing what you love to do. Many authors also include a prominent picture of themself on the homepage.

Why do you write what you write about? If you’re an expert, how did you get to be an expert in your field? Are you a speaker too? What do you do when you’re not writing?

Books, Services and Other Products

Along with books, many authors have other products or services, such as CDs, public speaking, healing work, coaching, retreats, or seminars. Whatever you offer or do, we can feature it in a section of your website. We can link your products to Amazon, link to other retailers, or integrate e-commerce into your website.

Blog or Articles

A blog or article section on your website has a variety of benefits. Websites with blogs get more traffic. They give visitors a reason to come back. Blogs provide a way to interact with your audience, especially if you have a comments section. Blog or articles are also a great opportunity to use a post to target specific keywords, enhancing your search engine optimization.

Contact Information

It is important that people can reach you, although many authors seem to prefer to be left alone. In order to promote your work, the media, bookstores, agents, publishers, and of course your audience needs contact information like an email address and phone number. We frequently use a contact form, with or without including your email address. If you’re active on social media, you can encourage readers to communicate with you through those channels.

Email Signup

Email subscribers can be a very valuable marketing tool. A signup box on your website helps build your newsletter subscriber list. That newsletter reminds people that you’re around, and it’s an easy way to notify your audience when you develop new products or services. They might anxiously be awaiting your next book.

We can even set you up with an autoresponder sequence. This could include an incentive for subscribers to join, followed by a series of informational emails that are automatically sent, once they subscribe. We have used this very effectively ourselves, with our “Top Ten Tools” campaign.

Testimonials

Quotes from reviews and testimonials can help ramp up your sales and establish you as an expert, increasing your credibility. We can include them on your about page, your homepage, or on your sidebar.

Social Media

If your like most authors, a large percent of your potential audience is on social media platforms, like Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Pinterest, Instagram, and LinkedIn. There are also countless social sites for readers, like Goodreads, Shelfari, AuthorsDen, and Scribd. We can include links to your social media sites on your website, along with links that make it easy for others to post your content to their social sites. Widgets, like the Facebook feed on my website, can provide fresh content and encourage interaction on your Facebook, Twitter, or Google Plus page.

Events/Speaking Engagements

A section or page that lists your upcoming events makes it easy for fans to find you and attend. The social media links and widgets can also help keep visitors up-to-date on what you’re up to.

Media Kit

We can help you build a media kit or press page that includes things like your bio, photos, and a press release. This page is typically built as a separate pdf file, with a link on your website. The media kit makes it easy for a journalist, promoter, or other media contact to find the information they need for an article or announcements on your upcoming events.

Custom Built Websites at an Affordable Price

Every author has slightly different needs, a different book topic, and a different persona, so we design and build each website to best fulfill those needs, always including aesthetic appeal, logical navigation, and on-page search engine optimization. Even with all that, we keep our prices reasonable and affordable. We have a basic website package for $695. If you need more features, we can easily add those. Feel free to email or call us to answer any questions or provide a detailed proposal. If you need a website rebuild, SEO, or a website review, we can do that too.