Wondering What To Include On An Author Website?
Wondering What To Include On An Author Website?
In 2020 authors serious about promoting themselves and their work need an online presence. An online shopfront is a place where prospective readers can visit to learn about you the author and your books.
An online presence is immediately associated with having a social media profile so an author’s shopfront can be on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and other social media platforms.
On social media, an author can build a large target audience but the problem is you don’t own or fully control those sites.
It is definitely desirable to set up a social media presence but integrate it with a WordPress website.
With a WordPress.org website, you can set up a blogging platform. Here you can publish blog posts that can be distributed throughout the social media platforms.
Because you own and control the website you can customise it to suit your needs.
If you build an author website there are certain features you’ll need. Let’s take a look.
About page
An About Page provides information about you, the author. It’s your opportunity to communicate to website visitors your author profile, presenting yourself as the kind of person that should be read.
The About Page is the place to create a connection with your potential readers. It’s where they learn to trust you, believe in you, and are motivated to read what you have to say. On the Author Page include
- personal information about yourself
- a photograph or two
- your career as a writer
- relevant publications
- any relevant education or experience
- memberships of organisations
- unique information about yourself which prospective readers will remember you by.
Contact page
A Contact Page is a special page that a website visitor can use to contact the author.
It provides an opportunity for visitors to interact with whoever is behind the content they read.
Contact Form 7 is a popular and free plugin that can be installed. It’s recommended because it protects an author against spammers, which if spamming gets out of control, can be a real nuisance.
Blog page
When an author writes a blog post they have the opportunity to offer something of value to their readers. The author’s blog becomes a hub of valuable content with a focus on educating and motivating readers and prospects.
Having a blog page which contains a sequence of blog posts is useful for non-fiction writers. It adds to their credibility and helps them to become recognised as an authority within their field.
Book page
A Book Page is dedicated to your book or to multiple books that you have published. Here you display the book’s image together with a detailed description of each book.
Also include the title and sub-title, the ISBN, and publication details. Add a video as well.
Provide a link from your book to the place where it can be purchased.
I always connect an Amazon Associates affiliate link. When a prospective reader clicks on the link they are taken to the Amazon site where they can buy the book.
Social media
Install Social media icons on your author’s website that link to your social media sites. For example, link to your sites like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and Pinterest.
By integrating social media into the website you can distribute blog posts on autopilot out to your social media followers.
Lead magnet
Have you heard the statement “The money is in the list”? An element of the self-publishing process is to build an email list.
Building a list is part of an author’s marketing strategy.
To do this an author can install a lead magnet on their website. It’s a system whereby visitors are encouraged to leave their email address.
An author offers something free of charge and in return, the visitor leaves their email address. This is called a lead magnet or “opt-in form”.
A lead magnet can be some form of digital, downloadable content such as a free PDF, a checklist, a report, an eBook, a video, or a free online class.
Building an author’s WordPress website
How do you set up your author’s WordPress website? One option is to hire a web developer. Another option is to learn to do it yourself.
If you are a “techie” type person and like the DIY approach you can teach yourself. On the other hand, if you’d like to learn how to do it, and would like a helping hand then discuss your needs with me.
Schedule a call by clicking the link below
SOURCES:
https://www.ingramspark.com/blog/what-should-i-put-on-my-author-website
Marji Hill
Author and founder of Fast Self-Publishing Online
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