Hey, it’s Shannon from Flash Fiction Magazine.
Andrew Buckley—our latest author marketing workshop instructor—wrote a primer on the DOs and DONTs of setting up a website. You can read it below!
We would love to see you at the workshop if you want to discuss websites, social media platforms, and much more.
Enrollment for A Beginner’s Guide to Marketing for Authors closes on Thursday at 7 PM Pacific.
Without further ado, here is Andrew’s article.
The Value of an Author Website
By Andrew Buckley
Authors constantly ask me if they need a website. The simple answer is ‘yes’. The more complicated answer is ‘yes, but don’t expect vast amounts of traffic.’ At least not for the first few years. So why do you need one in the first place?
In most cases, your author’s website will act as a catch-all—somewhere to point people where they can find everything about you. And, as I mentioned, you may not even see decent traffic numbers for the first year or two while your website gains a foothold on the craggy cliffs of the World Wide Web.
An author’s website is essential because you need a foundational web presence for when people DO look for you (and they will). Not having a website means you’re not professional and might not even be real (have you checked recently?).
Could you survive with social media and not bother with a website? Sure! But that won’t help when people search for you on Google. Instead, they’ll get lots of people with your name.
By having a website, you’ll be able to list all your pertinent information, including your social media links, which is where you want your readers to interact anyway. You can also link to your book sales pages, share news, blog, and share upcoming events.
Just look at mine: www.andrewbuckleyauthor.com
It’s simple, clean, and contains links to everything I do as an author, speaker, and creator. It was easy to create, and I update it regularly. I am not a graphic designer or web developer. Nor will I ever aspire to be one (you’re welcome, world!)
How to Create an Author Website
Most author websites look terrible, which is thoroughly inexcusable in today’s day and age. There are so many simple tools and templates to quickly make a website that no one has an excuse.
Here’s a simple step-by-step guide to help get you started:
1. CHOOSE A WEBSITE BUILDER: Consider using a website builder such as Wix, Weebly, Squarespace, or WordPress to create your website. These platforms offer pre-designed templates that are easy to customize. We’re talking literal drag-and-drop functionality. The best way to learn is to sign up (it’s free) and play around. You’ll quickly get familiar with the functionality and have a website in no time.
2. KEEP IT SIMPLE: Everyone has a junk drawer in their house. You know the one. It’s a disaster. Sometimes, you can’t even open it. You don’t want your website to be like your junk drawer. When designing your site, avoid cluttering it with too much content or design elements. Keep it simple and easy to navigate. Three or four pages should be plenty for an author site.
3. INCLUDE KEY INFORMATION: Include your bio, contact information, and links to your social media profiles. You may also include information about your books, upcoming events, and a blog.
4. MAKE IT VISUALLY APPEALING: Grab that pig and put some lipstick on it. But not really, because you shouldn’t put makeup on animals. Choose a clean and simple design for your website that reflects your personal brand. Consider adding high-quality images or graphics. A professional bio picture is absolutely essential. No selfies! You need to show an air of professionalism; a selfie won’t cut it.
5. TEST IT OUT: Before publishing your website, test it on multiple devices and browsers to ensure it looks and functions properly. Click around, get familiar, and ensure everything works before you unleash it upon the world.
Your website represents you and your work; think of it as a first-handshake, so make sure it accurately reflects who you are as an author.
Things to Avoid
Sometimes, it’s not about knowing what works but knowing what doesn’t work. That sounded smart; someone should put that on a T-shirt. Here’s what you want to avoid when it comes to your website:
- No loud colors. They’ll anger the people. And by the people, I mean the internet.
- No small font sizes. Yes, we can pinch and zoom, but we don’t want to. Make your website easy to read.
- No flashing animations. And I don’t mean ‘weird dude in a trench coat at the park’ flashing. I mean no flashing text or graphics on your site.
- No pop-ups. It’s tempting to have a screen pop up to ask people to join your newsletter or check out your latest book, but the Google gods dislike pop-ups. And we don’t anger the Google gods.
And Finally…
Ensure your site is easy to navigate so it doesn’t represent the end of the user journey. People should be exploring your site, clicking on purchase links for your books, and heading to your social media to find out what you ate for lunch yesterday. Include a CTA (Call to Action) on every page pointing people somewhere else, either to another page or to your social media or Amazon (or wherever) to purchase your book.
Why CTA’s? Because we like breadcrumbs. We learned about them in fairy tales, and they’re now hard-baked into our psyche for all eternity. Leave a trail for your readers to follow and make it easy and obvious.
ACTION ITEMS (to help get you started):
- Choose a platform (Wix, Weebly, Squarespace, etc.)
- Spend some time getting to know the platform—play with it!
- Plan out your pages and content.
- Get a professional bio picture.
- Build your site, add the content, add images.
- Make sure you include a CTA on every page.
- Test, test, test!
- Unleash your website upon an unsuspecting world.