We all know it's important to have our piece of internet real-estate. A website is a must have item for all writers and authors. We want our names showing up in search engine results. We want to have a hub where we can direct readers. Unfortunately I see a lot of author websites that are missing important features and so in today's post I'll be taking a look at some of the must have elements you should have on your author site.
1) A way for people to contact you. You'd be surprised at how many people overlook this on their websites. By not putting a way for people to contact you on your website you are missing out on mail from readers, possible invitations for appearances and book signings, and a whole bunch of other opportunities.
Whether you; add contact buttons like in the example below, put up an email link, or add a contact form, make sure you give visitors to your site a way to contact you.
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| Example of contact buttons on my author wesbite www.JoLinsdell.com |
2) Show your name. I know this seems obvious but you'd be surprised at how many sites don't have their author name in a prominent place. As an author your brand is you. In fact, when people do a search for books on the internet they tend to search by author name.
3) Have an "About" page. Statistically the "About page" is one of the first pages a visitor will click on when visiting your website. They want to know more about you and whether or not you're the person they are looking for (whether directly or indirectly based on interests).
4) Make sure you have your buy links. Again, I know this seems obvious but you'd be surprised at how many author sites don't link to where people can buy the book. If you've gone to the trouble to let people know about your book make sure you make it easy for them to buy a copy too. If they have to search for it themselves on Google, Amazon, or other sites, you may have just lost a sale.
5) Testimonials. Show review comments from readers, and praise you've received from people who have worked with you. Let others do the talking for you.
What must have features do you think need to be on an author website? Join the conversation and leave your feedback below.
