When working with authors, there isn’t usually a dearth of material for their website…  they’ve usually already come up with some focused content about their book(s) and themselves for the jacket if nothing else.  So, if you’re an author, how do you choose and optimize content for your website to make sure it’s working for you?  I’ve written about tips to help drive traffic to book and author websites, but here’s the low-down on how to feature your website’s content in the best light:

1. Keep it focused. Think about the person you want visiting your website, and consider why they’re there.  What do they want to know?  The mantra for solid content design is, “who we are, what we do, let us help you” – so make sure your intro text provides that in elevator pitch format.  Remember, people aren’t *reading* websites, they’re scanning them.  You want both the design and the text to convey what your website is for and what your website does IMMEDIATELY.
2. Keep it fresh. Websites aren’t something that’s done once and then forgotten about.  They need to be optimized based on traffic/visitor data, new technologies that will help your users, your evolving business, or even just keeping the design from looking stale.  The content for your site should be working for you!  To find out if it is, make sure you’re regularly checking your site stats.  If some text you poured your heart into isn’t driving traffic to the page that offers your product/service, change it!  Check out your successful competition — how have they crafted their message?
3. Don’t limit it to just your website.  Your blog, or, even better, other people’s blogs are a great way to feature your content.  And not just blogs, but article websites (like ezinearticles.com) allow you to provide meaningful content for your area of expertise…  you can do this by creating unique articles, leaving helpful comments, and also by becoming a guest blogger.  This method allows you to add value outside of the boundaries of your own website, create some authority and legitimacy on the web, and link back to your website.
4. Keep it interesting. If you’re just reiterating exactly what people can find elsewhere about your book or about you, there’s no reason for them to stay on your site.  You want to add value by offering up content that will make your readership feel like they’re connecting with you.  This might mean photos of your book signings, videos or podcasts of you doing an interview, some info about your current (but-not-yet-released) project, or a little behind-the-scenes text about your book(s) or process.

So, get out there and let your content shine!