Every writer needs a professional online hub to showcase their books, build an audience, and control their brand beyond social media. With your own website you can grow your email list faster, coordinate efforts across social platforms (Instagram, Substack, YouTube, etc..), and build a repository of keyword-rich content over time. You don’t need your website to have all the bells and whistles to begin with. Sometimes all you need is a single page, especially as an accessible entry point for beginners.

I’ve been a professional author website designer for nearly 20 years, and over that time I’ve distilled down the critical elements for someone just getting started…

Simplicity Meets Impact

The advantages of a streamlined, one-page layout includes easy navigation for readers, easier maintenance for the site owner, and lower cost to build when you’re on a budget. If you’re a new author or someone focused on one book, a great landing page is likely all you need.

Key Elements Every Affordable Author Website Should Include

This kind of landing page should include the following elements:

• header with your name/logo
• book details (cover, blurb, buy links)
• author bio
• contact form
• social media links
• mailing list signup

Common Mistakes Writers Make with Website Design (and How to Avoid Them)

The number one error I see in beginner, DIY sites is a cluttered layout. People think that they need to call attention to everything, which means they aren’t really calling attention to anything in particular. This results in the site visitor not knowing where to look, what to read, and what they should do — so they abandon ship. It’s important to divide a website page into sections, each with its own heading and unique purpose. Each section has its own call-to-action so you aren’t asking someone to take advantage of too many things at one time.

You also want to make sure you aren’t ignoring the mobile experience. Ask yourself: are elements showing up in an order that makes sense? Does everything that appears on larger layouts really need to be there on a phone? Does the image you want to use work at a much smaller display size?

Getting Started: What to Prepare Before Building Your Site

Before you begin, make sure you have gathered the content you’ll need (eg: bio, book info) and check it for highly searched phrases that apply to you. This includes any new headshots you’ll need, social media profiles you’ll need to create, and links to book retailers. If you plan to have a domain email address, set that up so that you can connect it to your contact form. A little organization before you jump in will pay off with less frustration and potential hand wringing when the site is being built.

If there’s chaos while the site is coming together, it will likely show up in the end result.

DIY vs. Professional Design: Weighing the Costs and Time

There are great, free tools out there to help you build your site if you know what you’re doing. If you lack confidence, or the learning curve is steep for you, they might be a time drain, result in poor SEO, and a generic (or chaotic) look. Sometimes an investment up front will save you hours, avoid headaches, dial in your SEO, and give you a polished, more bespoke result.

If you’re interested in hiring a professional, I offer a single, expertly-designed landing page to get you started quickly and with very little input required from you. It’s great for those just getting started, or those who need a simple online presence. Learn more here: https://www.outboxonline.com/work-with-me/author-website-design-services/

If you’d like to build it yourself, I suggest a platform like Squarespace or Wix to keep things simple. I’ve written about the differences here: https://www.outboxonline.com/wordpress-vs-squarespace-vs-wix-for-author-websites/

I also offer an Author Website Planning Kit ($35.99) here that goes into detail about everything you’ll need to know: https://www.outboxonline.com/shop-author-website-planning-kit/