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. Read more...
As an author website designer, it's no surprise that I believe authors greatly benefit from having a website. After years of helping authors improve websites that weren't serving them, or building first-time sites for new authors, I’ve seen that authors without websites face a much harder time establishing their brand. Those with poorly functioning sites are often left frustrated, unsure of what went wrong. I Read more...
While it remains relevant for an author to have a website to act as a hub for their presence and content online, the ways in which authors market their work and connected with their target audience continues to evolve. New technologies not only give authors new tools for promotion, but they also help shape reader expectations. When I first started doing this work, social media Read more...
When I'm working on an author website design for an author with multiple books, one of the first things I consider is how to introduce them through their website -- whether they're a household name or not. No matter if your site visitors are experiencing your website on a phone or a larger display, the first thing they see should orient them to what you Read more...
An author does not necessarily need a logo. Unlike businesses or brands, authors typically promote themselves and their work through their name and book covers. While a logo can be a useful branding tool for businesses, it is not a standard requirement for authors. However, some authors may choose to create a personal logo or a stylized version of their name to use on their Read more...
One of the questions I ask my author website design clients when we first get started on their project is what they think their website's keywords should be. This helps me understand not only how they think about themselves, but also their understanding of SEO, how they think about their book(s), and how we might structure their website content for content marketing. Understandably, few Read more...
I’ve written before about the kind of content I suggest you include on your author website, but I recently realized some time has passed, so I thought it was time to revisit this critical topic. While my recommendations in that article still apply, I have some additional and updated thoughts about must-have author website content to help you get started on your author website journey. Read more...
Self promotion doesn’t come naturally for many people, not just authors. Some people find it easy to talk about themselves, and share their strengths and accomplishments, but lots of folks don’t. It can be difficult for several reasons: Fear of Rejection: Many people fear being judged or rejected when promoting themselves. They worry about what others might think of them or their work, and this Read more...
As an author, of course you want to create engaging and informative content for your author website. But what does that mean? How do you best connect with potential fans? What keeps them coming back for more? How is writing content for your author website different than writing your book? As an author website designer who has worked with folks from best-selling authors and Read more...
As an author website designer, my knee-jerk reaction is, of course, an enthusiastic yes! But as someone who really likes to understand the why of things, I also regularly ask myself why that's true. Where is the value for the author? How can I make sure the work that I do is contributing to that value? When I think about it and distill it Read more...
