What’s Different About an Author’s Website?

As authorprenuers, we must market our products 

i.e., books, articles, and niche. 

Platform, Brand, and Website form the vehicle to make that happen.

Today let’s talk about websites. What does a writer need to set-up a dynamic website, or to update up an existing one?

• Create a Clear Identity

• Create a vibrant headline with an image that is topic or niche focused and describes what you write and might include an image of your latest book cover, or another highlight of your work

• SEO Optimization is critical! Search Engines must find your site and the more often the better

• Create Quality Content, focused and quickly visible

• Use titles that grab readers’ attention

• Titles & Subtitles Keyword effective

• Consistently use Keywords and categories with each post and page

• Include Social Media button links to your pages—ask readers to like and follow you

• Create a navigation bar—a menu bar—that is easy to follow

• What Pages should you include?

• The Landing page, aka the Home Page

• An About page, to introduce yourself, what you are about and your professional bio

• A Contact page

• A Page for testimonials and/or reviews

• A Page to describe your product or services

• A Sales page

• A Blog page

What to avoid:

• Clutter

• Use only one sidebar if at all

• No pop-ups

Remember to update your website periodically. A website is never finished; it is ever a work in progress. Make improvements as you go, as your work transitions, changes and grows.

Recommendations:

• WordPress: offers free themes for the basic structure of your website, it’s the most versatile; it will grow with you to promote and offer value to your readership, as well as handle sales transactions. WordPress uses Plugins to enhance the functionality of each site. www.WordPress.org

• “All in One SEO” is a plugin for optimizing your site with search engines that I have found to be the most friendly to use and the most thorough.

As you consider the design of your website, visit other author websites to check out the ease of using the layout and access to information. The following WordPress Themes for Authors are worth considering: 

• Astra

• Ocean WP

• Author Landing Page

• Ultra

• Writee

https://wordpress.org/themes/search/writers/

YouTube instructional guides for the theme you choose work quite well to speed up the process.

Deborah Lyn Stanley is an author of Creative Non-Fiction. She writes articles, essays and stories. She is passionate about caring for the mentally impaired through creative arts.
Visit her writer’s website at: https://deborahlynwriter.com/   
And her caregiver’s website at: https://deborahlyncaregiver.com/ 
Facebook: Deborah Lyn Stanley, Writer    https://www.facebook.com/deborahlynwriter/