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"Each author has their own unique needs and priorities," says Karin Bilich, founder of SmartAuthorSites.com. "It's important that everything about the site -- from design to content to layout -- effectively meets those needs."

Some organizations or web design companies, the Authors Guild for instance, allow authors to select a website template and create their own basic website in no time. But beware! An author who just selects a template is missing out on a lot of valuable opportunities.

"It's important that authors recognize that online marketing is its own unique industry," says Karin. "And they need to work with someone who has an expertise in the right blend of industries -- both web marketing and book marketing -- to take full advantage of the unlimited opportunities that the web can provide."

If you or someone you know is thinking about building an author website, here are some important things to keep in mind:

1. 1. Have your goals in mind. Every author has their own priorities. For authors who are just getting started, they may want to use their website for name recognition and, ultimately, for getting a publisher. Other authors want to use their website as a means of building and maintaining a fan base. And some authors simply want to use it to sell books. It's only through recognizing and prioritizing an author's goals that you can build a website that helps achieve them.

2. 2. Make it easy to buy the book. "I've seen so many author websites," says Karin, "where I can't even figure out how to buy the author's books!" It's important that an author's website navigation include a picture of one or more book covers and a quick and easy link that allows people to buy the book. What good is telling people about the book if you're going to make them work hard to buy it?

3. 3. Find a balance. Every author asks himself: How much information is too much to give away for free? Should you include an entire chapter of your book on your website? "That's one of the many things that varies from author to author," says Karin. But the general rule is this: Share enough information to pique people's interest and get a general sense of the author's voice. And as soon as you've got them interested, that's when you hit them with the easy "Buy the book" link.

4. 4. Know your limitations. Plan on blogging? Think long and hard before you set up a blog for yourself. "So many authors are blogging nowadays. And it's definitely a valuable piece of an author's website," says Karin. "But I've worked with so many authors who plan to blog and then just don't seem to have the time to keep it up. And there's nothing worse than a blog that hasn't been updated in ages ... it makes the site look very stale and is a real turn-off for readers." So be honest with yourself about how much time you have to dedicate to the website. If you commit to blogging, then stick to it.

5. 5. Keep content new and fresh. Lesson number one in website content strategizing: Never let your homepage stay the same for too long. If someone comes to your website and the homepage hasn't changed (barring them coming on the same day, of course), the odds are they'll never come back. If you want people to continue to visit your site on a regular basis, use your homepage to feature the latest news, reviews, blog entries etc... It's absolutely essential in getting return traffic.

6. 6. Think interactivity. Use your website as an opportunity to build and maintain a relationship with your readers. Don't be afraid to communicate with your site visitors through message boards, blog comments, or Q&As. And make sure these communications are on the website instead of in private emails ... people respond really well to seeing that you read and respond to what they have to say. It makes them much more likely to feel actively engaged in your website.

7. 7. Drive traffic. When you build a website, the visitors don't just automatically appear. "This is one of the key things that web templates -- and even traditional web design companies -- just don't offer authors," says Karin. " Just creating the site isn't enough. An author needs a comprehensive marketing plan -- from search engine strategies to cross-linking opportunities -- to truly drive traffic to the website." And, of course, it's important that you give out your web address whenever possible -- on business cards, in published articles, etc...

8. 8. Build an email list. "If there's one piece of information that's extremely important for authors, this is it!" says Karin. Create a registration form on your website that allows people to sign up for e-mail alerts. "Once you've got enough names on this list, you now have a ready-made, extremely valuable e-mail list of readers who you can notify instantly if one of your books is being re-released, if you're appearing on a radio show etc..." Even if you have no plans to use it in the near future, this list can definitely come in handy down the line.