No two author websites are the same. But there are certain things that should be on every site. Notice I say “should be” … Search the web and you’ll find some authors’ websites that are missing some crucial information! While I’m a big supporter of making every author’s website unique, here are the no-brainers for author websites:
1. A domain name that supports your book. Even if you go with your name as the domain name of your site, you should also reserve your book title (if possible) and have it redirect to your author site. You don’t want people typing the name of your book into their browser and winding up elsewhere!
2. A “Buy the book” link on every page. The goal of your website is to sell books. So you need to make it as easy as possible for someone to buy your book or books throughout the site. A potential reader may be somewhere totally unexpected (i.e. a page focused on your other writings) when they decide to take the plunge, so the link to buy it should still be right in front of them.
3. Tie-ins to your social media profiles. What good is having a profile on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn if you don’t send people there? Have small buttons on your homepage that allow site visitors to follow you elsewhere.
4. An author bio. Even if you’re a private person who doesn’t want to share your life with the world, some sort of bio page is a must. Ideally, it should contain a photo of you and a description of your living situation, your career, and why you write.
5. A newsletter sign-up box. Don’t think you will send e-newsletters? Collect this information anyway. Getting the contact information for people who have shown interest in your writing is invaluable. You may not know it now, but you sure will appreciate having that list when your next book comes out and you want to tell people about it.
6. Book excerpts. How do you expect to get people to buy your book without whetting their appetite a little? You can choose to have one long excerpt from the book, or a bunch of shorter ones that give a taste of the different chapters in the book. When you go to the movies, there’s a reason they show trailers of future movies. Think of your excerpt(s) as a trailer of your book.
7. Contact information. A website is an interactive tool. So you don’t want to use it only as a way for you to talk to your readers. You want to let your readers talk to you, too. Whether you offer an email address or a simple contact form, make sure there’s a way for people visiting your site to communicate with you.
Anything I’m missing here? What do you think needs to be on an author website? Share your thoughts!