How to Build a Great Author Website

11/10/2023

How to Build a Great Author Website [5 Steps]

Want a great author website? Even if you don't have a computer-programing or graphic-design background, you can easily build a high-quality author site from a pre-designed template, which you can customize with your own text, images, and videos. Below are the 5 steps.

1.) Get a domain name for your author website

A domain name is what people enter into a browser to go to your site, ex, "site name" followed by ".com." Though you can have a website without owning a domain name, I strongly suggest you buy a domain, which won't cost you much money.

To get one, I recommend a site called Bluehost.

You can own a domain for just a few bucks for your first year. Even better, if you also get hosting from Bluehost - which is the technical infrastructure that keeps your site running - they'll give you a domain completely free. Their hosting packages are very affordable.

Even if you're not ready to build your site today, you should get your domain today. If you don't, someone else could. Any "phrase" followed by ".com" can only have one owner. Since many people have the same name, chances are somebody else would be interested in the domain you want. Get it today so it's yours.

For an author website, try to get "your name" followed by ".com." If "your name" is not available, try going with it, plus "books," then ".com."

2.) Pick a tool to build your author website

A website builder is a software tool you can use to create and manage your site, even if you have no programming or graphic-design experience.

If you go with Bluehost to get your domain, you'll have access to their Wordpress website-builder tool. Though there are other tools available for this, they tend to cost much more.

If you go with Bluehost's Wordpress tool, for a small fee, you can add a plugin to it, which will let you create landing pages on your site, which can be very helpful for your author marketing plan.

A landing page is a specialized type of web page, geared toward getting a visitor's attention quickly, and convincing the person to perform a certain action. Authors typically use them to encourage email sign-ups.

Visitors provide their email address, with the aim of getting something for free in return, like a book or short story, known as a reader magnet.

A very affordable Wordpress plugin I recommend for landing pages is Thrive Themes.

3.) Integrate an email-marketing platform with your author website

An email list is a major marketing asset for an author. Once you receive email addresses from a landing page, you can use emails as part of a marketing funnel to turn site visitors into loyal buyers of your books.

For all of this to work, you'll need an account on an email-marketing software. Many leading platforms can directly connect with Wordpress. So, once a reader provides an email address on one of your landing pages, that email address can go right into your email-marketing tool, no need for you to manually enter it.

MailerLite is an email-marketing platform I recommend.

4.) Choose a design template for your author website

Once you've chosen your site-builder service, you want to browse its template collection for one that's a fit for you. Likely, you'll have filter options, where you can narrow down the collection.

Any text, images, or videos you see on the template are mostly just placeholders. You'll be able to replace them with your own.

However, colors, fonts, and layouts you may not be able to change. Make sure you understand what can and can't be edited prior to making your choice.

5.) Customize the design template for your author website

Once you've chosen your design template, the final step in the process is customizing it with your own material. At this stage, here are some things to do:

Add your main-navigation pages. When you go to an author site, in the header, you typically see a link to check out the author's books, plus other links to other sections. These are referred to as main-navigation pages. Decide what you want yours to be and get them into place. In addition to your home page, I recommend at least a section for your books, and one where readers can learn more about you and contact you.

Add your sub-navigation pages. Underneath each main-navigation section, you have the option to add sub-pages. For instance, within the section for books, can be page links for each book.

Delete what you don't need. Does your template come with certain sections you don't need? Delete them. You want your author site to get across what it should in a straightforward way. Extra sections that don't have a strong purpose should go.

Arrange content blocks. Most site builders have a "drag and drop" feature, meaning you can move around entire sections (known as "content blocks"), plus add new ones that didn't come with your template. For example, on a certain page, you may want a text block above a video block - just drag it there. You might also want to add a photo - just select a photo block and drag it where you want it.

Add your reader magnet and books. I suggest you use the home page of your site to promote your reader magnet. You should also consider dedicating a page to each of your books. These pages should include each book's premise, cover, and links to order pages on Amazon and other sites. Ideally, you should also add a book trailer.

How to build an author website - frequently asked questions

How can I create my own author website?

To create your own author website, buy a domain name and hosting package and make an account on a website-building service. These online tools will let you create a site from a template, which is doable even if you lack a programming or graphic-design background.

How much will it cost to build an author website?

Building an author website can cost as little as a few dollars per month with a package from a website-building service like Bluehost. To get a site, you will need a domain name, hosting, and a website-builder tool. Bluehost offers all three.

How many pages are needed to build an author website?

You can build an author website with just one page, though this is not common. Consider at least a home page, a section for your books, and a section for readers to learn more about you and email you.

Can a company build an author website for me?

Yes, an author-marketing company can build a website for you. Galdi Media, a leading book-marketing company, can create a custom author website for you.

This post contains affiliate links.

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