7 Easy Steps to Creating an Author Website and Growing Your Audience

Introduction

The internet has created a great opportunity for authors to reach a vast and global audience. With smartphone growth and internet connectivity reaching new heights, creating an online presence through an author website is essential if authors want to establish themselves as experts in their field. Through careful considerations such as niche or topic choice, domain name selection, and web hosting options, authors can create a website that is attractive and optimized to reach maximum potential readers. In addition, authors must identify strategies for website design and layout, content creation and writing, SEO fundamentals, mobile responsiveness and social media integration. Throughout this article, information on these topics and additional helpful advice will be provided to help authors create the ideal website for their success.

Choosing a Niche or Topic

When creating an author website, it's important to consider a specific niche or topic. This should be related to the genre of the author's latest book to provide focus to the site and content. Even for authors who write books in various genres, a general niche focus can be identified to appeal to a larger audience. Additionally, having a single focus helps to build your name as an authority in that area. It also allows potential readers to develop a stronger connection with the author and their content.

Domain Name Selection

After an appropriate niche or topic is chosen for the author website, domain name selection should be the second phase in creating a website. For authors, the domain name should be succinct, descriptive and should reflect their writing in some way. If the author's name is already taken, purchase a variation of the name, such as an alternative spelling or the name with a keyword. In addition, the domain should have a top level domain such as .com or .co. Domain name cost can range from $2-$20 per year, depending on the domain name choice.

Web Hosting Options

Once an appropriate domain name is selected, authors must determine the best web hosting option. There are various web hosting providers available, such as Wix, Siteground, Hostgator, GoDaddy, Bluehost and Squarespace. When selecting a hosting provider, authors need to consider their specific requirements and carefully compare the pros and cons of the various hosting plans available. Authors should consider cost of both monthly and annual plans, storage space, bandwidth, customer support, uptime and other advanced features.

Website Building Platforms

In order to create an author website, authors must select a platform for their website. There are various website building platforms such as Wix, Weebly, Squarespace, WordPress and Shopify. Each platform offers its own design tools and functionalities, so authors must select a platform that best meets their desired needs and is cost effective. If an author requires a website with an ecommerce setup, Shopify or WordPress are the best platform choices. Additionally, if an author needs an all-in-one solution, Weebly and Squarespace are good choices.

Website Design and Layout

When creating an author website, site design and layout should reflect the author's own style. Selecting the best font, spacing, and color combination will result in an attractive and professional design. An ideal layout should include a clearly defined header and navigation bar, an area for featured posts, and an easy to understand and use search bar. In addition, an attractive hero image and social media integration are also essential elements for design and layout.

Content Creation and Writing

Perhaps the most important component of an author's website is content creation and writing. This should be geared towards the target audience of the website, and should focus on the topics that the author has expertise and knowledge in. Content creation and writing should include blogs, articles, videos, podcasts and author interviews. Quality over quantity should be the focus when creating content, as this will allow the author to better engage with their readers. Additionally, the author should make sure their content is well-written, informative and keyword optimized for SEO.

Basic HTML and CSS

Along with content creation and writing, authors should be aware of basic HTML and CSS to customize their website with various add ons. Understanding how to add new elements, code fonts, format text and adjust color scheme will help to create an attractive website. In addition, authors should check the HTML code to ensure that it is free of any errors that can cause the website to look unprofessional.

Image and Multimedia Integration

When creating an author website, multimedia integration is essential to captivate readers. This includes relevant and keyword-rich images, audio, video and graphics. This should be incorporated into the content to better engage readers, and the images should be well-compressed to ensure that the website loads quickly. Additionally, images and audio can be used as a call to action to compel visitors to take a desired action.

User Experience (UX) and Navigation

An important aspect of website optimization and readership is user experience (UX) and navigation. The website should be designed in a way that allows for easy navigation so that readers can easily access the content they are looking for. Additionally, authors should make sure their website loads quickly and is responsive on mobile devices. This provides an ideal user experience, and will help to ensure readers can find the information they are looking for.

SEO Fundamentals

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a vital element when creating an author website. This includes optimizing the website for the major search engines, such as Google, Bing and Yahoo. SEO should focus on keyword research, creating content that is relevant to the target audience and optimized for the search engines, and developing a link-building strategy. Additionally, authors should focus on longtail keywords as these can help to drive more targeted traffic to their website.

Mobile Responsiveness

The growth in the use of smartphones and tablets means that authors must make their website mobile-friendly. This includes making their website responsive on all devices, as this will ensure that readers can access content across all platforms. Additionally, authors should also make sure that any images, audio and video files are also optimized for mobile devices.

Social Media Integration

Social media integration is an essential part of an author website. It can be used to increase brand exposure, build relationships with readers and provide valuable information to the target readership. Popular social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn are all valuable for authors to share content, interact with readers and build their brand. Additionally, authors should also look to participate in other communities, such as Reddit, Quora and Goodreads, to further build their online presence.

Website Security

Protecting your website from hackers is essential when creating an author website. This includes setting up password protection, creating backups, using two-factor authentication and monitoring for malicious activity. Additionally, authors should ensure their website is regularly updated with the latest patches, as this can help to protect against any potential security threats.

Analytics and Tracking Tools

Analytics and tracking tools are an invaluable resource when creating an author website. They provide the author with detailed insights and detailed data on user behavior on the website, enabling the author to better understand their target audience. Additionally, these tools also allow the author to track website performance, identify areas that need improvement and optimize the website for better engagement and SEO rankings. Common tracking tools include Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics and Piwik.

Summary Review

Creating an author website is an essential part of business growth in the digital era. Through careful considerations such as niche or topic choice, domain name selection, and web hosting options, authors can create a website that is attractive and optimized. In addition, website design and layout should reflect the authors style and content creation and writing should be focused on the target audience of the website. Additionally, authors should be aware of basic HTML and CSS, as well as image and multimedia integration to create a captivating website. Furthermore, SEO fundamentals and mobile responsiveness are a must when creating a website. Social media integration is also essential for authors to increase their brand exposure and build relationships with readers. Finally, it is important for authors to protect their website by setting up password protection, creating backups and monitoring for malicious activity. Following these strategies and advice will ensure authors have the most successful website for maximum potential readers.