Author Website: Your Website Features
When considering which of the bells and whistles you want to take advantage of in building your author website, there are certain simple features of the website that if employed can insure that the website meets the goals that have been set for it.
Simply stated, the website should strife to utilize features such as:
- Simple navigation. Don’t get fancy, especially with the navigation. Stick with “Home, About, Books, Blog, Contact” which is clear and concise.
- Welcoming feel. Use the “Welcome” section to utilize a nice touch note to readers and a nice author photo front and center.
- Clean, organized design. Make sure there is no clutter on the website. Your books should be lined up and easy to find as well as your social media locations.
- Visually appealing design Make sure there is clutter or distractions.
- Newest book front and center. There should be no mistaking what your latest book project is.
- Great introduction . Use the Tag Byline on the website right under your author photo so your readers know they are in the right author site.
- Email signup front and center. Offer a free series starter for email list signups as a good reason to sign up.
- Easy to find your latest books.
- Simple, clear, concise. The entire website from the navigation to the content, everything should be uncluttered and straightforward.
- Monthly giveaway. Consider using giveaways these are a great way to build the email list.
- Design. Should fit well with your writing style and should immediately ground your readers in the kind of author you are.
- Simple and clear. This is always the central theme of what makes an author website good. The design shouldn’t be cluttered. The navigations are straight forward and the site flows well.
- Books (with reviews) Must always be front and center.
Commonly occurring bad website features are:
- Too many navigation options. Not avoiding cramping to much into the header menu and not making fuller use of the footer menu.
- No email signup.
- Poorly designed Email list signup. Not putting it higher on the page. Not having an invitation that is something other than “Sign up for updates by email:”. It’s important to give your readers a great WIIFM (What’s In It For Me?).
- Overly pronouncing social media links by putting them at the very top makes them appear to be too cluttered and gives the impression of there being too many.
- Overly pronouncing legal pages such as the copyright notice and legal disclaimer pages should be anything more than small links in the footer menu to their own pages. They take up far too much room in any header menu.
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