Frequently Asked Questions About Author Website Marketing
The amount you’ll pay for an author website depends on the scope of what you’ll receive (how many web pages, what type of functionality), plus the experience and calibre of the web designer/developer. You’ll also need to factor in upfront cost vs. ongoing costs. Check out all of my prices here.
Part of my business model is to keep ongoing costs to a minimum, and empower authors to be able to update their own websites, so you won’t be stung by expensive monthly costs.
It can be difficult to know where to start. Your book has been published, it looks fantastic, your friends have read it and loved it – but where do you go from here?
There are hundreds of ways to promote a book – price promotions, advertising, social media, building a profile by speaking at events or in the media, to name a few. But what’s essential is that you have a solid base for your author platform. You need a “home” on the internet, where people can find you. This is why I suggest every author begins with a website and newsletter. Everything else can build on that bedrock.
Yes. As soon as your book is published, people will begin googling you. They’ll want to know who you are, what you look like (I know, cringe – this is why you should get a good author photo), and what you’re writing next.
From a marketing perspective, anyone interviewing you (at events, on podcasts, etc.) will check your website while researching you. Having a well-designed website adds a degree of professionalism/legitimacy to you as an author.
It’s also important to tempt readers to sign up to your newsletter, via your website. When your next book comes out, you’ll have a handy list of people who enjoyed your first book and may want to buy your next book. Hooray!
Maybe. Many unpublished authors throw themselves into the writing community online, and having a website can be a useful way to do this. Perhaps you’d like to write about your journey to publication on your blog, or share funny/insightful things you’ve learned in the form of online articles.
Having an established website as an unpublished author means you have the infrastructure in place once your book is published. You’ll be able to begin promoting your works much more quickly.
If you have an Instagram, TikTok or Facebook account, also having a website may seem superfluous. However, this is short-term thinking. Social media platforms tend to have a short shelf life and they often morph into something negative (Twitter, anyone?). Plus, not everyone is on every social media site – more and more people are cutting out social media altogether.
Your website is your home on the internet. It should be built to last for the long-term. It’s the place where your readers know they can always find you. You control it, not some tech billionaire.
By all means, build up a following on social media if you choose, but take time to establish your home (your website) as well.
Yes. Most authors will have multiple publishers over their career. It’s a good idea to think long term and begin building your own home on the internet in the form of your own website.
Plus, publisher websites tend to be extremely limited. Your website can (and should be) much more content-rich. It’s your opportunity to give your readers bonus chapters, insider info and other interesting content. This is the stuff that turns a reader into a fan.
Every website on the internet has a web host, a company that charges a fee for the right to use their data centres and infrastructure. Think of it as renting a single office in a larger building. Every month (or annually, depending on your plan), you pay an amount to a web host like Hostinger, InMotion or Dreamhost, and that maintains your “office” on the internet.
There are different types of hosting plans available, depending on whether you want to maintain multiple websites from the same server, or if you expect to receive Colleen-Hoover-levels of website clicks every month. However, most authors will choose the most basic and budget-friendly plan, often referred to as “shared hosting”.
This is not the same as having a hosted website…
You may have heard that a “self-hosted” website is preferable to a hosted website, but why is this? Self-hosted means you pay for your web hosting directly to a web host such as Hostinger or IONOS. This gives you control over your home on the internet and means you pay a lower cost.
If you have a hosted website, you pay an intermediary, such as a DIY website builder like Wix or Squarespace, or perhaps a web developer. As with any intermediary, these companies add additional fees. They may tempt you in with a low rate, but then tell you that, in order to get the website features you really want, or get a website that loads quickly and can handle higher volumes of traffic, you need to pay a higher rate. It always works out more expensive in the long run.
All of my website packages are self-hosted, giving you complete control over the long-term of your website. You pay me for the initial design and build, but you pay your web host going forward.
They look very similar, but they’re completely different. WordPress.org is free, open-source software (the stuff behind the scenes) that allows websites to run. In fact, 40% of the internet’s websites run on WordPress.org software. If you have a self-hosted website that runs on WordPress.org software, you control your home on the internet.
All of the websites that I design and build run on WordPress.org software, but I do recommend WordPress.com.
WordPress.com is a commercial operation that provides hosted websites, similar to Wix or Squarespace. Yes, these websites run on WordPress.org software, but they’re hosted websites, controlled by an intermediary (WordPress.com).
WordPress.com nominally offers a free website package, but your site will be clunky and covered with ads. In order to get the website features you really want from a WordPress.com site, and make sure your website runs at fast speeds and it can cope with a large volume of traffic, you’ll have to pay an inflated monthly/yearly fee. So… less control and more expense. Not recommended.
Your domain name, also called a web address, is what people can type into the internet browser address bar (the one at the top) to get to your website. It’s likely to be a variant on www.yourname.com. If your name is taken, consider adding “author” or “books” to the domain name, e.g. janesmithauthor.com
I would recommend against choosing an offbeat domain name suffix like “.co” or “.biz”. To be frank, they look unprofessional. I also think that choosing a country-specific suffix, like “.co.uk” or “.com.au” boxes you in. You want to have worldwide success, right? So think global and go with “.com”.
You register your domain name using a domain registrar. This is a bit like using a booking agent to order tickets for a gig, who charges you a small fee to do so. Prominent domain registrars include GoDaddy and Names.co.uk. They tend to vary slightly in terms of cost and how long they’ve been around.
A word of warning: many web hosts offer a “free” domain name as part of their website hosting package. This is understandably tempting. However, the issue is: they have now registered your domain name to themselves.
Next year, when it’s time to renew your domain name registration, they can charge you whatever they like. They also own your domain name. It’s a bit like someone having the deed to your house. Free does not mean free in this instance, so register your domain name yourself via a registrar like GoDaddy.