An author’s website is his or her base of operation online. It serves as an office, a home base, or his home online. Ideally, it is a place where the author’s audience can find everything they need about the author- basic information, latest updates, products, and engagement.

A website has many features depending on your design, from aesthetics, framework, up to domain and other aspects. For authors, especially self-published ones, a website is a huge help in marketing their books and their author brand as well. As such, it is important that their website must contain basic elements. ReadersMagnet Review takes a look at the essential features for a decent author’s website.

  1. Overall Design. This is the first and most basic element of any website. The success of your website will depend on the framework of your site. From the sitemap, wireframe, color palette, white space, coding, speed optimization up to its SEO-boosting elements, must be decided here in this phase. The design is perhaps the most tedious part but once everything falls into its place, the rest should be a piece of cake.
  2. About/Bio Page. This is where most of your visitors go or directed to. This serves as your reception area and as reception goes, you need to create that welcoming vibe. You can do this by presenting your site visitors with a professional display on what your site is all about, what they can expect, and how other visitors think about your site. Make sure that your About Page contains the necessary image and headline to keep your visitors curious and interested.
  3. Contact Details. This page does not need complexities. Just make sure that you place updated contact information about yourself and the site. Make sure they know how and when they can reach you.
  4. Email Sign Details. For authors, the goal not only to advertise your book but also to gain contacts and expand your network. That is why the Email Sign Up feature is a must in every author’s site. Building your email list is one of your basic tasks as an author who is also marketing his or her own book. The people within your email list or what we call as email subscribers are your most active supporters. They are the first to know about the updates and events related to your book. No site is complete without the Email Sign Up/ Updates feature.
  5. Site Testimonials. I mentioned earlier that it is basic that visitors know what previous visitors think about your site. This is part of building your reputation online. Testimonials are considered social proof of how genuine and credible your website is and it also will reflect on your authority as a serious writer. Brief but powerful testimonials, positive reviews, quotes from your fans, and media coverage of past and recent events should fill your site testimonials.
  6. Your Main Product. For authors, it’s their books. The best way to keep your visitors curious about your books is to provide them with a clear display of your book cover as well as a decent background about your work. These days, book trailers are popular among site visitors. Visual elements play a huge part in attracting visitor to your site.
  7. Fresh Regular Blogs. Well, it makes perfect sense. If you are an author trying to get people to recognize you as a writer, then create fresh and relevant content. Setting up a blog on your site allows you to reach out to your readers, increase your online visibility, and produce backlinks.
  8. Social Media Share. The first step after publishing your blog or any update on your site is to syndicate it in various social media platforms. Social media play a vital role in making sure that you and your site are found.  Another important role of social media is to share your site and its content to the broadest number of the target audience.
  9. News/Events/Latest. Simply put, this serves as your bulletin board. As such, it must be up to date and interesting to look at all the time.
  10. Miscellaneous Items. There are many materials that you can add in order to make your site as attractive and as relevant as possible. Video interviews, podcasts, photographs, artworks, and other significant images and items can be added to your website as long as they don’t stand in the way of pleasant user experience.

ReadersMagnet provides dynamic website service packages as part of their publishing and book marketing services. Contact ReadersMagnet Self-Publishing at their office number: (619) 354 2643 Toll Free Number: (800) 805 0762 Fax Number: (661) 338 1442 or email them at [email protected] for more details