Because building a website can be a lot of work, it’s best to know some things before you start the process so you’ll be better prepared and things will go smoothly. This author website checklist will help you get your website right, whether you choose to go simple or elaborate, or whether you build it yourself from a template or pay professionals to design it.
The First Items on Your Author Website Checklist: Preparing Before You Begin
Every author needs a website, but some, as we mentioned, will be more elaborate than others. Yours will depend on your needs and your wants. This author website checklist is meant to help you figure that out before you start the process. When you know what to expect, you’ll feel less overwhelmed.
You’ll have to answer some questions about what you need now, and what you’re planning for the future.
Are you an entrepreneur with a business to promote? Do you plan on booking speaking gigs as an expert in your field? Then you’ll probably need more web pages than an author focused only on promoting their books might.
This is something you’ll want to consider before the process begins because it will affect your page count and therefore your budget. Designing your ideal website may also depend on your skills or platform limitations if you’re going it alone. You may have to figure out what is most important to feature now and upgrade over time. No need to worry though, there’s nothing wrong with a simple website. But there are some essentials that we’ll cover in the last sections.
Know Your Vision Before You Start
You’ll want to have a solid brand vision beforehand so you don’t build your website around unfinished ideas. Not having a clear vision can lead to a lack of cohesiveness in style and tone and potentially end up draining your time and energy.
It’s always a good idea to have the following in order before you start the website design process. We work with our clients on gathering these assets, but we made this author website checklist so you can do the same, even if you’re going the DIY route.
- A domain name
- A professional headshot
- Color and font choices
- Website copy
- Book promo images
- Other images
Having these Author Website Checklist Items on Hand Will Streamline the Process
Domain Name
The domain name you end up with may depend on its availability. Even your name may not be available, so you may have to choose a variation such as adding the word “author” to the end of your name. For instance: JaneDoeAuthor. It can also be as simple as adding your middle initial. Some authors choose the title of their books or the series name as their domain name.
So, this is something you should be prepared for and be willing to adapt or tweak as necessary. Consider the pros and cons of each and keep SEO in mind. Think of a few options, write them down, and keep the list handy.
Professional Headshot
A professional headshot isn’t a necessity, but if you’re planning on using a headshot on your website, it needs to be of professional quality. You can choose to pay a pro photographer, or use these tips to get your best headshot. You’ll get a lot of use out of a flattering, professional quality headshot, so it’s worth the effort or price.
Color and Font Styles
You may have already given this some thought, but choosing a few signature colors for your website that fit your brand beforehand will leave you feeling less overwhelmed when the process begins. The same goes for fonts. Don’t choose too many of either and keep them consistent throughout. This blog post will help you choose a color scheme for your website.
Website Copy
This shouldn’t be an afterthought, or done in haste. Website copy should be polished, engaging and succinct. It needs to be free of grammar and spelling errors and typos. It’s not just filler, it serves a purpose. Your website copy is part of your SEO, which leads to discoverability. It’s also part of a strong brand. Yet, this important feature often gets overlooked, so we wanted to highlight it on this author website checklist. You’ll need to craft a bio, a book description and CTAs, plus other content for all your website pages.
Images
Although most DIY website templates have image and graphics banks, you’ll still need high-quality promo images of your book. You may also want to use other images if they’re relevant to your brand or book. Just make sure they’re up to professional standards, high quality, and of course rights-free. Gather some now, so you have them ready to use.
Your Author Website Checklist of Must-Have Features
These features are absolute must-haves. Even if you choose to have a simple one-page website, you’ll still need to include the following.
- Book
- Bio
- Blog/Newsletter sign up and contact
Book Page
This can be a landing page, or the focus of your single page website. But obviously, an author website checklist wouldn’t be complete without this essential addition! As an author, your book page is the most important feature of your website. You’ll need to include the above mentioned high-quality book images, an engaging book description, and a CTA (call to action) that directs visitors to where and how they can buy your book. You don’t want to leave readers hanging!
Add a Buy Now button and book store options too.
You can read all about what makes a great website Book page here.
Author Bio
The aforementioned author bio is also pretty essential. Readers want to know your story! Who is the person behind the book? Craft a good one and keep it on brand. Remember to consider word count too, because space will be limited. Get tips on writing a great professional bio here.
Email Signup and Contact Form
We always recommend these two items because they’re necessary author marketing tools. You’ll want fans, media, and others to be able to contact you with the click of a button. And an author email list is a powerful marketing tool that allows direct contact with your audience. Of course, that will ideally be linked to a blog feed or newsletter. You can use a reader magnet to encourage sign ups for your email list.
Some Extras You Can Add
These final elements of our author website checklist are not essential, but many authors need them, or will at some point. You can always add them as you grow, or if your goals shift or change.
- Speaker Page
- Other Work
- Courses
- Media
The need to add these will depend a lot on your genre and your goals. As we mentioned in the first part of this blog, if you’re making your name for yourself as an expert in your field, and plan on booking speaking gigs, you’ll probably want to add a Speaker page. You can read about Business author websites here, to get an idea of what that will look like.
If you publish your writing often in journals or magazines, you may want to include a page that links to your other work. Some authors (especially wellness and business book authors) have pages dedicated to their courses.
Many authors benefit from adding a Media page too. You never know when you’ll get a chance to promote yourself or your book! Having a Media page makes it easier to get all the stuff they’ll need before interviewing you.
Remember, Every Author Needs a Website
Whether you do it yourself from a template or work with professional web designers, this author website checklist will help you be better prepared when you start the process. To get more in-depth tips and guidance, click on the links provided.
You can also browse our blog to find answers to your questions and gain insight on everything from self-editing and copywriting to book covers and author marketing strategies.
If you need direct guidance with your publishing, marketing, or branding efforts, get in touch and see what we can do for you!
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