Are you thinking about creating an author website? If yes, then read this article before starting. There are several things you need to consider before launching your site.

An author website is a great way to promote your books or other written material. The idea behind having such a site is to provide information about your book, its contents, and your background. This helps readers get to know you better and makes them want to read your book.

Before you start building your author’s website, it’s important to ask yourself some questions. What kind of audience does my site target?

How much time am I willing to spend on it? Will it be useful for me personally? And finally, what kind of budget do I have? These questions will guide you through the entire process.

What Exactly Is An Author Website?

The purpose of your author website is to help you build your brand, market yourself, and sell books.

You don’t necessarily need one; however, having a professional-looking website that includes contact information, book descriptions, and author bios is a great way to start building your online presence.

A good author website helps you establish credibility and authority within your niche. People are much less likely to trust someone who doesn’t have a website.

They might even think twice about buying something from you because they don’t know what you look like or how trustworthy you are. A well-designed website gives potential buyers confidence that you’re legitimate and trustworthy.

Your author’s website is also a great place to promote your work. When people see your name and picture, they immediately associate you with your writing. This makes it easier for them to remember you and buy your books.

You can use your website to connect with fans, too. For example, you could include a blog where you write about topics related to your genre.

Or you could post videos about your latest release. These types of posts give readers a chance to learn more about you and your work.

Finally, your website is a great place to collect reviews and testimonials from satisfied customers. This lets others know that you’ve been successful at helping other authors reach similar success.

Should You Create An Author Website Before Publishing?

There are lots of ways to market yourself as an author, including social media, book signings, speaking gigs, blog posts, etc. But why bother setting up a website? There are several good reasons to do it.

First off, you’ll want to make sure that you’re getting the most out of your efforts. A website allows you to reach people directly, rather than just relying on someone else’s review system.

You’ll also be able to track how well your books sell, what keywords bring traffic to your site, and much more.

Second, having a website gives you a place where readers can come to find out more about you – your background, your writing style, your interests, and more. This helps build trust with your audience and makes it easier for them to connect with you.

Finally, a website lets you provide free information to readers, like sample chapters, blurbs, reviews, and more. Readers love being able to read something for free, and they appreciate knowing that you’ve put your heart into your work.

Creating A Domain Name For Your Website

When choosing a domain name, make sure it’s something people are searching for. If there’s already a popular brand out there, don’t use it unless you want to confuse visitors.

Also, avoid using numbers, hyphens, and special symbols. They might look cool, but they won’t help you rank well in search engines.

Your domain name should be easy to remember and spell. A good rule of thumb is to keep it short and simple.

You should choose a domain name that reflects what your website does. If you sell books online, your domain name should include the word “books.” If you run a blog about fashion, you should consider naming your domain name after your niche.

If you plan to build a large audience, you should think about purchasing a premium domain name. Premium domains cost more money, but they usually come with additional benefits like increased traffic and security.

What Do You Need To Consider Before Creating An Author Website?

If you are thinking about creating an author website, there are some things to consider. First off, what is your goal? Do you want to sell books? Or do you simply want to build awareness for your work? Is it important to you that people find out about you online?

And how many books do you plan to publish? These questions will help you determine whether you should purchase a domain name for yourself.

The most common mistake authors make when choosing a domain name is to choose something generic, such as www.mybookauthor.com. This is fine if you are planning to write fiction novels, but it won’t work well if you are writing nonfiction.

For example, if you are a writer of self-help books, you probably don’t want to go with www.selfhelppublishing.com because you want to attract people interested in self-help. Instead, you should pick a domain name that reflects your niche.

For instance, if you are a Christian author, you could go with www.christianwritingtips.com.

Another thing to think about is whether you want to include your publisher’s URL in your domain name. For example, if your publisher is Amazon, you could go with amazonpublisher.com.

However, if you are self-published, you shouldn’t include your publisher’s URL. You should keep the URL simple and easy to remember.

Finally, you should decide whether you want to buy a domain name or use a free domain. A domain name costs money, and while you can always change your mind later, you can never take back a domain name once you pay for it.

So, if you are serious about building an audience for your books, it makes sense to invest in a domain name. But if you aren’t sure whether you want to sell books or just promote your work, you might want to start with a free domain name.

How Much Should An Author Website Cost?

The cost of building an author’s website depends on what you want it to do. And some sites are custom-built from scratch.

If you’re looking for something simple, we recommend starting out with Squarespace. They offer free plans, and there are lots of templates to choose from. You’ll probably spend about $100 per month.

If you’re willing to pay a little more, you can upgrade to one of their paid plans. For example, the “Professional Plan” costs $150/month and includes things such as custom domain names, email addresses, and autoresponders.

You can also use WordPress.com, which offers free hosting and a free plan. But you won’t have access to most features, including custom domains. You’ll likely end up paying around $200/month.

Once you’ve chosen a platform, you’ll need to decide whether you want to design your own site or use a template. There are dozens of templates to choose from, ranging from very basic to extremely high quality.

Most of them come with preinstalled plugins to help you manage your social media presence, optimize your blog posts, and monetize your traffic.

Some templates even allow you to add your own custom code. This makes it easier to customize your site to match your brand.

Final Thoughts

Building an author website isn’t rocket science. It just takes time and effort. The key is finding a solution that works best for you.

We hope this guide helps you find the right information for the job!