Do I really need a website? Where do I even start?
I know how intimidating this can be, but an author website is basically nonnegotiable. You need a place on the web that is YOURS to manage, rather than being at the whims of the social media giants who could disappear tomorrow—anyone remember MySpace?
An author website is a powerful tool to help you connect with readers. An effective website will have the following features:
an author bio and pic (see the Author Headshot article for more on this). In your bio, you don’t have to tell readers anything you’re not comfortable sharing online. Less is often more here because the internet is forever.
pages dedicated to your book(s), including the book’s synopsis, cover art, purchase links, and reviews from trade reviewers (Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, etc.), bloggers, and/or readers
a blog, if you want a place to talk about your books or writing life or your favorite subject matter that readers might find interesting or engaging
a form that allows readers to sign up for your newsletter* (These prompts are usually called CTAs, or calls to action, because they invite website visitors to take action to engage with you.)
optional, but an events page (once we’re able to do events again!) is cool if you are going to be speaking at conferences, hosting book signings or reading events, or doing charity work
(*Yes, you should start one of these too! Stay tuned for future discussions on The Scoop about the importance of author newsletters as well as resources for best practices. And definitely check out Tammi Labrecque’s book, Newsletter Ninja, to set your wheels in motion.)
The sky is the LIMIT when it comes to author websites. Spend some time perusing the websites of your favorite authors to see how they’ve set theirs up. And keep your branding in mind! An author website is not the place for you to get crazy with warring fonts or jarring images. You want to create a simple, smooth flow with an aesthetic that will invite readers to come back again and again. Check out this Reedsy article for some examples of effective websites: https://blog.reedsy.com/author-websites/
But I don’t know the FIRST THING about web design! Ugh!
That’s OK. You can always hire a professional, but something to think about: The initial financial outlay for a professional web designer can be very steep. Then every time you want to update your site with a new book or maybe some new swag or to manage your Events page, you have to get in touch with your web designer and ask them to make these changes, contingent upon their schedule and, of course, their service fees. Some web pros will offer their clients a backdoor entry wherein the client can go in and modify small things without accessing (or messing up) the rest of the site. If you do decide that designing your author website is just WAY too far outside your comfort zone, or if you have the coin to swing it, definitely go with a professional.
For those DIY folks (like me!): There are SO many options with pretty easy learning curves for us technophobes. I am a huge fan of Squarespace (SGA Books is my fourth Squarespace website!) due to ease of use, ease of integrating my email/newsletter service, the commerce capabilities, the built-in newsletter CTAs, and the integration that automates “this website uses cookies” pop-up we see everywhere now to comply with global internet privacy laws. The longer you play with your web service provider interface, the better you get with customizing everything from colors to fonts to photo layouts.
If Squarespace is a little rich for your budget, definitely check out PubSite, Wix, Web.com, Strikingly, GoDaddy, Weebly, PageCloud, Duda, and Simvoly. Again, full disclosure: I’ve only used Wix, Squarespace, and GoDaddy (for domains only) among these service providers. PC Magazine has offered their top picks for creating awesome websites for 2023.
Some of the braver authors among us are very keen on building Wordpress sites, customizing with all the apps and plugins that work in conjunction with the Wordpress platform. I’ve used Wordpress in the past in a blog format, customized with the Wordpress.com theme packs, but in early 2019, I tried to make a super-fancy site using Divi and Elegant Themes and all of the bells and whistles out there for Wordpress, and it was too much for my brain. After weeks of tearful frustration, I gave up and went to Squarespace—I just do not have the bandwidth to deal with security certificates, web hosting, email plugins, commerce platform plugins, etc. This is all stuff that you have to manage manually with Wordpress that is already built in to other service providers’ dashboards. If you’re up for the challenge, you CAN make an absolutely gorgeous site via Wordpress.
My friend Crystal Hunt at the Creative Academy for Writers is a Wordpress pro. If you join TCA, she has a boatload of tutorials and webinars to help you make Wordpress sing. HIGHLY recommend the Creative Academy!
Do I need my own domain name?
Yes, you do. There are literally hundreds of domain registrars out there, so spend some time looking for one that offers pricing that fits within your budget, keeping in mind the annual renewal cost and any added fees for domain privacy in the WHOIS database. Tech Radar has a thorough breakdown of some of the world’s most prominent web domain registrars. Website companies such as Squarespace and Wix also make it easy to buy your domain directly through them, in your dashboard, but they are pricey.
It might be cheaper for you to go to an outside registrar, buy your domain, and then point that new domain name to your new website. This can get complicated if you’re afraid of words like “DNS records,” so again, decide what’s more important to you: buying a cheaper domain and figuring out how to point it toward your new website, or paying a few extra bucks (up-front and on annual renewal) to secure your domain name within the web service provider. I have done both—purchased domains independent of my intended website on GoDaddy and HostGator, and then pointed it at my website once it’s built, AND purchased domain names directly from Squarespace because, yeah, it’s a few bucks more but it’s already connected and I don’t have to go through the confusing hassle of toying with DNS settings and CNAME records.
As you can see in this screenshot, I bought my sgabooks.ca domain from GoDaddy (they were offering a promotion too good to pass up). I bought the primary domain, sgabooks.com, via Squarespace (first year is free, and then it renews at $20 CAD/year, which is more expensive than many providers—again, I paid extra for ease of use as it’s automatically connected to my site. Time is money!)
If you buy domains somewhere other than your website company, you can FORWARD your new domain to your new website. This screencap above also shows you the GoDaddy options for when you purchase a domain through their service. (Note, too, that I’m not recommending GoDaddy above other domain providers. I just happen to have experience using their platform. Your mileage may vary.)
Authors in Canada: I would advise you to buy your domain name with the [.ca] extension too. I always buy [.com] and [.ca] extensions for my websites to make sure I keep control of my name and brand. (Domain extensions are called TLDs, by the way, and there are SO many more out there nowadays versus just .com so many of us are familiar with. Decide for yourself what you need, but don’t go overboard. It adds up quickly!)
How do I get personalized email, like info@mydomainname.com?
Again, depending on the website service provider you decide to go with, you will want to make a personalized, domain-specific email for yourself to legitimize your publishing enterprise. In fact, to use newsletter companies like MailerLite, you need a website-branded email address to get verified on their platform; a generic @gmail.com email won’t cut it.
Wix and Squarespace offer personalized email service in their dashboard via Google Workspace. GoDaddy has their own service for this (see above screencap), and they will definitely try to sell it to you if you buy a domain with them.
To find the right choice for your personalized email provider, google “how do I get a personalized email address,” and scroll through to find which best describes your situation. There are lots of current how-to articles (see the list below to start with!) that will walk you through the necessary steps, depending on which website provider you decide to go with.
This is inside the dashboard for my Wix account. Though I no longer have any active websites with Wix, my account is still open, so I was able to go in and show you what the personalized mailbox platform looks like. They also use Google Workspace. Super easy!
A few articles to get you started on personalized emails for your author business:
From Google Workspace (my Squarespace emails are all managed through the G Suite/Google Workspace): https://workspace.google.com/
From WP Beginner (for Wordpress enthusiasts): https://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/how-to-create-a-free-business-email-address-in-5-minutes-step-by-step/
From Hover.com (a domain registrar): https://hover.blog/custom-email-address-tutorial/
From Digital.com (promoting HostGator, BlueHost, and GreenGeeks): https://digital.com/create-email-using-gmail/
From Wix.com: https://www.wix.com/business/email-address
From FitSmallBusiness.com: https://fitsmallbusiness.com/create-email-custom-address/
I hope this has helped you figure out where to start on the road toward building your online platform. Whether you’re planning to query agents to go the traditional route, indie publish your books, or a little of both, you must have a spot on the web that shows people who you are and what you have to offer. Sending potential publishers to your Facebook or Instagram or TikTok accounts that are populated with you behaving badly isn’t a good look. (With that said, prospective agents and publishers WILL GOOGLE YOU, so clean house before you hit Send on that query!)