Build a better website that is…
Imagine walking along the mezzanine of your favorite shopping mall. As you are strolling by an attractive window display, something catches your eye –you stop and look. You like the merchandise you see. Maybe even you are intrigued enough to step into the store; possibly you’ll even buy something .
This is what your website has to do, draw people in, catch their interest and put them into a position where they realize it’s easy to make a purchase… And a book is sold.
Does your website look attractive? And if you are saying “What website” then go out and get yourself one right away. There are many affordable website hosts available, several offer easy html programs and pleasant backgrounds to help even the inexperienced do-it-yourselfer to design a great site. The website doesn’t need to include your blog, as a matter of fact, many authors maintain separate blogs (and yes, you should also have a blog).
Your website address (domain name) should be simple and preferably make people think about your books, specialty or even your own name. My website is simply http://ChelleCordero.com. Long website names (such as www.geocities.com/bylines.html) will often be too confusing and may wind up being too much trouble for potential readers to find.
Does your website design (including colors) look attractive to the audience you would like to attract? For instance, a background of pastel colored building blocks would catch the attention of young parents looking for parenting resources faster than a background of muscle cars with scantily clad models. The site should be easy to navigate, including a short and interesting bio and information on your book(s); be sure to include buy links and reviews. Keep your information current - Always. If you have a page with your upcoming appearances listed, make sure they haven’t already passed.
Proof your site (ask a friend or two as well) and clean up misspellings and grammatical errors. Avoid large graphics that will slow the site as it loads. Clickable links are great if it helps your visitors to move smoothly between info, but don’t use a link merely to avoid typing pertinent info. Try to check your finished website out on different browsers to see what it looks like – you might be unpleasantly surprised to see what some browsers will change.
Be sure to publicize your site – list it on the bottom of business cards, email signatures and even hats or T-shirts (these make terrific giveaways at author events). Allow for comments to be posted and be sure to reply to them so your hopefully-fans will not feel neglected. There are inexpensive counters and interesting widgets you can use on your site that help to keep your site interesting. Every time I “tweet” on Twitter, it updates on my site. Submit your website’s URL to various directories, some are free and some charge only minimal fees.
Writing exercise: Write your obituary. What would you want folks to know about your life and the kind of person you were? (after you do this, it might be a little easier to write your brief bio).
Writing prompt: Describe your favorite fruit flavor (or ice cream, etc) to someone who has NEVER tasted it.
