As an author, you may wonder why you need a website. It is some work up front, and you would need to either pay for hosting and create the website yourself using WordPress, or you could pay for something like ShowIt with an easy to use website builder. Whichever route you take, you definitely need a website. Here are 4 reasons why authors need a website.

1. Marketing

On your own website, you choose how to market your book. Your homepage is where you can grab your potential reader’s attention and showcase your brand new book! You can have links to where to buy the book, and write whatever description you want it to have. You can even include bonus content in the form of blog posts or other pages. This may attract even more readers, if they can get a sample of your work. Publishdrive.com has some great pointers on why using your own website is an excellent marketing tool.

2. Credibility

Everyone has a website today. When readers are looking for your books online, many times they are looking for your website! Your website will show you are legitimate in this space. A website will give your books credibility, as well as yourself, and it will be a place your potential readers can see that! Your website can include a little bit about yourself, adding the person behind the published works. Building and maintaining a website will give you the professional edge you may need to stand out.

3. Audience Building

Many authors have newsletters to keep their readers up-to-date on published and upcoming works, as well as other marketing events like book tours. Your website is a great place to incorporate a newsletter signup. Social media can disappear at any time, along with your following. But you own your newsletter! You get to control what you put out into your newsletter, with little risk of your content going unseen like on social media.

4. SEO

SEO, or, Search Engine Optimization, is essential for being actually seen on the internet today. SEO will rank you higher in search results when readers Google your name or your books. Blogs are what really drive SEO, and while one isn’t totally necessary, it is nearly essential to have one to rank on Google. Having a blog and regularly updating it, even with something like bonus content for your characters or other things about the world your books are set in, can be a huge help when it comes to website SEO.

There you go! 4 reasons why authors today absolutely need a website. Ready to create a website? Bookish Themes is here to help. Sign up for our newsletter to learn when our ShowIt template shop is up and running! Each template will come with how-to videos that guide you along every step of the way to customize your new website template. Intimidated by the idea of building your own website from a template? Contact us at carly@givenstechnicalsolutions.com to talk about a completely customized website!