Six Mistakes for Authors to Avoid when Creating a Website
6 Mistakes to Avoid When Creating Websites by Judith Ceja
Creating your own web site is a great way for authors to promote their work. It sounds easy enough. However, many authors make some simple mistakes that create more headaches than traffic to their site. There are definitely some things you should avoid if you want your web site to be successful. Following these few simple rules can save you a lot of future headaches.
Rule #1: Don’t Build Your Own Web Site
While you might be an expert writer that doesn’t mean you have the skills to build a web site, even if it is all about you! Don’t spend hundreds of dollars on web designer software thinking this is a do-it-yourself project. Unless you know how to utilize search engine optimization or have the skills to integrate a blog, let someone else build the site.
Rule #2: Don’t Hire Your Best Friend
You need a web site built and your best friend offers to build it for you. He even guarantees to keep it updated. It sounds too good to be true. Well, it is. If your friend is good at designing web sites, soon he will be busy designing other sites and the updates you need may take longer to get processed. Since you are not a paying customer, you won’t be his priority. Pay a professional to get the job done.
Rule #3: Concentrate On Content Over Design
Don’t make the mistake of thinking a pretty web site is all you need. While it’s true that you want to grab the reader’s attention and get them looking around your site, they won’t stick around if you don’t have valuable content. Remember, your goal is to have the reader keep coming back for more.
Rule #4: Concentrate On What the Reader Wants
Readers will come to your web site looking for information about you: a list of your books, current speaking engagements or book signings, and previews of books to come. They will also want a peek into your personal life, as well as how to contact you. Give them what they want.
Rule #5: Keep Your Web Site Current
You will lose readers if your web site becomes outdated. Everyone wants the most current information available and if they can’t get it from you, they will go elsewhere. Ensure that you can easily update your own web site regardless of who builds it.
Rule #6: Limit Your Advertising
Nothing annoys a reader more than wading through a sea of advertisements. Ensure that your site contains more content than advertising. Remember, your readers are interested in what you have to say, not pop up ads.