The idea of creating a website may seem overwhelming to many who are new to the writing arena. This may cause hesitation in regard to taking the website step.
But, don’t let fear or procrastination get in the way of your online presence. A website is a necessary online marketing tool that is at the foundation of your author platform.
Here are a couple of statistics to demonstrate the need for a website if you have any intention of building an author platform:
According to MarketWatch.com, there are 2.4 Million Google search queries made each minute. And, according to Quora.com, there are around 2 million blog posts published each day. This information is from mid-2016 statistics.
The internet is the place for people to search globally for what they want or need. Having a website allows you to be in on that action.
Your online home.
If you want to create visibility for you and your book, product, or service, a website is the initial spark that will ignite your internet presence. And, it will be the hub or central location where you will let people know who you are and what you have to offer.
To further cement the need for a website, it’s through your website that you will attract readers, get email subscribers, and sell what you’re offering.
An author website is your online home where people can come to visit and get to know you.
It’s a must.
There’s really no way around the fact that you need to create your author platform, and it should be before you are ready to submit your manuscript. This is according to Chuck Sambuchino, in his book “Create Your Writer Platform.”
The reason for this is that now having an author online presence and platform is a factor in whether a publishing house will say YES to your manuscript. And, the first step in creating that author platform is to setup a website.
It’s easy to see that a website is an absolute must. And, it’s not as difficult as you may think to create one. The first step is planning.
Plan Your Way to a Website
As with any project you undertake, the first course of action should be to plan out your course of action. This is usually considered a business plan or writing plan.
Your website is your online calling card or business card. It needs to be as professional as you can get it and it needs to have the necessary elements of an effective site.
So, if you’re not familiar with websites, one of the first steps in your course of action should be to learn about all the elements needed to create an effective website.
As an example, one of the first elements that you’ll need to work on is the domain name.
Choosing a domain name is serious business. It needs to be searchable, convey what the site is about, and relate to what you’re offering. It should be part of your platform, your brand. And, if at all possible, it should have your keyword in it.
Other elements of an effective website include: optimization, specific pages, posting fresh content regularly, an opt-in, and a lead magnet (freebie) to entice visitors to take action.
While a website is a necessity, it also needs to be effective. The saying, “if you build it they will come,” doesn’t cut it in the internet world. Your site needs to attract visitors, be engaging / informative, be reader friendly, and convert. It needs to be planned out and optimized.
Sources:
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/one-chart-shows-everything-that-happens-on-the-internet-in-just-one-minute-2016-04-26
https://www.quora.com/How-many-blog-posts-are-written-every-day
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