The importance of every website lies in the fact that the author has full control of the content of the website and can upload any information which he/she wants to share. To design a website, an author must be aware of the purpose of the website like how you want to use it, for example, to communicate with readers, for blogging, for selling books, and many more. If the purpose of the website is clear in mind, then it becomes easy to design a website that is perfect for his / her vision.
Next is to decide on your website domain name. A website name should not be with the title of the book as the author writes many books in his/ her life so keeping the website name with the title of one of the books, will not serve the purpose of the website. A domain name should either start with the author’s name or which is unique and related to the author’s personality.
Many of the authors find it very difficult in selecting the best web design options for themselves. Some authors may have a technical background so they can negotiate better but it is not as difficult as it seems.
For website design, an author can hire a website design agency that will design the website by understanding the needs of the author. I knew many websites agencies that charged around $ 500 to $ 20000 for a custom author website design, these are big designing firms with staff and high space offices in big cities, if you have that kind of money, you can take that expensive route but some of the agencies can design and can deliver best quality work in a very economical cost so it’s totally authors preference which way they would like to go.
I would always suggest authors choose a developer who better understands the marketing strategies for the books. There are many developers in the market who do not know anything about marketing and a website is a very important tool for marketing if it is used properly. Please check your website developer’s portfolio and choose a developer who has specialization in author and author websites.
And when you contact any developer, check carefully that they understand your vision, how many rounds of changes they will do, how many pages they will create for your website, and what will be charged after the certain round of free changes.
And one of the most important things is whether they update the website after the launch, you can ask these questions before signing a contract.
Website as a Marketing tool.
A website creates the author’s image as a brand and increases its online presence. It is the place where a number of readers come every day to check out details about the author and books and that gives a very big platform to authors to present themselves and their works in the best possible way to create a permanent image in the mind of visitors