I HAVE AN AUTHOR WEBSITE

Last Year: Author Website Recap

• Own Domain/Hosting
• Attractive Design & Images
• Easy-to-Navigate Layout
• Bio/About Page
• Book Page(s)
• Links to Social Media Profiles
• Email List Sign Up
• Contact Page
• Optional/Bonus: Blog, events page, videos, podcasts, media kits, interviews

OH MY GOODNESS. PEOPLE ARE GOING TO ACTUALLY LOOK AT MY STUFF.

5 Steps

• Know Your Traffic
• Leverage Organic
• Promote with Paid
• Get Creative with Outreach
• Foster Community

Know Your Traffic

Google Analytics

• Traffic sources
• Engagement statistics
• New vs. returning
• UTM Tagging

Campaign URL Builder

Facebook Insights

Twitter Analytics

Google Search Console

Analytics Q&A

• How do people find my site?
• What do people search when they find my site?
• Who makes up my audience?
• What content is most popular on my channels?
• Are people engaging with content the way I want them to?

Build a Dashboard

• Dasheroo
• Google Data Studio
• Klipfolio
• DashThis
• Cyfe

The more you know about your traffic, the more likely you are to succeed.

Leverage Organic

Leverage Organic

• Optimize content
• Add structured data
• Build citations/mentions
• Earn links

SEO Quick Tips

• Make your content relevant, unique, and interesting
• Make sure your site is crawlable
• Use meta tags to promote CTR
• Link internally and externally
• Tell search engines about what's on the page

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Adding Structured Data

• developers.google.com
• schema.org
• Google's Structured Data Testing Tool/Helper
• Goodreads

Building Citations & Links

• Be a guest blogger or interviewee
• Book reviews
• Enrich your external profiles
• Have conversations with/about influencers

Promote with Paid

Promote with Paid

• Social Media Ads
• Amazon Ads
• Google Ads
• Partner for Giveaways

Paid ads are all about amplifying what you already have.

Tips for Better Paid Ads

• Build both reach and frequency
• Monitor metrics
• Test ad copy versions

Get Creative with Outreach

Get Creative with Outreach

• Get quoted (HARO)
• Answer questions
• Attend or host events
• Leverage other publishing platforms
• Back of book CTAs/follow ups
• Include your website on EVERYTHING
• Email marketing is a must!

Do something interesting on your social channels.

Do Something Interesting on Social

• Tell a story with video
• Daily notes to readers
• Social chats or Q&A
• Compile reading lists or resources (and share them!)
• Share things/people/places that captivate you

Foster Community

Fostering Community

• Encourage conversation & sharing
• Provide ground rules for participation
• Define the ideal fan & understand her needs
• Be responsive
• Make it easy to join

Participate in offline & online communities

Focus on building relationships with people that value what you have to say.

Mandy Pennington