Designing your Author Website with Angela Bouma

No matter how you are marketing your book online, your target readers will visit your website to learn more about how you can help them.

What are the important components to include on your author website? 

How can readers quickly learn what you have to offer them?

How can your website reflect your mission of serving your readers?

That’s what we’re talking about today with my guest Angela Bouma, a branding, web, and graphic designer at Bouma Design.

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

What is an author brand?

Angela defines an author's brand as the personality and desired feeling that you want to convey to your target readers. The visual elements you choose for your online presence, including your logo, colors, and fonts, reflect your personality and target audience.

Who are your writing for?

When defining your author brand, think of your target reader first.

Are they adults, children, young moms, or empty nesters?

Then think of how you are helping them.

Are you providing hope or encouragement? 

Are you teaching them something?

Understanding your readers will help you create a brand that resonates with them and draws them in to learn more. It's a delicate balance between your personal preferences and what will appeal to your readers.

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Define what sets you apart as an author

What makes you different from other authors who are writing nonfiction? 

What sets you apart from other podcasters? 

What's that one thing that can really elevate you over somebody else? 

Remember, it's not a competition.

We want to help each other out. But there has to be something different about you to bring interest from your readers.

There's a lot of noise out there. You got to set yourself apart just a bit.

What should be on your author website?

Content on your website is king. 

Introduction

Introduce yourself to your readers. Angela says when readers visit your website they want to know right away “why should I care” about who you are.

Your readers may have seen you in person or online, or heard about you from a friend. Now they're coming to see for themselves what you have to offer.

When writing content “it's a really fine dance of weaving in who you are, what you offer, and how it relates to your desired audience“.

Build authority with your content

With your writing, you're building authority with your readers. Through your words they're understanding you are the one to solve their problems. Angela says your life experience, education, and stories tell readers “this is what I'm going to talk about, this is how we relate to one another, this is what you can find here“.

Write blog posts as a taste of your future book

If you have books already published, link them on your website.

If not, you need to start writing blog posts so your readers can see that you are indeed a writer.

If you have a book releasing in the next year, readers want to make sure it's worth the money they'll spend on it.

“It's really strange. People will spend $6 on a cup of coffee three times a week, but they won't buy an $18 book.

It's crazy. I think it's because it's a time commitment. It's not instant gratification. But if I know your writing is really good, then I'm much more likely to purchase that book off the shelves. Because let's get real, there's a lot of books out there. I have a lot of options, right?

Even just a couple of key posts around the topic you want to be known for can be helpful on your author website.

What pages should authors have on their website?

You can start with a simple one-page website, or highlight different aspects of your author brand with multiple pages.

One-page website

On a one-page author website, include a picture of yourself. It doesn't have to be a professional headshot, but it needs to be a good picture for a first impression.

Include an About section. Introduce yourself, who you help, and how you help them. Tell your story (in a way that relates to them) in a few strong paragraphs.

Include your offer. Is it a book? Is it a lead magnet?

The thing most authors are missing from their website is their offer.

Why should your readers care about what they're reading?

What's in it for them?

A lot of people tell me, “I'm offering hope”, but that doesn't answer my question. How are you offering hope to me?

Maybe you have a freebie that helps them solve a problem. Offer a sign up box.

Maybe you offer helpful tips on how to (solve problem) on Instagram every Monday so ask them to come follow you on Instagram. That's an offer.

Multiple pages on your website

If you have multiple offers including a podcast, or published books, include pages for each of them.

Include a call-to-action on every page

We want to make it as easy as possible on our readers to take action. So limit yourself to one call to action per page.

We write content for our readers, but then leave them hanging with what to do next.

Angela recommends starting with that end in mind and then write your content around that call to action.

Link your social profiles on your website

If you are active on social, be sure to provide a way for readers to connect with you there.

Even if they join your email list, they may not open your emails. Give them another easy way to stay in touch.

Offer social share buttons to your readers.

In your written content, include social share buttons on every post.

That way your readers can share your blog post with their friends and followers.

Plus, when they do share, their people can easily come back to your website to learn more about you.

What to include on your Speaker page

If you are growing your author platform through speaking events, having a speaker page is important.

Most speakers provide a lengthy speaker sheet.

A speaker sheet is an interest sheet. It's not a life story.

A speaker sheet provides a simple overview to peak the interest of an event coordinator. Then they can reach out or visit your website for more information if they are interested. 

Speaking to an event coordinator vs. your reader

On your speaking page, remember that an event planner is reading it, not your audience.

What do you want them to know?

What makes you stand out above the other speakers they may be vetting?

How do you deliver the topic differently than they've heard from past speakers?

Angela recommends including a two-minute video of you speaking as it “goes a much longer way than all the words to all of the talks that you'll do”. 

Want to hear Angela's deep dive into your author website? Join us on Book Marketing Mania and learn:

• [1:32] How to visualize who you are and what you have to offer readers
• [8:04] Different pages that authors should have on their website
• [13:35] The importance of a call to action on every page
• [25:11] How the audience for your book page is different than your speaker page
• [30:55] Pros and cons of WordPress, Squarespace, and Wix platforms

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Angela's Brand Health Checklist
Angela's website
Angela's Instagram
Sharon Jaynes
Angie Baughman

 

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