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If
your author website is not producing the sales you hoped for, there is
something wrong in your design or approach. Figuring out WHAT is wrong
can be an overwhelming challenge for some people. However, it's
actually quite easy if you understand how an effective author website
produces results.
Two Aspects Of Author Websites - Component 1 - Website TrafficThere
are two broad aspects to creating effective websites. To begin, you
must get people there - lots of interested people. You can create the
most beautiful, functional marketing website ever created but, if
people do not know it exists, nothing else you do will matter much at
all. Getting interested people to your author website is accomplished
by understanding keyword strategies, SEO strategies and all the things
we have discussed in the previous articles on this topic. To get
traffic, you must understand the technical aspects of search engine
optimization and you must develop and implement a rock solid SEO
strategy, otherwise the search engines will not send people to your
author website.
Two Aspects Of Author Websites - Component 2 - Website Traffic ConversionOnce
you have managed to get a sufficient number of people to your site
(hopefully the right people, assuming your SEO strategy is implemented
properly), you want them to see what it is they have come to see and to
do what you want them to do. In component one, we provide a clear map
to this online store and we give that map to the people we have
identified in our buyer profile analysis, so that truly interested
buyers can find us. Component two involves the development of the
online store itself. These are two very different aspects of author
website design.
Seems simple, doesn't it? But it is very difficult for some people. The technical aspects of getting traffic to an author website were covered in a previous article and so here we will concentrate just on providing value and traffic conversion.  Your Author Website Is Your Online StoreAuthor
websites are the primary tool to present the authors persona to the
world - it's your store. First impressions count, especially in an
Internet environment where people may only view your site for a few
seconds before deciding to stay and look around or to move on to one of
your millions of competitors. Often your site is all the
potential client will ever see of you. We will continue to use the
storefront concept as the example here.
Does Your Author Website Make The Right Impression?Imagine
for a moment that you looking for a book about computers. You see a
store. The store has no sign, but it looks a bit like a bookstore so
you go in. As soon as you walk in you realize you may have made a
mistake. This store is a mess. There are boxes, books and boxes of
books all over the place, some half empty. The floor is cluttered and
the shelves are a jumble of confusion. Nothing is organized at all;
there are books all over the place, all uncategorized. You have no idea
what kind of books this store offers. You cannot even find the cash
register. A salesperson runs up to you and says 'Welcome to the store.
I am so happy you are here. I've never been in business before, so I am
glad someone finally found me. Please sit down here and let me tell you
all about myself' and for the next thirty minutes, this person rambles
on and on about himself, about his history, his family, his friends,
his opinions, his dog, his last vacation, his political views. He even
pulls out his wallet and starts showing you pictures. He goes on and on
and on about himself until you are ready to run out of the place
screaming.
The Right ImpressionNow
imagine instead you go into a different store. Here, everything is
organized and categorized. The place is immaculately clean. There are
signs that spell out clearly what everything is, where everything is.
There is good lighting, a great floor plan and signage that leads you
right to where you might want to go. You realize that this store offers
everything you need and a number of high quality book choices in every
category. There is a specific section for computer books. A salesperson
walks up to you, greets you and says 'How can I be of service? Tell me
your needs and I'll help guide you to the book that is right for you"
You tell this person what you are trying to find and he leads you
directly there. He is very helpful, he answers all your questions,
shows you a number of books that might meet your needs, offers you a
number of possible choices in your predetermined price range and, once
you have made your decision, he leads you to the checkout area,
provides a receipt, a money back guarantee, a discount on your next
purchase and shows you to the door.
First Impressions Can Help The Book Buyer Make A Book Buying DecisionWhich
would you choose? Unfortunately the websites of most authors new to
marketing look like the first store. This is why many people's book
marketing websites do not produce results. A website is a website is a
website. One look at this type of website reveals that the site was a
do-it-yourself, weekend kind of project for the owner of the site. Many
people throw up a website and hope for the best. They use free software
given them by their hosting company or get help from a relative or
neighbor. That's fine if one knows what one is doing. But if the site
creator, the author, the neighbor, the cousin does not know what he or
she is doing, it may take that that author a very long time to
recognize there is a problem, to go back, learn how it should have been
done, and then try to fix everything. That's a terrible waste of time
and money.
Author Websites Should Begin With The End In MindEffective
websites for authors have a specific purpose and a clear cut set of
goals and objectives. The site is designed to accomplish those goals
and objectives. Generally a successful book marketing website
accomplishes the following goals:
It brands and positions the author It creates credibility for the author in the extreme It speaks specifically to the needs of the marketing profile - the visitor It is uncluttered It is clean, clear and easy to understand It directs the attention of the book buyer from point to point to point in a logical sequence of steps It offers nothing that is outside the boundaries of the book buyer's interests It zeroes in on the perceived needs of the book buyers as THEY perceive them It demonstrates that the products offered here are of the highest quality and dovetail exactly with the book buyer's perceived needs It ends with a specific call to action - to direct the book buyer to do something now - at precisely the right time. And it does all of this in just a few seconds. A Successful Authors Website Is FunctionalA
successful author's marketing website is not necessarily the best
looking website. A great marketing website should not be an ego trip
for the author. It should not overwhelm with too much unnecessary
information or detail. Frankly, successful marketing websites offer
very little information as, in marketing, less is often much more. The
focus is always, always, always on the needs of the book buyer - as the
book buyer perceives them. Again, website design is one thing -
designing a successful marketing website design is another subject
entirely.
The design of an author's marketing website, one that creates book sales, is a real art form. The marketing website of the author must be carefully designed to create book sales, not to just be there or to look pretty. This is why it is so important that you have developed your book buyer profiles by understanding the perceived needs of those buying profiles. Before even thinking about your website, be certain you have developed 1. The keyword strategy 2. The SEO strategy 3. The branding strategy 4. The positioning strategy and 5. The client profiling strategy Then and only then should the website work begin. In the real world, no one attempts to build a great store by picking up a hammer and saw and going at it. If you do this, you will end up with a shack. A great author's website, like a well designed real world store, requires a well thought out blueprint. Finally, Marketing Metrics Are CrucialIn
regards to creating book marketing websites that produce results,
please understand that metrics are crucial to success. Metrics
programs, such as Google Analytics, allow you to see what is happening
in your online bookstore. If you have an author marketing website, you
must use a metrics program and you must understand that program. Your
metrics will show you where people come from and why they came. Metrics
will show you what caught the book buyer’s interest and what did not.
The program will show you what they liked, and what they rejected.
Metrics can show you how your potential book buyer’s attention was
directed. Metrics will show you what they clicked and what they did
not. Understanding your metrics will allow you to fine tune your book
marketing site so that it functions as a well oiled, sales producing
machine.
Posted by Don McCauley
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| Copyright 2008 Free Publicity Focus Group |