Creating an author website involves making a lot of important decisions. From choosing a web host, to selecting the home page design, to determining which font you want to use, there are a lot of questions writers need to ask! Feeling overwhelmed? Don’t be. The experts at Web Design Relief know exactly what you need to do to create the best author website possible, and have put together a worksheet of questions you can use as a handy guide.
Worksheet: Every Question Writers Should Ask When Building An Author Website
- What is your main goal for creating an author website?
- What is your budget?
- Who is your target audience?
- Which web host will you use?
- What domain name do you want?
- Which domain provider will you select?
- Do you want multiple domains all pointing to the same website?
- Have you picked a username and password?
- Is your password unique and secure?
- Do you want to design the website yourself or hire a professional?
- What is your genre’s style?
- Have you found other websites to use as design inspiration?
- What do you like most about other websites you visit?
- What specific features do you want your website to include?
- How many pages do you want on your author website?
- Do you prefer serif or sans serif fonts?
- Have you selected fixed-width or fluid-width design?
- Do you want a pop of color on your website, or are you keeping it grayscale?
- Do you want a textured background?
- Do you have a title for your website?
- Do you have a tagline?
- Will you have a search bar?
- What items will be in your menu bar?
- Do you want a sidebar or full-length menu?
- Will your website be author-focused or project-focused?
- Will the website be more fun or more professional?
- Is your author bio ready?
- What will you feature in your header?
- Are you going to include photos on the website?
- Do your photos have high resolution?
- Do you need a photo gallery or slideshow?
- Will you feature videos on the website?
- Will you feature animations?
- Do you want social media integration?
- Will there be live social media widgets on the website?
- Will you have social media buttons and if so, where?
- Are you planning to have a blog on your website?
- If you said “yes” to the above: Do you have your first blog post ready to go?
- Will you have an editorial calendar?
- Will you enable comments on your blog?
- Have you planned how to make your content SEO-friendly?
- Are you going to sell your writing on the website?
- Do you prefer shopping carts or Buy Now buttons?
- Are you going to feature a list of publications?
- Do you need an events calendar?
- Do you plan to utilize a mailing list?
- If you said “yes” to the above, have you selected a host for your mailing list?
- Will you offer an incentive to get visitors to sign up for your mailing list?
- Do you have outside websites you want to link to?
- How will you design your contact form?
- Do you have CAPTCHA protection for your contact form?
- How else will you keep your website secure?
- Will you proofread your website yourself or hire a professional?
- How will your website be optimized for mobile devices?
- Can you test your website on multiple browsers?
- Can you test your website on multiple devices?
- How often will you update the website?
- Will you update the website yourself or hire an administrator?
- Have you planned a website you can be proud of?
As you can see, there are a lot of things to consider before your author website can go live: functionality, content, aesthetics, marketing capabilities, and so much more! If finding the right answers to all of the questions on our worksheet seems like an insurmountable task, Web Design Relief is here for you! We’ll help you choose the best answer for every question about building your author website.
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