Why You Need a Reader-Friendly Website (And How to Get It That Way)

By Jody Hedlund, @JodyHedlund

Today is the release of my 10th full length novel! Whoo-hoo! Can you believe it? It seems like just yesterday my debut book was releasing and now book number 10 is hitting shelves!

I'm super excited about this particular book, Luther and Katharina. I wrote the book about seven years ago (around the same time I wrote my debut book). But for many different reasons, this book languished in la-la land. All the waiting has made this release day even more special.

My author copies!

(Sidenote: A word of hope for those who are seeking tradition publication for a specific book–don't give up hope if that's your dream! It can happen, perhaps just not the way you expect or as quickly.)

Every time a book birthday draws near, I begin to strategize my marketing plan, not only with my publisher, but I also come up with a brainstormed list of things I can do as well. I try to vary what I do from book to book. Sometimes I do blog tours. Other times I do social media sharing contests. This time I'm doing daily trivia questions and giveaways over on Facebook.

While marketing plans change from book to book, there's one thing I do with every single new book–I update my website and make sure the new book page is ready for readers. And no I don't just add the book, the blurb, a few reviews, and the "buy now" tabs and call it good. I go beyond that to make sure the page is reader-friendly.

Why is it important for authors to have an up-to-date, reader-friendly website? 

There are lots of reasons, especially in today's current competitive market. One of the main reasons is that a website is an author's "home." When we have visitors into our physical home, first impressions often stick. Visitors get a glimpse of our personality and tastes by what they see. And if it's unwelcoming, our visitors will sense that too.

Likewise our online homes reflect us as authors. If our sites are disorganized, hard to navigate, and out-of-date, that will speak volumes. If our site is all about the "hard sell" with only the "buy now" buttons, chances are readers aren't going to feel all that welcome. When they leave our site, they'll have no motivation to return.

Ultimately we DO want readers to return, over and over. We want to have a welcoming atmosphere that fosters an ongoing relationship.

In other words, our website is much more than a showcase for us as authors. Yes, it's important to have our bios, pictures, etc. But it can't stop there. Our website needs to meet the needs of our readers. What can we give to them? How can we enhance their reading experience? What will help them connect more deeply with our stories?

As I prepared for the release of Luther and Katharina, here are a few simple ways I made sure the book page was ready for readers. The page includes:

• Book Club Collection package. All of the items are free and easy to download: introduction letter, discussion questions, famous Luther quotes, a fun quiz to do before or after the meeting, and background information on the characters.

• Playlist of songs and hymns. This particular playlist consists of hymns written by Martin Luther. I chose more contemporary renditions to reflect my tastes.

• Famous Quotes download. I put together a list of famous Martin Luther quotes and also highlight some of the ones I use in the book.


• Martin Luther quiz . I used Quibblo.com for an easy format.

• Pinterest Gallery. The board is full of various pictures that relate to the book.

• Reader Photos slideshow. Whenever a reader takes a picture of herself or her pet with the book, I add it to the slideshow.

• Reader Creation slideshow. I love when readers make graphics of quotes from my books or even just to showcase the book itself. I put those graphics into a slideshow as well.

• Authorgraph widget. I make it easy for readers to have their e-books signed by including an authorgraph widget at the bottom of the page.

I invite you to stop by my Luther and Katharina page to browse around to get a better idea of all of the above. My website is always a work in progress and I welcome additional ideas of how I can make it more engaging.

What about YOU? How reader-friendly is your website? What are some other ways authors might make their websites more engaging for readers?

5 Easy Tips for Driving Pinterest Traffic to Your Author Blog or Website

By Jody Hedlund, @JodyHedlund

Over the past two years Pinterest has become the number one source of traffic to my blog. In fact, when I wade through my blog statistics, Pinterest comprises over half of my traffic source now (more than twitter, google searches, etc.). Not only that, but even though I post less (only once a week on Tuesdays), my monthly page views continue to escalate.

I'm not a Pinterest expert by any means. Everything I've learned about Pinterest has come by trial and error. But over the past several years of using Pinterest regularly, I've realized that there are a few things that authors can do to maximize Pinterest in drawing traffic back to our blogs and websites.

No, I don't have a Pinterest business account. I still use my personal Pinterest account with my author hat on in an attempt to engage with readers as well as other writers. I have boards specifically for readers (boards about my novels as well as reading-related boards). And then I have boards for writers (including boards with writing and editing tips, writing humor, advice, etc.).

In fact, almost everything I pin on Pinterest is related in some way to being an author. I've decided to steer clear of more personal boards like my Christmas wish list, bathroom decorating ideas, ways to use empty toilet paper tubes, etc. Not that there's anything wrong with having those kinds of boards. I've just chosen to make Pinterest all about readers and writers instead.

With that specific focus, I've also attempted to make it as easy as possible for Pinterest users to discover more about me by clicking through to my blog and website. Here are a number of ways that I drive Pinterest users back to my cyber home:

1. Create your own Pins. Whether you use pictures from free sites (that allow for modification) or use pictures you take for yourself, it's VERY easy to create Pins. A person doesn't have to be a graphic designer to do it. There are free user-friendly sites for creating graphics (like Pic Monkey).

2. Make sure your graphics are Pinterest-friendly. If you spend any amount of time on Pinterest, you'll notice some Pins that grab your attention and others that you hardly notice. I've learned that vertical graphics tend to show up better on Pinterest while horizontal end up being much smaller and difficult to see. Font, color, and clarity are all important considerations as well. I have a secret board where I can pin graphics to see how they turn out before they go live.

3. Put your website address on every Pin. If you make the graphic, then claim it as yours. Put your stamp on it so that no matter where it goes in cyberland, the Pin always points back to you and your website. Also don't forget to put your website address into the Pin's description. Then anyone who clicks on the picture on Pinterest will be automatically taken to your Pin's landing spot on your website.

4. Make your Pins searchable. Pinterest has a search capability where a user can type in key words and pull up related boards or Pins. If you want your pins or boards to come up in other people's searches, then you need to use key words in your boards and with your pins. For example, if you have a board with funny reading pictures you wouldn't want to label it "Tickles My Funny Bone" even if that's true because that's not likely to come up in a search for reading related pins. Instead you would want to include words like reading, funny, or humor. My board is simply labeled, "Reading Humor."

5. Put your Pins on your website and blog (and not just on Pinterest). I make a least one graphic to go with every blog post. Then blog readers can pin directly from my blog to their Pinterest boards. I also have pinnable graphics throughout my website on various pages. I even have a slide show on my Reader Page for all of the reading-related pins I develop. All of those pins make my website attractive for Pinners, a place they can come and find lots of Pin-worthy graphics.

What about YOU? Are you finding strategic ways to use Pinterest to drive traffic to your blog or website? 

Getting a New Look & A Book Launch!

By Jody Hedlund, @JodyHedlund

Today I'm celebrating two big milestones!

The first (as you can probably tell!) is that I've had my website overhauled for a brand new look. I had my first website designed almost five years ago by Pulse Point. Needless to say, Pulse Point did a fabulous job, and I've been VERY happy with my site ever since.

So why have my website overhauled, you might ask?

Well, several reasons, actually:

1. I'm branching into two new genres next year. In addition to continuing to write historical romance, I'll be adding Young Adult (An Uncertain Choice, a medieval romance releasing in March 2015 through Harper Collins) AND I'll also be releasing Historicals (the first is releasing in September 2015 through Random House).

Thus I wanted my website to not only have special pages for my new genres, but I also wanted it to have a broader appeal (so that I'm not branded as only a historical romance writer).

2. I wanted to bring a clean-cut, more 2015 feel to my website. Just like styles in clothes and shoes come and go, so do styles in websites. What was popular five years ago, may start to feel dated today. So, in an effort to keep up with the changing styles and times, I wanted to clean up my website.

3. I have new author and family photos. Every so often, we writers need to have our author photos updated. Since it's been about five years since I had mine taken, I realized I was due for a makeover. (And my family photos needed to be updated too.) The new photos have a slightly different feel to them, so I decided this was a good time to place those new photos in a new home.

All that to say, grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and enjoy browsing through my new site! I hope you'll feel at home!

The second big milestone today is the launch of my seventh book, Love Unexpected! This is the first book of my first series. So I'm really excited about it! The series centers around real women light keepers who served at real Michigan lighthouses.

Of course I've fictionalized the stories and piled them full of my usual page-turning danger and adventure. Nevertheless, I hope you'll enjoy learning a little bit more about lighthouses and some of the women who helped run them.

If you enjoy marriage of convenience stories, lighthouses, and pirates, then I have no doubt that you'll like Love Unexpected. Whether that sounds like your cup of tea or not, I'm encouraging readers to give it as a gift this Christmas. We all know books make an excellent gift!

In fact, in celebration of my book's release, my publisher is sponsoring a "Give the Gift of Books" giveaway with a package of FIVE new releases (including Love Unexpected). Enter to win the package of books either on my Facebook Page or on the Events Page here on my website. If you win, you can gift yourself or give the books to someone else.

 
(And if you missed out on my FREE e-novella, Out of the Storm, make sure you go get it now! It kicks off my lighthouse series.)

Thanks for stopping by and celebrating these new milestones with me! I'm so grateful for the many friends and readers who've encouraged me along the way!

A HUGE thank you to Jones House Creative for the fantastic job they've done on my new website!

So what about you? What do you like to see in an author's website? What makes a site stand out to you?

Writer Websites: Do it Yourself or Hire a Professional?

This week I’m celebrating the launch of my new website! If you missed the giveaway in the last post, make sure you head over and leave a comment by midnight tonight (Friday July 30) EST.

Today, I wanted to share why I chose to hire a professional to design my site rather than doing it myself. After all, why would anyone pay big bucks to have someone else do a website when there are inexpensive and fairly easy ways to design one yourself?

Originally I’d considered designing my own. I jumped into blogging and quickly learned the ropes, so I figured a website couldn’t be much harder. Initially, I signed up for Yahoo’s Sitebuilder. With the help of my friend Jill Kemerer, I got off to a great start. (Check out Jill’s articles for do-it-yourself website tips.)

Why then, did I stop my own efforts and hire someone? Here are just a few of the reasons I decided to have a professional set up my site:

1. To Save Time.

Anytime we try to learn something new, it takes more time and effort, even something as simple as a point-and-click build-your-own website. After I got my book contract, many other things began to demand my attention, things I didn’t want to give up (or couldn’t) like researching and writing the next novel (go figure!), rewrites on The Preacher’s Bride, blogging, writing interviews, marketing, etc. I needed to find ways to save time. Designing my own site was one thing I could give up.

2. To Ensure Professionalism.

When I was trying to decide whether to hire a web designer, I did an experiment with my husband. I picked several published author websites and showed them to him. I asked him to tell me which ones he thought were professionally designed and which ones were done by the author. On almost all of them, he was able to distinguish the difference.

Obviously not every professional web designer can live up to Pulse Point in their creativity and attention to detail. But for the most part, a trained artist who designs websites for a living is usually going to be able to put something together with more ease and skill than someone who’s not an expert.

3. To Stand Out From the Crowd.

With all the other websites vying for readers’ attention, I wanted something that could stand out from the rest. I didn’t want mine to be “just another website.” But I needed help to get beyond ordinary to something that reflected me as an author and helped set me apart. Isn’t that one of the things we’re working toward with our book too—letting our unique voices shine through?

Pulse Point was careful not only to tailor the site to meet my needs and likes, but also to help magnify my unique presence. They considered everything, from using a scroll font that matches what's on my book cover, the fun quiz box on the Reader Fun page, to their specially designed pop-up box for buying the book. (Check it out on the Books page, under "Pre-Order this Book." It's really cool!).

4. To Maximize Internet Potential.

Even if I had the time to set up a professional and stand-apart website, I still wouldn’t have the capability or understanding to maximize the potential the internet offers. Pulse Point's creative director, Kelli Standish, informed me that 43% of users still have dial-up. Because of that, Pulse Point carefully chose every picture and detail to help optomize the load time, particularly for dial-up users (many in the Midwest, which will possibly comprise a large chunk of my readers). Also, Google is now placing some emphasis on how fast sites load when determining the search engine rank.

In other words, the PulsePoint team has worked to make it easy for people to navigate my website. And since they're the experts in key words, search engines, etc., they also have the knowledge for how to drive more traffic to my site. Who wouldn't want to increase their potential for attracting visitors?

Summary: I look at my website as a business expense. My husband, as a private practice counselor, had start-up costs when he went into business for himself. My website is one of my start-up costs. My husband has to pay on-going rent for his offices. And now, my website is my online office and I’m paying “rent” for it.

As an added bonus, through Pulse Point, I’ve gained an incredible support for my writing career. Kelli Standish and her design team didn't just put together an excellent online brand for me. They also have a passion to walk along side me, encourage me, and do all they can to help me succeed.

So, should you hire a professional or do it yourself? Ultimately everyone has to make a decision that works for them. Before getting a book contract, I’m not convinced it’s necessary to invest a lot of money into a site—a well maintained, professional blog may even be enough. (See these posts: How Important is a Website for an Unpublished Author and How to Maintain a Professional Blog) However, after getting a contract, an author needs to give serious weight to the website issue.

What are you planning to do (or have you already done) with your author website? Are you considering hiring a professional or doing it yourself? And why?

*Make sure to read the comments! Kelli has included 4 Questions to Ask When Selecting a Web Designer.

Check Out My New Website! And Don't Miss the Giveaway!

Welcome to my redecorated blog which is now connected with my brand new website! Hurray! Time to party!

Even though at first appearance, my blog seems to be just another page of my website, if you look at the blog URL, you'll see it's still a Blogger Blog. My digital media management team, PulsePoint Design, was able to integrate my website and blog together so seamlessly they appear as one, and you don't have to worry about changing the URL in your bookmarks:)

And that’s only one of the many fantastic things that excite me about my new cyber home! Probably the thing I'm most thrilled about is having a place readers can go. Sure, they can come to my blog too. I've poured my passion about writing into my blog, and while readers may enjoy hearing about my writing journey, not everyone likes to comment or participate in the discussion.

So, now I'm super excited to have my website for my home base, the place where I can offer more to everyone. It's my hope people won’t stop with just browsing my website pages, but will connect with me in one of the ways they’re most comfortable—whether that’s leaving a note on my Facebook Page, a tweet on Twitter, an email, sign up for my newsletter, or a comment on my blog. I don’t respond to blog comments unless it’s a question, but I do try to chat with people over on Twitter and Facebook!

During the process of developing my website here are a few things we took into consideration, things that every writer should think about:

Decorate the Website to Reflect Our Uniquenesses:

I don’t write a specific type of historical that could easily be classified as Western or Prairie or Victorian. So, we steered away from an online brand that might box me in.

Instead we looked for colors and styles that reflect my heart and personal tastes, similar to the way I’d decorate my home. In fact, PulsePoint's creative director, Kelli Standish, even asked for pictures of my living and family rooms to help her get a feel for my style. They were able to make my website an extension of me, just as if they’d come into my home and added on an office.

Highlight the Things Most Important to Us:

Because social media is an important aspect of my writing career, the PulsePoint team made a specific point of including links to my sites in the header of the website. No matter what page of the website someone is on, my links are accessible. My blog is also a key part of my identity, and so Kelli put a feed for my blog front and center on my home page. I also really like visuals, so we included lots of pictures throughout the site.

Offer Something to Visitors:

Ultimately we don’t want our readers to come to our site once and then never return again. We desire to have an ongoing relationship with people. Part of making that happen is offering them more than just a picture of our books and a bio about ourselves.

Kelli and her team were great at encouraging me and giving me ideas for what I might include on my Reader and Writer Pages (check them out). She helped me realize my site isn’t so much about me as it is FOR others.

So, in honor of my new website and as a way to say thank you to everyone for your support and encouragement, I’m doing a giveaway! No strings attached—you don’t have to sign up for my newsletter or be a follower or tweet ten times or anything like that! Of course, you can if you want, but it’s not required!

I’m giving away a $25 Amazon gift card OR a free critique of the first 15 double-spaced pages of a manuscript. All you need to do is leave a comment on this post by Friday July 30 at midnight EST. I’ll do a drawing and post the winner next Monday Aug. 2. *Offer void where prohibited.

So, leave your email address and tell us what you're bringing to the house-warming party! Time to celebrate!!

P.S. Come back Friday and I’ll share why I chose to have my website professionally designed as opposed to doing it myself.

How Important is a Website for an Unpublished Author?

When should an author develop a website? How important is it before publication? How much time, effort, and money should an author give a website? If a writer has a blog, is a website even necessary?

If you’re like me, you’ve probably had these questions at one point or another. I’ve struggled through them over the past year. I don’t claim to be an expert on the matter. But I can share some of the conclusions I’ve come to.

If a writer has blog, is a website even necessary?

I look at my blog as the place to engage in open and ongoing dialogue with readers. When I write my posts, I communicate my thoughts and feelings. Through the comments, people can respond back. First and foremost, I want readers who come to my blog to know I care about encouraging them, not pitching my book to them.

A website, on the other hand, is a place where I can actively sell myself and my books. Even though I have information about my book on my blog, my website is where I can really showcase everything on a much grander scale. The website becomes the home base for true readership fans.

When should an author develop a website?

Ideally, an author should have a website up and running by the time a book is available for pre-order on any of the major sites. (And no, my website is not ready yet. Live and learn!)

The weekend The Preacher's Bride was posted on Amazon for preorder, a potential reader saw my book there, googled my name, and was directed to my blog. She left a comment that she liked the cover and had added the book to her reading list.

That one communication helped me realize how much I needed a website. When the average reader googles my name, I want to direct them to the front door of my cyber home, my website, where they can gain a positive first impression about me as an author. Sure, they can slide in the back door and lounge around with everyone else visiting my blog. But if that’s not their interest, I want to give them a different place to congregate.

How important is a website before publication?

I don’t think unpublished authors should put too much pressure on themselves to have a website before getting a book contract. Without a published book, not many people are actually going to google our names and try to find out more about us. A blog can suffice for the time being as a cyber home, especially with the new tab features.

On the other hand, a website can help unpublished authors begin to prepare for the future and can possibly save time and effort later. The process of registering for a domain name, thinking through and writing up website pages, and establishing ourselves as professionals certainly can’t hurt.

If a writer wants a site ahead of contract, there are a lot of inexpensive options available. Jill Kemerer has an excellent post detailing some of those options.

How much time, effort, and money should an author give a website?

Once we’re contracted and our book is on its way to shelves, it’s time to invest more into our web presence—and that includes a professionally designed website. I got references, visited a lot of websites, and finally narrowed down two design companies whose work I liked the best.

Between the two, I finally picked Pulse Point Design. After looking at their client portfolio, I decided their work best represented what I wanted in a site of my own. Pulse Point specializes in Christian author sites. Because of their popularity, they’re already double-booked for the next eight months and turn down at least five clients a week. I was excited when they managed to squeeze me in.

Pulse Point Design will start designing my website in May and it will likely be ready for launch in June with a few months to spare before the release of my book.

Now that I’ve shared my opinions, I’d love to hear yours. Do you think a website is necessary? When is the best time to develop one? How much time, effort, or money do you plan to give yours?