Why you Should Have a Separate Web Page for each of your Books is part one of the Essential Elements of an Effective Author Website series.
Which website ranks the highest when readers search for your book?
For many authors, it’s Amazon, or maybe Goodreads.
Some of you may be saying that’s great. My reader can go directly to Amazon and buy the book. That’s what I want, right?
Well, yes and no.
Yes, we want readers to buy the book — that’s a given. But not everyone is an Amazon customer. How hard to you want those readers to have to work to find your book?
More importantly, If you’re sending your web search traffic to Amazon, you’re helping to cement the relationship between Amazon and your readers. Our goal as authors should be to build adirect link between the reader and ourselves. The best way to form a mutually beneficial relationship with your readers and fans is through your website.
Why it’s important to have a separate web page for each book you’re selling
Whether you have one book or thirty, whether you write one series or five, each of your books should have its own separate web page.
Why?
There are a few reasons, but the most important is that it makes it easier for Google to find you and your books. In other words, it’s important for search engine optimization (SEO) purposes.
We want readers searching for your name and book title to have your website to come up as the top result. Once they land on your page, you can encourage them to signup for your newsletter, as well as providing them with links to ALL of the different places your book are available online.
What should my book page include?
There are a few items that are must haves on each separate web page for your books, but before we go there, let’s get technical for a minute and talk about URL construction.
The URL is the address that shows up in your browser address window when you’re on a web page. You want each of your book pages to include your book’s title. So, if your author name is John Smith, and your book title is BIG BESTSELLER, your URL might look like this:
http://www.johnsmithauthor.com/big-bestseller
That’s obviously a made up link and domain. So here’s a real example of a book page, from Gillian Flynn’s website.
http://gillian-flynn.com/gone-girl/
Note the author name and the book title in the URL. This link is a simple and straightforward step to improved search engine optimization.
I know – URL construction is boring. So here’s what else a good book page should include:
• The book’s cover
• A description of the book
• Purchase links
• Social proof (blurbs or reviews)
There are other items you can add to a book page, but those are the Essential Elements.
Create series pages if you write multiple series
If you write more than one series, you should have a page for each of them. That page can be as simple as a series title, covers, and links to the book pages. Here’s an example from Barbara Freethy’s Callaway Series:
http://www.barbarafreethy.com/books/callaway-series/
Click on any of the book links and you’ll see the individual book page.
Series pages would also work well for SEO purposes because some readers will search using a series name, rather than book titles.
The important thing is to capture as much search traffic as possible at YOUR website, before sending readers to online booksellers to purchase your books.
The Essential Elements of an Effective Author Website series continues with a post on your author website’s About page.
If you’d like to download the entire series as an e-book, that will be available soon. You can signup to receive a free copy the minute it becomes available by clicking the button below.
Creative Commons image via Klimkin
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