blogger: Cynthia Ruchti
Have you been regularly testing the website waters to make sure your author website is doing its job well?
We’re not talking Google Analytics or SEO or meta-data and keywords for this round of testing. Instead, we’re taking a thoughtful look at ease of navigation, user-friendly information, and the vitally important concept of connection.
If you’ve been limping along with a clunky website, it might be time to stimulate the economy with a website redesign. Or you may find that a simple tweak or two will have newcomers dipping their toes with a satisfied, “The water’s fine.”
Questions to Ask Yourself
- Does my website reflect who I am as a writer? Is it easy for a newcomer to identify the kind of books I write by the look and feel of the website colors, brightness (or darkness), theme, design elements?
- Does my website seem ambiguous or does it clearly communicate its purpose?
- Is it so complex that it’s hard to navigate? A crowded landing page? An excess of tabs or pull-down menus? A design that seemed interesting when you started it, but now just seems “busy” and a little “extra”?
- How long will a newcomer need to spend on my website to find the information they’re likely looking for?
- Where is my newsletter sign-up info? Website experts recommend that the best places for a subscribe sign-up are upper left, upper right, or somewhere on your landing page that the reader will notice without having to scroll past other information…in other words, above the fold. At the bottom of your landing page, especially if that first page is a long chunk of text (which it shouldn’t be anyway), is one of the least beneficial options for placement of a subscriber box. Another unfortunate placement is in a crowded margin of other information. This most important feature gets lost in the word woods. If a reader likes an author’s work and wants to sign up for his or her newsletter, the goal is for the reader to quickly find that spot to get connected.
- Is my website (and my newsletter) mobile-friendly?
Tips to Try
Open every page on your website and practice accessing information you might want if you were an editor, an agent, or a reader. You can test the website waters by putting yourself in the position of someone who knows little or nothing about you. How hard is it to locate specific information about you (like your speaking itinerary, your backlist of books, your tagline or theme, how they can contact you…)?
- Time how long it takes to read your landing page text aloud. If it’s longer than 30 seconds or a minute, consider trimming that narrative to keep the readers’ attention.
- Even if the font is large enough for easy reading (the recommendation, believe it or not, is 16 point font for most font options), how is the spacing? Try incorporating more white space in your web pages. The days are long gone when text would stretch from margin to margin and tight line spacing made it a chore to read. Today’s website viewer doesn’t need more contributions to tired eye syndrome.
- Speaking of fonts, are more than three fonts used? Web and newsletter designers recommend no more than three at the most.
- Break up blocks of text with visuals. We’re living in a visually-oriented era. Choose visuals that help tell your story.
- Consider: What questions does my website answer? What reader needs does it meet?
Reasons to Celebrate after Testing the Website Waters
- If you have examined your website recently, you’re allowed a pat on the back. Far too many get their website set up and then ignore it unless it has major problems. But major problems can also mean major lost opportunities. So if you’re regularly checking out the look and feel of your website, whether included links are working, double- and triple-checking spelling and grammar, you’re helping present a professional image and catching small glitches before they turn into big ones.
- Tips you’re learning as you make improvements to your website will also help as you create your newsletter.
For more insights about website layout, design, and temperature-taking, see articles like this and this. Visit other author’s websites to see what you find especially compelling and what makes a good first impression. Oh, and then locate their sign-up form and subscribe!
Three Ways to Annoy an Agent
Oh Cynthia, thank you for including font size. I’m quicker to close a website for small print than for bad writing. And I’m a good reader — folks who struggle to read under the best of circumstances are shut out of a message in tiny print.
I can read a book in larger font much faster than standard size. Given the option, I’ll pick large print every time. A bigger font and lots of white space tell me, “You’re welcome here.”
Thanks, Shirlee!
ome have seemed to swallow hook
on website-style baroque,
to make it for who deigns to look
something of a joke.
A small and complex faded font
is really not what tells
me that this is the place I want,
so I’ll go somewhere else.
And plethora of pull-downs,
with buttons hither, yon,
will just give me a tired frown
and urge me to move on,
but what most propels departure quick
is startup of preprogrammed music…
Good point!
Cynthia, I created my website last summer. And though I like portions of it, I’m realizing now that I need to make some changes. I’ve tried to make my website about the reader who visits, but in going through a couple of pages as I read your post, I’m seeing some things that need changing.
I so appreciate this wise post. Thanks for giving such practical suggestions to make my site better.
Love that you gained some practical tips!
What great info! Thank you, Cynthia. I do have a question. So, I finally (after a year and a half, ha!) got my lead magnets finished and up on my website. But I noticed that you said to have the newsletter button be prominent. Well, it is right there at the top, but I changed my newsletter button to say, “Free Books” instead of the more bland “Newsletter” and now I am second guessing myself. Which is better? I really wasn’t getting very many people with the “Newsletter” button but might I be confusing people by not having the bland definition of where that button goes available? Do you think that people looking for the newsletter would know to click the “Free Books” button?
You might want to ask a website expert about that. But if FREE BOOKS means sign up for my website, that’s also misleading. It might just be a simple wording change that would help. Like a little longer explanation by the button.
Ooooh, that’s true! I think I’ll change the button back to say “Newsletter” for those actually looking for a newsletter (presuming that they exist, ha!) and have a pop up that mentions the free books. Thanks so much for a nudge in the right direction!
Cynthia:
Thank you for this gentle nudge (i.e. kick in the pants) to do something with my website. It’s way overdue. I have no tech skills so about all I can do, without spending money, is improve content. I think that will be my main writing task these next three days.
REPORT BACK IN on how it goes!
Great information Cynthia. I went through a class on this very topic last week during the 2021 PENCON. I learned so much and this post reminded me of those important pieces. I am in the middle of reconstructing my whole site and have even changed themes to simplify the process for my visitors.
Some of the key takeaways from that class were putting myself in the reader’s shoes, not using cliches such as “Welcome to my site, blog, etc.” or “Sign up for my newsletter here.”
I’m reworking my call to action which was suggested should be on every page. It seems the more detailed you are in your focus, the better.
The other important tip was refining your About page, I believe the speaker gave the statistics that the About page is the most visited page on a site and can either propel your visitors to keep reading or leave.
Yikes! I am definitely working on that. It’s easier for me to help others write their About page than myself.
All a learning process.
Thank you so much for all the tips!
Good confirmation!
Valuable info here. I know quality websites require an investment. I’ve been turned off by some websites that I can barely see the font that seems to be in italics. Or requires too many clicks to navigate. A new friend designed her own site and I explained some things that would deter readers; like using multiple fonts in close proximity.
Like books you have to give the reader a reason to keep reading. I’m currently taking a Beta Course that highly suggest we build our own website. While I may have a design eye and artistic experience I’m challenged in the technical aspect of building. If I don’t like the results I will not hesitate engaging a webmaster.
Enjoyed the article!
Thanks, Daphne. Sometimes a simple WordPress template can get a person started. Your artistic eye will definitely help. And your visuals (your photographic eye) will be a benefit too.
Thank you Cynthia.