Yesterday, I posted a LONG discussion on how to figure out the requirements for your web site. I made a list of 9 questions you should answer before you ever start designing your site. I’d like to discuss those next.
Craig wrote:
I’m teaching a course on web design for homeschooled middle and high schoolers. Could I use your list of questions in this post with them?
Randy sez: Yes, just tell them where you got them. By the way, folks, if you’re finding this discussion useful, go ahead and spread the word.
OK, let’s look at that first question on the list I made yesterday, along with the possible answers. For each answer, I’ll tell you what design constraints that’s going to impose on you.
Question 1) What is the purpose of your web site?
Answer a: To let me express myself
Randy sez: If that’s your only goal, then you may not need more than a blog. If that’s one of your goals, then a blog should probably be part of your site.
Answer b: To let me tell the world about myself
Randy sez: Again, a blog might fill the bill here, depending on how much there is to say about you. Or you might want a small web site with a few pages (unless there is just an awful lot about you that needs saying).
Answer c: To tell the world about my books
Randy sez: A blog could in principle do this, but most authors with a few books want a web site with one page per book. Be aware that the world quite honestly doesn’t CARE that much about your books, so you should think seriously about making your site about more than just your books.
Answer d: To market my books
Randy sez: If you actually want to MARKET your books using your web site, then you’ll be wanting to attract people to your site who never heard of you. That means you need a way to bring in traffic to your site, and it should be free traffic, because you simply can’t afford to pay for traffic on the royalties from your books. Attracting traffic means that your web site needs to be about MORE than just your books. (Otherwise, the only people who come to your site will be people who ALREADY know about your books, and that’s not really marketing, is it?)
Answer e: To market other products or services
Randy sez: The same goes here as for Answer d above. Depending on the profit margins for these products and services, you might be able to pay for traffic using something like Google AdWords. But it’s always better to get free traffic than to pay for it, so it still makes sense to make your site about something that will bring in traffic. More on this later.
Answer f: To give away my ideas for free
Randy sez: That’s very altruistic! Good for you! Giving away ideas for free is a Good Thing To Do, and I highly recommend it. I’ll note that you aren’t required to give away every one of your ideas for free. You can give away some and sell some. I happen to think this is a smart thing to do. You might very well get a lot of free traffic, you’ll definitely do something good for the world, and you will earn enough money so you can afford to come up with more ideas to give away for free. It can turn into a vicious circle of goodness if you don’t watch out!
Answer g: Some other purpose
Randy sez: Oh, that’s helpful. Make sure you know what that purpose is, because it will determine what sort of site you need.
Answer h: Any combination of the above
Randy sez: Figure out which combination it is, and then read my remarks above for each one that applies.
That’s enough for one day. We’ll look at the next couple of questions on my list tomorrow.
“Attracting traffic means that your web site needs to be about MORE than just your books.”
And this is where having a blog would come in, right? Or give aways, teaching, author interviews, etc.
Thanks for some more great advice, Randy! You wrote: “Giving away ideas for free is a Good Thing To Do, and I highly recommend it. I’ll note that you aren’t required to give away every one of your ideas for free. You can give away some and sell some. I happen to think this is a smart thing to do.” Many of us shy away from the selling part simply because it looks daunting (arranging credit card payments, secure sites, instant downloads, etc.) How difficult is all that to set up–and how expensive?
On my blog today, I alerted my readers to your site and the VERY useful information you have here. I also mentioned Mary’s site. They complement each other nicely. So, I’m giving away free advice ala Randy and Mary.
For people who use their websites to market their books or products under a trademark they want to get registered at US Patent & Trademark Office, there’s a little technical point to be aware of that will affect one’s website design:
1. Part of the USPTO registration process requires the trademark owner to provide a valid “specimen” of the mark. A specimen is meant to show the mark as encounted by an actual customer when buying the products in question.
2. USPTO won’t accept as a valid specimen website pages that only provide information about the product with the typical “contact us” webpage. They call that sort of thing mere “advertising”.
3. For USPTO specimen purposes, the website page(s) must have a clear ordering capability. Not a shopping cart system, necessarily (though that won’t hurt). But some sort of information along the lines of “to order my products, do this”; that is, show prices, and an ordering phone or fax number or e-mail link.
4. And the mark must be displayed clearly. If it’s too small (that is, likely to be missed by the customer), that also won’t fly as a valid specimen.
Trenchcoat. Dark Alley. No Feds. That’s my plan.
One of the reasons for a website/blog not specifically mentioned is just to meet and get to know other authors of your genre. To be part of the community.
This has been very helpful for me, personally, and part of that has been joining in on blogging book tours and helping to promote other authors.
For me, being pre-published, this is a lot of fun. Probably not a substitute for going to a conference, but when I do go (currently planning to go this fall to the ACFW conference), I may see some people there that I have met online, and that is good.
However, you’ve helped me, Randy, to not confuse the purpose of my blog (community) with building a more promotion oriented site that can help collect an e-mail list of potential readers. For this, I have started a completely different website that is focused on the non-fiction topic that is connected with my book. I am in the process of designing it and hope to have it up in a month or two. An interested reader might still find my blog, but I’m not counting on it.
Thanks, Randy!