Is Your Book Web Site Ready for 2012?

I know that the New Year has well and truly gone but it is really only after Australia Day that everyone starts to get back in to the normal routine. Before the feel of a New Year disappears, it may be time for a look at your web site with “2012 eyes”

When was the last time you looked carefully at your author or book website or blog? Even if you don’t actually sell your book on your site, you should ensure that the information there is relevant and up to date.

The beginning of the year is a great time to re-visit your web site/blog and take stock. Here are a few quick things to check;

• You should have a copyright notice on your page (usually at the bottom, hiding away). Make sure it has been updated to 2012
• Read every single page on your site – is the content still relevant and/or correct? If not, plan your updates and make sure they happen
• Images – are they looking tired? Do they reflect your book launch three years ago? Maybe it’s time to review and add/replace images/photos to reflect recent happenings
• News Page. Does it have any recent News on it or something that happened in 2011 (or, even worse, 2009!?). If you do not post regular News, change the name of the page to something more appropriate and make it centre around something you are more likely to update
• Are you selling your book on your site? Check that the price is still correct and go through the process of purchasing a book to ensure that your system is working well and is still easy to follow
• Have you recently created an eBook? Are you advertising it on your site? If it is a click through to another site such as Palmer Higgs Books http://www.phbooks.com.au or Amazon, ensure that the link works well
• When was the last book review you posted? Maybe it’s time to encourage new readers to provide you with a more recent review to post?
• Google loves websites with regular and relevant content updates so make a plan to ensure your website is regularly updated and try to include relevant photographs and video

12.5 million printed books and 1 million eBooks were purchased by Australian consumers from online booksellers in 2010. This figure is likely to have been much higher in 2011 and is predicted to continue to rise in coming years.

Make sure that your web site is attracting the online traffic which will help sell your book in 2012