{"id":14085,"date":"2021-03-03T07:00:41","date_gmt":"2021-03-03T13:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buildbookbuzz.com\/?p=14085"},"modified":"2023-12-07T21:34:48","modified_gmt":"2023-12-07T21:34:48","slug":"10-free-ways-to-increase-author-website-traffic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sandra.oddjar.com\/10-free-ways-to-increase-author-website-traffic\/","title":{"rendered":"10 free ways to increase author website traffic"},"content":{"rendered":"

Your website is your author career\u2019s online home.<\/p>\n

It tells readers, the media, and others who you are, what you write, and why you\u2019re good at it. It might even give people a preview of your latest book.<\/p>\n

Maybe it\u2019s a showpiece<\/a> \u2013 attractive and well-written, easy to navigate, and on-brand<\/a>. But if it\u2019s not attracting \u201ctraffic\u201d \u2013 marketing-speak for site visitors \u2013 you\u2019ve got a problem.<\/p>\n

Here,\u00a0in alphabetical order, are 10 free ways to increase author website traffic.<\/p>\n

1. Blog comments<\/h2>\n

Most blog comment templates allow you to include your website URL. When your comment contributes to the conversation<\/a>, readers might click on the link to learn more about you.<\/p>\n

Note, though, that while the blogger always appreciates a simple \u201cNice post\u201d or \u201cThanks,\u201d that\u2019s not the kind of intriguing, insightful, or thought-provoking commentary that generates author website traffic.<\/p>\n

Say something that makes the article\u2019s readers want to learn more about you.<\/p>\n

2. Email signature<\/h2>\n

Increase author website traffic by adding a link to your website to your email signature.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s as easy as that.<\/p>\n

3. Guest blogging<\/h2>\n

Include a link in your guest post author bio. In addition, when appropriate, include links to specific relevant content on your site within your article.<\/p>\n

When I guest blog<\/a>, I often link to more information on my own blog about topics mentioned in my guest post. For example, in my recent IndieReader.com guest post, \u201c3 Ways to Sell More Novels in 2021<\/a>,\u201d I added links to four directly relevant articles on my site.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a regular guest blogger for IndieReader.com; it ranked 13 on my list of traffic sources during February.<\/p>\n

4. Newsletters<\/h2>\n

Always include at least one link to your website in your author newsletter so that subscribers can click through to learn more about you and your books.<\/p>\n

Or, do what my friend Kathleen Gage<\/a> and I do. We both offer the first few paragraphs of our current blog post in our newsletters with a link readers can use to click through to read the rest of the articles on our sites.<\/p>\n

Consider a newsletter swap<\/a> with an author targeting the same audience as yours, too. Include your site link in the text you write for your colleague\u2019s subscribers.<\/p>\n

5. Podcast guest<\/h2>\n

Podcast hosts typically tell listeners where to learn more about each show\u2019s guest \u2013 that\u2019s your website address.<\/p>\n

In addition, many publish \u201cshow notes\u201d on their websites. Show notes typically include a link to the guest\u2019s site and links to more information about topics discussed on the show (and those links could be on your website).<\/p>\n

6. Press releases<\/h2>\n

Your book announcement and other press releases<\/a> should always include a link to your web site.<\/p>\n

When you post them on free press release sites<\/a>, you\u2019re generating a link from that site to yours.<\/p>\n

7. Publish viral content<\/h2>\n

Creating content on your site that is so helpful, funny, or amazing that people are clamoring to share it brings visitors to your site to see what everyone is talking about.<\/p>\n

You can also leverage someone else\u2019s viral content, as we\u2019ve seen with the recent epic \u201ccat lawyer<\/a>\u201d video. Just Google \u201ccat lawyer,\u201d then scroll down the list of media outlets reporting the story that made nearly everyone who saw it giggle.<\/p>\n

\"increase<\/a>
Viral content attracts traffic.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Those news reports are attracting site visitors. You can use that trick, too.<\/p>\n

8. Social media<\/h2>\n

\"increase<\/a>Authors blog for several reasons, but one of the most important is to create content that attracts traffic. Help your target audience find your quality content by sharing the link to each new blog post on social media. Share the links repeatedly, too \u2013 not just when the content is new.<\/p>\n

Make it possible for others to share your content while they\u2019re on your site, too, by installing social sharing toolbars.<\/p>\n

Be sure to include your website URL in all of your social media profiles, as well.<\/p>\n

9. SEO \u2013 search engine optimization<\/h2>\n

Search engine optimization \u2013 SEO \u2013 is what you do to your website so it gets found by search engines.<\/p>\n

The better your site\u2019s SEO \u2013 meaning, the more content you create that fits what your target audience is looking for \u2013 the higher your site\u00a0pages show up in search engine results.<\/p>\n

People are more likely to click on your link and visit your site when your content is near the top of the search results.<\/p>\n

To move up the page and attract more traffic, improve your SEO. If you use WordPress, you can start by installing the free Yoast SEO plug-in<\/a>. It will suggest ways to improve each blog post\u2019s SEO.<\/p>\n

10. YouTube<\/h2>\n

Almost three quarters of U.S. adults \u2013 74% \u2013 use YouTube<\/a>. Does your author brand have a presence there?<\/p>\n

Including a link to your website in the description of all videos you upload to YouTube will send traffic to your site.<\/p>\n

Increase that traffic volume by promising video viewers something that will make sure they visit your site with that link.<\/p>\n

Bonus! Do this for your book on retail sites<\/h2>\n

Would you rather send traffic to your Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BookShop<\/a>, or other \u00a0sales pages? Several of the these strategies apply to that, too. For example:<\/p>\n