How to Make A Professional Author Website (And Why You Need One)
If there’s one thing self-publishing authors tend to overlook, it’s the power of a professional author website. Not an Instagram bio link, not a Linktree and definitely not a half-finished Wix page from 2018! I’m talking a real-deal, intentional, built-to-grow-with-your-career, author’s home base that showcases you and your work.
Think of your website as the one digital space you fully own; the place readers discover your voice, learn about your books, sign up for your newsletter, and ultimately decide whether you're someone they want to follow for the long term. A polished website elevates your credibility instantly, and in a crowded self-publishing landscape, that matters more than ever. Here’s what actually makes an author website feel professional and how to build one without overthinking it.
Why Every Author Needs a Professional Website
A good author website does three things better than any social platform:
1. Establishes your brand’s first impression
Before a reader even opens your book, they’ll Google you—and the results shape whether they take you seriously. A clean, organized website instantly signals professionalism and trust.
2. Centralizes your entire author ecosystem
Your books, newsletter, events, blog posts, freebies, social links—everything funnels back to one home base, which means no pesky algorithms, no disappearing posts, and no lost readers.
3. Builds long-term career equity
While social platforms come and go, sometimes evolving into something unrecognizable, your email list and your website stay with you.
Whether you're writing fiction, nonfiction, children’s books, or personal essays, a polished site is the backbone of your marketing.
The 6 Essential Pages Every Professional Author Website Needs
Going in with a plan will help manage the balance between too much clutter and empty, drab nothingness. You really only need six core pages but they need to be done well.
Page 1: The Home Page
The homepage should work like a storefront window: simple, beautiful, and immediately clear. A professional author homepage welcomes visitors and invites them in, and at the very least should include:
A striking header
A featured book or latest release
A short introduction (“Author of …”)
A clear call to action (“Join my newsletter…”)
Genre-appropriate visuals (fonts and colours to establish mood)
Your homepage doesn’t need to be long, it just needs to set expectations and guide readers deeper into the website.
Avoid: long walls of text, unrelated photos, outdated news.
Page 2: The About Page
Readers don’t want your life story chronologically. They want context: Who are you? Why do you write? What themes tie your work together?
Your About Page should:
Introduce you in a clear, concise paragraph.
Position you as the right author for your audience.
Highlight your niche, genre, or writing mission.
Include a professional-looking photo.
End with an invitation to join your newsletter or explore your books.
This is also a great place to add credibility markers: publications, awards, press, speaking, etc.
Page 3: The Books Page
This is the most important page on your website, and it should be clean, organized, and easy to browse. A professional Books Page includes:
A book grid (book covers neatly aligned and clickable)
Retailer links (Amazon, Kobo, Apple, print, audiobook, etc.)
A clear description of the book (short hook and a longer synopsis)
Editorial reviews, endorsements, or praise if available
Frequently Asked Questions
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Yes, you absolutely need a website. Social platforms are helpful for visibility, but you don’t own your audience there, and algorithms change constantly. A professional author website acts as your permanent home base, where readers can always find your books, join your newsletter, and learn about your work without distractions.
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Your Books Page. It’s where readers decide whether to buy, explore your backlist, or start a new series. A polished Books Page with clear descriptions, clean formatting, and easy-to-find retailer links does more for your sales than any social post.
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At minimum, update it whenever you release a new book, host an event, refresh your brand, or add media coverage. Even if nothing major changes, reviewing your site every 12 months keeps it current, accurate, and professional.
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Professional sites have consistent branding, easy navigation, readable typography, and a clear purpose. They’re clean, fast, mobile-friendly, and visually aligned with the author’s genre. Most importantly, they guide readers intuitively toward your books and newsletter.
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Yes. Your newsletter is where your most engaged readers come from, and your website acts as the funnel that drives people to sign up.
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A blog is helpful, but not required. If you enjoy writing updates or educational content, great—it strengthens SEO. If you don’t, focus on the core pages: Home, About, Books, Newsletter Signup, and Contact. Consistency matters more than volume.
Page 4: The Newsletter Signup Page
Instead of scattering sign-up forms everywhere, use:
A dedicated newsletter landing page
A simple explanation of what readers get (updates, exclusives, early previews, etc.)
A strong newsletter page alone can be responsible for 60-80% of your subscriber growth.
Page 5: The Contact Page
An uncomplicated, functional page where you can include:
A simple contact form
Your professional email address (note: not your personal inbox!)
Links for media inquiries or speaking requests (if relevant)
Many authors skip this, but agents, librarians, journalists, and event organizers need a reliable way to contact you.
Page 6: The Press Kit Page (Optional but Professional)
If you’re planning a book launch, bookstore events, podcast interviews, or any sort of media outreach, really, then you absolutely need a press kit page!
A professional Press Kit Page includes:
Author bio (short and long versions, labelled accordingly)
Author headshots (portrait is usually most versatile)
Book covers (print + web resolution)
Contact information
Most indie authors skip this because they think it’s unneeded, but having one is exactly the way in which to appear professional, book-able, and ensure you stand out from the crowd.
Design Choices That Signal "Professionalism”
These elements may seem small, but they are massively important to curate a simplified, professional appeal.
Consistent Branding (Fonts, Colours, Imagery)
Your site should visually match your genre, your tone and your book covers. So if you’re the author of gritty thrillers, make sure your site doesn’t feel like high-tea at the salon and scrapbooking to follow. Consistent branding builds trust subconsciously.
Clean, Spacious Layouts
Cluttered websites look amateur and let’s face it, a little bit dodgy. Prioritize whitespace for easy scanning, employ shorter paragraphs whenever possible and clearly mark different sections with appropriate headings. Make it effortless for the person who is browsing through.
Mobile-First Design
This should come as no surprise but more than 60% of users browse author sites on their phone. Therefore your site should be optimized for mobile users; prioritize clean, readable content that’s easy to tap through. If someone has to pinch-zoom, or battle an ever-rotating and flipping screen… they’re already gone, my friend.
Fast Load Times
Avoid using oversized images or unoptimized headers, and altogether omit bloated plugins; slow pages are conversion killers! It will destroy your first impression if your reader has to wait more than a few seconds for your page to load, or wait for the lag while they’re navigating through the site.
Accessible, Legible Typography
In moderation, fancy script fonts can be beautiful, sure, but there’s a time and place, and body text on your website ain’t that time or place. Your body text should be easy to read at all sizes. Accessibility, courtesy and thoughtfulness are all important parts of professionalism.
How to Build Your Author Website Without Overthinking It
If you’re DIY-ing, do some research to discover a platform where you feel confident editing, such as Squarespace (great templates, easy to use) or WordPress. Start out with the six core pages you know you’ll need, and focus on keeping everything simple.
If DIY-ing is not your thing (read: you’re the pen-to-paper type and considered at one point making flyers for your book) and you want your author website to feel polished and trustworthy, consider connecting with our team of designers to set out on the right foot.
Our team works with self-publishing authors to develop cohesive branding, organize content, optimize layouts for book sales and integrate newsletter funnels. Working with a designer not only takes the stress and guesswork out of the process, but it gives the added delight of witnessing something truly impressive come together, a website that is wholly on brand with your work, and something that you’d be proud to show anybody; readers, agents, journalists and librarians included.
