Author Website Checklist: 15 Essential Pages

A strong author website doesn’t need dozens of pages. It needs the right pages in the right order. Start with a book-first homepage, then add the pages that help readers trust you, find your work, and stay in touch.

This author website checklist covers 15 useful site elements, including the pages to build first, the pages to add later, and a printable review table for your next site check.

1. Author Brand Foundations: Domain, Homepage, and About Page

The first part of an author website checklist is your brand base. Pick a name-based domain, build a clear homepage, then give readers a short path to your story.

1. Domain name

Your domain is the address where your website lives. Base it on the name you publish under, not on one book title. A book may stay in print for years, but your author name can carry every future project.

Try yourname.com first. If that isn’t available, consider a clear variation such as yournameauthor.com or yournamewriter.com. Keep it easy to say out loud and easy to type. Avoid odd spellings, long strings of numbers, or a domain tied to one series.

2. Homepage

Your homepage is the front cover of your online brand. A visitor should know who you are, what you write, and what to do next within a few seconds.

Put your strongest book or offer near the top. Add a clear headline, a short author introduction, a book cover or relevant image, and one main button. That button might say “Get the book,” “Read a sample,” or “Join the reader list.”

Many checklists put the blog at the center of the homepage. I disagree for most authors. If the blog is not current, it can make the site look abandoned. Show one or two recent posts lower down, but keep the main focus on your books or current author offer.

Jane Friedman’s guidance also stresses clear paths to the About, Contact, and Books pages. Her advice on name-based domains and focused homepages is worth reviewing in her author website guidance. A simple site that explains itself will beat a clever site that makes readers work.

For technical basics, use clear page content and descriptions that help search engines understand a page. You don’t need to turn the homepage into an SEO project. Make the page clear first, then add the search details.

3. About page or author bio

Your About page gives readers a reason to care about the person behind the book. Keep the main bio around 150 to 300 words. Lead with the details that support your author work, not a full life history.

For a nonfiction writer, that may include your field, the problem you write about, and the people you help. Add a good headshot and a short line about your current project. A longer version can sit below the main bio for media or event hosts.

Bradley Johnson Productions takes this author-platform view too. Its About page for Bradley Johnson Productions connects writing, readership, and creative freedom in one clear brand story. Your own page should make a similar connection without copying anyone else’s voice.

2. Reader Conversion Resources: Books, Samples, and Email Sign-Up

The next group in an author website checklist helps a curious visitor become a reader. Give people enough proof to make a choice, then offer a simple way to stay connected.

4. Books page or digital bookshelf

A Books page gathers your work in one place. Treat it like a digital bookshelf, but give every title room to do its job.

For each book, show the cover, title, short description, format details, and a direct purchase link. If a book solves a clear problem, state that problem in plain words. A nonfiction reader should know what they may learn before they click away.

Put your newest or most important title first. Keep older books visible, since a reader who likes one book may want the rest of your backlist. If a title is still in progress, label it clearly rather than leaving an empty book page.

5. Sample chapters or excerpts page

A sample page lets visitors test your work before they buy. Pick an excerpt that gives a fair sense of your voice and delivers value on its own.

Make the file easy to open on a phone. Add a clear button after the sample. The next action might lead to the full book, a related guide, or your email sign-up. Don’t make readers hunt for the link after they finish reading.

6. Email sign-up page and form

Email is the most direct way to keep in touch with readers who choose to hear from you. Put a low-key form near the bottom of most pages, then give it stronger placement on one main page, such as the homepage.

Tell people what they will receive and how often you’ll write. “Get one short writing lesson each Friday” is clearer than “Join my newsletter.” Keep the form short. Name and email are enough for most new lists.

A reader magnet gives the sign-up a clear reason. For a nonfiction author, that could be a short guide, checklist, template, or worksheet based on the book’s main promise. Deliver it right after sign-up, then send a welcome note that explains what readers can expect next.

Reedsy’s email-list research points to the same tradeoff: your form should be visible, but it shouldn’t interrupt every visit. A reader who came to buy a book should see the book first. A visitor who arrived for a free guide can see the sign-up first.

Bradley Johnson Productions works with writers who want to grow readership through organic and paid methods. That makes its advice on independent self-publishing a useful next step for authors who want their website, book plan, and audience plan to support one another.

3. Discoverability and Engagement Resources: Blog, Podcast, Video, and Reviews

These resources help people find your work and learn your point of view. They belong in an author website checklist, but they don’t all deserve equal space in your main menu.

7. Blog

A blog can bring search traffic to your website, especially when each post answers a focused reader question. For nonfiction authors, posts can expand on a book idea without giving away the whole book. Guidance on improving narrative flow in nonfiction can also help you turn those ideas into more engaging posts.

Choose a pace you can keep. A useful monthly post is better than three posts in one week followed by silence. Build posts around questions your readers already ask. Link each post to one related book, sample, or email offer.

Keep the blog secondary on the homepage unless you publish often and the posts are central to your brand. Use a short excerpt and a clear image instead of showing full posts in a long feed.

8. Podcast or video page

A Podcast or Video page gives interviews, readings, lessons, or talks a stable home. Do not let old embeds become the whole page. Group content by topic and add a one-sentence description for each item.

For a video, explain what the viewer will learn. For an interview, name the subject and the main question. Add a transcript when you can. It helps visitors who cannot watch or listen at that moment, and it gives search engines more text to understand.

9. Reviews and testimonials page

A Reviews page collects reader feedback in one place. Use short quotes with the reviewer’s name or publication when you have permission to identify them.

Place your strongest review near the relevant book too. A separate page helps visitors who want proof, but a review beside a book cover reaches people at the moment they are deciding.

Keep every quote honest and traceable. Don’t rewrite a reader’s words until they sound like an advertisement. Trust grows faster when the language sounds like a real reader.

Blog posts and newsletters also have different jobs. A blog usually brings people to a web page, while a newsletter puts the full message in an inbox. Pick the format that fits your time and your reader’s habit, rather than forcing yourself to publish in both places.

4. Professional Author Resources: Contact, Media Kit, and Events

The professional pages in an author website checklist help readers, journalists, hosts, and event teams act without sending a long chain of questions.

10. Contact page

Your Contact page should show a simple form or a monitored email address. State what kinds of messages you welcome. You might separate reader notes from media requests, speaking inquiries, and business questions.

Set an expectation if replies take time. A short note such as “Media requests receive a reply within several business days” is enough. Test the form after every major site update, because a broken contact form can quietly stop useful opportunities.

11. Media kit page

A media kit gives journalists, podcast hosts, and event organizers the facts they need. Include a short and long bio, approved headshots, book covers, book descriptions, topic ideas, and links to past appearances when you have them.

Offer a one-page PDF as well as the web page. Name the file clearly and keep it current. If your book list changes, update the PDF at the same time as the page.

12. Events page

An Events page lists upcoming talks, readings, workshops, launches, or online sessions. Add the date, time zone, location or access method, and a direct registration link.

Remove old events from the main view, but keep a small archive if it helps prove your speaking history. An empty event page is better than a page showing dates that passed months ago.

Bradley Johnson Productions teaches writers to build a readership around work they want to keep doing. If speaking or teaching is part of that plan, your events page should show the subjects you can discuss, not only a list of dates.

5. Optional Growth Pages and the Printable Author Website Checklist

The final group contains pages that support growth, sales, privacy, and reader care. Build them after the core pages work. A small site with working links is better than a large site full of half-finished sections.

13. Merchandise store

A Merchandise Store is optional. It makes sense when readers already ask for branded items or when an item supports your book community. Show only products you can keep stocked and support.

Link out to the purchase page if another service handles payment. Make the return rules and delivery details easy to find. Don’t let merchandise push your books below the fold unless it is a main part of your business.

14. Privacy policy

A Privacy Policy explains what happens to information collected through forms, analytics, or downloads. You need to take this page seriously if you collect email addresses.

Link to it near every sign-up form and in the site footer. Keep the wording current when your email provider or tracking setup changes. This page may stay out of the main menu, but it should never be hard to find.

15. Thank-you and delivery pages

A Thank-You page confirms that a sign-up worked. A delivery page gives the reader the promised file or next instruction. These pages usually stay out of the main navigation, but they shape the reader’s first experience after conversion.

Use the thank-you page to set expectations. Tell subscribers when the next email will arrive and where to find the promised resource. Add one helpful next step, not a wall of extra offers.

Some authors also keep hidden pages for book-club guides, advance reader teams, launch groups, or private workshop materials. Keep those pages unlinked from the main menu when they serve a narrow group. If you retire a public page, redirect its old address to the closest current page.

SEO mini-checklist

Author website checklists should cover page names and search setup. That gives you a useful place to improve.

For each important page, check the following:

• Use one clear H1 heading that states the page topic.
• Write a useful page title and description for search results.
• Resize images before uploading them.
• Add descriptive alt text when an image carries meaning.
• Link related pages together with plain anchor text.
• Use Person details for your bio and Book details for book pages when your site setup supports structured data.
• Test the layout on a phone before publishing.

Structured data can help search systems understand the content of a page, but it doesn’t guarantee a special search result. Treat schema as support for clear content, not a shortcut around it.

Image size matters too. A large headshot or book image can slow the first page view on a phone. Use the smallest file that still looks sharp, then check the page on a real mobile connection.

If you want help connecting your book work with a wider author system, Bradley Johnson Productions is built for nonfiction authors, independent authors, writers, content creators, and bloggers who want a more deliberate path to readership.

FAQ

What pages should an author website have?

An author website should have a homepage, About page, Books page, Contact page, and email sign-up. Add sample chapters when possible. A media kit, events page, blog, reviews page, and video page can follow as your work grows. Start with pages that support the action you want readers to take.

Do I need a blog on my author website?

You don’t need a blog to launch an author website. Add one when you have useful topics to share and a posting pace you can keep. For many authors, the blog should sit below the book offer on the homepage. A quiet, well-made site is better than a blog filled with old posts.

What should go on an author homepage?

An author homepage should quickly show your name, writing focus, main book or project, and one clear call to action. Add a short bio and links to Books, About, Contact, and email sign-up. Recent posts can appear lower on the page, but they shouldn’t hide the main reason someone came.

How do I collect email addresses from readers?

Collect email addresses with a short sign-up form and a clear reader benefit. Offer a useful free resource, explain what you’ll send, and state how often readers should expect email. Put the form on the homepage and near the bottom of other key pages. Always provide the promised resource after sign-up.

Should my author domain use my name or my book title?

Your author domain should usually use your publishing name. A name-based domain can support several books, changing topics, or a new series. A book-title domain may work for a single campaign, but it can limit your brand later. Pick an address that readers can remember and type without help.

Conclusion

Build the small version first: domain, homepage, About page, Books page, sample, email sign-up, and Contact page. Then test every link on a phone before adding more. If you want guidance as you shape your readership and publishing plan, Bradley Johnson Productions can be a useful next step. Start by writing the one action you want a new visitor to take.