Do I really need a website?

Yes. Full stop.

I know you were hoping I would say "just use social media." I will not, because social media is rented land. You are a tenant on every social media platform. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter — they can change their algorithm, ban your account, or shut down entirely, and you have zero recourse. Your followers are not yours. They are the platform's users who happen to follow you, until the platform decides they do not see your posts anymore.

Your website is your home base. It is the only digital real estate you actually own. No algorithm controls who sees it. No terms of service can take it away.

What your website needs (minimum viable version):

• A homepage that clearly communicates who you are and what you write
• A book page for each title (cover image, description, purchase links for every format and retailer)
• A lead magnet landing page where visitors can enter their email to get your free resource
• An "About" page that tells your story and establishes your authority
• A blog (optional but valuable for SEO — more on this in Q94 about topical authority)

What your website does not need:

• A complex design. A clean WordPress site with a $50 theme is fine. A one-page site on Carrd ($19/year) is fine for starting out.
• A blog you update daily. Even monthly is fine if the content is useful.
• An online store — unless you are doing direct sales (covered in Q22-23). Otherwise, just link to Amazon and other retailers.

Where your website fits in the funnel: Your social media, podcast appearances, and ads drive traffic to your website. Your website captures email addresses through your lead magnet. Your email list drives sales and reviews. Your website is the hub. Everything else is a spoke.

If you currently do not have a website, do this today: go to WordPress.com or Squarespace, pick a clean template, put up a homepage with your book cover and a lead magnet signup form, and get it live. You can make it better later. A basic website that exists is infinitely better than a perfect website you never build.

The domain name decision: Use your author name as your domain if possible (yourname.com). If your name is taken, try variations: firstnamelastnameauthor.com, firstnamelastnamewriter.com, or firstnamelastnamebooks.com. Avoid cute or clever domains that do not contain your name — when someone hears you on a podcast, they are going to search for your name, not your clever brand phrase. Your name is your brand. Make it easy to find. The website cost reality: A professional-looking author website costs less than most people think. WordPress.com Personal plan: $48/year. A premium theme: $50-100 one-time. A domain name: $12-15/year. Total first-year cost: about $110-165. That is less than a single month of most advertising budgets, and the website works for you 24 hours a day, every day, indefinitely. Even Squarespace, which is more polished out of the box, runs $16/month — about the same as two lattes a week. The excuse that "I can't afford a website" does not hold up. For a deeper dive into how to build topical authority through your website content, see Q94 in Chapter 10.

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