Must-have pages for your Squarespace author website
So you’ve decided to get your author website sorted! Congratulations. I truly believe that having a strong, beautiful website to showcase your writing career is important not only for your readers, but also for your own mindset. It shows that you are taking your writing seriously.
Your author website is your online home, and it’s the one place on the internet where you can host everything related to your career as a writer. Having a smart, up-to-date author website adds a sense of professionalism to your work.
If you write books and you don’t have a website, when people google you (which they will!), they’re going to wonder why not.
And we have quite enough of the friends and family in our lives treating our writing as a nice little hobby, so let’s not give anyone else a reason to believe the same 😆
As you’ll know, the platform I recommend for building your author website is Squarespace. It’s easy to use, super customisable, affordable and secure.
I’ve built more than 50 author websites on Squarespace now and it’s been the perfect choice for every one of my authors. It has all the functionality you need and can also grow with your career.
But what are the essential pages that every author should include on their Squarespace website?
In this post, we'll explore the must-have pages that will help you create an engaging and effective online hub for your writing career.
The Essential Pages for Your Author Website
While it’s tempting to go all-out and add everything you’ve ever thought of to your author website, the truth is that to start with there are only four pages that you 100% need to have on your site.
So if you are pushed for time and building the site yourself then creating just these four simple pages on your author website is absolutely sufficient and a great starting point.
You can even combine these pages into a single, long page with multiple sections if you prefer - it’s fine to do this and can save you even more time.
As long as the essential information that readers need is there and can be found easily, then how you present that information is really up to you!
OK, so let’s get stuck into exploring the most important pages for your author website.
1) The Home Page
Your home page is the digital front door to your author website. It's often the first impression you'll make on visitors, so it needs to be captivating and reflective of your writing style.
Obviously, it’s important that your homepage includes information about your most recent book, but also consider including your author headshot, a brief bio that highlights your achievements, and a welcoming message that sets the tone for your site.
The most important thing is that your homepage leads people to want to explore further and learn more about you and your work, so make sure it has clear call-to-actions throughout.
Find out what to include on your Author homepage →
2) The About Page
There’s no getting away from the fact that readers are curious about the person behind the words they love! But first of all, it’s important to have your professional author bio (in the third person) on this page so that press and other professionals can easily copy and paste it.
But if you want to go deeper, the About page is also where you share your author journey, your motivations, and the experiences that shaped your writing.
You can include anecdotes, challenges you've overcome, and insights into your creative process.
A well-crafted About page can create a stronger bond between you and your readers so look at this as a chance to introduce yourself to them - what do you want them to know about you?
What to put on your About and Contact pages →
3) The Books Page
This is the heart of your author website – the place where you showcase your books!
The most important thing to have on this page, other than your cover, back-cover copy and any blurbs from other authors, are links to retailers so that visitors to your website can easily click through and buy your book.
You can also include press reviews, excerpts, or even book trailers to entice visitors to dive into your stories.
What to put on your Books page →
4) The Contact Page
Building a community of readers and fellow writers can be hugely powerful, so I always suggest including a contact page where visitors can easily get in touch with you.
This page can have a simple contact form or, if you prefer, you can direct readers to your social media pages instead.
Encourage readers to reach out with questions, feedback, or just to say hello.
If you find you get asked some of the same questions over and over by readers, you could also include a FAQs section here.
Those are the essential pages I suggest every author includes on their websites.
If you are feeling overwhelmed at the thought of building a website, then start with these pages and then you can expand and add extra pages as you get more comfortable with managing Squarespace.
Additional pages for your author website
Here are some other pages you might want to include once you’ve got to grips with Squarespace and feel more confident about using it. ☺️
5) An Events Page
If you participate in book signings, readings, workshops, or any other literary events, you can create a dedicated page to showcase your upcoming and past events. Include dates, locations, event details, and any relevant links.
This not only keeps your audience informed but also provides a way for readers to connect with you in person.
6) A Media Kit or Press Page
Having a media kit or press page can be really helpful for journalist and other people who want to write about you.
On your press page you can include high-resolution author photos, book covers, a detailed author bio, press releases as well as contact information for your publicist.
Making it easy for journalists and bloggers to access the information they need to feature you will save them time and make them look upon you more favourably!
7) A Newsletter Signup Page
If you’ve been here before, you’ll know that I’m a huge fan of email marketing for staying connected with your readers.
It’s a good idea to create a dedicated page on your author website for visitors to sign up for your newsletter, which you can then share on your social media pages to encourage sign-ups.
You can also offer incentives like exclusive content, sneak peeks, or discounts.
8) A Blog
Blogging is a powerful tool for authors to engage with their audience on a regular basis.
A blog page allows you to share your thoughts, insights, writing tips, and updates on your creative process. It also helps with search engine optimization (SEO) by providing fresh content for search engines to index.
Regular blog posts can attract new readers and keep your existing audience coming back for more, and can also provide great content to add to your author newsletter and share on your social media platforms.
10) An Extras Page
You can also create a bonus or ‘Extras’ page where you offer additional content related to your books.
This could include reading guides, book club discussion questions, character profiles, deleted chapters or even playlists that set the mood for your books.
Providing these extras is a great way to thank your readers for their interest in your writing and reward the time they’ve spent checking out your author website!
These are the basic pages I recommend you explore for your author website, but do remember that your website is a digital reflection of your writing journey, style, and personality, so feel free to be creative and include anything that you think your readers might appreciate!
Remember, your website is not just a static platform - it's a dynamic space where you can connect, inspire, and share your writing with the world and can grow and evolve with your career.
Need help building your Squarespace author website? I offer three different services for authors, depending on your budget and what stage of your career you’re at! Take a look here >
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