In this episode, we will review author website design, highlighting what they do well and where they could improve. Since this is a visual topic, it may make more sense as a video, which you can watch on YouTube.

Last time I did a website review I didn’t release an audio version. This time, I’m experimenting. I believe many of the tips will still be useful even if you’re just listening. That said, I’m curious to hear your thoughts. Let me know if I should continue these as reviews as podcasts or post them on YouTube only by sending me an email at thomas@authormedia.com.

My goal is to help you improve your own website. Most principles apply across genres, and the best marketing ideas often come from outside your niche, where there’s less repetition.

In this episode, we’ll review Christian Historical Romance author websites.

#1 Bestselling Christian Historical Romance Author: Misty M. Beller

MistyMBeller.com

Website Strengths

• Strong Search Engine Presence: Misty ranks well for her name, with and without the middle initial, and internal pages, indicating good search engine optimization (SEO) fundamentals.
• Featured Book Placement: The homepage prominently features her latest book front and center, aligning with the goal of selling the most recent release.
• Direct Sales Option: She has a store and individual book pages with options to buy directly from her, not just through Amazon, which is a smart move for authors.
• Well-Organized Books Page: The books page acts as an effective index, showcasing covers by series and linking to dedicated pages for each book, avoiding clutter and aiding navigation and SEO.
• Social Media Integration: Buttons to follow her on social networks are present, which is a positive feature for engagement.
• Newsletter Options: She offers a free book as a reader magnet and a separate “subscribe” option in the menu that doesn’t mention the free book, which allows her to cater to different audience preferences.
• Engaging Extras: Fun extras like the “Reader Pictures” page and “Five Fun Facts About Misty” add personality and engagement, making the site more memorable and appealing to fans.  A press kit with a third-person bio adds personality and utility to the site.

Areas for Improvement

• Book Cover Link Destination: Clicking the featured book cover on the homepage takes users directly to an Amazon affiliate link instead of a dedicated book page on her site, missing an opportunity to keep readers on her domain and promote direct sales.
• Book Page Design: The individual book pages could use redesigning. Sidebars with reviews should be moved below the main content for better readability, especially on mobile, where alignment issues were noted.
• Mobile Optimization: The mobile version of her pages needs improvement, as buttons and images jump around and aren’t aligned.
• Missing Meta Description: Her pages lack a meta description, leaving Google to auto-generate one, which could hurt SEO control and presentation in search results.
• About Page Shortcomings: The About page is too short, written in first person, making it hard for journalists or podcast hosts to copy and paste. It lacks a link to the stronger third-person bio in the press kit. Add a “More About Misty” button on the homepage too.
• Press Kit Naming: The “Media” link is ambiguous. its purpose as a press kit isn’t clear, and it’s not linked from the About page, reducing its discoverability.
• Navigation Clipping: The navigation menu clips off the screen on some pages (e.g., the book club page), indicating a technical issue that needs fixing.
• SEO Polish: While functional, her SEO could be enhanced (e.g., aligning H1 tags with page titles and adding meta descriptions).

Overall Assessment: Misty’s website is placed in the A-tier. She has good book pages and content structure, especially given her extensive catalog. With a few changes, she could be in the top S-tier.

Recommend Episodes & Tools for Misty

• About Page Generator Tool
• Is Your Author “About Me” Page Boring Your Readers To Death?
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for Author Websites
• How to Create an Author Press Kit
• How to Create an Online Author Press Kit

#2 Bestselling Christian Historical Romance Author: Abbey Downey

AbbeyDowney.com

Website Strengths

• Ranking for Her Name: Abbey Downey ranks well for her name in search results, which is a positive start.
• Meta Description: Abbey has a solid meta description: “Abbey Downey is the author of Christian Historical Romance. Learn more about Abbey’s books and her other writing here.” The description effectively communicates her brand and is correctly utilized by Google.
• Mobile Responsiveness: The website resizes well for mobile devices, enhancing accessibility and user experience.
• Book Cover Visibility: Including a large book cover on the homepage is a good move, and its placement encourages scrolling, which is easy for users, especially those on mobile.
• Buy Buttons: The inclusion of buttons linking to various platforms to purchase her books is a practical and user-friendly feature.
• Newsletter Signup: Offering a newsletter signup with a clear call-to-action: “Sign up for my newsletter and occasional email announcements.” It’s a smart way to build an audience.
• Aesthetic Appeal: The website is pretty and has a visually pleasing design.
• Focus on Recent Work: Highlighting her most recent book is a good strategy to keep visitors engaged with her latest content.

Areas for Improvement

• Title Tag Missed Opportunity: The title tag (Home | Abbey Downey) lacks key descriptive keywords like “Christian Romance Author,” which could improve SEO and clarity. “Home” is unhelpful for ranking.
• Unclear Homepage Messaging: The tagline “Happily Ever After meets Hope for Tomorrow” is vague and doesn’t immediately signal that this is an author website. It could be mistaken as a Christian therapist site. Users shouldn’t have to decipher the site’s purpose.
• Book Pages Structure: Combining multiple books on a single page (e.g., a series page) instead of creating individual pages for each book limits SEO potential and user navigation. A thumbnail-style layout with images linking to specific book pages is preferable.
• No Amazon Affiliate Links: Not using Amazon Affiliate links is a missed opportunity for extra income and tracking data, especially for a traditionally published author.
• Slider Issue: The side-by-side slider for content presentation is problematic, especially on mobile, as it requires horizontal scrolling, which users avoid. Use a vertical layout instead.
• Unnecessary Name Field in Signup: Asking for a name in the newsletter signup form could reduce signups unless it’s actively used in emails, which isn’t indicated here.
• Welcome Letter and Lack of About Page: The first-person welcome (“Hi, I’m Abby”) isn’t ideal without a third-person “About” page for press or professional use. There’s no “About” in the menu, only a “Resources” section, which is vague and unclear.
• “Resources” Menu Label: The term “Resources” is too vague and uninviting. He recommends renaming it simply “About” for clarity and better engagement.
• Limited Content: Additional content could encourage repeat visits.

Overall Assessment: Abbey’s website has some usability problems (e.g., sliders, vague messaging) and SEO shortcomings (e.g., title tags, book pages) bring the site down to a “B-tier” grade. It could be an “A” if it had individual book pages and more content.

Recommended Tools & Episodes

• Free Course: How to Make Your Author Website Amazing
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for Author Websites
• How to Write a Crazy Cool Author Bio 

#3 Bestselling Christian Historical Romance Author: Linda Ford

LindaFord.org

Website Strengths

• Strong SEO Presence: Linda Ford appears as the first result when searching her name, indicating good search engine optimization (SEO).
• Charming, Nostalgic Design: The “old-timey” theme with black-and-white images and a three-column layout is delightful and consistent, likened to a signature style (e.g., Coca-Cola’s logo).
• Blogging Activity: Linda is actively blogging, which is a positive sign of engagement, and the blog is featured on the homepage.
• Bookshelf Page: The bookshelf page showcases all her books, her prolific output, and the visually appealing covers.
• Newsletter Signup: The presence of a newsletter signup with a free e-book offer is a plus, even if it’s not immediately eye-catching.

Areas for Improvement

• Title Tag Issues: The title tag truncates after “historical Christian,” cutting off the key phrase “romances,” and includes redundant text (e.g., repeating “Linda Ford”). Trim it for better clarity and SEO.
• Missing Meta Description: The meta description is absent, and the site pulls random text about her Wagons West series instead of something relevant to Linda Ford herself.
• Long Homepage: The blog on the homepage makes it excessively long. Move the blog to a separate page with a streamlined navigation menu (Home, About, Blog, Bookshelf, Contact).
• Outdated Layout: While the three-column design is charming, it’s dated (common in 2004–2005) and not ideal for modern usability, However, if it’s worked for the author this long, it might work to keep the design.
• Direct Amazon Links: All book links go straight to Amazon without individual book pages on her site or affiliate links. This is a missed opportunity for revenue, flexibility (e.g., selling wide or direct), and SEO benefits.
• About Page in First Person: Use third-person pronouns in bios for professionalism and SEO (using her name more often).
• Contact Page Issues: The contact page lists her email address directly instead of using a form. Use a contact form.
• Lack of Recent Book Highlight: The homepage doesn’t prominently feature her latest release, making it less obvious to visitors.
• Privacy Policy Placement: The privacy policy is in a popup but is also featured in the footer. It’s unnecessary to have to privacy policy in a prominent place. Anyone searching for it will look in the footer. 

Overall Assessment: Linda’s website is in the B tier. She has a nostalgic design with strong SEO, an active blog, and a well-organized bookshelf page that highlights her prolific catalog. However, it could benefit from better SEO, book pages instead of direct Amazon links, and improved navigation.

Recommended Tools and Episodes

• Contact Page Dos & Don’ts for Authors
• GDPR for American Authors?
• Why American Authors Don’t Need to Worry About GDPR

#4 Bestselling Christian Historical Romance Author: Lacy Williams

LacyWilliams.net

Website Strengths

• Credibility Boost: The “USA Today Bestselling Author” title in the search results, noting it’s a strong credibility-enhancing phrase.
• VIP List Banner: The banner encouraging users to join Lacy’s “VIP list” makes readers feel special and is prominently placed at the top of the site.
• Book Cover Focus: The use of the large, glorious book cover for her most recent release is good. The use of her strong book covers as the primary visual elements (minimal reliance on stock photos) is a great strategy for a simple but visually pleasing design.
• Bonus Content: The inclusion of bonus content, like a printable book list is a great feature that readers love, though its placement could be improved.
• Divi Theme: Lacy uses Divi (affiliate ink), a theme framework that allows for quick, attractive page-building.
• Email List Integration: The “Get a Free Ebook” and “VIP Reader” options effectively encourage email sign-ups, with a Book Funnel page for delivery.
• Innovation: Lacy’s unique approach of focusing on series pages rather than individual books is innovative but falls outside of web users’ expectations.

Areas for Improvement

• Meta Description: The site’s meta description is blank, missing an SEO opportunity. Remove the book-specific “Take a Break for Joy” and focusing on the author.
• No Buy Buttons: The homepage features a book cover and text but lacks direct buy buttons, requiring users to click the cover, which is inconvenient.
• New Tab Issue: Clicking the book cover opens a new tab, which can irritate web visitors. Use same-tab navigation for on-site links to avoid overwhelming users with multiple tabs.
• Overloaded Series Pages: The series pages contain too much text alongside covers, which could be streamlined to just covers for simplicity. Bonus content buried at the bottom should be higher up.
• Amazon Direct Links: Clicking covers sometimes takes users straight to Amazon instead of a dedicated book page on the site, missing opportunities for engagement and special content.
• SEO Limitations: The site isn’t optimized for individual book searches, focusing instead on series, which limits its ranking potential (though it could rank for series names).
• Printable Book List: While a cool feature, it lacks a recommended reading order, which would make it more useful, especially given Lacy’s prolific output.
• About Page: The “About” page is in first person. Use third-person for a more professional tone.
• Overwhelming Homepage: The homepage feels cluttered with multiple series and lacks introductory material for new readers (e.g., a “Start Here” page).
• Navigation Issues: The “Books” link loops back to the homepage, which is confusing, especially for mobile users who rely on clear navigation. The site depends heavily on the menu, and the homepage could be longer with summarized sections.

Overall Assessment: Lacy’s website gets a “B” grade, for her tech-savvy approach, strong branding, and reader-focused features. Improvements to usability, navigation, and SEO could be refined for a better experience and broader reach.

Recommended Episodes and Tools

• WordPress Plugin: MyBookTable
• Bonus Content for Books
• How to Create Companion Products for your Book

#5 Bestselling Christian Historical Romance Author: Aurora Hanson

AuroraHanson.com

Website Strengths

• SEO Optimization: The site has strong SEO. Aurora Hanson ranks number one on Google and uses smart keyword placement (e.g., “Western Romance author Aurora Hanson”) in the title tag and meta description. It’s the best SEO seen so far in the review series.
• Free Gift Incentive: The “Get your free gift today” call-to-action is an effective motivator for visitors to engage, especially for those on the fence about the author.
• Book Promotion Strategy: Offering a free book (with an email capture form) is a smart move, with the option to click either the book cover or a button to access it, catering to different user preferences.
• Navigation to Book Pages: Clicking on book covers takes users to dedicated pages for each book, which is impressive and well-executed.
• Third-Person Bio: The bio is written in third person which aligns with professional standards.

Areas for Improvement

• Title Tag Improvement: The word “homepage” in the title tag is unnecessary and should be removed to strengthen it.
• Button Design: The button for the free book has low contrast (purple on orange, semi-transparent), making it hard to read. Make it more visually recognizable as a button.
• Lack of Purchase Clarity: Clicking on a book cover doesn’t lead to a purchase option (e.g., Amazon), which is a significant flaw. Add a clear “Buy on Amazon” button.
• Tab Behavior: Links to external sites like Amazon open in the same tab instead of a new one, which goes against the rule of thumb for external links.
• Book Page Content: Individual book pages lack robust information (e.g., endorsements, back cover copy, selected reviews) before the preview, and the Kindle Instant Preview could be utilized.
• Comments Section: The presence of a comments section on book pages is unnecessary and draws attention to the lack of comments. Remove the comments section.
• Overwhelming Books Page: With many books listed, the page feels cluttered with too much text alongside covers. Simplify the page by using book covers only and organize the covers by series with a dropdown menu.
• Short Bio: The bio is too brief, limiting its usefulness for media outreach. Add a longer bio and a press kit page to attract earned media like newspapers or podcasts.
• Missing Contact Page: There’s no dedicated contact page, only an email link at the bottom. Add a contact form.

Overall Assessment: Aurora’s website is in the “A tier.” While it isn’t perfect, it excels in fundamental aspects like SEO and user engagement, with room for improvement in design, navigation, and content depth.

Recommended Episodes and Tools

• WordPress Plugin: MyBookTable
• How to Create an Online Author Press Kit
• Contact Page Dos & Don’ts for Authors

#6 Bestselling Christian Historical Romance Author: Tamara Alexander

TamaraAlexander.com

Website Strengths

• Individual Book Pages: The individual book pages are the strongest aspect of the website. They include useful features like a PDF sample chapter, a discussion guide, and an audio sample, which enhance the user experience for potential readers.
• Good Description: The official author website description (“Official author website for Tamara Alexander”) is effective, and the “About” page has a well-optimized title.

Areas for Improvement

• Homepage Not Ranking: The homepage doesn’t rank on Google, likely because it lacks text content. All text is in images, which search engines can’t crawl effectively), making it a fundamental SEO flaw.
• Sidebar Content Ignored: The only text on the homepage is in the sidebar, which Google doesn’t prioritize.
• Same Meta Description on Every Page: Every page uses the same meta description, which is a significant SEO mistake that can actually suppress web traffic
• Excessive H1 Text: The H1 tag (“Tamara’s latest novel…”) is too long and not optimized for search engines.
• Mobile Responsiveness: The website uses an outdated three-column design that isn’t mobile-responsive, forcing users on phones to pinch and zoom, likely hurting search rankings and usability.
• No Clear Buy Buttons: The book pages lack obvious buy buttons. The words “print,” “ebook,” and “audiobook” are linked text but not clickable buttons, making it hard for readers to figure out how to purchase. Buttons draw the eye better than text links.
• Confusing Navigation: Clicking book covers loops users back to the same page. Finding purchase options requires too much effort.
• Missed Monetization Opportunity: Links to Amazon lack affiliate codes, costing potential revenue.
• Hard to Subscribe: The subscription process involves too many hoops (e.g., an “I am not a robot” CAPTCHA with no clear incentive to join), making it unappealing except to superfans.
• Outdated Phrasing: The call-to-action (“Subscribe to Tamara’s E-updates”) feels old-fashioned and lacks a compelling reason to sign up.
• Outdated Design: The website feels old. It has a pretty aesthetic that fails at its core job of being easy to use. In the redesign, move to a platform like Divi to fix SEO and usability issues, especially since the site is likely already on WordPress

Overall Assessment: Tamara’s website gets a D grade. It does some things right (like book pages) but needs a major overhaul due to SEO flaws, lack of mobile responsiveness, and poor user experience. A stronger website could help Tamara gain an edge over competitors, attract more readers, and increase revenue.

Final Thoughts

I hope this video has given you practical ways to improve your website design. If you’d like me to do another review, leave a comment with the genre you’d like to see next. This is an experiment, so let me know if you find it helpful.

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Zair was thirteen when he was kidnapped to stand in for the crown prince. As he seeks a way to escape, he learns about magic awakening inside him. Can he break the web of illusion spells that imprison him before time run out?