As an author, you’ve poured your heart and soul into getting your non-fiction book written and published. But your passion goes so much deeper than words on the page. Maybe you want to teach workshops around the concepts in your book. Maybe you dream of being on the stage helping larger numbers of people benefit from your knowledge. Even if selling books is your only goal, you need a larger presence — a presence outside of Amazon. It’s more important than ever for authors to have an online presence. And your website is the perfect platform to share information about your books, connect with readers, build credibility around your work, and drive sales.
The benefits of having a website in addition to your Amazon listing
Amazon is a massive marketplace and bookstore. When a reader searches for a book on Amazon, they are shown a list of titles that they might also be interested in. Amazon has a vast book catalog and it can be easy for readers to lose focus and become overwhelmed by the number of titles and options. That’s where your website comes in!
When potential customers search for your book or book category online, having a website that comes up in the search results can increase the chances that they’ll click through and learn more about you as the author. By making it easy for potential customers to find your book and learn more about it, you can boost your sales on Amazon and reach a wider audience. Plus, you can use your website to showcase your services, reviews and testimonials, highlight awards, and share other information that will encourage readers to buy your book or work with you.
By keeping your readers focused on your website and your book, you can take them deeper into why you wrote the book and how it can benefit them. And, the longer a reader stays on your website, the more likely they are to explore your other services. So if you’re goal is to boost book sales and build your business, focus on keeping readers engaged with your content. It will pay off in the long run!
Driving traffic from your website to boost Amazon sales
To start directing your website visitors to your Amazon listing, it’s important to have a well-structured and planned website. That means clear navigation so visitors can easily find what they’re looking for and specific calls to action, directing visitors to your Amazon listing at the right time. Most of my clients are business owners and a separate book page works best for them. We want website visitors to get a better understanding of who they are as an author and how their non-fiction book supports their work before we send them down the Amazon rabbit hole.
You should also consider using Amazon affiliate links on your website so when someone does click on one of the links and makes a purchase on Amazon, you earn a commission on the sale. By bringing visitors to your site first and then driving traffic to your Amazon listing, you give your readers more background, potentially giving them a reason to focus when they do reach Amazon. Focused readers have a goal and that can boost your sales and earn you more commissions.
In short, a well-designed author website can be a powerful tool for boosting Amazon sales. As a non-fiction author and small business owner, it’s important that you build your website and digital presence outside of Amazon. I hope these insights help you as you work on your book marketing strategy. If you have questions about creating or optimizing a non-fiction author website, schedule a 20-minute chat to find out if a website audit or discover session can help get your site on track and move you forward faster.
In the meantime, keep writing those books!