Author Tools & Resources, Wordpress/ Author Websites

How Do I Get More Traffic to My Author Website?

You know how you find yourself answering the same questions over and over? Well two questions I get asked all the time are:

1. “What are the best local coffee shops in XYZ city?”

and

2. “How the heck do I get more traffic to my website or blog?”

Pull up a chair and I’ll happily rattle off a tried and tested list of where to get a great cup of java in any number of cities. But that’s not why you are reading this blog, now is it? Getting more web traffic and, therefore more exposure, is a conundrum many writers face and ask me about all the time. And I’m happy to share some tips that I have found worked to grow this blog from less than 100 hits a day (earlier this year) to 500 + hits a day (thank you!!).

Three hours in traffic
Wrong kind of traffic, love!

There are a whole slew of things you can and should be doing on your author website that will help you garner more traffic (frequent posts, photos, cool content to name a few), but for the sake of today’s post, let’s stick with the stuff you can do outside of your website.

Six Super-Easy Ways to Drive More Traffic to Your Website

1. Guest post on blogs with embedded hyper links

I’m a huge fan of guest posting on other blogs, especially when the blog shares a similar vibe, genre or brand as yours. Not only are sharing your insight and writing on a totally new platform, you are getting the attention of a slew of people you may not have reached otherwise – people who are likely to click through your embedded links to your site AND just might buy your book and become fans. Have you seen my interview with indie author Kimanzi Constable? One guest post on a well-read blog sent him 23,000 unique hits to his site in one day!

2. Comment on other blogs

LOTS of us frequent other people’s blogs – whether it’s a blog about writing or New York City cuisine, we follow what fascinates us. Commenting on those blogs will do two wonderful things for you:

  • Bring in new readers. Other readers will see your comment and just may like what you’re saying enough to click on your name to see what sort of blog or website you have (you’ve got Gravatar working for you, right?)
  • Duo support. By commenting frequently on another writer’s blog, you are supporting them and that is likely to make them feel good and they just might visit or even give your site a shout out on their well-trafficked blog. It’s sort of an “I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine” deal

3. Tweet, tweet, tweet!

If you aren’t tweeting yet, you need to be. (Don’t “get it”? Read this first!) Utilizing well thought out hashtags and fun topics will all but guarantee you new visitors to your site as people will want to see the “face” behind the tweets.

4. Give ‘em an Incentive

You’ve got to give people a reason to stop what they’re doing and type your url into their browser. Offering an incentive (a so-called “reader magnet“), like a free chapter, webinar, video, coupon code for your book, will help motivate people to check you out.

5. Include a link at the end of your book/ on the back cover 

This sort of seems like a no-brainer, but it’s super important and often overlooked. If someone reads your book and loves it, they are very likely to want to buy more of your books and/or follow your work. Don’t let this easy opportunity to get traffic – and create a fan for life – get away.

6. Make sure it’s on all of your social profiles

Another no-brainer, but this is easy to let slip in a day in age where we have 15 social networking profiles to our name. Not only does this need to be included on your Facebook page, Twitter account and email siggy line, but in other areas you might not have thought of yet like:

  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Your Facebook About page
  • YouTube
  • Goodreads
  • LibraryThing
  • Quora Expert account
 

That’s what I got for you. 6 easy-peasy ways to grow your blog and site traffic. What did I miss? Leave a comment!