4 Quick Tips for Authors to Get Website Traffic Fast!

POSTED ON Jul 6, 2012

Joel Friedlander

Written by Joel Friedlander

Home > Blog > Self-Publishing > 4 Quick Tips for Authors to Get Website Traffic Fast!

by Lynnette Phillips (@LynnettesBooks)

One of the questions that comes up frequently for authors who are trying to build community with a blog or site is how to get traffic. It can take quite a while to build a base of readers. Here, book marketer and self-published author Lynnette Phillips gives us some tips for getting going quickly.


Driving traffic to your website is one of the most substantial ways for an author to gain exposure and increase book sales. Here are four quick and easy tips to get website traffic fast!

Tip #1: Add content to your site at least once a week

Content is indispensable when it comes to increasing website traffic, book sales and a top search engine ranking. Content is what search engine spiders look for and index. Give visitors and search engines a reason to visit and catalog your site. Make a commitment to provide daily content and your traffic will soar. More visitors to your site equals more book sales.

I always suggest daily additions to my author clients but daily often doesn’t fit their schedule; try to keep it to at least 2-3 times a week though. Keep in mind that frequency is your friend on this occasion.

Remember also that added content doesn’t have to be major. Consistency and frequency is what counts here. Adding content could be as simple and quick as a adding a blog post, a book trailer, an upcoming literary event or an additional link (See Tip #3 below).

By the way, you do have a content calendar and website/Internet strategy in place, don’t you?

Tip #2: Land valuable and relevant incoming links

The more websites that link to your webpages, the more valuable search engines perceive you to be, although not all links are created equal. Search engines give more leverage to links from sites that are popular and credible, and from other bookish sites that are relevant to your website topic.

There are different types of links.

  • A direct link looks like a basic website address, for example, www.yourwebsite.com as in www.JaneDoeAuthor.com
  • A text link will occur when the webpage address is embedded in the text. Imagine the title of an interview you have given as the text with an embedded link to the page where it can be read or heard. Readers simply click on the link and are redirected to a new website page.
  • If the link is to an internal web page, for example a chapter of your book published on your website but not on the home page, it is called a deep link.

Encourage linking to your website by:

  • Adding content to your site
  • Submitting to article directories
  • Publishing press releases
  • Blogging and participating in social networking forums, chat rooms and social networking sites

Tip #3: Be Social!

Internet marketing is about building a community and relationships with your followers. Social networking is a valuable traffic generating tactic. Sites like Facebook and Twitter can be powerful tools for generating links and driving traffic to your site. Create a profile and then post comments, links to your site or ideas and comments which generate conversation.

Get involved. Many chat rooms and forums are subject or genre specific; find those which cater to your niche, and begin participating. Speak to and connect with a highly targeted audience.

Don’t forget to include your ‘signature’ with each comment or post you contribute. This should include not only your name but also your title—“Joe Blow, Author of…”—and, of course, your author website URL.

Does your book or writing service have its own Twitter handle or Facebook page? Here’s another link you can take advantage of. What about your favorite writing forums or Facebook groups?

Tip #4: Advertise for more exposure and traffic

Advertising, when handled strategically, can be used to promote your content, products or services.

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is often the tool of choice because you control the advertising budget on a daily basis and have the tools to test and track your advertising efforts. Once you’ve honed your PPC ads, the return on investment (ROI) can be phenomenal in terms of traffic and purchases. I suggest that before you decide who will host your PPC advertising you check into their analytics capacity.

Also check out high traffic literary, niche or genre-specific sites, which allow you to advertise, perhaps even by hosting a banner ad for your book or social media blast through their sources.

For maximum results, create a traffic strategy. Outline your plan and your goals and then take the necessary action. Take advantage of these four tips to boost your website traffic and book sales.

Lynnette-PhillipsLynnette Phillips is a book marketer, publicist and self-published author. She has helped many authors and writers increase their book sales and grow their platforms. She is the author of several book marketing guides and booklets. Her latest title is QR Codes: Bridging the Marketing Gap, available at Amazon.com. You can visit Lynnette at EveryDayBookMarketing.com

Photo by chris bartnik. Amazon links are affiliate links.

Joel Friedlander

Written by
Joel Friedlander

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