It’s an incredible feeling when readers finish your book and immediately want to find you online to see what you’re working on next. The last thing you want is to lose a connection with an enthusiastic reader because your platforms present unnecessary obstacles.
Whether your audience gravitates toward your Instagram, searches for your author website, or looks for your newsletter sign-up, the best way to thank them is to make sure your online presence is as easy to locate and navigate as possible.
If you are looking to build a seamless online presence, let us show you how to avoid some common visibility and accessibility mistakes.
1.Be as Easy to Find as Possible!
Social media platforms do a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to helping you pop up in a search, but it helps to be consistent with naming across platforms. Use your full name or your pen name as your display name. Having the same social handle across all your social media, if possible, can help separate you from potential impersonators.
If you’d like to go the extra mile, you can also align your branding by using the same profile pictures, color palettes, and even hashtags. Creating a visual identity online can not only reassure your readers they’ve found the real you but also make whatever you post visually striking to someone new stumbling upon your work.
When it comes to your author website, search engine optimization (SEO) is your best friend. It can be a bit complicated but here are some tips to get you started:
- Use clear, descriptive language in page headings to boost your ranking in a search.
- Specific keywords help you stand out in a more targeted search. For example, you would be up against way less competition for ranking in a Google search if the page is called “easy vegan noodle recipes” rather simply “vegan recipes.”
- If you’re looking for more SEO tips, check out this article!
2.Keep the Most Relevant Info Up to Date and Simple to Locate
Most social media platforms accept only one link in your bio. But you likely have multiple things to share: links to buy your books, details for upcoming events, and newsletter sign-ups. A mini website like a Linktree can get the job done, but a common misstep is to create one and forget to refresh it regularly. Make sure to periodically update it and remove any irrelevant links.
Always rank your links by their time sensitivity and importance, with the most relevant ones at the top. Users may click away if the link you’d like them to find isn’t immediately visible. Short descriptive titles can also be helpful. If you are directing people to the link from a post on your page, use the keywords from the post to title the link, making it quickly identifiable.
Decluttering an author website can be time-consuming, but most website builders (like WordPress, Squarespace, or Wix) offer minimalist templates that can help keep your navigation clear. If you need to prioritize housekeeping tasks on your website, removing any broken or outdated links is a great place to start.
3.Embrace Accessibility Tools
Making your content accessible doesn’t just mean keeping your social presence tidy and up to date—it’s also about making sure readers with disabilities are not locked out of the conversation. Fortunately, most platforms have tools to help make this part much easier.
Platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, and X have an “Add Alt Text” button when you upload images. There you can write a brief, vivid description of your photo, which allows screen-reading software to describe your images to visually impaired followers.
Additionally, if you embed videos on your website or share Reels or TikToks, always include captions. While most apps can automatically transcribe audio, auto-captions frequently mishear language or misspell names or slang. Take a few moments to go through them and make any necessary corrections before sharing.
Keeping your online presence welcoming for your readers doesn’t have to be a daily chore. You can set a time once or twice a year to go through your platforms, remove anything outdated, and implement any accessible tools that you think your audience may use. It may take a little bit of time, but your efforts will truly benefit you and your audience.