Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
SEO/ Discoverability for Authors & Publishers
Lori Culwell
www.bookpromotion.com Twitter @loriculwell
Author’s page on publisher’s site • Create page on publisher website,
http://publisher.com/authorname
• If the author has no website (or even if they do) publisher websites often have higher Page Rank authority and will rank more quickly
• Enable email capture/ link over to author’s site, to capture users interested in author’s work (market to them using email)
• Link back to this page from all eBook editions.
Keyword Research
• In addition to optimizing for the book title/ author’s name, optimize for related topics/ search terms, and have the author write blogs that have these search term in the title
• Use Google Keyword Suggestion Tool to get ideas (http://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal) (you will need an Adwords account for this)
• Use free version of Market Samurai for more advanced
competition search (www.marketsamurai.com )
SEO/ Discoverability • Optimize agent’s/ publisher’s/ author’s website for book title/ topics
• Publisher’s website should be optimized for author’s name, book titles,
relevant related searches
• Include book title/ related long-tail keywords in Title Tag, Meta Descriptions, in-anchor text.
• Create backlinks from blogs, other websites, Web 2.0 sites like Squidoo,
• Wrap-syndicate RSS feed coming from author’s site as well as publisher’s site to create in-anchor, text based backlinks. Author should have a regular blogging schedule (Google ranks based on freshness)
Author Website: the epicenter
• Before an eBook is even produced, I recommend making sure the author has at least the following: – Firstnamelastname.com (their own website, own
hosting, own name– checklist on following page)
– Social media accounts linking back to this website
Ten Elements of an Publisher Website: # 1: The site itself
Name (in header--not book title!) This is important to the reputation management–
preferable to control entire Page One results of Google for your own name (also true for authors)
Reason for this: every road should lead back to your books. Should not risk bad press/ reviews, other people’s opinions detracting from book sales.
# 2: Blog (with RSS feed)
• PR Department can post updates on book releases, do giveaways, keep website fresh.
• Here, authors can post updates on themselves/ book tours/ book news
• RSS Feed is an important part of the blog (picks up traffic)
# 3 Photo (s) • Readers like to put a name with a face.
• Use same photo for social media/ website/ book jacket
• Can’t market on social media from the perspective of a book.
• Assuming the author is writing more than one book and wants to
build the marketing platform
• If the author is a photographer, this can be a great way to engage readers/ fans (Instagram, Pinterest, Flickr feed, Tweeting photos)
# 4: Email Capture • Email capture
• If it’s the first time a potential reader is coming to the site,
you want them to either buy a book or at least sign up to hear more from the author.
• Reverted books (first build mailing list)
• Services = MailChimp, Aweber, Constant Contact, GetResponse.
• Put code in website to capture email. No emails in Outlook (FCC compliance)
# 5: Social media • If you’re active on social media, make sure the icons are on the site:
• Twitter • Pinterest • Facebook Fan Page • Linked In • MySpace (?!)
• Make sure all social media profiles link back to the website where
people can buy books.
• A large and active social presence helps people find you! • Readers should be able to get news and updates from the author
on any platform they prefer (syndication)
# 6: Books!
• Clear images of books, clickable to buy on multiple bookseller sites (if you don’t sell them yourself)
• Make it easy for people to buy the books! • # 1 problem– non-clickable books
– “Click here to buy the book” – Link to bookseller, not specific book
• When users are confused, they go away!
# 7: Media
• Links to any articles the author has written– shows authority
• Links to / examples of any radio/ tv appearances– online press kit
• Ongoing coverage of the author’s writing/ books– indicates freshness (Google likes this)
#8: Contact Information
• Contact Us form, email address, social media, phone number (whatever the author prefers)
• Agent’s information for book inquiries
• People want to get in touch with you– make it easy for them!
# 9 : Analytics
• Need to know: – who is going to the author’s site? What is
bringing them there? – How many people are going? – How many of them are converting? – How can we get more of them to buy more
books? – Google Analytics, site stats program, call hosting
company
# 10: Interests
• What are your authors interested in (besides writing)? Do they knit? Do they farm miniature goats?
• Make sure they incorporate this into the website. Start a Tumblr blog! http://groveatlanticinc.tumblr.com
• Spontaneity is the secret sauce of social media/ website interaction– set the author up to win!
How does the eBook relate to the website?
• Why do I recommend holding the eBook until the author has a decent website (or at least an optimized page on the publisher’s site)?
– Discoverability: it is much easier to sell an eBook to a
subscriber base that has already been developed (ex: John Locke)
– Author’s website link should be at the end of each eBook, so the reader can become a fan for life (not just a fan of this book).
– eBook should be readily available on the author’s website, to reap low-hanging fruit of people Googling the author.
Distribution? • Unlike traditionally-published books, digital publishing does
not follow a standard distribution trajectory (meaning it will likely be released, THEN be reviewed by press, if any)
• Distribution channels include: – Author’s subscriber base/ mailing list – Author’s/ publisher’s social media followers/ fans – Publisher’s mailing list – Advertising/ SEO (on author/ publisher’s website)– internet
marketing channels – Book bloggers – Google searches (from optimization of publisher/ author sites)
eBook/ P.O.D. • Sometimes digital is just not enough
• Some reviewers will want a hard copy, some fans will want to own
the print edition because they love the author’s work
• Press will often not accept electronic edition, because of transfer concerns (email, etc).
• PR purposes: radio/ tv producers will want a printed edition.
• For this reason, be sure to employ a Print on Demand option like CreateSpace so you at least have the option of ordering paper copies
Reputation Management • Author’s website should be # 1 for a Google search on their
name, if not dominating the entire first page.
• Additional reputation management assets can be created, combining author’s name with basic SEO principles covered previously (Title Tag, meta-description, keyword tags).
• Author should maintain a regular social media presence under their own name
• All of this insures that the author/ publisher reap a steady stream of digital book sales, since online search often results in sales of books for eReaders
I wrote a book about all of this!
Get How to Market a Book !
Thanks!
• Feel free to contact me with questions!
Lori Culwell
www.bookpromotion.com Twitter @loriculwell
