Well, the journey to creating a solid author’s platform has been fraught with pot holes, and now that I am working on my own website I’m finding that the journey of learning is a long and arduous process. Especially since I know next to nothing about designing a website. However, I offer my journey of learning – as I learn – to help other authors and writers find a way to walk this path as well.
The first step to designing an author’s website is to pick a domain name. My techie brother recommends namesilo.com for this and likens this process to choosing the land you will build your house on. Stick with a name that is close to your own, look at other author’s websites, you will see that is the pattern most authors are going with. Either your full name or initials with last name work.
Here you will be able to search for names without having others discover your search. It’s a given through NameSilo.com. It automatically provides you with “who is” privacy, and it is the cheapest option. So a total win-win.
Register – fill out the form, skip company name if you don’t have one.
Pay using whatever works best for you. I recommend paypal.
Then you will need to build your house on the land you just chose. This is done through a hosting site. I’m using WordPress.org which is the free version and can be upgraded to the paid when my site and I are ready. There was fancy DNS stuff my brother did in the middle to make this happen. If you have a techie brother I recommend asking for their help because the DNS stuff is a foreign language! If you don’t have a techie brother or friend pay the $5 for the lowest level of WordPress. It will be worth it!
Finally, you design and organize by picking a theme. I chose the author’s theme. That will get you started.
Jennifer Lynn