Simple SEO Tips for Author Websites
Because hoping someone finds your books isn’t a strategy. SEO is.
Let’s be honest: most authors would rather write than worry about search engine optimization. But if you're building a website—and especially if you're selling direct
You need to show up when readers are searching.
That’s where SEO comes in.
Not the scary, overcomplicated kind.
Just the basic tools and tweaks that help your site get seen, get clicked, and get results.
This isn’t about hacking an algorithm. It’s about setting your website up like a pro—and making it easy for search engines (and readers) to find you.
Let’s break it down.
💡 SEO tips every writer should know
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization—which is just a fancy way of saying:
“How to get more people to find your site on Google without paying for ads.”
If your site is optimized, readers searching for “[dark romance author]” or “[your book title] ebook download” are more likely to land on your page.
It’s free traffic.
It’s discoverability.
It’s reputation.
And if you're an author who publishes wide or sells direct? SEO can help you stay visible.
🧱 Start with a Strong Foundation: Your Theme Matters
If you’re using WordPress + Avada (like I recommend), great news: you’ve already got solid bones. But here’s what to make sure your site includes:
✅ SEO-friendly code – Clean backend = easier indexing
✅ Responsive design – Your site must look good on mobile
✅ Fast load times – Google cares about speed (and so do your readers)
👉 Bonus tip: Use Avada’s built-in Performance Wizard to streamline your load time without touching a single line of code.
🛠️ Install These SEO Plugins
Let the plugins do the heavy lifting. These are the best:
Smart Crawl by WPMU DEV Give your site better SEO optimization
Yoast SEO – Tells you what to fix, right in the editor.
Rank Math – Clean UI, great for authors who want control without overwhelm.
All in One SEO Pack – Another solid option if Yoast isn’t your vibe.
Pick one and use it. Don’t double up.
Note: The Avada Builder provides basic SEO to all your pages, and Woocommerce products.
📝 Content is Still King (Yes, Even for Authors)
Want Google to rank your site? Give it something to rank. That means content—real, helpful, keyword-rich content.
Here’s how to make your words work:
Do some light keyword research – Use Ubersuggest or just Google autocomplete. What are people actually typing in when they search for books like yours?
Write blog posts with purpose – “Behind the scenes of my latest book” is cute, but “Top 5 Dark Romance Tropes (And Why I Love Them)” brings traffic.
Use headings (H1, H2, H3) – Break up your content and make it scannable.
Don’t forget your images – Use descriptive file names + alt text (yes, even your book covers).
🧩 On-Page SEO Basics
These are the small things that make a huge difference:
Meta Descriptions – Short blurbs that show up on Google. Write them manually for every page/post.
Pretty URLs – Use clean permalinks (no weird symbols or numbers).
Internal Linking – Link to your other pages: book to series page, blog to shop, etc.
Keep people moving through your world.
⚙️ Technical SEO (It’s Not That Scary)
You don’t need to be a developer to get this right. Here’s what matters:
HTTPS – Secure your site with an SSL certificate. (Your host probably includes this.) If you are signed up with Siteground, they give you a FREE HTTPS.
Page Speed – Compress your images, enable caching, and use a CDN if needed. Again, Siteground provides plugins for FREE to do this.
XML Sitemap – Your SEO plugin probably creates this for you. Just make sure it’s submitted to Google Search Console.
Structured Data – Helps Google understand your content better. Plugins like Yoast and Rank Math handle this too.
🌐 Off-Page SEO: The Traffic Boosters
SEO doesn’t stop at your site. What happens off your site matters too.
Backlinks – Get other sites to link to you. Podcast interviews, guest blog posts, directory listings—all fair game. This is where if you have a blog, instead of posting on our website, create a Substack or Tumblr account and then post your blogs and make sure to link it back to your website.
Social Media Shares – Every time you link to your site from Instagram, Facebook, Threads, or X, that’s off-page SEO at work.
Direct Sales Links – Selling from your site? Make sure your product pages have SEO-friendly titles and descriptions. When you download.
Avada builder, offers basic SEO included with their backend settings.
📊 Monitor Your Progress
You can’t improve what you don’t track.
Google Analytics – See who’s visiting, what they’re clicking, and where they’re bouncing.
Google Search Console – See how your site ranks, what queries you’re showing up for, and fix indexing issues.
Check in once a month. Tweak as needed.
This is a more in-depth, analytics for your site and you will need an actual SEO plugin. Not just Avada Builder.
Smart Crawl by WPMU DEV
Yoast SEO
Rank Math
All in One SEO Pack
🧠 Final Thoughts
You don’t need to be an SEO expert.
You just need to be intentional.
SEO doesn’t replace your newsletter or social media—it supports it.
It works while you sleep. It stacks slowly, then snowballs and if you take anything from this post, let it be this:
If you want readers to find your books—you need to help them find you.
So optimize your site, start with the basics and build your visibility like the Author CEO you are.
Want help optimizing your WordPress site, setting up SEO tools, or turning blog posts into traffic-generating machines?
💻 Visit www.crownninestudio.ca and let’s make your website work.
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