Creation Though Preparation
A Writer’s Guide to Optimal Website Planning
How a Website Serves You
Very simply, an organized website can serve many purposes depending on the need for authors or publishing companies. A publishing company represents various authors, so it is important to have a cohesive layout that is user friendly and readable as prospective clients and consumers visit. An author’s site is individual and personable. Small sites like this can have under three pages and limited details. Below are some things to consider when tailoring your site to serve you and your audience.
A website for publishers serves to…
Accept submissions
Promote new and current work
Garner sales and traction
Build their brand and control their email list
A website for authors serves to…
Showcase the author
Present and sell work
Promote booking and, or events as well as ways to contact
Why It Is Important to Plan
As the tried-and-true saying goes, ‘all good things take time.’ It is important to adapt this mindset for something so representative and essential like a website. Take the time to plan. A website is how an audience will interact with you, your company, or your clients. In literature, even though it is not advised, people still judge books by their covers. A website, like a book is what an audience will see and cast judgement towards. A site cultivates a writer or publishers’ brand and marketability.
A good website develops your SEO, ranking, and authority. It helps search engines index your site and proper designing provides page context and readability to users. An engaging site will have a higher click-through rate and overall visits, bringing more revenue and notoriety.
When to Utilize a Wireframe
A wireframe is a digital or physical figure of how the website is projected to look. It can be very detailed, high-fidelity or low-fidelity, basic. Publishers and authors should both use a wireframe at some point in their planning process. However, authors fall under the few cases when a wireframe is not necessary because of how intimate the website is, there is less information to map.
How to Optimally Plan
An effective plan has distinct characteristics and looks different for publishers and authors. Begin with a low-fidelity wireframe, pictured below, for a general outline and if necessary, especially for complex sites, dive further with a high-fidelity approach.
Website Structure
You should identify the purpose of the website, have a basic layout prepared including placeholders, understand what the different functions are, know the size needed, and be open to feedback. The included graphics show how to plan initially.
*Links - Intentional design, experience, inclusions, Elements*
The author, Richard Blanco and publisher, Penguin Random House are prime examples of successful websites that are optimally designed.
Additional Information
Refer to Flux Academy and wireframe for more information and templates on wireframing. See Just in Mind to gain a better understanding of the choices between low and high fidelity.
