I recently finished my latest Grok topic: the basic setup for an author website. It was a broad topic, but here are the main notes and recommendations Grok provided.

The Most Important Thing When Starting an Author Website

The single most important thing is building an email list.

Set up an automated opt-in form that collects readers’ email addresses. Social media platforms can disappear, ban your account, or become restricted in your country — but your mailing list will always belong to you.

Because of that, your email list should be your top priority from the very beginning.

Btw, here is my mailing list setup: Sign up and get a free book

Start With a Free Website

There’s no need to spend a lot of money right away. You can even start with a free website or blog on platforms like:

You should also add Google Analytics (free) to track visitors and site performance. Here is a tutorial about that:

Buy Your First Website

The first thing worth spending money on is your own domain name. Ideally, use: YourAuthorName.com

You can redirect the domain to your free website at first. If you can afford hosting, buy the domain directly through your hosting provider.

Use Your Author Name

Stick with your real author name instead of keyword-heavy domains. Readers searching for you online will usually type your name, not something like: SciFiStoriesAboutRobots.com

Using YourName.com is the standard and most professional approach.

Use a .com Domain

The internet’s primary language is English, and .com domains still carry the most authority and recognition. If possible, secure: YourName.com

Only consider alternatives like .net if the .com version is unavailable.

Which Hosting Service Should You Use?

According to Grok, Hostinger currently offers one of the most competitive beginner-friendly hosting plans.

Use WordPress

WordPress has its flaws, but it’s still the easiest CMS for beginners to set up and manage. Benefits include:

A huge library of free themes
Thousands of plugins
Beginner-friendly customization
Strong long-term flexibility

Starting with WordPress is usually the best choice.

Essential Pages for Your Website

Your website should include:

Home
Books
About
Blog
Contact
Newsletter / Mailing List Signup

Learn From Successful Authors

It’s smart to study what successful authors are already doing. Grok recommends looking at these author websites for inspiration:

What to Analyze on Other Author Websites

Email List Strategy

Do they offer a freebie?
Where is the opt-in form placed?
How often do they promote the newsletter?

Book Pages

How are the books presented?
What makes the sales page effective?

Blog

How often do they publish?
What topics and categories do they cover?

About Page

Structure
Author photo
Personal story or career timeline

Footer

Social media links
Disclaimer
Terms of Service
Contact information

Goals for Your First Year

Build a professional website with an email list
Grow your list to 500 subscribers
Create dedicated book pages
Drive organic traffic through quality blog content
Build community through your About page, contact form, and social media integration

That said, 500 subscribers is an ambitious goal. If you’re starting from zero, even reaching 50 subscribers in your first year can already be a solid achievement.

Improving Your Website Over Time

Personal vs. Corporate Branding

Stay personal. Being yourself is one of the biggest advantages you have as an indie author. Don’t only write about writing — occasionally share your hobbies, interests, and parts of your personal life.

Even George R. R. Martin writes about football from time to time.

Create a Personal Design

Make your website feel authentic by:

Using real photos instead of stock or AI-generated images
Writing in first person
Using a conversational tone
Choosing a simple, clean theme
Sharing honest updates and thoughts through your blog

Authenticity matters more than perfection.

Creating Better Book Pages

Your book pages should include:

The book cover
A short 100-word blurb
One-click retailer buttons (Amazon, Kobo, etc.)
A few strong reviews (2–3 are enough)

You can also offer sample chapters through your mailing list. Feature your newest releases prominently and create a general reading order page for your catalog.

Examples of Strong Book Pages

Use Affiliate Links

You can add affiliate links for your books or recommended resources on Amazon. Readers pay nothing extra, but you earn a small commission — creating an additional income stream.

About Page Tips

You do not need a professional photo. If you can afford one, great. If not, even a simple smartphone selfie is better than having no photo at all. Readers want to know who you are. Your About page should include:

Your personal story
Why you write
What you enjoy reading
A mailing list signup link (Example: “Sign up for updates, giveaways, and new releases.”)

Add a “New Here?” Page

As your website grows, create a dedicated “New Here?” or “Start Here” page. This helps new visitors quickly understand:

Who you are
What you write
Which books to start with

Create a Resources Page

A resources page can include:

Writing tools you use
Marketing resources
Recommended books
Authors and websites you like

This can help readers while also generating affiliate income and improving SEO.

Social Media Links

Add clean, visible social media icons. At minimum, place them on:

Your About page
Your sidebar (if your theme includes one)

Terms of Service and Disclaimers

You need both. Here’s a free Terms of Service generator: Termly Terms of Service Generator

Important: Amazon affiliate disclaimers must appear on every page containing affiliate links, or you risk violating Amazon’s guidelines.

Blogging on Your Website

Blogging is still valuable. According to Grok, blogging is far from dead. Social media should ideally direct readers back to your website, where you publish weekly or bi-weekly articles.

What Should You Blog About?

Specific topics:

Your writing process
Upcoming releases
Writing tips
Personal updates
Behind-the-scenes insights
Meetups and conventions
Marketing experiments

General topics you can always write about:

Your daily writing routine
Progress reports
Craft lessons
Books you’ve read
Publishing experiments

Publishing Excerpts From Your Books

Be careful with Amazon Kindle Unlimited rules. If your book is enrolled in Kindle Unlimited, you generally cannot publish the same content elsewhere online. However, you can publish:

Side stories
Character backstories
Deleted scenes
Editing breakdowns
Explanations of creative decisions

Publishing Short Stories on Your Website

Standalone short stories can work as free “entry points” into your work. If readers enjoy a free story, they may become paying readers later.

Blogging Best Practices

Write longer articles (1,000–1,500 words) for guides
Publish shorter opinion posts and updates regularly
Link directly to your website instead of using Linktree whenever possible

Technical Setup

Some advice on blog-tech:

Getting Indexed by Google

Set up Google Search Console
Create and submit your XML sitemap
Use the URL Inspection Tool to request indexing
Make sure robots.txt allows crawling and remove accidental noindex tags
Publish fresh, original content regularly

This video shows you the basic process:

Improving Website Speed

Test your site using Google PageSpeed Insights
Compress images using (here is a free compressor: CompressJPEG)
Enable browser caching and a CDN
Minify CSS and JavaScript files
Upgrade to faster hosting if necessary
Enable lazy loading for images

Useful WordPress Plugins

Yoast SEO — on-page SEO optimization
Elementor (Free) — landing page builder
Contact Form 7 — contact forms
Jetpack — security and statistics
Smush — image compression
MailPoet — newsletter signup forms

You can install all of these directly through the WordPress plugin search bar.

To Conclude

This is the basics of starting your own author website – according to Grok. If you go through it step by step, you will have set up a good indie author website within a couple of weeks. Once set up, you can finally focus on the fun part again: Writing!

Michael Brig

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Basic Author Website Setup