Do Author Websites Matter?

All authors need a website, because...something.

I get that we want a site we totally control; algorithms are funky, especially social media ones; Amazon can ban your account on a whim. An author website also establishes your credibility. 

But in reality, how many people visit an author site, even a famous author site? That's not how readers get to know you, or not get to know you, as in my case. And frankly, most readers don't even want to know you. They might want your books if you're lucky, but it's a matter of, "What have you done for me lately?" 

I've never had a reader go in search of another book by me. If they wanted to do it, well, that's what Amazon is for (since I haven't had the displeasure of my account being banned). 

I read a Substack article yesterday by an owner of a book PR firm which confirmed my opinion. Titled, "Is the Author Website Dead?", it's unfortunately unlinkable. Apparently the writer deleted it. The article asks, "How many people are clicking your website vs. finding you through some other source?" I can answer that! According to my analytics, in the last seven days my site has had three visitors, two from Nigeria and one from Germany. (Hi, Germany! Did you mistype the address you actually wanted to visit?) 

No, people aren't finding me through some other source, either, but they're not looking for me.

Don't get me wrong; I like my website. I put a lot of work into it. But I did that because it's something I enjoy doing. I have no illusions that I'm going to get visitors. The most important detail about my site is that it's FREE. I do pay a yearly $12.00 domain fee, but that's it. I pay exactly what my website is worth. 

My site has a news section, but I never have any news, so whatever I slapped on that page stays on that page forever. I still have my ill-fated ENT Book of the Day announcement, which I really need to delete. I don't need a constant reminder of it. But then again, I'm the only one who sees it, and I don't exactly visit my website much, either.  

Under good reasons to have a website, a lot of book promotion sites do ask an author for their website address, so in that regard I suppose having one marks us as "legitimate". But would leaving that field blank deter someone from buying the book?

I will say that my site's contact form does get used a lot, but only by scammers. Why would a reader use it? Anything they would hypothetically want to know is on the site itself, especially my other books.

I'm not saying don't have your own site. But in the larger scheme of things, an author website is really not important. Have one if you want to have one. Have one if it makes you happy, like mine makes me happy (but I made it myself, so there's some pride involved). However, if you're busy juggling life along with your writing career and you're stressing out over creating a website, don't.    

There are better uses of your time.