Giving My Author Website Its Annual Checkup (No Waiting Room Required) by Sarah E. Burr

Author websites have a funny way of becoming invisible to us. We build them with care and big plans, and then we move on to the next book, the next deadline, the next shiny project. Before we know it, months or even years have passed, and our website is quietly doing its best with copy that no longer quite fits who we are or where we are in our writing careers.

This year, I decided to tackle a website refresh. Not a dramatic teardown or a full redesign, mind you, but a thoughtful check-in. And honestly? It was far less painful than I expected.

Your Website Is Part of Your Author Toolkit

We talk a lot about newsletters, social media, ads, and book launches, but your website is the one place online that belongs entirely to you. Algorithms cannot hide it. Platforms cannot change the rules overnight. It works for you around the clock, welcoming new readers while you are busy writing, reading, or sleeping. That alone makes it worth visiting on a semi-regular basis.

A yearly refresh is not about perfection. It is about alignment. Does your website still reflect the stories you are writing now? Does it clearly tell new readers who you are and what kind of books they will find? Does it feel like a warm invitation or a confusing hallway of links?

Start With the Front Door

For me, the biggest update was my “homepage hero section.” That opening text is doing a lot of heavy lifting. It needs to answer three questions quickly: Who is this author, what do they write, and am I in the right place?

If a new reader lands on your site and has to work too hard to figure that out, they may leave before ever clicking deeper. A small tweak in wording can make a huge difference in clarity and confidence.

Think of it as greeting someone at the door instead of shouting your book list from the next room.

Make It Easy to Begin

One of the most helpful things you can do for readers is give them a clear place to start. When you have multiple books or series, abundance is wonderful, but only if it is presented with intention.

A yearly refresh is a great time to ask yourself whether a brand-new reader can easily figure out what to read first. If the answer is no, that is not a failure. It is simply an opportunity to guide them a little more gently.

Your Website Does Not Need to Do Everything

This is important, so I will say it again. Your website does not need to do everything. It does not need to hold every thought you have ever had, every post you have written, or every platform you have ever tried. It needs to do a few things well. Welcome readers. Explain your work. Offer a way to stay connected. Everything else is a bonus.

A Little Maintenance Goes a Long Way

You do not need to wait for a new year, a new release, or a total brand overhaul to check in with your site, either. Even setting a reminder once every few months to read your pages with fresh eyes can be incredibly helpful. Think of it as dusting the shelves rather than rebuilding the house.

Your author website is a quiet partner in your career. It shows up every day, whether you are paying attention or not. Giving it a little care now and then is not just good marketing: It is good stewardship of your work and your readers.

And the best part? Once you are done, you can close the tab and go back to the part you love most: Writing the next story.