Website Audit – $150
This is an option for DIYers who need guidance but can implement edits to their own websites.
Books Forward will conduct a thorough and constructive audit of your website to ensure that a). it meets specific criteria for success in the competitive book industry (online retailer links, social media integration, etc.), and b). your content is as clear, accessible, organized, and persuasive as possible. We will present an audit report to you with a straightforward list of recommendations, edits, and essential updates.
If you prefer, Books Forward’s digital team can implement these recommended changes to your website. Pricing options for our full range of website development and hourly or monthly maintenance services are below:
Website Content Updates – $80/hour
This is an option for those who perhaps need a little updating to their sites, but otherwise have the regular maintenance already managed.
Websites are dynamic, not static. It’s essential to keep your website’s content fresh, up-to-date and user-friendly. At your request, Books Forward can ensure your website’s content is updated and optimized by:
- Adding links to any new media (reviews, interviews, etc.) to your press / media page
- Adding IndieBound / bookseller links so buyers can easily access your book for purchase
- Updating book covers and new book launch information throughout your author career
- Updating your events calendar / tour section with any new event listings
- Fixing broken links or problematic images (as possible)
- Accommodating any other requests you may have
Website Development – $1,500 (up to 5 pages), $1,800 (up to 8), $2,250 (up to 15)
This is for authors who need a fresh or newly built website.
An author website is essential in today’s world of ecommerce and online media. Our web designer will develop a professional, easy-to-navigate site that will showcase the best of you and your work, and position you as a force in the book industry. We build a site that uniquely reflects your brand image, that can be customized with a choice of fonts, colors and author logo style.
Books Forward will provide the setup, design and development of the site, and you will provide the site’s hosting and content. Development time frame is 1 month from the time all content is provided. All of our websites are desktop, mobile and tablet-friendly, and features include:
- Up to 5, 8 or 15 pages setup (you have the capability to add unlimited pages when needed or add on to our service)
- Email contact form
- Integrated blogging functionality
- Links to your social media
- Search Engine Optimization
- Google Analytics
- Bookseller links (“buy” links for your book’s online retailers: Amazon, IndieBound, etc.)
- Security/Malware software
Examples of websites we have developed:
- seemayasmin.com
- jhschiller.com
- lizkellerwhitehurst.com
- audreygaleauthor.com
- joancohenauthor.com
- annbancroftauthor.com
- pamvaloisbloominginwinter.com
- beverlyarmentoauthor.com
You will have full control over all future edits and updates once the site is completed. If you would prefer for Books Forward to manage your future website maintenance, see below for more information on our monthly maintenance service:
Monthly Website Maintenance – $150/month plus hourly updates as needed
This is an option for authors who want a hands off experience with regularly maintaining their website content and security.
WordPress is the most popular platform for website hosting and management, and it’s a great resource if you’re unfamiliar with the more involved side of website design (like writing code). However, there are many ongoing technical tasks and responsibilities that need to be performed to keep the site current, engaging, and (most importantly) secure.
Website security is a critical component of ongoing website maintenance; unsecure websites can become targets for content loss and corruption, malware, viruses and even hacking. Our monthly maintenance and security package handles all the technical tasks, as well as provides light site maintenance (simple edits and changes) and the option for you to request additional updates.
- backups of site database and files to the cloud
- updates of WordPress core files and plugins
- up to 30 mins/month for edits as needed (additional edits can be made upon request at $80/hour)
- and ongoing maintenance/performance tweaks to keep the site running smoothly.
Copywriting or Copyediting – $80/hour
This is an option for authors who need help developing the content for their website.
When you supply us with a draft of your website’s content, we will copyedit it to ensure that it is professional, clear and consistent–and if you need help with what to write, we can also supply the copy and content for you. We can assist with your home page content, author bio, contact page and other copy for your website. The drafted content will be submitted to you for revisions and, ultimately, final approval, and then we will share with our website developer for implementation. Future content additions or changes can also be billed at the hourly rate.
E-Commerce Enabled – $350
This is an add-on option to website development.
We will build an integrated e-commerce system that powers direct sales on your site. You will be able to easily apply discounts, process payments securely and fulfill book orders on the spot. This add-on functionality includes a shopping cart, checkout and the ability to connect to third-party payment solutions like PayPal and Authorize.net.
SEO – $300
This is an a la carte option for authors who have already developed their websites.
On-page SEO optimizes the individual pages of your website, ensuring that search engines are better able to promote the pages you want indexed and ranked. This service includes improving site internal link structure, getting rid of crawl errors, removing error page issues, publishing relevant and SEO optimized web content, using correct HTML tags and implementing relevant coding and schema structure.
Our service also includes:
- Keyword Research
- OnPage Optimization for Targeted Keywords
- Meta Description and Title Optimization
- H1, H2 & H3 Tags Setup
- Image Optimization & Alt Tags
- Increase the WordPress Website Speed
- XML Sitemap
- 404 & Redirection
- Robots.txt
- Search Engine Submissions
- Google Search Console & Analytics Setup
- SEO Audit & Reporting
The timeline for setting up on-page SEO is about one week.
Can you guarantee any ranking position or time frame for optimizing my SEO?
No one can guarantee any specific ranking position or time frame for SEO. Anyone who claims to get your website to “top rank” is just telling you what you want to hear. Our SEO practices and methodology will implement the latest SEO techniques to ensure the best SEO possible for your website.
How much time would it take to see the improvements?
Ranking depends on many different factors. Normally it takes on average 4 to 6 months for moderately competitive keywords to improve website ranking and traction. For highly competitive keywords, it will take up to 6 to 8 months. For the less competitive keywords, it would take around 2 months to see improvement.
