15 Common Website Mistakes Beginners Make (And How to Avoid Them as an Author)

Building an author website is not difficult. Building one that actually helps readers discover your books, understand who you are, and take the next step is where many first-time authors run into trouble.

I have built and redesigned websites long enough to learn that a website can look very good and still be poorly built. I have seen pages that looked fine on a desktop computer but became awkward on a phone. I have had to troubleshoot forms that stopped working, rearrange layouts that seemed perfect during the design stage, deal with unnecessary plugins, and rebuild parts of websites after discovering that something important had been overlooked.

For an author, the mistakes are often more specific. Your homepage may look attractive but fail to tell a visitor which book to read. Your book cover may be beautiful but load too slowly. Your buy button may be present but difficult to find on mobile. You may have several books but no sensible way for a reader to move from one book to another.

This is why I would not start an author website by asking, “What should my website look like?”

I would start with:

What should a reader be able to do when they arrive here?

That question has influenced how I approach author websites, and it has also helped me identify the mistakes I would avoid if I were building one from scratch today.

1. Designing the Homepage Before Deciding What the Website Needs to Do

This is one of the easiest mistakes to make because website building feels visual.

You choose a theme.

You select colours.

You upload your photograph.

You place a book cover on the page.

You adjust fonts.

You move a button.

Before long, the website looks like a website.

But it may still have no clear purpose.

An author website normally has several jobs. It may introduce the author, showcase books, help readers buy a book, collect email subscribers, provide useful articles, support speaking or ministry work, or give visitors a reliable place to learn more about the author.

The mistake is trying to make all of these equally important on the homepage.

What I do instead

Before touching the design, I decide what the main visitor journey should be.

For example:

Discover author → discover book → learn about book → buy/read more → stay connected

Once that journey is clear, the design becomes much easier.

The homepage is no longer a collection of attractive sections. Each section has a reason for being there.

If you are still deciding what your author website actually needs, my guide on why every author needs a professional website goes deeper into the role a website can play in an author’s publishing platform.

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2. Putting Your Biography Before Your Books

Authors naturally want visitors to know who they are.

That is understandable.

But I have found that an author’s website should not force a new visitor to read a long biography before discovering what the author actually offers.

Imagine someone has just discovered your name through a book, YouTube video, social media post, recommendation, or Google search.

They arrive on your website.

They want to know:

Who is this author? What does this person write? Which book should I look at?

A long biography does not answer those questions quickly.

What I recommend

Give the visitor a short introduction first.

Then introduce the books.

Then provide a clear route to the full About page.

Your homepage might contain:

• Your name
• What you write
• A short introduction
• Your featured or newest book
• Other books
• A clear next step

Your full biography can live on the About page.

This creates a better balance between author identity and reader interest.

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3. Treating All Your Books as One Big Gallery

This becomes a serious problem once an author has more than a few books.

I have seen websites where the Books section is essentially a grid of covers.

Cover.

Cover.

Cover.

Cover.

Cover.

The visitor has to click around to understand what each book is about.

A book cover is important, but the cover alone cannot do the entire job.

Give important books their own pages

For an individual book, I prefer a dedicated page containing information such as:

• Book cover
• Book title
• Short description
• The problem or need the book addresses
• What the reader will learn
• Who the book is for
• Preview or sample where appropriate
• Reviews or genuine reader feedback
• Buying options
• Related books

This becomes especially important as your catalogue grows.

A reader who discovers your seventh book should not have to return to the homepage and start searching for the other six.

The website should help them move through your catalogue.

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4. Making the Book Cover the Main Sales Argument

This is a subtle mistake.

Authors spend considerable time getting their covers right, so it is tempting to make the cover the largest and most prominent element on the book page.

The problem is that a cover tells the reader what the book looks like.

It does not necessarily tell them why they should read it.

When I build a book page, I think beyond the cover.

The visitor should quickly understand:

What is this book about?

Why was it written?

Who is it for?

What problem does it address?

What will I find inside?

Where can I get it?

The cover supports that information. It should not have to carry all of it.

This is particularly important for nonfiction, devotional, Christian books, publishing guides, and practical books where the reader is often looking for a particular solution.

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5. Hiding the Buy Button

This sounds obvious, but it is surprisingly easy to do.

An author creates a beautiful book page, adds the cover, writes a detailed description, adds several sections, places reviews near the bottom—and eventually places the purchase button somewhere visitors have to hunt for it.

That creates unnecessary friction.

A visitor should not have to ask:

“Where do I buy this book?”

Put the buying option where it makes sense

For a book page, I normally want a purchase option visible near the main book information.

Depending on how the book is sold, that might be:

• Buy on Amazon
• Buy Direct
• Get the ebook
• Order the paperback
• Download
• Learn more

If you sell directly from your website, make the payment process equally clear.

I have written separately about selling books through an author website because direct selling introduces another layer of website decisions that should not be mixed into the basic design of an author site.

The important point here is simple:

Do not make the reader search for the next step.

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6. Building the Desktop Version and Assuming Mobile Will Take Care of It

This is one of the lessons I have learned repeatedly from actually building websites.

A layout can look excellent on a large screen and become frustrating on a phone.

A heading that fits beautifully on desktop may occupy half the phone screen.

Two columns may become cramped.

A button may become too small.

A book cover may dominate the entire screen.

A menu may become awkward.

And sometimes a section that looks perfectly aligned in the page builder simply does not feel right when you hold the phone in your hand.

I don’t consider the desktop preview the finished design

I test the actual page at different screen sizes.

For an author website, I pay particular attention to:

• Book covers
• Headings
• Buy buttons
• Navigation
• Contact forms
• Email signup forms
• Paragraph width
• Spacing
• Images
• Tables or comparison sections

Google also identifies mobile display as part of overall page experience, alongside factors such as Core Web Vitals, HTTPS, and intrusive page elements.

The practical lesson is even simpler:

Open your own author website on your phone before you announce it.

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7. Uploading Huge Book Images

Authors need good-looking book covers on their websites.

But there is a difference between a high-quality image and an unnecessarily large image file.

A book cover that is only displayed at a few hundred pixels does not necessarily need to be uploaded as a massive, uncompressed file.

I learned to pay attention to this because website performance is often affected by several small things rather than one dramatic problem.

An oversized book cover, several large background images, unnecessary animations and additional scripts can gradually make a page heavier.

What I do

Before uploading an image, I consider:

• Where will it be displayed?
• How large does it actually need to be?
• Can it be compressed?
• Is the image format appropriate?
• Does it still look good on a phone?

For author websites, this is particularly important because book pages can contain several covers, promotional graphics, author photographs and preview images.

You do not need to sacrifice image quality.

You need to stop sending visitors more data than the page actually requires.

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8. Installing Too Many Plugins Because You Think You Need Them

This is especially relevant to WordPress authors.

WordPress makes it easy to add functionality.

Need a form?

Install something.

Need a slider?

Install something.

Need another SEO feature?

Install something.

Need a popup?

Install something.

Eventually, you have a website with a collection of plugins that you installed for individual reasons but rarely think about anymore.

I have learned that adding another plugin is not always the solution to a website problem.

Sometimes it introduces another problem.

A plugin can conflict with another plugin. An update can affect a layout. A form can stop behaving as expected. A feature you thought was harmless can add unnecessary scripts to the page.

My approach

I try to keep the website as simple as the project allows.

Before installing something, I ask:

Do I actually need this feature?

Then:

Can the existing setup already do it?

And finally:

Will I still want to maintain this six months from now?

An author website does not become professional because it has thirty plugins.

It becomes useful because the important things work.

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9. Creating a Navigation Menu That Reflects Your Website Instead of Your Reader

Authors sometimes put almost everything in the main menu:

Home
About
Books
Blog
Services
Speaking
Resources
Shop
Media
Testimonials
Contact
Events
Newsletter
Portfolio

Nothing is technically wrong with having these pages.

The problem is putting every page at the same level.

A visitor should not have to study your navigation before understanding where to go.

Keep the primary route simple

For many author websites, a structure such as this can be enough:

Home | Books | About | Articles | Contact

Other information can be placed inside relevant pages or secondary navigation.

The exact menu will depend on the author.

A fiction author with events may need an Events page.

A nonfiction author who speaks professionally may need a Speaking page.

A pastor-author may need a Sermons or Ministry section.

The point is not to copy someone else’s menu.

The point is to make the menu reflect the way your readers are likely to use the website.

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10. Making Every Book Page Look Exactly the Same

Consistency is good.

But identical pages are not always good.

Suppose one author has:

• A devotional
• A memoir
• A publishing guide
• A prayer book
• A children’s book

The information that helps someone decide whether to read each book may be different.

A devotional may benefit from explaining the devotional structure.

A practical publishing book may need a detailed list of what the reader will learn.

A memoir may need more emphasis on the author’s story.

A children’s book may need age information and illustrations.

Build a consistent framework, not a rigid mould

I like consistency in elements such as:

• Typography
• Buttons
• Spacing
• Brand identity
• Purchase section
• Navigation

But the actual content should fit the book.

The website should help the reader understand that particular book, not simply display the same template fifteen times.

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11. Forgetting That Your Author Website Is Also a Reader Journey

This is probably one of the most important lessons I have learned from building websites.

A website is not a collection of separate pages.

The pages should connect.

Someone may enter through a Google search.

They may land directly on a blog post.

That person may never see your homepage.

So what happens next?

Can they discover your book?

Can they find out who you are?

Can they move to a related article?

Can they join your email list?

Can they discover another book?

This is where internal linking becomes useful.

For example, an article about choosing a website platform could naturally lead to my guide comparing Wix and WordPress for authors.

An author who only needs a simple one-page presence may instead benefit from reading my comparison of Carrd and WordPress for a simple book website.

That is a better internal link than simply writing:

“Click here to read more.”

The link itself should tell the reader what they will find.

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12. Putting Social Media Ahead of Your Own Website

Social media is useful for authors.

I use online platforms too.

But I would not build the entire author platform around somebody else’s platform.

A social-media account can help people discover you, but your website gives you a place to organize your books, articles, biography, resources and ways to contact you.

There is another practical reason.

A social-media post has a short life.

A useful website page can continue attracting readers through search long after you publish it.

So instead of thinking:

Social media OR website

I think:

Social media → website → deeper relationship

A social post can introduce the reader to you.

Your website can give them somewhere useful to go next.

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13. Adding a Newsletter Form Without Explaining Why Anyone Should Subscribe

Putting “Subscribe to my newsletter” on a website is not the same thing as giving someone a reason to subscribe.

I have become much more conscious of this when planning websites and publishing resources.

People are cautious about giving away their email addresses.

So tell them what they will receive.

For example:

• New book announcements
• New articles
• Free author resources
• Devotional material
• Writing and publishing tips
• Early access to new releases

The offer should match the author’s audience.

An author who writes about Christian living should not offer a generic newsletter simply because the website has a newsletter plugin.

The subscription should have a clear relationship with the reason the visitor came to the website.

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14. Launching the Website Without Testing the Important Parts

This is where the difference between designing a website and actually maintaining one becomes obvious.

A page can look finished while something important is broken.

I have learned not to assume that because something worked yesterday, it still works today.

Updates happen.

Plugins change.

Forms change.

Links change.

Pages are moved.

External services change.

A redesign can accidentally remove something that was working.

Before announcing an author website, test the things that matter

I would check:

Book pages

• Does every book cover load?
• Do the purchase buttons work?
• Are external retailer links correct?

Forms

• Does the contact form actually send?
• Does the newsletter form submit correctly?
• Does the confirmation message work?

Mobile

• Can I read the pages comfortably?
• Can I tap the buttons?
• Does the menu work?

Navigation

• Do all important menu links work?
• Are there broken pages?

Images

• Are they sharp?
• Are they unnecessarily large?
• Do they display correctly on mobile?

I have a separate website launch checklist that goes further into the checks I recommend before publishing a website.

The lesson is simple:

Do not test only whether the website looks good. Test whether it works.

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15. Building the Website and Then Forgetting About It

This may be the most expensive mistake in the long run.

An author launches the website.

The website looks good.

The book links work.

Everything seems finished.

Then nothing happens for twelve months.

Meanwhile:

A new book is published.

The homepage still promotes the old one.

A buy link changes.

A contact form stops working.

A plugin needs updating.

An old article contains outdated information.

A page that once worked develops a problem.

A domain or hosting renewal approaches.

A website is not a book cover that you design once and never touch again.

It is a working digital property.

I learned this lesson personally when rebuilding an older publishing website after the domain had expired and content was lost. That experience changed the way I think about website ownership, backups and maintenance.

The website itself is only part of the asset.

The content and the systems supporting it also need protection.

For that reason, I recommend having a simple maintenance routine after launch. My guide on how to maintain a website covers backups, updates, forms, broken links, domain renewal and other ongoing checks.

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A Practical Author Website Check

If you already have an author website, don’t immediately start redesigning everything.

Open the website on your phone and go through it as though you have never seen it before.

Ask:

Can I understand the author quickly?

Within a few seconds, do I know whose website I am visiting and what this person writes?

Can I find the books?

Is there an obvious route to the author’s books?

Can I understand an individual book?

When I open a book page, do I understand what the book is about and why it may be relevant to me?

Can I buy the book?

Is the purchase option obvious and does the link actually work?

Can I navigate from one book to another?

If I discover one book, can I easily find related books?

Does the website work on my phone?

Not just technically.

Actually use it.

Scroll through it.

Tap the buttons.

Open the menu.

Read an entire article.

Can I contact the author?

Don’t make someone search through the website to find out how to reach you.

Is there a reason to return?

Useful articles, resources, new books and email updates can give readers a reason to come back.

Is the website still being maintained?

Check your links, forms, software, content and domain.

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One of the biggest lessons I have learned from building websites is that adding more does not automatically make a website better.

A first-time author does not necessarily need an elaborate website with every possible feature.

You may need:

• A clear homepage
• A good author photograph
• A concise biography
• Individual book pages
• Working purchase links
• A contact page
• An email signup
• Useful articles if you plan to publish them
• Simple navigation
• A mobile-friendly layout
• A maintenance and backup routine

That is enough to build a useful foundation.

You can add more later.

In fact, I would rather see an author build a smaller website properly than create a large website that becomes difficult to maintain.

If you are deciding whether you need a simple one-page website or something that can grow with several books and articles, the Carrd vs WordPress comparison for authors can help you think through that decision.