WHAT DOMAIN SHOULD I GET FOR MY AUTHOR WEBSITE?

I get asked this question all the time!

" What domain should I get for my author website?"

My name? My book title? My series? My publishing company?

I recently had this conversation with an author who had bought several domains (9!) and wanted to know which one we should use for his new website. There was author names, book 1 name, series name, publishing imprint name, and more variations of each.

My first thought was: That must be costing a fortune and probably only need one.

It’s easy to collect domains. You have an idea, check whether the address is available and buy it before someone else does.

Individually, they might not cost much. But a few years of renewals later, you’re paying for a collection of names you’ve never used.

For most authors, my recommendation is to use your author name. This is the most powerful bit of real estate you own, and hopefully will never change!

If you can get yourname.com, great. But don't worry if not.

Something like yournamebooks.com or yournameauthor.com is usually perfectly sensible.

Here’s why.

Your name will still make sense after book one

When you’re publishing your first book, naming the website after it can feel like an obvious choice. It’s the book you’re promoting, and everything you’re doing is focused on getting people to read it.

But what happens when you write the next one?

You then have a website named after book one that also has to promote book two. A few books later, the address starts to look like a decision you made before you knew where your writing was going.

This can confuse readers and, to some extent, search engines.

A series name makes slightly more sense. At least all the books belong together. But you could eventually write another series, try a different genre or do other work such as speaking, coaching or consulting.

Your name works for all of those things without needing much explanation.

What about your publishing company?

If you’ve created a publishing imprint for your own books, you might be tempted to use that name for the website.

I generally wouldn’t. (see exception below!)

To someone who has just read your book, the publishing company’s name may mean very little. They know your name. That’s who they’re looking for.

If you’re running a publishing business with several authors, that’s a different conversation. The company/imprint may need a website of its own.

But for your author website, I would put you first.

It doesn’t hurt to own the publishing domain if you want to keep it.

You can have it send visitors to your author website or a relevant page. You don’t need to build a separate site just because you own the address.

The same goes for a book or series domain. It might be useful on promotional material, with visitors sent straight to the right book page on your main site. But don't buy hundreds of domains on this basis.

WHAT ABOUT PEN NAMES?

When I say try and secure your Author name, I mean the name you publish. If that’s a pen name, use that. It should match what readers see on your book covers.

BUT I HAVE MULTIPLE PEN NAMES?

If you have more than one pen name, that's when it can be more tricky. And the same rules above don't apply.

In this instance, using ONE Of your pen names is confusing and can lead readers and search engines to the wrong places as they look for the "other" pen name.

This is where I WOULD suggest using a publishing company name. One that you use for all your pen names and books.

It's really not ideal as readers are extremely unlikely to ever google a publishing house name. But at least it's in some way related.

That is when your on SITE SEO AND GEO for each pen name is absolutely critical, so that search engines understand each pen name within the site fully and it can be found.

Does owning more domains help with Google?

Simply buying more domains won’t make your website rank better.

Owning them isn’t a problem in itself, either (other than burning a hole in your finances year after year)

What matters is how you use them.

If you have several addresses, they can forward visitors to one main website. What I wouldn’t recommend is having copies of the same site sitting at different addresses without deciding which is the main one.

Google’s advice is to choose a preferred address and redirect the alternatives to it. Google’s guidance on redirects.

From a reader’s point of view, I would keep it simple. Use the same main address in your books, on your social profiles and in your newsletter.

Give people one website to remember.

And I wouldn’t spend money on extra domains because you think they’ll help AI tools find or recommend you. There’s no reason to assume that buying more names will achieve that.

What if your name isn’t available?

This happens, particularly if you have a fairly common name. It doesn’t mean you need to pay a huge amount to buy it from whoever owns it.

I would try adding “books” or “author”, or using a middle initial if that’s already part of your author name.

Say the address out loud before you buy it. Could you give it to someone at an event without having to explain the spelling, a hyphen and a number? If it takes a sentence to explain, I would keep looking.

WHAT DOMAIN EXTENSION SHOULD I BUY?

.COM? .CO.UK? or something else?

My first choice would usually be to try and secure a .com domain, particularly for an author with an international readership. But I wouldn’t rule out .co.uk if it suits you and your audience.

You don’t need to buy every ending, either. There may be a good reason to protect a particular variation, but you can spend a surprising amount trying to cover every possibility.

Already bought several domains?

Before you renew them all, have a look at what each one is actually doing.

If it’s never been used and you no longer have plans for it, I would be inclined to let it go.

But check first. An address printed in the back of your books could still be bringing readers to you. The same applies to one linked from reviews, interviews or older promotional material. Keeping that domain and forwarding it to your current website may be worth the renewal fee.

Also check whether you use it for email or any accounts before cancelling it. Once an expired domain is released, someone else may register it. ICANN’s guidance on renewal and expiry.

There’s a difference between keeping an address people still use and paying for an idea you had three years ago.

A couple of things I would check before buying

Look at the renewal price, not just the cheap first-year offer. That’s the amount you’ll be paying to keep it.

Make sure the domain is registered in an account you control. Your website designer can help connect it, but you should have the login and know where it’s registered.

Turn on automatic renewal, keep your payment details up to date and protect the account with two-factor authentication where available. It’s an easy thing to set up and an annoying thing to lose because an old card expired.

Security and privacy

When you buy a domain, have a quick look at what information is publicly attached to it.

Depending on where you buy it and which domain ending you choose, some of your details may be hidden automatically, they might however be in the public domain.

It's worth checking rather than assuming. You can search for your domain on ICANN Lookup or check the settings in your domain account.

Most domain providers offer some form of privacy protection. (Usually at a small fee) If it’s available, I definitely turn it on / opt in.

This is particularly relevant if you’re using your home address or personal email address when registering the domain. (As this will all show on the listing if you don't!)

Some authors have been horrified to see that their name, home address and email are publically listed against their domain!

And make sure the account where you purchased the domain itself is secure too. Use a strong password, turn on two-factor authentication if it’s offered, and keep your contact and payment details up to date.

It’s not the most exciting part of setting up an author website, but losing access to a domain because an old card expired is a very frustrating problem to have.

Summary - Author Website Domains

So, if you’re choosing a domain for your first author website, I would start with your author name or a straightforward variation of it. Talk to your web designer about where they suggest you buy it from as it is likely they will have preferred providers and may even be able to get discounts or free years etc. (For example Wix offer a free year when you buy one of their hosting plans)

You don’t have to predict every book you’ll ever write. You just need an address that won’t feel wrong when you write the next one.

You have to live with the domain for as long as you are writing, (and beyond probably!) so don't don’t buy a scattergun collection of vaguely related domains.

Choose carefully and enjoy becoming a brand online!