Websites for Authors: Contact Information is Essential

As I was doing some research for a client recently, I was reminded of how many blogs and websites have no contact information. I understand why owners of personal blogs don't post their contact information, but it's essential for business-oriented sites like blogs and websites for authors.

If you're promoting any type of product or service, people need to be able to reach you, at least by email. Someone may have a question about your book or want to ask you to write an article or speak at an event. Maybe they want to contribute a guest post to your blog or propose some sort of joint venture. Your readers may have helpful suggestions about your site. If no one can contact you, you're missing out on business opportunities.

Blogs and websites for authors should feature contact information prominently on the site. Just beneath your photo is a good spot. You can also include contact information on your site's About page and Media page.

It's never a good idea to put a direct hyperlink to your email address on your site, because that makes it easy for spam bots to harvest your email address and sell it to spammers. One solution is to spell your email address with spaces or alternate symbols in between.

For example: john -at- yourwebsite.com.

On my websites, I used an encrypted Javascript link from Hivelogic. This service is free and easy to use, but it's not completely foolproof. There are ways to hack Javascript code. For more ideas on protecting your email address online, read Protecting Your Email from Spam by MaAnna Stephenson.

Excerpted from The Savvy Book Marketer's Guide to Blogging for Authors.