Blogger blog design template

Finally... I've decided on a simpler and cleaner template for this Blogger blog and I'm loving it!

I'm using a stripped down aptly named "Simple" template and it feels so much fresher and easier to navigate. It also sits nicely alongside the new design of my website.

Website interaction

Drive the spark within your website

Time is precious so I have to admit to not being a fan of forums or chat rooms. I also don't have enough time yet to prepare and send out my own ezine.

If you feel yourself agreeing with me, what can you do then to make your website more interactive for your audience?

Here are 5 suggestions which are very easy to implement if you have a basic website already in place.

1) Star in and post your own YouTube videos with a direct link to your YouTube Channel so people can check out your additional content. Talk about anything writing related. Give advice. Discuss the themes of your latest book. Make your content come alive.

2) Include a blog so people can leave comments and subscribe to your posts via an RSS feed.

3) Post podcasts so your content can be downloaded and listened to as audio files.

4) Link up Facebook and Twitter to your website, so when you post new content, people using social media are instantly notified.

5) When you have enough of a following, prepare and email exclusive content to them using an autoresponder.

Building your website

I was clueless when it came to creating my own website and my advice to you is keep it simple. You can easily build the foundation and then add to your site as time goes on. I picked Weebly as my web host based on several recommendations from friends. Originally, I started to build my website with iWeb, but Apple making this defunct meant I had to swiftly move elsewhere. The only spend has been on upgrading to the Pro features and buying my domain name www.piarastrainge.com year on year.

All in all I spent approx £70 on both these things (depending on exchange rates - Weebly is an American web host), but that figure would be less if I opted to buy for a longer period of time. I'm now two years into my website with Weebly and so far I've been very impressed. Weebly is easy to navigate and build with. There is a Stats page and you can also link to Google Analytics to monitor your progress / hits. They are constantly working to improve the features they offer, so more and more tools are becoming available. The only downside for me is the fact I can't link my existing Weebly blog to this one on Google's Blogger platform.

It's really down to personal recommendations, personal preference and what you feel comfortable with. So do your research, choose wisely and then invest in your decision.

The content you need to be showcasing on your site includes any or all of the following:

An ABOUT ME section - your literary inspirations and aspirations

Sample writing - published and unpublished

News & Events - forthcoming book signings, readings, etc

YouTube video - of you reading from your book / latest work

Blog - I believe this is where people who visit your site really get to know you. I absolutely love blogging because it makes me write every day and I can be totally at ease. We'll talk more about this later on...

Remember - the best websites are the ones you can easily navigate, aren't too cluttered and have colour that enhances rather than blinds you. Check out your favourite author websites to see how they do it.

Trust me, it's a great feeling when you can finally add your own www. to your business card!