Search engine optimization. It’s something I only heard about a few months ago when, of course, I realized I wasn’t doing it and need to. So I’ve been looking into what it is and how it helps authors. Here’s some stuff I’ve learned.

First, what is search engine optimization (SEO for short)? SEO refers to the practice of optimizing your website or content to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). This can involve various tactics such as keyword research, on-page optimization, and link building, among others.

Now, you might be wondering how this applies to fiction authors. After all, isn’t SEO more relevant for businesses and online marketers? While it’s true that SEO is commonly used in these fields, it can also be incredibly useful for authors looking to increase their visibility online and reach a wider audience.

One of the key benefits of using SEO as an author is that it can help you rank higher in search engine results pages for keywords related to your genre or niche. For example, if you write mystery novels, you might target keywords such as “best mystery books” or “new mystery releases” in your content.

By ranking higher for these keywords, you can potentially attract more traffic to your website or blog, and ultimately sell more books. This is particularly important in today’s digital age, where readers are increasingly turning to online search engines to discover new books and authors.

So, how can you get started with SEO as a fiction author? Here are a few tips to consider:

1. Do your keyword research

Before you start optimizing your website or content, it’s important to identify the keywords that you want to target. This can involve using keyword research tools such as Google Keyword Planner or Ahrefs to find out what phrases people are searching for in relation to your genre or niche.

Once you’ve identified your target keywords, you can then use them strategically in your content to help improve your search engine rankings. However, it’s important to avoid keyword stuffing (i.e. overusing keywords to the point of making your content unreadable or spammy). Instead, aim for a natural and balanced use of keywords throughout your content.

2. Optimize your website

In addition to using keywords in your content, you can also optimize your website to improve your search engine rankings. This can involve various tactics such as optimizing your page titles and meta descriptions, using internal linking to improve your website’s structure, and ensuring that your website is mobile-friendly. (I actually went a couple of years with my website being unreadable on mobile devices because WordPress had discontinued the theme I was using. How many views did I lose through that?)

Another important factor to consider is page speed, as faster loading times can help improve your website’s rankings. You can use tools such as Google’s PageSpeed Insights to analyze your website’s performance and identify areas for improvement.

3. Create high-quality content

Ultimately, the most important factor in improving your search engine rankings is creating high-quality content that is relevant and useful to your readers. This can involve creating blog posts, articles, or other forms of content that provide value to your audience and showcase your expertise as an author.

When creating content, aim to provide a unique perspective or angle that sets your work apart from others in your genre. You can also incorporate multimedia elements such as images or videos to make your content more engaging and shareable.

4. Build backlinks

Finally, building backlinks (i.e. links from other websites to your own) can also help improve your search engine rankings. This is because search engines view backlinks as a sign of authority and relevance, and therefore tend to rank websites with more backlinks higher in search results.

To build backlinks, you can reach out to other websites in your niche or genre and ask if they would be willing to link to your content. You can also create guest posts or articles for other websites, which can include a link back to your own website.

Overall, while SEO may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about marketing your fiction as an author, it can be a highly effective way to bring readers to your website and introduce them to your work.