12 Awkward SEO Truths for Authors
Some of the most common misconceptions about author websites relate to SEO, how to achieve strong search rankings, and the difference this will make to your book sales and writing career.
A lot of potential clients approach me with the expectation that “SEO” is simply something we add to the project scope, that I take care of it in an hour or two, and they can then sit back and let Google bring them website visitors, book buyers, and (if applicable), paying clients.
Sorry, but it’s not as easy as that :(
I can see where the confusion originates. If you've been around the internet for a while, you've probably received one of these emails:
“We can get your website onto Page 1 of Google!”
Perhaps you've also been told that your author website needs more keywords, more blog posts, more backlinks, or some mysterious technical SEO alchemy.
And now that people are increasingly finding information through AI-powered search as well as traditional Google results, you may expect that profitable SEO tactics have changed again.
Well, yes and no.
Search is certainly changing.
But the fundamental truth is surprisingly steady.
Becoming discoverable online takes:
Time
Useful content that people are actually searching for
Authority and trustworthiness
And a clear idea of whom you're trying to reach.
Google's own current guidance for both traditional and AI-powered search emphasizes original, helpful, people-first content rather than content created primarily to manipulate rankings.
So, following my recent post about choosing the right level of SEO effort for your author website, here are 12 awkward truths I wish more authors knew.
1. I can't just “fix your SEO” so that you then forget about it
This is the biggest one.
I can absolutely go through your website and make sure the fundamentals are in place: page titles, descriptions, headings, content structure, links, image information, and so on.
That's worthwhile. But it's not the same thing as“doing SEO” and then waiting for book sales and client inquiries to roll in.
SEO can help search engines understand what your website is about. But getting noticed—and continuing to be noticed—usually involves publishing useful content, earning links and mentions, refining your topics, and paying attention to what people are actually searching for. You need to do this consistently, habitually, over time.
Search algorithms like reliable, consistent effort. And Google says some changes can take days while others can take several months to make a difference.
2. SEO isn't equally useful for every kind of author
What’s your genre? Fiction? Memoir? Nonfiction?
What kind of author are you? One-time memoirist? Consultant-with-book? Or serial novelist?
This matters far more, I believe, than is usually discussed in book marketing advice.
For a nonfiction author who is an expert in a particular field, there can be a wonderful virtuous circle that builds your SEO over time: you know your subject, people have questions about it, you write genuinely useful articles answering those questions, and those articles can bring the right people to your website.
For example, an author who writes about managing workplace burnout might have dozens of useful things to say about workplace stress, boundaries, leadership, life balance, and related subjects.
That's a much more obvious SEO opportunity than, say, an author of a literary novel.
And that's not because fiction isn't “good for SEO.” It's because people don't necessarily go to Google and type “what novel should I read next?” They might discover their next book through a friend, a bookstore, a book club, a review, a podcast, social media, a library—or increasingly, an AI tool.
SEO works best when there is an actual search journey you can sensibly become part of.
3. More traffic isn't necessarily better traffic
Let's say we work together, launch a stunning website, and you get 10,000 visitors.
Sounds fantastic, right?
But what if 9,900 of them are looking for something you don't actually offer?
I'd much rather help you attract 100 people who are genuinely interested in your subject, your expertise, your book(s) or your services.
The goal isn't more traffic. It's more of the right traffic.
Smart authors are more interested in search intent than simply chasing impressive-looking numbers.
4. You can't SEO your way out of an unclear niche
This is where SEO sometimes bumps into a bigger business question.
If your website says you are a “life coach,” you're competing with an enormous number of people who also describe themselves as life coaches.
But perhaps you're a life coach specifically for women navigating career changes after 50. Or a leadership coach for physicians. Or a resilience expert helping parents of teenagers with special needs.
Suddenly there are more specific questions, more specific language, and potentially a much more defined audience.
Sometimes the best SEO advice isn't “use better keywords.” It's “get clearer about what you actually do.”
A narrower, more specific niche can make it considerably easier for the right people to understand that you're the person they're looking for.
5. “Keywords” aren't single words, and don’t stuff them on the page
By the way, an SEO “keyword” is rarely a single word! A short, specific phrase or even (these days) the answer to a longer question, will serve you much better than trying to target just one dictionary word.
And: there is still a lingering notion that SEO means choosing a phrase and sprinkling it onto a page approximately 47 times. Please don't do this.
The useful question is: What would my ideal reader or client actually type, or ask, when they need what I know?
Then write the best possible answer.
Google explicitly advises against creating content primarily for search engines, and says there is no preferred word count you need to hit.
In other words, don't write 2,000 words because somebody on LinkedIn told you Google likes 2,000 words. Write 2,000 words if that's what the subject deserves.
6. If you spend all your effort on Substack, you’re boosting their SEO, not yours
I recently worked with a client who was writing (enthusiastically, frequently, and with promising traction) on Substack. This is excellent: reaching readers, building your audience, and connecting with thoughtful subject-matter experts is both fulfilling and wonderful book marketing.
The only snag was, she also expressed how keen she was to achieve strong SEO rankings for her own website. Recognizing that she was unlikely to have the bandwidth to post regular, useful, original content on both platforms, I had to sound a note of caution. I explained to her that her available time was a better match for what I call Level One and Level Two SEO, not Level Three.
Please keep in mind, when you pour your heart and soul into building your Substack audience, you are creating SEO traffic for them, not for your own domain.
Sorry, but this is another example of building your house on borrowed land. I’m not saying “don’t do it” — after all, if your audience loves interacting on Substack, that could be the perfect place for you, for now. I’m just asking that you’re aware of the risk. If Substack introduces hefty fees, or an oligarch buys the company, you won’t be able to take any SEO reputation with you, if you decide to leave.
7. Your brand-new website isn't going to be trusted overnight
This one can be frustrating.
Let’s say you work with me, and we launch a beautiful new author website. You've got your carefully researched keywords. You've written three excellent articles. You Google yourself the next morning…
…and nothing much shows up.
That's normal.
Google has to discover, “crawl” and index your pages, and then its systems have to work out how your site fits into a much larger web of information.
There isn't a magic “Hello Google, I'm legitimate!” button. Google says crawling can take days to weeks, and then changes to search visibility can take considerably longer.
Moreover, why should search algorithms decide to “trust” a brand new website?
After all, domain names are cheap, you can build a website in a weekend, and content can be artificially generated. How does Google know that your material is useful and trustworthy? Well, one way is, the search spiders crawl around and see whether other sites are linking to you. Which brings us to:
8. Backlinks still matter
A backlink is simply a link to your website from another website.
And yes, they still matter.
Google says links are used both to discover pages, and as a signal when determining relevance.
But please don't interpret that as “buy 500 backlinks from a mysterious company in another country.”
A mention of you on a reputable publication, an interview on a respected podcast, a guest article, a professional organization linking to your site, or a reference from another authoritative website can all help establish your presence beyond your own little corner of the internet.
If, like several of my clients, you are lucky enough to have a profile page hosted by an academic institution, or you’ve written articles published by large, trustworthy media outlets, then please, please update your profiles and bylines so that they link back to your own website.
And while I’m on the topic of linking to yourself, make sure to show your domain name everywhere!
9. Sometimes, you're competing with your own success
However, if you already have a lot of credible online mentions, be aware that rising through the ranks of search results with your own website will be harder and take longer.
This can be particularly relevant to authors who are already respected experts in their field.
Imagine you're an established academic or nonfiction author. There are university pages about you. Perhaps you've been interviewed by major publications. Maybe there's a Wikipedia entry. Perhaps your publisher has a page for you, and you've been mentioned on dozens of other websites.
Fantastic!
Except that when somebody searches your name, Google has an awful lot of authoritative pages to choose from.
Your own website (especially if it’s new) is unlikely to be the first result—and that's not necessarily a sign that your SEO is terrible.
You're effectively competing with the evidence that you're already a well-established person.
The solution isn't necessarily to “beat Wikipedia.” It's to make sure your own website is a particularly useful, authoritative home base for information about you.
(And yes, you can and should make sure that Wikipedia is edited to link to your new site. That’s the kind of detail I look out for, and will take care of for you, during my high-touch website design service.)
10. Those “Page one guaranteed!” emails are pure junk
If somebody cold-emails you promising guaranteed Page 1 rankings, dozens of backlinks, or claiming they have a “special relationship with Google”…
Please delete it and get on with your day.
There is no secret spell that legitimate SEO professionals can cast, to guarantee a high Google ranking. (And some of these emails are pure scams, with no useful services provided at all.)
Search results are nuanced, competitive, and constantly changing. Google itself warns that there is no certainty that changes to a website will produce a particular result.
And if somebody's SEO recommendations for you involve producing masses of low-quality content or links purely to manipulate rankings, that's not a clever shortcut. It’s exactly the sort of thing search engines are (now) designed to detect.
11. AI hasn't made all of this irrelevant
You might reasonably be thinking: But what if people don't Google anymore? What if they ask ChatGPT?
That's a fair question.
Search is changing, and AI-powered search is changing how people discover information.
But that doesn't mean your website suddenly becomes irrelevant.
In fact, Google's current guidance for appearing in its own AI search experiences sounds remarkably familiar:
create original, useful, satisfying content
make sure search engines can access it
provide a good page experience;
and give people something genuinely worth finding.
So I wouldn't spend money on anyone promising to “AI-optimize” your author website with some secret formula.
Build a useful website. Know your subject. Demonstrate your expertise. Give people information they need.
Those are good principles for the internet, whatever search looks like now and in the future.
12. SEO is an ongoing process—not a website “feature”
And perhaps this is the biggest awkward truth of all.
SEO isn't a little checkbox that says ☑ SEO: DONE.
You can absolutely reach a sensible point of “we've done enough for now.” Not every author needs an elaborate SEO strategy, and as I argued in my previous post, sometimes basic SEO is exactly the right level.
But if search is an important source of potential readers, clients or customers for you, there will always be more you could do: creating better content, finding new opportunities, earning mentions and links, improving existing pages, understanding what people are searching for, and watching how your results change.
The good news?
You don't have to do all of it.
You just need to know what makes sense for your particular author business—and invest your time and money accordingly.
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Ready for an author website that’s right for you and your goals?
If you’d like a thoughtful, expert collaboration to launch an author website that engages your readers and sets you up for business results, we might be a match. Learn more about working with me, and then inquire here.
Popular resources for a powerful author website
SEO for Your Author Website: What Level is Right for You?
50 step author website checklist (aka, 50 reasons to hire me to do it for you!)
Save 10% off your first subscription for a Squarespace website by using the code PAULINE10
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