Getting Solicitations to “Fix” Your Author Website?
If you have an author website, chances are you’ve received one of those emails.
You know the kind. A stranger pops into your inbox to let you know something is wrong — broken, missing, dangerously underperforming — and they’d be happy to fix it for you.
At the moment, two common types of these messages are doing the rounds.
Type 1: “You have a problem, and we can solve it”
These emails usually announce that there’s something lacking on your website. The most popular theme? Search Engine Optimization.
They’ll tell you you’re missing huge ranking opportunities. That your metadata is incomplete. That your site speed is harming your visibility. That you could be on page one of Google, if only you worked with them.
Sometimes these messages come from legitimate service providers marketing their work. Sometimes they don’t. It’s not always obvious which is which.
What I can tell you is this: I receive these emails too — and many of them are wildly inaccurate.
I’ve had messages criticizing my “Wix website” (it’s not built on Wix!). I’ve been warned about SEO settings that are, in fact, already configured correctly.
Because this is my field, I can spot the nonsense quickly. If website design isn’t your area of expertise, it’s understandably harder to tell.
So here’s a calm rule of thumb:
In most cases, you can delete the email and move on.
There’s no need to rush into paying for fixes you didn’t ask for — especially if you worked with a professional to create your site in the first place.
That said, almost every website can be improved. The healthiest way to approach that is through:
Periodic self-checks (for example, looking for broken links or outdated information), or
Working with someone you already know and trust
Not through a cold email designed to unsettle you.
Related: see item #3 in this article, “Check everything works”
Type 2: Impersonation and payment scams
This second category is more concerning.
Here, the sender pretends to be your website designer — or someone else you’ve worked with — and claims something urgent has changed.
Perhaps your website platform has updated.
Perhaps your site now needs critical maintenance.
Perhaps there’s an invoice to pay immediately.
Sometimes the goal is to get you to click a payment link. Sometimes it’s to trick you into handing over access to your website.
A closely related version is the “domain renewal reminder” that arrives at just the right time — often linking to a very convincing but fake payment page.
Many people don’t realize how easy it is for scammers to:
Spoof a familiar email address
Use a very similar-looking address
Create a sense of urgency, that pressures quick action
So here’s the simple safeguard:
If you weren’t expecting to hear from your website designer, pause.
Instead of replying directly, open a fresh email and write to the address you already have on file — the one you’ve successfully used before. Ask if the message is genuine.
Legitimate professionals will never be offended by you double-checking.
And remember: urgency is one of the most common tools in a scammer’s toolkit.
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A final word
If you’re feeling unsure about your website’s health, that’s completely normal. Websites are technical — and it’s not your job to know everything.
But you don’t have to react to cold emails that are designed to unsettle you.
If you’d like thoughtful, strategic input on how your author website is performing — what’s working well, what could be strengthened, and what genuinely matters (versus what doesn’t) — that’s exactly the kind of thing we cover in an Author Website Clarity Call.
It’s a focused, professional review of your site and your goals, so you can make informed decisions without pressure, urgency, or scare tactics.
Popular resources for a powerful author website
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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