When authors think about their websites, most think about the version that shows up big and wide on a desktop or laptop screen — not the narrow mobile version that readers view on their phones or tablets.
But today those mobile sites are very important. Mobile visitors often make up more than half of a site’s traffic. SEO firm SimilarWeb reported that 68% of global web traffic is from mobile devices. Web data firm SOAX put the number at 63%, and noted its continued growth over the past nine years.
Obviously, today’s author websites must provide a great experience for both mobile and desktop visitors. To provide some inspiration and to show what’s possible today, we collected 13 examples of author websites that we think look great on desktop and mobile devices.
The sites we chose are all sites built on Author Websites, the new website builder platform for authors that we’re building here at BookBub.
As you can see in the images below, desktop sites in these examples seamlessly adjust when they are pulled up on mobile devices. To make this happen, font sizes are scaled down, menus are adjusted, multi-column site layouts are shifted to single-column layouts, and depending on the site, other changes are made. All this mobile optimization happens automatically for sites built on Author Websites.
A. K. Steel’s site highlights the first book in a series, with buttons to purchase or learn more prominently displayed on both the mobile and desktop versions.
Richard D. Bailey features a carousel of books at the top of his desktop site. A scaled-down version of the same carousel is easy to scroll through at the top of his mobile site.
Lila Appleton’s desktop site is distinguished by her endearing logo and book cover. The mobile site keeps the focus on those distinctive elements.
Horror author Molly Macabre uses a spooky headshot and dark colors to represent her brand on both desktop and mobile sites.
Jeffrey J. Jaime puts the focus on his leadership-strategy book on the desktop version of his site and keeps it there in the mobile version.
Ama Ofosua Lieb highlights the Publishers Marketplace announcement of her book deal at the top of her desktop and mobile sites.
L.M. Dalgleish’s distinctive branding and logo invite readers to engage with both versions of her site.
Andrew Townsend highlights his books in a carousel at the top of both his desktop and mobile sites while keeping a clean, simple design that reflects his brand.
Eve Jasmin’s latest release is front and center on the mobile and desktop versions of her site, followed by a carousel of her other books.
Virgil Brooks uses dynamic artwork to set the tone for both his desktop and mobile sites, while teasing an upcoming release.
Howard Veregin’s artwork and headshot give his desktop and mobile sites a distinctive feel.
Cary Herwig expresses her personality with a bright color scheme that pops on both mobile and desktop.
Annie Lavigne features an eye-catching cover and her bio on the desktop version of her site. The mobile version simplifies by putting the focus on the book cover and its Buy Now button.
Is your author website mobile-optimized? What do you focus on in the top spot on your site? Let us know in the comments!
