For self-published authors who are marketing their books online, web traffic is most important. More people visiting your site means increasing web traffic, cementing your online reputation, and ranking higher in search engine results.
What are online reviews and how it affects you?
An online review is any published statement or comments online made by a particular consumer who has experienced a particular service or product. There are many types of online reviews. For authors, reviews play a crucial part in promoting their books and brand online. Not only authors seek positive reviews for their books, but they must also strive to gain favorable reviews for their author website. Reviews contribute to the commercial and critical success of their book marketing campaign. An online review can make or break an author’s writing career, depending on how he handles them.
If there is one thing that every author must take into consideration as far as the impact of online reviews is a concern, is this- 90 % of users check out reviews before actually checking out the business (website). Also, 84% put their trust in reviews the same as they would with personal recommendations. Last, but certainly, the most important fact is that 93% declare that reviews are a major factor in deciding to buy a certain service or product.
How does a book review contribute to marketing?
For authors, getting positive reviews for their published books is paramount. As I mentioned in the past articles, reviews can make or break your writing career. In this digital age, everything you published and the things published about you can contribute to your success or failure. And book reviews is a game-changer indeed. According to marketing expert Jane Friedman,
“Book reviews build symbolic capital”
“New authors—certainly self-published authors—have no symbolic capital. They are not (yet) known for producing quality books that seduce readers to the degree that they are willing to part with some of their disposable income, not to mention time. Is it possible for self-publishing authors to create symbolic capital? Absolutely yes, and many have.
In today’s increasingly online world of book shopping, I argue it is book reviews that build symbolic capital. A shopper evaluating a book for purchase when it has no, or few, reviews are like the hungry guest walking into an empty restaurant. How good can this place be if no one is here eating?
Even traditional publishers with symbolic capital “in the bank” must actively solicit book reviews so their authors’ books can succeed in our unimaginably crowded retail market.”
Friedman adds that before a book launching, it’s advantageous to look first for favorable book reviews before shooting for expansion and for a major book promotion campaign.
Of course, aside from professional and readers reviews which you can publish on your website and social media platforms, you can also register to business review sites as well.
Increasing Web Traffic for Authors via Reviews
Book reviews open a number of opportunities that in turn leads to getting visitors to your site.
Monitoring. Reviews offer you a glimpse of how readers receive your book. Positive reviews are an indicator that you are on the right track.
Online visibility. The more published reviews, especially positive ones, the more online buzz about your book. The attention and interests are sure to lead more visitors to your site
Target Audience Expansion. Positive reviews show people that readers actually find your book to be a good read. So essentially, positive published reviews actually help expand your target market.
Combining positive book reviews, an optimized site, as well as fresh content, ensures increased online visibility. By doing so, you are increasing web traffic to your site.
Positive reviews generate interest and likely to spike up your organic traffic. Visitors who visit your website using a search engine like Google or Bing are referred to as organic.
Overall, reviews play an integral role not only in increasing web traffic for authors but also in the overall book marketing campaign. Acquiring positive reviews and publishing them are tasks every author should give priority to if they want to stay in the game.
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