Peripheral Publicity: How to Make Sure Your Author Name Is First in Search Engine Results

When you have recently published a book and are looking to promote it, search results matter. You want your book to pop up on the first page when people search for your topic, subject matter, and books in your category. But your book title isn't the only thing that should be appearing on user search results. As an author, your personal or pen name matter almost as much as the books themselves.

SEO for Authors

People want to know the person behind the book, and many will search for you after they see results for the book to find out if you're an acclaimed writer worth reading. This is exactly why it's so important to make sure your author name appears in search engine results just as often as your book title. Today, we're here to show you how to make that happen.

Curate Your Professional Social Media Pages

The first and best way to build Google Ranking for your author name is through social media. Google knows that for some people, there are tons of news articles that can drown the really important information. So it tends to prioritize social media accounts to help people connect with the real-person owner of a googled name. So the better you build and promote your social media pages, the more likely they are to appear at the top of a Google search for your author name.

Cover all your bases, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and any other platforms you personally use.

Link to Social Media with Your Name as Anchor Text

In addition to making your social media pages beautiful and lively, remember to link back to them using your name as the anchor text. This sounds narcissistic, we know, but it works and most people won't mind because this link is actually helpful for readers who are curious about who you are. So if you write or are featured in blogs and online content, make sure your name links at least once to at at least one of your social media accounts. Consider building a signature that links to your social media accounts in email and forum posts as well.

Keep Your Pages Active and Interactive

Keep your social media pages active and full of interesting content. The more 'relevant' a social media page is, the better. Talk to commenters and other people. Be sure to include plenty of references to your book or books so your social media also generates SEO for your works.

Name Your Website After Your Author Name

There's a reason so many bloggers, authors, and developers are using their names as web domains. It works. If you have a blog or author site, make sure the domain is a variant on your name. And if you already have an established domain that isn't your author name, make a swanky author profile on your own site. Actually, do that either way.

Put Yourself on YouTube

People love videos. When a potential new reader is checking you out as an author, it can help to have a small to enormous collection of videos where you are the presenter, subject, or interviewee. This will show new and returning readers who you really are. Be sure to include name-anchored links to your web pages, social media accounts, and/or book sales pages in the video descriptions or ask for these to be included on the videos of others that feature you.

Get Featured in Popular Online Publications

Speaking of being featured, articles about you as an author are incredibly powerful for name ranking yourself. Especially in popular and reputable publications like Forbes, the Times, Entrepreneur, Business Insider, Inc, and so on. But little publications are also effective in quantity and with a strong readership. The more often you are featured, interviewed, and named in the title of online publications, the better.

Guest Blogs and Author Profiles with Other Websites

Guest blogs are also a great way to get your name ranking, your reputation, and reader curiosity up all at the same time. Write guest blogs for your favorite blogs, for publications related to your book's subject matter, and for anyone who asks you to guest blog for them. Author profiles work just as well if the publication would like to write about you with their own in-house writers. Whether you're sharing your knowledge or just fun information about yourself and your book, make sure your name is linked and appears in the article title.

Give Interviews Everywhere

Last but not least, give interviews. Let anyone interview you as long as you agree with their publication. Do interviews on podcasts and videos. Give interviews with journalists, readers, and niche publications that relate to your work. The more people talking to you and about you can be a powerful boost to your author-name ranking.

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In today's highly social and search-engine-oriented world, having your author name reach top ranking on Google when someone searches for you is pretty important. If you want your book to have a good reputation the moment it hits the shelves and e-book platforms, then make sure readers can find out who you are when they get curious. Use these techniques and contact us today for more insights on promoting your latest book.

[Edit requests welcome :) ]