15 Ways Your Website Can Save Your Time and Sanity
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I recently had a period of several weeks where I was traveling, and I was unwell. And there was a death in the family, too. For all these reasons, I was unable to give my usual level of time and energy to running my business.
I’m not going to lie and claim that passive income kept rolling in the door during this time. That’s not the case. However, modest bits of revenue did continue to arrive, and the online tools I’d set up were certainly a big help in keeping things going. My website also saved me hours of time, in different ways.
Today, I’m sharing the things you should add to your website and online marketing tools that will not only save you time every day, but greatly ease the pressure if you encounter a bumpy period like I did.
And since my preferred website tool is Squarespace, I’m including tips for how to add some of these features.
9 Time savers to add to your website
FAQs about working with you, including information about work you don’t do.
Your fees and pricing, or at least a guide range.
A scheduling calendar for a potential client to book an initial appointment.
You might need to extend your normal booking horizon, so it goes beyond your current emergency.
Then, block out the dates when you need to focus on your health or your family, and people can decide whether to wait for you or not.
A grouping of blog posts, to answer the most common beginner questions you get.
Related: is blogging still worth it?
A media kit and/or speaking page, to show that you’re available for interviews and to deliver your bio, photo, and other key material without you needing to send it.
Related: how to upload a PDF to Squarespace.
An intake or application form, if there is structured information that you need from a new client. Here’s how to add a form in Squarespace.
A contact form.
If necessary, you can divert everything that comes in here to an assistant.
A map showing your travel area, if you visit clients (or attend speaking engagements) in person.
Squarespace maps pull information from Google maps. Here’s how to add one.
Text on your contact page stating that you don’t reply to certain types of request. For example, my page says I don’t currently accept or reply to:
Guest blog post submissions;
Requests for back links;
Advertisements or sponsored posts;
Job applicants (because I’m not hiring).
To be honest, you will still get some messages about all of the above, but in some cases (like that last group), you can feel better about not replying!
6 Additional time savers for your online presence
Offer your audience a useful lead magnet, in exchange for joining your email list.
Growing your list is the number one way to insulate your business from the revenue risk when you can’t work 1:1 with clients. It opens up the possibility for you to sell digital products, subscriptions, memberships, online courses, group programs, and more.
Create a welcome sequence for when someone joins your email list.
When choosing your email list provider, make sure it’s sophisticated enough to do this. For example, I use and like ConvertKit, whereas Substack is not suitable.
Add a simple upsell or introductory funnel marketing offer, to keep some revenue coming in while you’re away.
Start repurposing your best material into short online courses or digital bundles that you can sell as self-paced resources. I use MemberVault and love it.
Sometimes it’s quicker to record a video or voice message, instead of typing your reply. I love Loom.
Use a client management tool like Dubsado to send proposals, contracts, invoices, project forms, and meeting reminders.
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Other resources for supercharging your author website
And for the essential steps in your website project, take a look at my free 50 Step Website Checklist.