Tips for Preparing Your Blog for Your Virtual Book Tour
by D’vorah Lansky, M.Ed.
I’d like to thank Kathleen for graciously hosting me, as a guest blogger, in celebration of the launch of my newest book, 21 Ways to Launch a Successful Virtual Book Tour. 
Preparing for a virtual book tour requires you to be organized and focused. In this post I’ll be sharing tips for preparing your blog for your tour. Your blog is your online home. It’s the place where you invite people to come to, to find out more about you and your book. When you invite people to the house where you live, your physical home, it is likely that you will clean and organize your home and even prepare goodies for your guests. Why should your online home be any different?
Preparing Your Blog for Company
One of the biggest benefits of conducting a virtual book tour is that you will have the opportunity to invite readers back to your blog. This is easily accomplished by including a compelling invitation at the end of each of your virtual book tour blog posts. (You’ll find an example at the end of this post.)
 
Before you invite company to your online home, you’ll want to make sure to prepare. To begin with, head over to your site and try to imagine that you are a first time visitor. Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• Is my site attractive?
• Is it clear what the focus of my site is?
• Is my headshot photograph and image of my book cover clearly visible?
• Is the information visitors might be looking for (about the author, about the book, etc.) easily accessible via my menu navigation?
• Do I have an opt-in form with a compelling gift offer that would encourage people to subscribe?
• Do I have content or promotions on my site that are no longer current or relevant?
• When I click on any of the links on my site, do they take me to the correct place, or do I land on an error page?
• When I click on links that take the read off of my site, do they open in a new window so that when visitors finish viewing those links, my site will still be available in an open window?

By noticing the above and making adjustments accordingly, you’ll be providing the most enjoyable opportunity possible for your site visitors. What you don’t want them to find is a bland site with no images or content on disjointed topics that have nothing to do with your book, your business, or your brand. You also don’t want them to click on links that lead to error pages as that will give the impression that your site is not current.
Providing visitors with a magnetic site, makes it possible for them to want to explore, and find out more about you and your book.
When you visit a new site, what peeks your interest and makes you want to explore further? Scroll down and join in the conversation in the comments section below.
This post is being written in honor of a virtual book tour celebrating the publication of my third print book. You can enjoy the festivities by joining us on the tour to 21 blogs, in honor of 21 Ways to Launch a Successful Virtual Book Tour. Scroll down to access the virtual book tour schedule as well as a link to the book on Amazon. Thank you and enjoy!
D’vorah Lansky, M.Ed., is the author of 21 Ways to Launch a Successful Virtual Book Tour.  Visit her book blog and check out the full schedule for the virtual book tour, celebrating the launch of this exciting new book: www.VirtualBookTour21Ways.com
D’vorah offers virtual book tour workshops and courses for authors, entrepreneurs, and virtual professionals. She has taught hundreds of people, across the globe, how to conduct successful virtual book tours. You can purchase her newest book on Amazon at: www.VirtualBookTour21Ways.com/amazon
Be sure to share this post with others by clicking any of the social network links. Let’s help D’vorah help as many authors as possible.