Is Your Site Costing You Opportunities? 12 Website Red Flags Authors Can’t Ignore
You just delivered an incredible keynote. The event planner loved you. During the closing reception, three people asked for your card.
Perfect.
Except here’s what happens next: They Google you at 11 pm that night. They click your website. And then…
Your contact form doesn’t work. The mobile site is a mess. Your bio is three years out of date.
That $15,000 speaking opportunity? Gone.
And you’ll never even know it.
For entrepreneurial authors—women building platforms through speaking, nonprofits, and business ventures—your website isn’t just a digital brochure. It’s the thing standing between “let me check out your site” and “yes, let’s book you.”
When your website fails, you lose opportunities you didn’t even know were coming.
Let me show you 12 website red flags authors can’t ignore right now.
Red Flag #1: Your Contact Form Doesn’t Actually Work
Last month, I ran a website audit for an author who’d been wondering why inquiries had slowed down. Turns out, her contact form hadn’t been delivering emails for six months.
Six. Months.
How many opportunities walked away during that time? She’ll never know.
Why this matters: Event planners, nonprofit directors, and corporate decision-makers aren’t going to hunt you down. They’ll fill out your form, and if they don’t hear back within 48 hours, they’re moving on to the next speaker.
The fix: Test your contact form monthly. Fill it out yourself using a different email address. Make sure the message actually arrives. Set up a backup notification (like a text alert) so you know immediately when someone reaches out.
Red Flag #2: Your Site Looks Like a DIY Project from 2015
I know. You built it yourself because hiring someone felt expensive. Or maybe a well-meaning friend threw it together as a favor.
But here’s the hard truth: Event coordinators are comparing you to other speakers. When your website screams “I did this myself in a weekend,” it undermines everything else you’ve built.
Why this matters: Your website is making a first impression while you sleep. If it looks amateur, people assume your speaking, your consulting, or your leadership will be too.
The transformation: You don’t need a complete rebuild. Often, a strategic refresh—cleaning up fonts, improving layout, updating images—can elevate your site from “DIY hobby” to “serious professional” in two weeks.
Red Flag #3: Your Mobile Site Is Basically Unusable
72% of people searching for local services are doing it on their phones. When someone Googles you after hearing you speak, they’re probably standing in a conference hallway, scrolling on their iPhone.
If your site doesn’t load properly, if text is too small to read, if buttons don’t work—they’re gone.
Why this matters: Mobile-friendliness isn’t optional anymore. It’s the baseline expectation. And Google punishes sites that aren’t mobile-responsive, which means even fewer people will find you organically.
The test: Pull out your phone right now. Visit your website. Can you read everything without zooming? Do all the buttons work? Can someone easily find your contact info and speaking topics? If not, this is costing you.
Red Flag #4: Your Bio Hasn’t Been Updated Since Your Last Book Launch
You’ve spoken at three conferences since then. Joined a nonprofit board. Launched a new program.
But your website still says “upcoming projects include…” from 2022.
Why this matters: Outdated content signals that you’re not active, not relevant, or not paying attention. Decision-makers want to book someone who’s currently in demand—not someone whose last accomplishment was three years ago.
The fix: Review your bio quarterly. Add recent speaking engagements, new credentials, and current projects. Show that you’re actively building something that matters.
Red Flag #5: Your Website Takes Forever to Load
If your site takes more than 3 seconds to load, 40% of visitors will leave before they even see your content.
Let that sink in. Nearly half of your potential clients are bouncing before your site even appears.
Why this matters: Speed is credibility. Slow sites feel broken, outdated, or unprofessional. Fast sites signal that you’re tech-savvy and care about user experience.
Behind the scenes: Slow sites are often caused by oversized images, outdated plugins, cheap hosting, or too many scripts running in the background. These are fixable problems—but only if you know they exist. Check your website load speed with Google PageSpeed Insights.
Red Flag #6: There’s No Clear Path for People to Work With You
Someone loves your message. They want to book you. But your website makes them hunt for next steps.
Where do they request your speaking kit? How do they inquire about availability? Is there a booking calendar, or do they have to send an email and wait days for a response?
Why this matters: Friction kills conversions. If someone has to work too hard to hire you, they’ll move on to a speaker whose process is easier.
The transformation: Make it dead simple. Clear calls to action on every page. A booking link in your navigation. A contact form that says exactly what information you need and when they’ll hear back.
Red Flag #7: Your Speaking Topics Are Vague or Generic
“Inspiring audiences nationwide.”
“Transformational leadership.”
“Empowering women.”
These phrases mean nothing to an event planner trying to fill a specific slot.
Why this matters: Decision-makers need to know exactly what you talk about, who it’s for, and what outcome you deliver. Vague language makes you forgettable. Specific language makes you bookable.
The upgrade: Instead of “leadership expert,” say “helping nonprofit boards navigate leadership transitions without losing momentum.” Instead of “keynote speaker,” say “delivering actionable strategies for women in corporate leadership who are tired of being the only one in the room.”
Specificity wins.
Red Flag #8: Your Site Isn’t Secure (No HTTPS)
See that little padlock in your browser bar? That’s HTTPS—a security protocol that protects visitor data.
If your site doesn’t have it, browsers will literally warn people that your site is “Not Secure.”
Why this matters: Trust. People won’t fill out your contact form if their browser is telling them the site isn’t safe. And Google actively penalizes sites without HTTPS, pushing you lower in search rankings.
The fix: Most hosting providers offer free SSL certificates. If your site doesn’t have HTTPS, this should be priority one. Want to know about building a secure site? Google Search Central has some free resources.
Red Flag #9: You Don’t Have a Media or Speaker Kit
Event planners need your headshot, bio, speaking topics, testimonials, and maybe even video clips.
If they have to email you and wait three days for a response, you’ve already lost momentum. They’ll book someone else whose materials are ready to download immediately.
Why this matters: Professional speakers make it easy for planners to say yes. You should have a dedicated page (or a downloadable PDF) with everything they need to present to their team.
What to include:
- Professional headshots (high-res)
- Short and long bios
- Speaking topics with descriptions
- Testimonials from past events
- Video clips, if you have them
- Your fee range or “contact for pricing.”
Red Flag #10: Your Testimonials Are Generic or Missing
“Sarah was great to work with!”
Cool. But what did you actually do? What outcome did you deliver? Why should someone hire you based on this?
Why this matters: Testimonials are social proof. But only if they’re specific. Event planners need to see evidence that you’ve delivered results for people like them.
The upgrade: Reach out to past clients and ask:
- What problem were you trying to solve when you hired me?
- Which outcomes were you most satisfied with while working together?
- What would you tell someone considering working with me?
Then feature those testimonials on your homepage, speaking page, and services pages.
Red Flag #11: Your Website Isn’t Showing Up in Google Searches
You’ve spoken at major conferences. You’ve published books. But when someone searches “[Your Name] speaker,” your website is nowhere in the top 10 results.
Why this matters: If people can’t find you organically, you’re relying entirely on word-of-mouth and direct referrals. That limits your growth. Search visibility expands your reach exponentially.
What’s likely happening:
- Your site isn’t optimized for search engines (missing meta descriptions, poor keyword usage, slow load times)
- You don’t have enough content (Google favors sites that publish regularly)
- Your site structure is confusing for search engines to crawl
The path forward: Start with basics—optimize your homepage and key pages with clear, keyword-rich content. Then build momentum by adding blog posts, case studies, or updates that keep your site active in Google’s eyes.
Red Flag #12: You’re Managing Your Website Instead of Your Career
You spend hours troubleshooting plugins. Googling why your sidebar disappeared. Watching YouTube tutorials about mobile responsiveness.
Meanwhile, you could be:
- Writing your next book
- Preparing for your next keynote
- Building relationships with decision-makers
- Creating a curriculum for your program
Why this matters: Your time is finite. Every hour you spend fixing your website is an hour you’re not spending in your zone of genius.
The question worth asking: What would it be worth to hand this off to someone who actually understands WordPress—and understands the author journey?
The Truth About These Red Flags
Here’s what I’ve learned after years in the publishing world, working with authors at every stage:
Most of these issues are invisible to you. You’re living inside your website every day, so you stop seeing what’s broken. But the event planner who is visiting for the first time? They see everything.
And they’re making decisions fast.
If your site loads slowly, they’re gone in 3 seconds.
When your contact form doesn’t work, they’ll never tell you.
If your bio is outdated, they’ll assume you’re not actively speaking.
None of these red flags are unfixable. But they do require someone who knows what to look for—and how to fix it without rebuilding from scratch.
What Happens When You Fix These Issues?
I ran a website audit for an author a few months ago. She’d been frustrated because speaking inquiries had slowed down, but she couldn’t figure out why.
Turns out, her contact form was broken (Red Flag #1). Her mobile site was nearly impossible to navigate (Red Flag #3). And her speaking topics were so vague that planners couldn’t figure out what she actually talked about (Red Flag #7).
We fixed all three in a single afternoon.
Within two weeks, she had three new speaking inquiries.
That’s the power of a website that actually works.
Where to Start
If you read through this list and felt that sinking feeling of “oh no, my site has at least half of these problems,” I get it. It’s overwhelming.
But here’s the good news: You don’t have to fix everything at once.
Start with the checklist.
I’ve turned these 12 red flags into a free downloadable checklist you can use to assess your own site—no tech experience required. It’ll show you exactly what’s working, what’s broken, and what to fix first.
Download the Free Checklist: 12 Website Red Flags for Entrepreneurial Authors
Walk through it this week. See where you stand. Then decide what makes sense for you.
Maybe you tackle a few fixes yourself. Maybe you realize it’s time to hand this off to someone who gets it. Either way, you’ll have clarity—and that’s the first step toward a website that actually opens doors instead of costing you opportunities.
A Final Thought
Your book is a credential, not just a product.
Your website should be opening doors to speaking gigs, nonprofit partnerships, consulting opportunities, and the kind of impact you’re meant to have in the world.
If it’s not doing that—if it’s actually costing you opportunities you’ll never even know about—it’s time to fix it.
You’ve built something that matters. Your website should reflect that.
Get the Free Checklist: 12 Website Red Flags for Entrepreneurial Authors
About the Author:
I’m Sarah Mays, a website steward for entrepreneurial authors. I’ve been in the publishing trenches—editing manuscripts, designing covers, bringing stories into the world. I know what it feels like to hold creative work, and I understand what it costs when your online presence doesn’t match the quality of what you’re building.
I protect your digital presence so you can focus on stages, books, and building what matters.
Want to talk about your website? Email me: Sarah@MaysCreative.co
Ready to fix what’s broken?
If your site has multiple red flags and you’re ready to hand it off to someone who gets it, I offer three ways to work together:
- Website Audit ($97) – Find out exactly what’s wrong in 3 business days
- Website Refresh – Elevate your existing site in 2 weeks
- Website Stewardship – Hand off all maintenance, updates, and troubleshooting
