Few people can benefit more from a Web site than authors. A simple do-it-yourself site can provide a huge visibility boost at very low cost.
Before you begin planning your site, consider your target audience and what type of information you want to give them. Will your site be a topic-driven site, or a personality-driven site? Topic-driven sites usually work best for nonfiction, and if you continue writing related books, you'll have a built-in audience for those new books. Personality-driven sites can work well for fiction writers and those with famous names.
Whatever your approach, the goal is to provide content your target audience finds worthwhile.