5 Best website builders for authors and tips

In this article, you’ll find all you need to build a beautiful author website. I offer tips and tricks for building an author blog and my list of the best author web builders. I discuss my personal experience building an author website, as well as the builder’s pricing, features, templates, editors, and more. Continue reading to find out how you can use a website builder to create a custom author blog to showcase your writing.

Best website builders for authors by Cybernews

1. Wix – best website builder for authors overall
2. Hostinger Website Builder – cheap website builder for authors from $2.54/month
3. SITE123 – beginner-friendly website builder for authors
4. Squarespace – premium author website builder
5. WordPress + Builder – a powerful customizable platform for authors

📢 Limited offer: Get Wix with 50% OFF

Tips for building an author website

Contrary to popular belief, creating an author website is easier than it may seem. Of course, there are a couple of things to consider, but rest assured – even if you’ve never built a website before, the process is simple if you use a good quality website builder for authors. Here’s my step-by-step guide to building an author website:

Step 1: consider your purpose

Think about what your website is for: do you want to update your fans on your writing progress, get book deals, or grow your audience? Maybe all three at once? Clarifying answers to these questions can help you decide which website-building platform works best for what you want to achieve.

Step 2: consider what is your brand

Whether you’re a romance novelist, a non-fiction essayist, or a fantasy writer, having a clear image of your brand is essential when creating your personal author site. This is your brand, and you want your website to reflect it in every detail.

Knowing what you want to say will help choose the website themes, layouts, and the content you put on it.

Step 3:choose a web builder or a blogging platform

Once you have your purpose and your brand figured out, it’s time to get closer to building the site. This means choosing a suitable platform – one that contains blogging functionalities, or even eCommerce tools if you want to sell what you wrote. Scroll below to see my list of the 5 best website builders for authors.

Step 4: build your author website

Once you’ve chosen a website builder or a blogging platform, let the building begin. All my recommendations in the list below offer site templates specifically for blogs and authors. So, choose one, and start filling your new site with content. You can add anything you want – a blog for regular updates, a forum for interactions with your communities, a contact page, and even an e-shop.

Best web builders for authors: why are they best for me?

For my website builder for authors recommendation list, I tested and reviewed %%numberofreviews_websitebuilders%% web builders. In the detailed overviews below, I discuss pricing, features, my experience in building an author website, the best value plans, as well as what kind of authors the web builder is best for.

1. Wix - the best author website builder in 2024

Visit Wix

Wix is my top website builder for authors. Thanks to its design flexibility with over 800 templates, an intuitive drag-and-drop editor, and an ADI website generator, it is suitable for both beginner users and seasoned website-building professionals. Additionally, it offers a free version, and the introductory price for the entry plan is just $10.50/month.

Here’s what you can expect with Wix:

• A full-featured blogging platform: The builder comes with a very functional built-in blogging platform. When I tested it, I was pleased how easily and quickly I can create a simple blog post. Plus, the platform includes SEO tools, and you can use various design elements as well.
  
• Artificial design intelligence (ADI) and drag-and-drop editor: Wix comes with 2 different editors. Depending on your level of experience, you can either choose to get your site automatically generated by Wix ADI or create one yourself, by using a template and the builder’s flexible drag-and-drop editor.
• Extensive App Store: While Wix has a pretty impressive amount of advanced features, the provider also offers a large third-party app store, where you’ll be able to find plenty of useful extensions for your marketing campaigns and more.
  

Building a website for authors with Wix

What is amazing about Wix is that you can choose either a quick and easy website-building process or a more challenging but rewarding one. All you have to do is pick how you’d like to build your site. The builder comes with 2 separate editors, a traditional and 100% flexible drag-and-drop editor, and an ADI (artificial design intelligence) automatic site generator. I found both to be fast and super easy to use. I recommend choosing ADI if you’re a complete beginner, and the drag-and-drop editor if you want more control.

If you go with ADI, all you have to do is answer a few questions, and the builder will quickly generate a website that you can further personalize. However, with the traditional approach, you can choose from over 900 modern and responsive all-purpose templates. With a choice as wide as that, you’ll definitely find plenty of options suitable for a beautiful author site.

Once you choose a template, you’ll be Once you pick the one for you, you’ll be redirected to Wix’s flexible drag-and-drop editor that allows you to place elements anywhere on the site. Add anything you wish: links to social media accounts, contact forms, reader reviews, book listings, a blog, and more. Wix also offers a blogging platform with plenty of built-in analytics and SEO tools for better site performance.

Wix pricing

Wix offers a free plan for building a basic website. The other 4 plans are paid. I recommend choosing the Light plan, with a starting price of $10.50/month, for your author’s blog. It is fairly affordable, includes 2GB of storage, and you can invite collaborators. However, if you’d also like to include an online store, then the Core plan will be better. All 4 plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee and everything you need for a strong start – a free domain for a year, an ad-free experience, as well as 24/7 customer care.

Who should pick Wix? Wix is an extremely versatile builder for all types of content. Whether you’re a romance novelist or a non-fiction writer looking to connect with your audience, Wix offers all you need for the most simple to sophisticated author site.

Who should avoid Wix? If you’re a complete beginner in website building, Wix’s abundance of customization options can be overwhelming and confusing at first. While it’s great to use if you already have a vision, I recommend going with a more easy-to-use provider for a simpler start.

2. Hostinger Website Builder – affordable builder for beginners

Visit Hostinger Website Builder

Hostinger Website Builder is my other favorite builder for an author’s website. It is a very affordable, highly functional, and modern builder for any author with any vision. With its simple-to-use drag-and-drop editor, advanced AI tools with the WordPress plan, and good marketing and SEO features from just $2.54/month, you are guaranteed to build a beautiful site in no time.

This is what you can expect:

• Beginner-friendly blogging tools: These are already built into Hostinger Website Builder's editor, meaning that you can easily edit, design, and publish your blog posts without any coding needed. Hostinger also offers WordPress plans if that’s your preferred content management system – and there’s a helpful AI assistant to guide you through it all. SEO tools are also available to improve your search content.
  
• Advanced AI tools: Hostinger Website Builder offers an AI heatmap that shows you suggestions on where to place important information, like a CTA button or an announcement, on your site. More so, an AI Writer could generate some content instead.
• Flexible editor: Hostinger Website Builder comes with an easy-to-use drag-and-drop editor that enables you to create a functional site by adding numerous pre-designed elements to your site. Additionally, its premade grid system also helps to navigate the element placement more easily.
  

Building a website for authors with Hostinger Website Builder

When creating an author website, Hostinger Website Builder allows you to either start with a template, build completely from scratch, or use the AI website creator. The drag-and-drop editor is very beginner-friendly and allows you to easily add, delete, or rearrange pre-designed elements. Plus, you could also expand the existing functionalities with things like a contact form, subscribe form, and book reviews.

However, if you wish to build a site yourself, Hostinger Website Builder has over 150+ modern templatespre-designed all-purpose templates to choose from. While there are no author-specific templates, all themes are responsive, well-structured, and professional-looking.

As for Hostinger Website Builder's blogging platform, it’s very easy to navigate. Additionally, the builder lets you drag and drop various design elements on your blog posts without any coding.

Hostinger Website Builder pricing

Hostinger Website Builder offers two plans, with a starting price of $2.54/month, which is as cheap as it gets. Hostinger Website Builder also offers a demo version to test the editor before committing, and there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee too.

Who should choose Hostinger website builder? Both beginners and professionals will benefit from Hostinger website builder. I recommend this builder for authors who value freedom and choice when it comes to building their site – Hostinger offers a lot of functionalities and opportunities for optimization.

Who should avoid Hostinger website builder? Hostinger doesn’t offer author-specific templates, so if you prefer more strictly writing-related themes but don’t want to spend too much time customizing and modifying them, other website builders might be better for you.

3. SITE123 – easy-to-use builder for minimal author site

Visit SITE123

SITE123 is my other great candidate for authors looking to create a simple yet functional website. The builder offers quick and simple website creation with many functionalities available, with a starting price of $12.80/month. With it, you can get a dynamic author’s website up and running in minutes.

Here are some of SITE123’s main appeals for authors:

• Functional built-in blogging platform: SITE123 offers a very functional blogging platform where you can easily post and manage your content. Additionally, the blogging platform also comes with its own analytics, so you can track and improve all your posts’ performance individually.
• SEO Adviser app: This tool is great for both beginners and experienced users as it analyzes your website and suggests changes to boost your site’s search engine ranking. And higher ranking could help in attracting more visitors.
• Multi-language support: If you go for the Advanced plan or any higher, SITE123 allows you to add additional languages to your website. By offering content in different languages, you can broaden your audience.

Building a website for authors with SITE123

As the name itself suggests, with SITE123, you can have a site ready in just 3 steps. Log in, pick a type of website you wish to build and edit the generated site. Alternatively, you can pick a template and build your site on it. Regardless of the approach, you’ll be working with a very beginner-friendly section-based editor.

First, SITE123 has over 160+ simple templates all-purpose templates. While they’re not the most modern, they are pretty, functional, and responsive. While there are no writer-specific ones, any template can be altered to fit your design needs.

The editor is pretty simplistic in terms of design flexibility. However, you can easily add elements like contact forms, a portfolio, images, posts, and many more. You can even mix different templates to get a truly unique site.

Of course, no author’s website is complete without an active blog. So, you’ll be glad to know that SITE123’s blog manager is intuitive and straightforward, with SEO and analytics already built in to ensure that your posts reach the right people.

SITE123 pricing

SITE123 has 5 plans that cost between $12.80/month and $45.00/month. There’s also a free plan, but it’s very limited. There’s also a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Who should choose SITE123? SITE123 will be great for you if you’re looking to build a very simple author’s blog and don’t require a lot of advanced functionalities. It’s great for keeping your fans updated and publishing excerpts of your writing.

Who should avoid SITE123? If a complicated site with a lot of media, functions, and pages is what you want, SITE123 might not be enough for you. I recommend considering builders like Wix or Hostinger website builder.

4. Squarespace – premium minimalistic author site builder

Visit Squarespace

Squarespace, in my opinion, is a good website builder for any author looking to build a visually captivating website. Although the builder is on a slightly more premium end, with prices starting at $16.00/month, the templates are visually appealing and will help you create a unique author’s site.

Let’s take a closer look at what Squarespace offers:

• Built-in blogging platform: Squarespace comes with a very functional and easily customizable blogging platform that you can use to engage with your audiences and drive more traffic to your site. Additionally, you can adjust SEO settings for each blog post individually.
• Excellent site-wide SEO and marketing settings: For better website optimization, Squarespace offers pretty extensive site-wide SEO tools. More so, for easier advertising, the builder also includes features like email campaigns, promotional pop-ups, profiles, and many more.
• Social media integration: You can integrate links to your Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram platforms, right there, on your site.
• Good eCommerce tools: If you go for at least a Business plan or up, you get a fully integrated eCommerce platform that enables you to easily sell your products.

Building a website for authors with Squarespace

Squarespace makes author website building very easy. Once you log in, all you have to do is name your site, pick a template, and start editing it to your liking.

For starters, Squarespace has over 160+ modern templates sleek-looking all-purpose templates to choose from. Although there are no writer-oriented options, all templates are modern, vibrant, and elegant, so you should have no trouble finding the perfect background and layout for your bestseller.

Once you do find the one, you are redirected to the builder’s section-based editor, which enables you to further customize your site. Simply add, delete, and move the sections and blocks within your chosen template. Squarespace has many pre-designed blocks like contact forms, social media links, and even an event calendar to make your site one of a kind.

As for blogging, Squarespace comes with a comprehensive blogging platform. The tool is pretty straightforward and easy to use. You can easily create content, add buttons, and manage each post’s SEO setting to make the most out of it.

Squarespace pricing

Squarespace has 4 plans, with prices ranging from $16.00/month to $52.00/month. In addition, if you simply wish to test out the builder’s functionalities, Squarespace offers a free 14-day trial. All plans with a free custom domain, an SSL certificate, unlimited bandwidth and storage, SEO features, and basic website metrics.

Who should choose Squarespace? This website is great for authors who prefer a modern and minimal site and visual media to complement their writing. It’s great if you’re looking to advertise your writing and brand.

Who should avoid Squarespace? Despite beautiful templates, Squarespace can appear a little limiting if you want to fulfill a unique vision. So I don’t recommend Squarespace to authors who prefer a lot of customization and space to make drastic changes.

5. WordPress + builder – advanced blog platform for authors

Visit Bluehost for WordPress Hosting

WordPress is a free content management system (CMS) and the original blogging platform that enables you to create any website you wish. You can customize every aspect, plus you also own everything on your site. However, to use WordPress, you still need to install it on a website builder like Hostinger Website Builder.

Let’s see what you can expect from WordPress itself:

• WordPress is the original blogging tool: WordPress, in its essence, is a blogging platform. It’s easy to use, customizable, and can be heavily optimized for search engines.
• Full control over the website: WordPress is open-source software that you can either run on your computer or host it with the help of hosting services. Either way, you own the website’s content and all the rights to it. You can easily sell books, courses, and more without additional expenses except for the monthly hosting fee.
• Can be paired up with a website builder plugin: WordPress comes with its own templates that you can slightly modify. However, to further extend the customization options, you can install a website builder plugin.
  

Building a website for authors with WordPress + builder

Building an author's website is just as easy as with any other website builder. First, WordPress comes with a neverending selection of themes that can be further customized. More so, for even more design freedom, it can be paired up with a website builder. As for blogging, WordPress sets the bar with its platform. It is the OG blogging platform, after all.

Let’s talk about templates first. There are quite literally thousands of free and paid WordPress themes to choose from. You can find anything from simple site templates to designer-made writer-oriented ones.

For more design freedom, pair your WordPress with a compatible builder like Wix or Hostinger Website Builder. The builder extension will enable you to create a very personalized site in minutes.

WordPress is the ultimate blogging platform. All tools, features, and available extensions are meant to help you create a highly optimized blogging site. The interface is very intuitive and comes with everything you to write your blog.

WordPress + builder pricing

WordPress itself is free, but you do need to pay for hosting. The latter’s price will depend on what kind of hosting solution and plan you need. For most websites for authors, the cost can be kept below $10/mo. Two very popular hosting solutions include Bluehost (from $1.99/mo) and DreamHost (from $2.59/mo). Both providers put extra emphasis on WordPress hosting and even come with their own website builder extensions that are WordPress compatible.

Who should choose WordPress? WordPress is a great CMS choice for those who want top-tier optimizations for their content and full control over the presentation of their writing.

Who should avoid WordPress? If you’re not that experienced in working with a CMS, WordPress might take time to get used to. So for those looking for simpler solutions, I recommend choosing a website builder with an integrated blogging platform.

How we tested web builders for authors

The Cybernews research team and I test and evaluate all products to ensure all our recommendations are experience- and evidence-based. Here’s a short breakdown of how I tested website builders for authors:

1. Out of the best website builders, I chose and did an initial ranking of 5 based on whether they include features and functionalities beneficial to authors. For example, I prioritized builders with blogging platforms, easy-to-use editors, and templates for authors and writers.
2. I then tested and reviewed these website builders by building my own site. I noted how easy the builder editor is to navigate, whether I could find and integrate design elements easily, and whether the blogging and SEO options were good for adding and optimizing content as an author.
3. Further, I looked into the general features, such as storage, useful plugins, social media integrations, tools for SEO, analytics, eCommerce, email marketing, and more.
4. I also considered the pricing and plans of each website builder. I noted whether the builder offers free plans or introductory discounts, and which features are available with each pricing tier.
5. Finally, after testing and evaluations, I considered the price-to-value ratio and decided on the final ranking of the 5 best website builders for authors.

Best website builder for authors: final recommendations

If you’re an author, having a captivating presence online is crucial – for keeping in touch with your audience, and publishers, and spreading word about your craft. With the right website builder, you can create your own blog, store, or landing page in just a couple of hours.

My favorite website builder for authors is Wix – it offers plenty of customization options, beautiful writing- and publishing-focused templates, and is easy to navigate and use. With the starting price of $10.50/month, you can easily build an author website that represents your writing and brand best.

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