If you are an author of any kind and want to get online and create a website that will emphasize and showcase your talent and work, you have come to the right place. In this article, we will share our top 7 picks for the best website builders for authors for 2024 and go into detail about what makes each of them an excellent choice for you. Thus, you will be able to pick which one you like best and create a website that will genuinely showcase and spread the word about your work to billions of people.

You can see our complete list of the best website builders for authors via our conversion chart below and learn more about each of them and how they compare with each other by continuing to read this article further. So, without further ado, let’s jump in and see which are our top 7 best authors’ website builders!

Check our Top 7 Best Authors Website Builders:

1. Squarespace – best for selling books and other content online
2. Wix Website Builder – best for its extensive collection of templates

How Do We Test and Rank?

Choosing the website builders that offer the best services and features from a large pool of options is not as easy as one might think. A lot of research and testing goes into the process, and not everyone has the time to do it. That is why we have developed our own ranking system, which we used to develop our list of the best website builders for authors for 2024.

Our ranking system involves putting each builder through a series of tests and buying plans from each provider to see firsthand what each provider offers and test out their plans.

Also, each builder is ranked based on five factors that our experts see as the most important for building a great authors’ website. Each factor is assigned a specific percentage that indicates how important each factor is in building a website fit for authors. The factors include:

• Template Design (20%): are the templates the builder offers suitable for authors, does the builder offer attractive designs, are the designs mobile-responsive, does the builder offer any templates designed specifically for authors;
• Customization (25%): can you edit and personalize your website, what kind of customization options does the builder offer, the level of customization freedom you will get;
• Ease-of-use (15%): how easy it is to use the builder’s tools and dashboard, is the dashboard easy to navigate, is the control panel easy to navigate, does using the builder require coding skills, is the builder suitable for beginners, does the builder have a steep learning curve;
• Features (30%): what kind of features does the builder offer, does the builder offer any features suitable for authors, can authors sell their work with the builder;
• Pricing (10%): is there a free plan, is there a free trial, are the builder’s prices generally affordable and are the features the builders provide worth the price of the plans.

How to Choose the Best Website Builder for Authors?

When choosing which is the ideal website builder for you, you need to take into consideration what you need from it first. So, first, you need to decide what your priorities are – do you only want to show snippets of your work via a blog, do you want to sell books or stories, do you want to sell subscriptions or all of the above.

However, there are a few other things you should look for from your website builder, including:

• Well-designed and high-quality templates – since your website will represent you as an author and will be a direct gateway between you and your readers, it needs to look good, to say the least. Thus, it would be best to always look for a builder that offers the highest quality templates. Also, some builders offer designer-made templates, so you should keep an eye out for those as well.
• Extra features – another thing you need for your website are some author-specific features like the ability to add a blog, reader reviews, comments, etc.
• Support – choose a builder that is available to you in case you have any issues, and that can be easily reached at all times. It would be best to look for a builder that offers 24/7 live chat support, phone support, email support, or a ticketing system.
• Pricing – make sure that the prices you will pay suit your budget. Also, make sure that you will be able to afford the plan long-term since you will be maintaining your website for years to come.
• eCommerce functionality – choosing a provider that also allows you to create and add an online store to your website is another essential factor you should look out for when picking a website builder. Even if you don’t want to sell now, you might want to later, and having that option available is always a plus.
• Marketing tools – when it comes to marketing tools, you should look out for builders that offer tools like SEO guides, SEO optimization, keyword optimization, email marketing, and social media integrations.

1. Squarespace – Best for Selling Books and Other Content Online

• Overall Score: 4.7
• Template Design: 4.8
• Customization: 4.7
• Easy-to-use: 4.6
• Features: 4.7
• Pricing: 4.6

Squarespace is another popular user-friendly website builder. It is a builder that is primarily focused on design and provides design-centric templates that are both unique and professional. The builder was explicitly made for creatives, so it is an ideal fit for authors looking to get online.

Pros:

Cons:

Thanks to its advanced eCommerce features, Squarespace is best for creating an online store. It is an ideal fit for authors who want to add an online store to their websites where readers can buy books, merch, and other products.

Unique Features:

eCommerce Features

Squarespace offers numerous high-quality templates designed specifically for online stores. The templates are fully-customizable, and you can change them whenever you want, even after you launch your website.

With Squarespace, you can showcase your products in the best light, allow your readers to browse your merch, add products to their carts, and check out quickly. You can also sell services with Squarespace, sell digital content like e-books, sell subscriptions, and more.

Users can also schedule appointments and manage checkouts, payments, and taxes all in one place. Building an online store with Squarespace is pretty straightforward and involves six steps:

• Browse Squarespace’s template collection, choose the one you like best and start your free trial or purchase a plan from the get-go;
• Register or transfer a domain name;
• Set up your online store by adding your books and other products and connecting a payment processor;
• If you want to sell services, you can set up appointments via Squarespace scheduling;
• Customize your store by adding elements and categories;
• Use Squarespace’s marketing and SEO tools to grow your online business.

Templates

As we mentioned, Squarespace is built specifically for creatives and offers numerous high-quality, design-centric templates, including templates for:

• Art & Design;
• Photography;
• Health & Beauty;
• Personal & CV;
• Fashion;
• Professional Services;
• Local Businesses;
• Community & Non-Profits;
• Food;
• Entertainment;
• Travel;
• Restaurants;
• Media & Podcasts;
• Events;
• Weddings;
• Real Estate & Properties;
• Home & Décor;
• Nature & Animals.

Overall, Squarespace is an excellent website builder that offers plenty of powerful and valuable features. It is best known for its online stores, so it is ideal for creating a unique online store where you can sell books, merchandise, and other kinds of products and services. If you want to learn more about Squarespace, you can do so by reading our expert review on the builder.

2. Wix – Best for Its Extensive Collection of Templates

• Overall Score: 4.9
• Template Design: 5.0
• Customization: 4.9
• Easy-to-use: 5.0
• Features: 4.9
• Pricing: 4.9

Wix is a popular website builder that offers affordable prices, excellent customization options, an intuitive drag-and-drop builder, ADI functionality, and more. It has been around for more than a decade now and has amassed a large customer base with millions of satisfied users.

No matter if you want to build a business website, an author’s website, a blog, an online store, or any other kind of website, Wix is an excellent choice regardless.

Pros:

Cons:

Wix is best known for its high-quality, designer-made templates. It also offers numerous powerful features suitable for all kinds of websites.

Unique Features:

Templates

Wix’s templates are fully customizable and suitable for all kinds of businesses. Wix’s template collection is one of the largest on the market, and users can choose from hundreds of templates suitable for all kinds of purposes, including:

• Business & Services – including consulting & coaching, services & maintenance, advertising & marketing, technology & apps, real estate, finance & law, automotive & cars, farming & gardening, pets & animals, health & wellness websites, beauty & hair, fashion & style, travel & tourism websites, restaurants & food, professional CV, etc;
• Online Store – including stores for fashion & clothing, jewelry & accessories, arts & crafts, home & décor, beauty & wellness, food & drinks, sports & outdoors, electronics, kids & babies, books & publishers, and more;
• Creative – including templates for photography websites, design, music, creative arts, portfolio & CV, video, etc.;
• Blogs – including personal blogs, food & travel, news & business, arts, fashion & beauty, sports & wellness, podcasts, etc.;

Marketing Tools

Everyone needs powerful marketing tools for their websites so that they can promote their business and grow it online. And Wix offers precisely that. Some of the marketing tools that Wix offers include:

• A personalized SEO plan – with Wix’s personalized SEO plan, you will be able to get an SEO setup plan, index your site on Google, and more;
• Advanced SEO tools – with Wix’s SEO tools, you can customize your website’s meta tags, structured data, .txt file, and more;
• Email Marketing – Wix’s email marketing features include an intuitive email editor, email automation, advanced data analytics, and more;
• Visitor Analytics – with Wix’s analytics tools, you can get insights into your website’s traffic and how your visitors behave;
• And more.

Wix is an excellent website builder and is one of the best ones in the market. With it, you will get all the features you might need for your author’s website and create a website that suits your needs best. If you want to learn more about Wix, you can do so by reading our expert review on the builder.

Next Steps in Building the Perfect Authors’ Website

After choosing a website builder that best suits your needs, there are a few other essential things you need to do before publishing your website. Those steps include:

• Register a domain name – a domain name is what readers will type into their browsers to find your website. Essentially, a domain name is the name of your business. If you already have a domain name, most website builders usually allow you to transfer it to them either for free or for an additional fee. When registering a new domain name, you should aim to include your website’s name in it or your own name if you are using it for your website. Also, avoid using book titles as your domain name because it will not make sense when you write and publish a new book in the future. You should also avoid using dashes in your domain name because it does not look good and may come off as unprofessional.
• Choose a theme – building a website with most website builders usually involves these two steps – registering a domain name and then choosing a theme for your website. Make sure to choose a theme you like and feel like it represents your brand and values.
• Customize your website – this step involves editing your theme and customizing it with your own content like a logo, photos, and other elements.
• Add pages – if you want to build a one-page website, you can skip this step.
• Edit your menu – some themes will automatically add each page you create to your menu. However, you can edit the menu and rearrange everything the way you like through your builder’s dashboard.
• Set up your email list – setting up an email list can help you a lot as an author. Through it, you can send automated emails to readers via which you can promote new content, sales, and many other things. Also, you can use it as a newsletter and update your readers about upcoming releases or events.

What Should an Authors’ Website Include?

Before getting into what kind of content an authors’ website should include, we would like to mention that everyone is free to add whatever they want to their websites. However, there are a few standard pages that all websites should include, like:

• Home Page – The homepage will be the first thing readers see when they click on your website. Sure, you can always skip adding one and have your blog be the first thing readers see, but having a home page is a bit more professional. Your home page can include elements like a featured book photo, email signup list form, endorsements, a link to your blog, etc.
• About Page – An About Page is an essential part of every website, regardless of whether it’s an author’s website, business website, or any other type. Here you can share a little bit about yourself, your work, your vision, goals, etc. However, make sure to keep it short and exciting, and avoid writing your whole life story.
• Contact Page – Here, you can share ways via which readers can contact you, like email, social media, etc.
• Books Page – another great page you can add to your website is a page dedicated to all of your work. Here, you can add photos of your books and links where readers can buy them. Also, you can add a short description of each book so that readers have a feel of what the book is about.

Final Remarks

Promoting and putting your work online can reach billions of people at the same time. Putting your work online is the best way to spread the word about it in this day and age. Of course, not all authors have the technical expertise to build a website on their own. Fortunately, website builders exist and can easily help you get online and showcase your content. Also, website builders are usually affordable and won’t put a big hole in your pocket.

You can use our recommendation system to choose a website builder for your website since we have already conducted all the necessary research and testing needed to determine which builders are the best of the best. So, if you want to avoid spending hours and hours researching which builders are better than others and you want an expert opinion, you can use our recommendation system and choose a website builder in a matter of minutes!