7 Best Website Builders for Authors [2023] – Professional Websites for Professional Writers
Modern authors need to have an online presence. Creating a website as your hub that connects readers to all of your social media, your books, and upcoming events is smart.
So, which is the best website builder for authors? We took our site builder expertise and paired it with the needs of writers to select the top seven websites for authors.
What is the Best Website Builder for Authors?
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- Wix – best overall
- Weebly – best for authors on a budget
- Site 123 – best for authors with minimal tech experience
- WordPress – best for blogging and coding yourself
- Strikingly – best for an affordable, simple webpage
- Squarespace – best for authors with various businesses connected to their books
- GoDaddy – best for authors who don’t want the hassle of building a site
| Overall Score (/5) | Free Plan/Trial? | Starting Plan (/month) | Templates | Apps | 24/7 Support | |
| Wix | 4.3 | Free plan | $13 | 500+ | Y | Y |
| Weebly | 4.1 | Free plan | $6 | 50+ | Y | Y |
| Site 123 | 3.7 | Free plan | $12.80 | 180+ | Y | Y |
| WordPress | 3.7 | Free plan | $4 | 300+ | Y | N |
| Strikingly | 4.2 | Free plan | $8 | 29 | Y | Y |
| Squarespace | 4.2 | 14-day free trial | $12 | 60+ | N | Y |
| GoDaddy | 3.8 | 30-day free trial | $10 | 100+ | N | Y |
1. Wix – Overall Score: 4.3
Best overall website platform for authors
Ease of Use: 4.5/5
Design Flexibility: 3.5/5
Website Features: 5/5
Help and Support: 4.5/5
Value for Money: 4/5
We love Wix for authors because of their excellent customer support and intuitive design. Wix is ideal for those who want a quality, professional-looking website but also don’t want to spend weeks learning how to build a DIY site.
Pros:
- Simple apps and you can add in eCommerce to sell books from your site
- Ideal for beginners and more professional use, but still offers creativity for authors
Cons:
- You can’t change your template once your site is up and running
Ease of Use: 4.5/5
Sites like WordPress are fantastic for those who are hardcore bloggers or prefer a do-it-yourself website. However, many authors need more time to write, not to spend learning a website platform. Wix has so much creative versatility while you design your site, but you don’t have to know any coding.
One especially interesting component of Wix is their Artificial Design Intelligence or Wix ADI. With Wix ADI, you answer some questions about your site and business, and Wix can provide a full website based on your information.
Design Flexibility: 3.5/5
There is no shortage of templates to select from when you’re designing your Wix site. Several dozens of pre-made designs are either specifically designed for authors and writers, as well as layouts that are more general but can work just as well for a novelist.
The one significant downside to using Wix for your author website is that you can’t change your template once it’s gone live. If you’re a writer who likes to change up your online aesthetic a lot, this could be more of an issue.
Website Features: 5/5
The website features on Wix are plentiful, and many are ideal for authors. With the click of a button, you can add all sorts of apps to your website. Some of these work especially well for writers.
Sell Downloads
Sell Downloads is an installation that allows you to sell digital copies of books, short stories, or any other digital document for your writing business. We love this feature for authors, in particular, as it gives writers the option to sell books through other platforms but make higher profits with eBooks on their site.
Blogging
Wix Blog makes it super simple to start blogging directly on your webpage. Keeping your blog on your website can help drive traffic to your site, and also makes it easier if you’re not an expert with WordPress blogs.
FlipFolio
FlipFolio enables you to add book-like 3-D animated pages to your website. This design feature is fantastic for authors to bring their webpage to life while keeping within the writing theme. You can add snippets from books or quoted reviews of your novels with this installable feature.
Help and Support: 4.5/5
Wix knows there are a lot of web-building novices with fantastic business ideas, but limited knowledge of coding and technology. That’s why you can find help buttons all over the site with quick links to questions and answers.
Their email and phone support are only available Monday through Friday, 5 am to 5 pm EST.
Value for Money: 4/5
For the user support, the number of features, and overall professional look of a Wix website, the cost is pretty decent. It’s not the cheapest option, so it might be a little over-budget for new authors looking for the most affordable platform.
There are four non-eCommerce plans (price per month):
- Combo: $13
- Unlimited: $17
- Pro: $22
- VIP: $39
There are also four eCommerce plans (monthly):
- Business basic: $23
- Business unlimited: $27
- Business VIP: $49
- Enterprise: $500
2. Weebly – Overall Score: 4.1
Best for authors on a budget
Ease of Use: 4/5
Design Flexibility: 3.5/5
Website Features: 4/5
Help and Support: 4/5
Value for Money: 5/5
Weebly offers exceptional value, with one of the best starting prices for a professional-looking website.
Pros:
- Fantastic value for authors on a budget
- Plenty of apps to integrate into your site
Cons:
- The majority of apps require the premium plan
- The blogging functionality is not the best out there
Ease of Use: 4/5
Weebly has the simplicity of a drag-and-drop editor, much like Wix. You don’t have to toggle back and forth between editing and your live preview, because the changes you make to your website are real-time.
Design Flexibility: 3.5/5
If 40 templates are plenty for you to choose from, designs shouldn’t be a significant issue for you. However, compared to competitors, 40 templates is not a ton. You also don’t get quite as sleek and modern options as platforms like Squarespace.
Website Features: 4/5
Ecommerce upgrades
If you’re big on selling books from your website (not just through a platform like Amazon), you can bump up your account to sell and take payments right from your site.
Drag and drop design
A drag and drop builder is one of the easiest to use when starting a new website, and Weebly makes it simple for authors to get their site up and running quickly.
App center
Some of the apps require a premium account, but there’s no way you’ll need all of the over-300 apps Weebly has in their store. Plenty of apps make it simple for writers to integrate features into their site that link social media, provide space for a basic blog, and so forth.
Help and Support: 4/5
There are three primary ways to get customer support with Weebly.
You can work with live chat Monday through Friday from 6 am to 6 pm PST, and Saturday to Sunday from 8 am to 5 pm PST (many competitors do not offer live chat on weekends).
Phone support is also available from 6 am to 6 pm PST, and support tickets are answered 24/7.
Value for Money: 5/5
When it comes to cost, Weebly sails ahead of much of the competition.
Weebly’s plans per month:
Personal: $6
Professional: $12
Performance: $26
With the personal plan, you get 500MB of storage, have access to premium features, and can connect your domain. With the performance plan, you can accept payments via PayPal if you want to sell books directly from your site.
3. Site 123 – Overall Score: 3.7
Best for authors with minimal tech experience
Ease of Use: 5/5
Design Flexibility: 2.8/5
Website Features: 2.8/5
Help and Support: 4.5/5
Value for Money: 3.5/5
Site 123 is limited in its functionality, but for those who are novices with technology, it could be the most straightforward platform to use.
Pros:
- Excellent live chat support
- One of the most straightforward sites from which to build a basic website
Cons:
- Extremely simplistic website options
- Templates are not modern in style
Ease of Use: 5/5
Site 123 has one of the simplest setups of the platforms we listed here. You answer questions for your website, and a design-assisted builder generates your site and template based on your input.
Design Flexibility: 2.8/5
You’re limited in flexibility with design here. The templates look a bit outdated compared to platforms like Squarespace. However, if you don’t want to mess with design, you don’t have to give it much thought, either.
Website Features: 2.8/5
Like the lack of flexibility, you don’t get much in the way of features. Site 123 is best for businesses that don’t blog on their website and only want to incorporate a call-to-action (such as “buy my books here”).
Help and Support: 4.5/5
The support through Site 123 is almost as good as its simplicity. They have live chat available 24/7, and you can also get help through email and their social media accounts. A forum with several troubleshooting issues is also accessible.
Value for Money: 3.5/5
There are two plan options: a free plan and premium.
Premium is $12.80 monthly.
With premium, you get a free domain for a year, more bandwidth, and storage, and you can include eCommerce on your site.
4. WordPress – Overall Score: 3.7
Best for blogging and coding yourself
Ease of Use: 3/5
Design Flexibility: 3.4/5
Website Features: 4/5
Help and Support: 3.5/5
Value for Money: 4.5/5
WordPress is well known for a reason—it’s excellent for blogging. Lots of information exists to help you get set up on WordPress, although the learning curve is steeper than elsewhere.
Pros:
- Affordable, one of the best prices for a website depending on the plan you select
- Ideal for sites focused more on blogging than anything else
Cons:
- Templates don’t allow for much design alterations
- Steep learning curve/must know code to customize details of pages
Ease of Use: 3/5
We only recommend WordPress for those who plan to blog and want little else going on within their website. Most templates focus on blogging, and attempting to set up a full business through WordPress is a challenge.
Design Flexibility: 3.4/5
There are plenty of places to find WordPress templates on the web, but again, you’ll find most of them are for sites dedicated to blogging.
Website Features: 4/5
SEO
Not only are there plugins (WordPress’s apps) for SEO, but you will also rank higher with SEO if your site is an active blog than a more traditional website with limited information.
If you learn to write blog posts for the modern internet user, you can capitalize on this aspect of your site and drive a lot more traffic than you would with a simple landing page minimal on keywords.
Plugins
WordPress works with plugins on the back end, which are essentially apps to add to your site. You can install plugins covering everything from security features and analytics to social media integrations and eCommerce elements.
It’s vital to note that WordPress is a DIY type of platform, so things such as an SSL certificate and page security are features that you need to research and install on your own.
Help and Support: 3.5/5
WordPress is a do-it-yourself hosting platform, so there is no dedicated support. This issue can become very time consuming for those who want to learn all the ins and outs to building their page.
You can find endless videos and online guides from fellow WordPress users to guide you through issues and setting up your blog. There is a bit of a learning curve, and WordPress can be frustrating to use at times.
Value for Money: 4.5/5
The amount of work it takes to build your website with WordPress makes it worth it for many when the price comes into play. WordPress has a free plan, so if you’re on the tightest budget and just want to drive traffic to a site to get new readers, WordPress can be fantastic.
Other monthly plan prices:
- Personal: $4
- Premium: $8
- Business: $25
5. Strikingly – Overall Score: 4.2
Best for an affordable, simple webpage
Ease of Use: 4.5/5
Design Flexibility: 3.5/5
Website Features: 3.3/5
Help and Support: 5/5
Value for Money: 4.5/5
Strikingly is best for those who want one, simple page on their website, and don’t want to hassle with much else.
Pros:
- Affordable and straightforward to use
- Excellent user support
Cons:
- Only for single-page sites
- Limited features beyond basic templates
Ease of Use: 4.5/5
When it comes to design flexibility, you won’t get much with Strikingly. What you do get is a super simple website platform that works well for authors who don’t need a lot of bells and whistles.
Design Flexibility: 3.5/5
Design flexibility is not Strikingly’s strong point. You get set templates, and you can’t do a whole lot outside of those to alter your site a ton.
You can only create a single-page site with Strikingly, so you’re limited if you want to have a business that will grow beyond such a simple website.
Website Features: 3.3/5
Email integration
The pro plan allows you to integrate email with the MailChimp app, and you can even take part in Facebook live chat with this plan.
Social media
The free version allows you to link social media accounts back to your home website page.
Domain and SEO
Like many web builder platforms, you can buy your domain through Strikingly and register it for a full ten years. The site also gives you an SEO checklist to provide you with a primer if you’re unfamiliar with the essentials of search engine optimization.
Help and Support: 5/5
Online chat is available 24/7, which is a fantastic feature for a slightly lesser-known web hosting platform. The site also has tutorial videos to help you along if you don’t want to deal with a support person.
Value for Money: 4.5/5
Strikingly is a relatively affordable platform for those who want added features beyond the free plan (yes, they have a free option).
Plans per month are as follows:
Limited: $8
Pro: $16
VIP: $49
The limited plan allows you to sell up to five items (books, merch, or signed copies if you like), build two sites, and you get your domain free for one year. For the price, that’s not too bad.
6. Squarespace – Overall Score: 4.2
Best for authors with various businesses connected to their books
Ease of Use: 3.5/5
Design Flexibility: 4.5/5
Website Features: 4.4/5
Help and Support: 4.5/5
Value for Money: 4/5
Pros:
- Fantastic for authors with lots of social media links
- Excellent marketing and SEO tools
Cons:
- Only built-in features/no app store
- Less intuitive to use than some competitors
Ease of Use: 3.5/5
Squarespace lands somewhere between Wix and WordPress when it comes to the ease of use. It’s nowhere near as daunting as WordPress for novices, but it’s not quite as intuitive as Wix.
Design Flexibility: 4.5/5
The flexibility of design is one area we think Squarespace shines over competitors like Wix. You’re not locked into a template once your site goes live. We also believe Squarespace has one of the most professional-looking sets of templates of all platforms.
Squarespace websites are also mobile responsive, so they look fantastic on the phone, too.
Website Features: 4.4/5
SEO
Squarespace has such top-notch SEO that we did a dedicated review on it. For authors who are especially interested in capturing the top of the search engine result page (SERP), then Squarespace is an option to consider.
Social media
If you’re a writer with a strong social media presence that you stay on top of, this is an element you will love. There are plenty of social media integrations for all sorts of platforms, and you can grab info from your various social media accounts to paste right onto your website.
Blogging
Writers write, so having a blog is a vital marketing tool for many authors. If you want your blog and website in the same place, Squarespace has easy functionality for creating a beautiful blog with impressive image quality as part of your site.
Help and Support: 4.5/5
You can use live chat Monday through Friday business hours and 24/7 email support.
We like that Squarespace also has 24/7 Twitter support, which is an appealing option for those who don’t use email much or are active on social media.
You can also find plenty of video tutorials as well as a community forum for questions about Squarespace.
Value for Money: 4/5
Squarespace provides a 14-day free trial period, but they do not have an entirely free option once those two weeks are up. There are four plans in all, two non-eCommerce and two eCommerce.
All of the following prices are per month:
- Personal: $12
- Business: $18
- Basic Commerce: $26
- Advanced Commerce: $40
7. GoDaddy – Overall Score: 3.8
Best for authors who don’t want the hassle of building a site
Ease of Use: 4/5
Design Flexibility: 3.5/5
Website Features: 2.8/5
Help and Support: 4/5
Value for Money: 4.5/5
With their Artificial Design Intelligence, you can have your site running fast, and get back to writing books.
Pros:
- Affordable, especially with the economy plan
- Excellent support
Cons:
- Less intuitive and more restrictive to make creative changes after site is up
- Not ideal for data tracking from linked websites
Ease of Use: 4/5
GoDaddy has Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI) that allows you to fill out questions regarding your business and can auto-generate your basic website.
For authors who don’t want to spend a week fiddling with a website and would prefer just to get it up and running, GoDaddy is worth considering. You don’t get a ton of creative control after your website is up, though.
Design Flexibility: 3.5/5
While you can’t necessarily get as creative with layouts and design elements, GoDaddy has over 100 themes you can choose from if you want to alter the overall look of your site.
Website Features: 2.8/5
Domain names
There are other places you can register a domain name, but GoDaddy has one of the world’s largest registries of domains.
Analytics
You can integrate Google analytics into your webpage with ease on GoDaddy’s platform. This element can be extremely helpful in tracking your website’s traffic and where your readers might be.
Social media
Currently, you can integrate icons to link out to your social media, but that’s the extent of social media functions at this time. For most authors, this is enough to work with
Help and Support: 4/5
If you’re comfortable with the phone, you can get phone support with GoDaddy 24/7, which is fantastic for users who prefer someone to speak with them.
You can also work with live chat, Monday through Friday from 5 am to 6 pm.
A help forum is available, and some videos online from other users who can walk you through issues.
Value for Money: 4.5/5
There is no free plan with GoDaddy, but they do give you a 30-day free trial.
All prices are per month:
- Basic: $10
- Standard: $15
- Premium: $20
- Ecommerce: $25
Blogging is a function within the basic plan, so this will work well for many authors. If you want to get more competitive and needs improved SEO functionality, the standard plan is a better bet.
The 7 Best Websites for Authors Roundup
As a writer, some of the most crucial parts of your website are providing information, selling books, linking to your social media, and (hopefully) offering a blog to drive traffic.
Some authors will need more or less to their page, depending on press, events, or other parts of their business like speaking engagements. That’s a lot to keep up with, not to mention writing books.
So, we recommend Wix as our top pick for most authors thanks to its easy setup, intuitive design, quality service, and reasonable price. Still, let’s recap our list of seven one more time:
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Wix
-
Weebly
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Site123
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WordPress
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Strikingly
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Squarespace
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GoDaddy
If a blog is your primary focus, and you will only sell books through a publisher or an online retailer like Amazon, WordPress is another option to consider seriously. It takes a little time to learn your way around WordPress, but once you do, it’s a fantastic platform for all sorts of blogging.
Do the research and pick the best option for you, but remember, it’s easy to get distracted with your website. Find something simple and straightforward, then get back to writing those books!
