Authors need a website for a variety of reasons.
First, it serves as an online portfolio that showcases your work and allows potential readers to learn more about you and your writing.
An author website is also a great way to market yourself and build a larger audience. You can use it to share updates on your work, share excerpts of your writing, and even offer exclusive content to your followers.
A website also allows you to make a direct connection with readers by providing easy ways for them to contact you. Ultimately, having a website is an essential part of being an author in today's digital age so without further ado, here are the best website platforms for you to build your author website.
Here are the three best website builders for authors:
Wix is a drag-and-drop website builder that's designed for users of all experience levels. It offers a wide range of features, such as customizable templates, a mobile app, and an SEO Wizard. It's easy to use and has a wide selection of templates to choose from.
With Wix, you can quickly create a professional-looking website with no coding knowledge required. You can also easily add a blog, online store, or even a members-only section to your website.
Wix also offers a variety of third-party integrations and apps that can enhance your author website, such as email marketing tools, chatbots, and more. The downside of using Wix is that it can be expensive if you want access to additional features.
WordPress is an open-source platform that's widely used by bloggers, businesses, and other types of websites. It offers a range of features and plugins, allowing you to customize your site however you like. Many online businesses use WordPress for its SEO optimization advantages and endless options for design.
The downside of using WordPress is that it can be quite time-consuming to learn, set up, and maintain. It's not as user-friendly as other platforms and requires more knowledge and maintenance on your end. Basically, if you aren't tech-savvy or a coder and you can't afford to pay someone else to run your website, this might not be the best fit for you.
When using Wordpress, you'll need to either use paid hosting, either through WordPress directly or through a trusted integration partner like Bluehost.
Check out this comparison chart from Hubspot for more details on choosing your host:
If you want to use WordPress but aren't a coder, we highly recommend using Elementor. In short, it's a hosting platform that allows you to use WordPress but as a drag-and-drop website builder.
Elementor is a powerful page builder that allows you to quickly and easily create professional-looking pages without any coding knowledge. Elementor's wide range of customization options makes it perfect for creating unique designs and its drag-and-drop features make it easy to create complex pages without any coding knowledge. Combining Elementor and WordPress makes it easy to create powerful, visually appealing, and functional websites in no time.
Systeme.io is a website builder designed specifically for entrepreneurs. It offers a wide range of features, such as custom domain names, email marketing, and funnels. It's also easy to use and offers a wide range of templates to choose from.
The major plus is that you can get started for free but you will need to purchase a domain for self-hosting from somewhere like NameCheap, GoDaddy, or Bluehost.
Systeme.io also has built-in email marketing which is convenient but there's a bit of a learning curve to using it. Once you hit 2,000 email subscribers, you'll have to upgrade to a paid version of Systeme.io but that buys you lots of time to build your following.
Can I just use a free site for my website?
While it can be tempting to use a free website, here's why you shouldn't:
Professionalism
Let's be honest, it looks amateur if your audience is taken to sitename.wordpress.com or username.wix.com/sitename. It also makes it incredibly difficult for people to find you.
Security
Free websites don't offer the same level of security as self-hosted sites. This means that your website may be vulnerable to malicious attacks from hackers.
Performance
Self-hosted websites can be optimized for higher performance and faster loading times, while free websites generally have limited performance capabilities and slower loading times.
Control
With a self-hosted website, you have full control over your website, including the ability to add or remove features, customize the design, and make other changes as needed. With a free website, you won't have the same degree of control.
Flexibility
Self-hosted websites provide you with more flexibility and customization options, allowing you to create a website that is tailored to your needs. Free websites provide fewer options for customization.
Support
Self-hosted websites may offer more access to technical support, while free websites may have limited or no support options.
Branding
With a self-hosted website, you can create a unique author website that reflects your brand and is easily recognizable to your customers. Free websites typically have more generic designs and may not be as reflective of your brand.
Cost
While free websites may be initially cheaper, self-hosted websites offer better long-term value for money.
Having a self-hosted author website is an important part of your online presence. With a self-hosted website, you have complete control over how your website looks, what content is displayed, and how often it is updated. Additionally, you can also choose features such as email marketing, analytics, and e-commerce options.
In terms of which platform is best for children's book authors, it really depends on what you need from a website. Wix is great for users of all experience levels, WordPress is great for those who are more tech-savvy, and Systeme.io is a low-cost platform for those who are self-starters and don't need more advanced features. Ultimately, it's up to you to decide which platform best meets your needs.
Disclaimer: This blog post may contain affiliate links to products we enjoy using ourselves. Should you choose to use these links, At Home Author may earn affiliate commissions at no additional cost to you.
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