When narrowing down which author website builder is best for beginners, consider the apparent benefits for someone who is building a website for the first time.
This article will explore top beginners friendly website builders designed specifically for writers, focusing on their unique features, pricing, and user-friendliness.
What does an author do?
Well they write.
But they also need a website.
This will help them get in touch with readers and help them promote their brand.
Hence, it’s important to get the right builder, as it makes writing easier by eliminating the constant battle with technical aspects.
Why Do Authors Need a Website?
Having a website is essential for authors in the digital age for several reasons:
1. Control Over Online Narrative: The best method for an author to self-publish and market their book is to do so via their own website.
A professional website enhances an author’s reputation, presenting them as serious writers and showcasing their expertise and achievements.
2. Showcase Work: So how can they promote themselves through their websites?
Authors are able to dedicate web pages for their books with descriptions, covers and links for buying them.
In addition, they can also have a blog for detailing thoughts and for announcing shows which can terribly excite people to read them.
3. Engage with Readers and Expand Reach: Through a website, authors can engage their audience more through newsletters, contact forms and the likes.
This adds to the loyalty.
Moreover, it is a very good marketing tool since there is a strong potential for reaching out to more readers by means of SEO and useful posts on valuable pages.
What Makes the Best Author Website Builder for Beginners?
Here are the major characteristics that one should expect from a good website builder for beginners:
Usability
To begin with, usability is a major issue for most of the starters.
Most of the reputable website builders have easy to use drag-and-drop type builders and simple dashboards for easy navigation on the platform.
This means that the authors would be able to develop and personalize their sites without having to know the nitty-gritty’s of the backend or programming.
Two of such websites are Wix and Olitt which have friendly editors which allow quick and easy configuration.
Templates Designed for Authors
Templates can prove useful for authors, thus having them at hand is indispensable.
Such templates should have a professional design that can be used to display a portfolio, book cover and more.
Builders such as Squarespace and Hostinger offer beautiful templates that meet the needs of the authors.
They hence make it easy to build a good-looking site which represents the author’s brand.
Cost
Many who build their first websites have budget considerations which come into play.
A good website builder should provide reasonably priced options like free trials or plans which allow the user to test the features before payment.
For example, Websites such as Wix and Olitt offer users free plans or at low premiums for writers who can barely afford to purchase them.
Customization Flexibility
Customization flexibility is another important factor.
Such tools that enable them to make changes on the website for branding purposes should be in existence for the authors.
This comprises easily changing layouts, colors, fonts and contents of the website.
Authors should be able to create websites that suit their distinctive styles through customization.
SEO Characteristics
Last but not the least, built-in SEO functionalities should be essential to the ranking of the author’s website.
It is wise for a contractor web builder to have available fits that help with the optimization of the website such as customizable meta tags, alt text for images and easy linking to analytics tools.
This capability helps increase the number of authors’ sites’ visitors and consequently their fans.
Top Website Builders for Beginners
Setting up a website or a web page can be a tedious task for anyone.
There are so many website builders available and each one has its own set of features and benefits.
Following is a list of the aforementioned builders with a quick summary of their features:
Wix:
Click and drag simplicity.
Free with paid options starting at $14/month.
Helpful, and eye-catching 900+ templates.
Build a site or email marketing with ready-made SEO and Artificial Design Intelligence features.
Squarespace:
An easy to use section-based web page builder.
Use it for up to 14 days for free, then plans begin at $16 monthly.
Great options for portfolios, giving your pages a clean and appealing layout.
Tools for blogging are built-in, plus some analytic metrics to monitor web page progress.
Olitt:
Very easy to use due to its effortless registration process that makes use of the already made templates.
There is a free offer and a reasonable price on the premium subscriptions.
Templates meeting contemporary standards that are specifically designed for writers and other creative personnel.
Fast setup without any Google Analytics integration and easy to use customization features.
Weebly:
A very basic interface to build a page just by clicking and dragging the elements in place.
Paid plans start at $6 monthly and there is always an option to use it for free.
Amazing simple templates for writers with practical elements.
Great built-in SEO capabilities to put the page on the map, also able to run stores via e-commerce.
WordPress.com:
A very detailed and configurable building block but a bit more complicated to begin with.
It is free to create an account but there are some limitations, therefore, paid subscriptions start at $4/month.
A great place to get amazing themes which will help you stand out, there are many specifically designed for authors.
Due to integration of thousands of additional apps, this version of wordpress is perfect for those who want to expand later on.
GoDaddy Website Builder:
A very simple assistant for creating your web page due to automatic settings for most fields.
There are plans from $10 and up.
Keep Uses of Templates at a minimum, as they are useful but few in comparison to the other options available.
Standout Benefits: Off-the-shelf integration with promotion tools of the site.
How to Choose the Best Builder For You
Choosing an appropriate website builder is an important decision for writers who want to go online.
Here are essential factors which will help you in making the right choice:
Set Your Objectives
In the beginning, before heading into website builders, it is prudent to set out your objectives.
Ask yourself what results you want your website to achieve.
For instance:
Selling Books: If your main objective is to use your site for book sales, explore the option of builders that incorporate e-commerce functionality.
Building an Email List: If creating emails for readers through newsletters is important, look for a site that allows easy incorporation of email sign up and marketing tools.
Portfolio Promotion: Select appropriate builders if you are an author who intends to use the core of the site for posting portfolios and works of art with templates.
Assess Your Requirements
The first one to be taken into consideration will be your requirement perspective of the website builder.
There are several websites that do not charge an order or offer a free first session that enables you to explore their services without spending any money.
This way, you can get to know better the specifics about particular builders.
So compare the prices at different builders regarding what you get for what price and how much every service costs.
Values should be comprehensive without compromising quality.
Evaluate Support and Resources
It is crucial to evaluate the support level and resources associated with the chosen website builder.
This encompasses:
1. Tutorials: Seek out site builders who have a manual or video guide that assists you in the setup process.
2. Customer Support: A reasonable degree of customer’s assistance is important especially for beginners to the field since they will encounter problems.
3. Community Forums: Strong communities are telling because as you grow your site they can continue to help you with useful suggestions.
Step-By-Step Instructions in Creating Your First Author Website
Creating your first author website can be fun and professionally rewarding.
This is because you will self-promote what you have created as well as showcase it to potential readers.
Hoping you’ve already secured your builder, let’s go through the process of creating the best author website for beginners!
Here’s a quick methodology of how to deploy your website correctly;
1. Choose a Website Builder
Decide on a website builder from the list above like Wix, Squarespace, Olitt, Weebly, WordPress.com or GoDaddy.
Consider templates for authors, ease of use, and cost as criteria for the most appropriate service.
2. Choose a Domain Name and Hosting Plan
Pick and register a domain name that acts as a representation of the author branding.
As much as possible, it should be either your name or a slight change of it (for example: yournameauthor.com) which would enable readers to easily search for you online.
Depending on the website builder you choose, you might also have to select a hosting plan.
This is because some website builders and management tools such as Squarespace and Wix have their Hosting as part of their packages whereas, others, such as WordPress.com would require you to buy separate hosting services.
3. Select a Template and Edit as you Wish
Search for and find a template that best suits your style and is great for featuring your work.
Templates created specifically for authors where the content can be organized and highlighted well will be a big plus.
Feel free to modify the template to your liking, This includes:
→Your bio
→Covers of the books you’ve written
→Blog articles or normal articles
And anything else which you feel defines you as an author.
4. Add Important Features
To assist in the usability of the website and its overall experience, integrate the following important features:
Incorporate forms where readers and publishers can fill them out and hand them in for communication with ease.
Include links to your social media accounts (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) to enable the audience to follow you on other platforms.
Ensure proper SEO settings are done on the website for it to be ranked.
The settings include adding meta, inserting keywords, and including images but with image text description.
5. Publish and Promote Your Website
When all the settings and integrations are finished:
In this section, you will be checking whether aspects such as texts, visuals, and videos are in their desired place and whether they work as they are meant to.
All hyperlinks should be checked for accuracy as well as responsiveness for other mobile devices.
If everything looks alright after using the Site Preview function then proceed to click the publish option.
Advertise your newly created website via Facebook or Twitter, email marketing or writing forums to gain traffic.
Conclusion
With the right builder, creating the best author website is a fundamental and feasible process of enhancing your online visibility especially for beginners.
When you follow the right procedure, it is possible to design an adequate website that will present your publications and attract some readership.
Therefore, with this in mind, it’s time you begin, if you have been looking for the best author website builder for beginners.