Indie Author Website Builder Comparison
Having your own author website is critical to building your platform, connecting with your readers and marketing your books.
However, as an indie author, you don’t have time to master yet another aspect of running your bookish business. You need a website builder that is easy to learn and update, as well as one that will evolve as yours and your readers’ needs change.
With a wide variety of website builders, all touting they’re the best for YOU, how do you decide?
Shopify, Squarespace, Wix, and WordPress are four popular website building platforms used by authors, and for good reason.
As with most things, there are pros and cons to each, and today’s post seeks to provide a look at these four popular website building platforms to help you decide which would best fit your needs as an indie author.
Shopify vs. Squarespace vs. Wix vs. WordPress: Which is Best for Author Website Design?
You’ll see that there is much more information under the section about Squarespace than about any other website building platform. That is because after extensive research, I determined that Squarespace best fit my needs and the needs of my business, and I can speak firsthand to its ease.
While I have absolutely no regrets about my decision, my hope is the following is helpful as you weigh the pros and cons of the four builders to determine which would best support you and your author website.
Shopify
Since Shopify is intended to be used to build e-commerce sites, it includes the ability to sell a wide variety of products, whether digital or physical. It even includes its own payment processor, so there is no need to use PayPal, Stripe, or such.
Because Shopify is first an e-commerce platform, it excels at this with its specialized features; however, if the need to create a more design focused site arises, the backend process of doing so in Shopify is not as streamlined.
Click here for current plans and pricing.
Squarespace
As a tool to help small business owners create and maintain their own websites, Squarespace originated in 2003.
Since then, Squarespace has evolved with the times, continuing to add features that are easy to learn and use for the indie authors who are looking to have an all-in-one platform that grows with them.
PROS
Squarespace runs their own servers, so there is no need to pay for a separate hosting service nor to install any software.
Since you’re not able to self-host with Squarespace, they are responsible for security. This is huge!
Speaking of security, the free SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate shows Google your site is secure, thus further boosting your site’s SEO.
Nearly 200 templates serve as a great starting point. You can then easily use their drag-and-drop feature to make the design your own without the use of any code.
The site is easy to edit and to update.
All sites look good, no matter the size of the screen. Every site can be easily formatted for desktop and mobile.
SEO optimization is built in, so there is no need to pay for and to install additional plugins.
Additionally, if you pay annually, you get a free custom domain name. This is huge, as you can claim your author name at no extra cost.
Free customer support is available 24/7. I have found this to be more than adequate without having to pay for any upgrades.
Squarespace offers a two-week free trial, which allows you to build your website before paying for a subscription.
Integrated e-commerce allows you to sell your books directly!
Easy to understand analytics help you make design and marketing decisions.
Squarespace is constantly adding new features to make sure your author website grows with you! For example, you can manage your author newsletter via Squarespace Campaigns.
Click here for current plans and pricing.
Wix
Wix is another popular choice among small business owners who need to build an online presence. Their e-commerce tools would allow you to sell books online.
Wix is the most similar to Squarespace in terms of ease, features and functionality, and it was the other platform I seriously considered before deciding on Squarespace.
PROS
The drag-and-drop editor makes it easy to customize your author website.
Offers more than 900 templates
AI tools are available for ultimate design and content creation capability.
SEO tools help enable your site to be found by search engines.
E-commerce functionality
Email marketing capability
Social media integration
Website analytics
Third party app integration
Site security via a free SSL certificate and secure online payments
24/7 customer support via phone
CONS
More expensive, but it does offer a free (limited, plus ads) plan that might be worth trying.
Limited storage space except with their most expensive plan.
Once your website is live, you’re unable to use a different template.
The many options can be overwhelming.
Click here for current plans and pricing.
WordPress
WordPress is the OG website building platform, and because of that, many people are familiar with it.
Furthermore, it’s highly customizable thanks to the fact that it offers a self-hosted option, as well as a library of plugins and templates.
With that flexibility, however, comes the need for knowledge and the time to build your website and to maintain it.
What’s a plugin? Plugins are software that are added to provide additional functionality or customization. While plugins can add a lot of cool effects to your site, they also add an extra cost. Please also be aware that they can add security issues, as well needing to be continually updated.
CONS
Requires the installation of a plugin to help ensure all of the SEO opportunities are optimized.
You will need to educate yourself on the differences between WordPress.com and WordPress.org.
Ongoing site support and maintenance fees area additional.
Additional security plugins may be needed.
Since WordPress.org is self-hosted, there is no free customer support available to help if you get stuck, or if something is not working. This often requires true website developer knowledge to fix.
Click here for current plans and pricing.
A note about templates:
No matter which website builder you go with, templates can be a great way to get ideas for your own website. Plus, they can serve as a jumping off point when designing your site.
Please note, though, that you don’t have to stay within the confines of the design. You can definitely make your site your own!
A note about coding:
While the ability to code opens up a wide array of cool possibilities, please consider the extra cost and knowledge it will likely take to make even simple changes, let alone more significant ones.
As your business grows, you’ll want your author website to grow and evolve with you and your needs.
You’ll likely want to update your author website quite frequently!
New book
New cover
Showcase reviews
Signing events
New photos
Merch and swag
Will you or someone on your team be able to quickly and easily make these additions, as needed?
Which site builder is right for your indie author website?
Regardless of where you are in your journey, having your own indie author website is imperative. It is your single most important marketing strategy, and it’s the way you build community!
Although there is much to think about and to do when it comes to crafting and then maintaining your website, please know you do not have to do it alone!
Mint Copy Services offers affordable options.
From never having a website before, to having a full-blown multi-page site, and everything in between, Mint Copy Services has got you covered.
Not sure what you need? Let’s chat and plot next steps together!
Your supportive side character,
Lisa
Your supportive side character,
Lisa