The author website debate has been going on for years, and the answer has genuinely shifted. In 2010, every piece of publishing advice said you needed a website before your book came out. In 2025, the picture is more nuanced — a good author website is a real asset, but a bad one is a waste of time and money, and no website at all is often better than the wrong website.
Here's an honest assessment of what a website can and can't do for you, what to put on it, and when to skip it entirely.
What an Author Website Actually Accomplishes
Let's be clear about what a website is for. It's not primarily a discovery tool — readers don't browse the web looking for new authors the way they browse Amazon. Your website is unlikely to be found by cold readers unless you have strong SEO and are writing in a niche with informational search demand (nonfiction, particularly).
What a website does do well:
- Provides a professional home base. When readers, bloggers, reviewers, or media professionals search your name, your website is the authoritative result. It signals legitimacy.
- Hosts your email signup. Your website is the permanent home of your email list signup — all roads (social bios, back-of-book links, Amazon author page) can point here.
- Organizes your catalog. When you have multiple books, a clean books page is genuinely useful for readers who want to find where to start or read in order.
- Handles media and press. If you get press coverage, podcast invitations, or speaking opportunities, journalists and hosts will look for a professional page with your bio, photo, and contact info.
- Captures search traffic for nonfiction authors. If you write nonfiction on a searchable topic, a website with a blog or resource section can drive significant organic traffic over time.
The Minimum Viable Author Website
Most authors build far more website than they need. A cluttered website is worse than a minimal one — it dilutes the signal and buries the most important action (subscribing to your list or buying your book).
The pages that actually matter:
Home Page
A clear statement of who you are and what you write. Your newest or most important book prominently featured. A prominent email signup offer. Links to buy your books. That's it. The home page should load fast, look professional on mobile, and have one obvious next step.
Books Page
Each book listed with: cover image, short description (2–3 sentences), buy links (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Kobo, or just Amazon if you're KU-exclusive). For series, list them in reading order with clear labeling. Keep it clean — this page is functional, not decorative.
About Page
A professional bio in third person (for press use) and a more personal version in first person. Your author photo — a real, recent one, not a blurry selfie. If you write in multiple genres or under a pen name, clarify that here. What you write, why you write it, where you're from. Keep it focused: readers want to connect with you, not read your life story.
Contact Page
A simple contact form or email address. Specify what kinds of messages you welcome. If you accept review requests, say so. If you don't respond to pitches, say that too. Clear expectations save everyone time.
Email Signup (on every page)
Your email signup should appear in the navigation, in the footer, and as a dedicated signup page with your reader magnet details. Don't bury it. The email list is the most important thing your website produces — make it easy to find and sign up.
What NOT to Include
These are the most common mistakes that make author websites ineffective:
- A blog you don't update. A blog with the last post dated three years ago actively harms your credibility. If you won't blog consistently, don't have a blog. A static website that's well-designed is better than an abandoned one with blog posts.
- Every social media icon in the header. Linking readers away from your website to social platforms means losing them. Include social links in the footer if at all, not as the first thing readers see.
- Elaborate splash pages or intro animations. They slow your site down, they annoy mobile users, and they have zero marketing value. Skip them.
- A "coming soon" page that stays for months. If your website isn't ready, don't launch it. A placeholder page with nothing on it is worse than no website — it suggests you started something and didn't finish it.
- A stock photo of a quill pen. Yes, this still happens. Use your actual book covers and a real photo of yourself.
Platform Options: What to Build On
You don't need a developer to build a professional author website. Here are the most practical options:
Squarespace — $16–23/month
The best option for most authors who want a polished result without technical complexity. The templates are beautiful, mobile-responsive by default, and the drag-and-drop editor is genuinely easy to use. The built-in ecommerce (if you want to sell direct) and email marketing integrations are solid. Slightly more expensive than alternatives but saves significant time. Best for: authors who want a professional result without a learning curve.
Wix — Free to $17/month
More flexible than Squarespace but the flexibility comes with more complexity. The free tier shows Wix ads on your site, which looks unprofessional — use the paid plan. Good template selection. The SEO tools have improved significantly. Best for: authors who want maximum design control at a lower price point.
WordPress — Free software, $5–15/month hosting
The most powerful option, but also the most complex. Self-hosted WordPress (wordpress.org, not wordpress.com) requires choosing a hosting provider, installing WordPress, selecting a theme, and managing plugins and updates. The payoff is total control and the best SEO capabilities. Themes like Kadence or GeneratePress make it possible to build a professional site without coding. Best for: nonfiction authors who need strong SEO and blogging functionality, or authors comfortable with tech who want to save on ongoing costs.
Your Domain Name
If you do nothing else on this list, register your domain name. Your name as a domain (yourname.com) is worth owning even if you don't have a website yet — it costs $10–15/year and prevents someone else from claiming it. Buy through Namecheap or Google Domains. Keep it simple: yourname.com. If that's taken, yournameauthor.com or yournamewriter.com are acceptable alternatives.
What to Put in Your Author Bio
Your bio does more marketing work than most authors realize. A few principles:
- Lead with what you write, not your credentials. "I write dark romance about broken people finding each other" is more compelling than a list of workshops you attended.
- Include one or two personal details that make you human. Where you live, what you do when you're not writing, a pet or an obsession. Specificity builds connection.
- Mention your newsletter and what subscribers get. The bio is another signup opportunity.
- Keep the third-person version concise. Press bios should be 100–150 words. Anything longer won't be used.
The Case for Not Having a Website (Yet)
If you're writing your first book and haven't published yet: don't build a website now. Your time is better spent finishing the book, then editing it, then getting your cover designed. Build the website in the 60–90 days before launch, when you actually have something to show readers.
If you write Kindle Unlimited genre fiction and your marketing is primarily Amazon ads and your email list: your books page, email signup, and Amazon author page may be all you need. Readers in romance, thriller, and similar genres rarely seek out author websites the way literary fiction readers might.
If you hate maintaining websites and know you'll let it go stale: a landing page (just your email signup and reader magnet, via MailerLite or Kit's built-in page builder) is more effective than a multi-page website you never update.
Speaking of professional editing: your website can direct readers to your books, but the books themselves determine whether those readers come back. Before you invest in any online presence, make sure your manuscript is ready for the attention. EditRoast delivers professional editorial feedback in 24–48 hours, so you can launch with confidence.