How to Make an Author Website (Step-by-Step Guide for 2026)
Here is how to make an author website: buy a domain, pick a builder or WordPress, publish five pages (home, books, about, newsletter, contact), connect an email list and submit the site to Google. Most authors can use a hosted builder rather than WordPress, and Hostinger is listed first here because its promotional price is the lowest of the options covered. Its Premium plan is listed from $2.49/month (as of October 2026) on a 48-month term, $119.52 upfront, and renews at $10.99/month.
Choose Hostinger if you want a low-cost, all-in-one setup and don't mind a prepaid multi-year term. Choose WordPress if you want full control, plugins, or a blog that will grow into a large site. Choose Squarespace or Wix if you'd rather pay more for a different editor, or (Wix only) want a free starting point.
One note on method: this guide is built from published pricing pages and documentation, not a hands-on build of every platform. Prices change often, so check the live page before you pay.
The short version: how to make an author website
- Decide what the site must do (sell books, collect emails, or both).
- Register a domain with your author name.
- Choose a builder or WordPress.
- Publish the core pages.
- Connect a mailing list.
- Set up basic SEO and Google Search Console.
- Launch, then update it when you publish.
Still drafting the book itself? Our roundup of the best writing software for authors covers that side. This guide is about the home you build for readers afterward.
Step 1: Decide what the site is for
A reader lands on your site for one reason: to find your books or learn who you are. Everything else is secondary. Pick one main goal, usually "get visitors onto my email list" or "send them to buy the book," and build around it.
Keep the scope small. Five pages cover the essentials: home, books, about, newsletter and contact. Everything beyond that has to earn its place.
Step 2: Register your domain
Use your author name as the domain, ideally the .com, such as yourname.com. If it's taken, try adding "author" or "books" rather than hyphens or odd spellings. Readers type names from memory, so simpler wins.
Register the domain in an account you control, even if your builder offers it free. On Hostinger, a free domain comes with plans of 12 months or longer. That's for the first year only, so check the renewal price before you rely on it.
Step 3: Choose a builder or WordPress
This is the decision that causes the most dithering. Here's the plain version.
| Hosted builder (Hostinger, Squarespace, Wix) | WordPress (self-hosted) | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup time | An afternoon | A weekend, plus learning |
| Maintenance | Handled for you | Updates, plugins, backups |
| Flexibility | Limited to the editor | Nearly unlimited |
| Best for | Authors who want to write, not tinker | Authors planning a big blog or custom features |
The core WordPress software is free, but hosting, a domain and any paid themes or plugins add costs. You'll also be the one updating things.
Why Hostinger is listed first
Hostinger sells both routes under one roof. Its plans include AI generation with drag-and-drop editing, plus a prompt-based builder, and the Premium plan covers up to 3 websites with 400+ templates. That's enough for an author site and a side project, such as a separate pen-name site.
Hostinger's Premium plan can also be used to build with WordPress instead of the AI builder, still with up to 3 websites and a free first-year domain, so you can pick either route. For a fuller look, read our Hostinger website builder review for authors.
The honest downsides:
- Renewal jump. The promo price is $2.49/month, but the plan renews at $10.99/month, more than four times as much.
- Prepaid terms. The headline price is for a 48-month plan, billed upfront at $119.52.
- No permanent free plan. Hostinger's AI builder doesn't offer one, though both building modes can be tested free with no card, starting with 5 free AI credits.
- Refund fine print. The 30-day money-back guarantee applies as long as fewer than 30 credits have been used, so don't burn through credits experimenting if you might want a refund.
Start with Hostinger if you want the cheapest sensible route and are comfortable committing for a few years. Skip it if you want a free plan, need a short commitment, or don't want the renewal jump.
Step 4: Build the pages (what to put on an author website)
You'll often see "author website examples" used as inspiration. Rather than copy a famous author's site, copy the structure that works. Here it is page by page.
Home
Lead with your book, not with yourself. A simple hero section shows a large cover, a one-sentence statement of what you write, and a button toward a sample or purchase. Include your name, a clear headline, your latest or most important book, and one prominent call to action. Put your signup form where people see it without scrolling.
Books
Give every book its own page with the cover, title, description, formats, reviews or endorsements, and clear purchase options. Link to several retailers, such as Amazon, Bookshop, Kobo and Apple Books, so readers can buy where they already have an account. Set buy links to open in a new tab so readers can easily return to your site.
If the book isn't live yet, our guide to self-publishing a book walks through getting there. For clean interior files, see the best book formatting software.
About
Combine your story, a useful biography, a good author photo, and any credentials that matter to your readers. Write it for readers, not as a résumé. Close with a next step, such as joining the newsletter.
Newsletter
Give people a reason to sign up. A specific offer, like a free prequel novella, is more compelling than a generic "sign up for my newsletter." More on this in Step 5.
Contact
Keep it short. Use a built-in contact form instead of printing your email address, which helps avoid spam. Say who should write to you (readers, press, rights inquiries) and roughly how fast you reply.
Media kit (optional)
You don't need one on day one. If you're actively pursuing publicity, speaking, interviews or podcasts, a simple media page makes it much easier for people to cover you. A downloadable PDF with a bio, headshot and cover images is plenty.
Blog (also optional)
A blog helps SEO if you enjoy writing updates, but it isn't required. A dead blog with a post from 2023 looks worse than no blog. Skip it unless you'll keep it going.
Step 5: Set up your mailing list
Your email list is the one audience you own. Social platforms change their algorithms, but a list travels with you. Pick a tool before you finish the site so the signup form goes live on day one.
| Tool | Free plan | Paid starts at | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kit | Up to 10,000 subscribers | $33/month billed yearly (1,000 subscribers) | Free plan is limited to one basic automation and carries Kit branding on emails |
| MailerLite | 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/month (cut in mid-2026) | $12/month (Comfort, monthly billing) | Free tier shrank in 2026 |
| beehiiv | 2,500 subscribers | Lite plan, priced by list size (new plans from October 2026) | Newsletter-first design |
Prices as of October 2026. Sources disagree on exactly which automation limits apply to Kit's free plan, so confirm before you plan a welcome sequence around it.
Hostinger's higher-tier plans list a free year of AI email marketing for up to 100 subscribers, so check whether your plan includes it. A dedicated tool like Kit gives you more room to grow. Kit's free tier allows the most subscribers of the three, so it is the easiest place to start; try Kit and connect its form to your homepage.
Step 6: Handle the SEO basics
Author sites rarely rank for generic terms, and that's fine. The goal is simple: when someone searches your name or book title, your site comes first. A few habits get you there.
- Use your name and book titles in page titles and headings. Write "Jane Smith | Author of The Salt Road" rather than "Home."
- Add alt text to cover images with the title and author name.
- Give each book its own URL, not a gallery on one page.
- Verify your site in Google Search Console and submit a sitemap. Connect your site to Search Console, which is free and takes little time. Then open the Sitemaps report under Indexing, paste your sitemap URL and click Submit. Most website builders generate a sitemap automatically, and on many platforms it sits at yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml. On WordPress, an SEO plugin usually creates it.
Search Console is at search.google.com/search-console. Expect a few days or weeks before your pages show up.
Step 7: Launch, then keep it current
Before you publish, load the site on your phone, click every buy link and submit your own signup form. Check that the confirmation email arrives and doesn't land in spam.
After launch, the site needs light upkeep. An author website is never finished and grows with your career. Update the homepage when a new book comes out, refresh your bio once a year and check that retailer links still work.
What an author website really costs
Here's a realistic budget on published prices. All figures are as of October 2026, excluding tax, and vary by region.
| Setup | Platform cost | Domain | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hostinger Premium (48-month promo) | $119.52 upfront for 48 months | Free for year one | Renews at $10.99/month |
| WordPress.com Personal | $4/month billed yearly ($9 monthly) | Free first year on annual plans, then the renewal rate | Check which plan includes plugin installs |
| Squarespace Basic | $19/month billed annually, $25 monthly | Check current terms | No free plan, 14-day trial |
| Wix Light | $17/month with a free domain for 1 year | Free for year one | Free plan exists but shows Wix ads and has no custom URL |
| Email list (Kit free) | $0 | n/a | Free to 10,000 subscribers |
Budget separately for a professional headshot and cover mockups. Those costs vary too much to give a fair number here. A free-forever plan can work as a placeholder, but a site on someone else's subdomain doesn't help readers find you.
Alternatives to Hostinger
Hostinger isn't right for everyone. Here are the realistic options.
WordPress.com
Best for: authors who want the WordPress ecosystem without managing hosting. Personal removes ads and adds a custom domain. The catch is flexibility: plugin access depends on the plan, and sources differ on whether that changed in 2026, so confirm before you pay. Skip it if you need full plugin control from day one. Visit WordPress.com to compare plans.
Squarespace
Best for: authors who prefer a design-led builder and don't mind paying more. Basic is $19/month billed annually ($25 monthly) as of October 2026. The downsides are that there's no free plan, only a 14-day trial, and a higher monthly cost than Hostinger's promo. Skip it if budget is your main concern. See Squarespace.
Wix
Best for: authors who want to start on a free plan. The free plan carries Wix ads and no custom URL, so you'll need a paid plan such as Light, from $17/month billed annually (as of October 2026), before it looks professional. Skip it if you want the lowest long-term price. See Wix.
Who should skip a builder entirely
If you're a developer, or you plan a membership community or a store with thousands of products, self-hosted WordPress will serve you better long term. If you only need a single page with a signup form, a simple landing page inside your email tool may be enough for now.
FAQ
How much does it cost to make an author website?
On published prices, it ranges from free to about $228 a year. Hostinger's promo is $119.52 upfront for 48 months with a free first-year domain, WordPress.com Personal is $4/month billed yearly, Squarespace Basic is $19/month billed yearly, and Wix Light is $17/month. Domains cost extra after year one. A free Kit plan covers small lists.
Do authors really need a website?
Yes, in most cases. Social platforms help with visibility, but you don't own your audience there. A website acts as your permanent home base where readers can find your books and join your newsletter. Even a five-page site with a signup form beats relying on social profiles alone.
Should I use WordPress or a website builder for my author site?
Use a builder if you want to publish quickly and avoid maintenance. Use WordPress if you need plugins, custom layouts or a large blog. Most debut authors do fine on a builder. Plan for the long term, though: if you already expect a large blog or custom features, starting on WordPress saves rework later.
What pages should an author website have?
Five core pages: home, books (with a page per title), about, newsletter signup and contact. Add a media kit if you're pursuing press or speaking, and a blog only if you'll maintain it. Start small and add pages when readers or journalists ask for them.
Can I make an author website for free?
You can, with limits. Wix and WordPress.com both have free plans, but WordPress.com's free plan uses a yoursite.wordpress.com subdomain with no custom domain, and Wix's free plan shows ads. Fine for testing, but weak for readers, so upgrade before you promote the site.
How do I get my author website to show up on Google?
Verify your site in Google Search Console, then submit your sitemap in the Sitemaps report. Use your author name and book titles in page titles and headings, and give each book its own page. Indexing can take days or weeks, so check the report again after launch.
