Nicole Bianchi

Writing, Copywriting, & Marketing Strategies

How to Build a Powerful Website for Your Writing

Published | Last Updated By 31 Comments

Large computer on top of white desk next to container with pens and a white mug next to keyboard

My website building adventures began when I was thirteen years old. I’d been printing a literary newsletter filled with book reviews and short stories and giving copies to friends and family. My parents encouraged me to publish the newsletter online and helped me get started with my first website.

That website no longer exists (I’ve created many different websites since then, and eventually in college, I began working as a web designer). But I still remember the excitement I felt when I hit publish on my first online newsletter and realized that anyone in the world could stumble across my website and read my writing.

Stephen King once observed that writing is about “enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well.” By publishing your writing on the Internet, you are able to reach and inspire more people than you could ever imagine.

A website will give you a platform where you can publish and promote your work and establish your expertise. It will give you a way to build an audience and connect with other writers.

Ready to get started?

In today’s post, I’ve put together a quick and easy guide with my top 5 tips for creating a professional website for your writing. Please note that some of the links are affiliate links, but I only recommend services I use and think highly of.


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1. Use Your Name As Your Domain

Your first step when setting up a website is deciding on a domain name. This is the address that people will type into their web browser to find your site. For example, mine is www.nicolebianchi.com.

I highly recommend using your full name or pen name as your web address.
This will allow you to develop your personal brand, and you’ll be able to take your website in any direction as you grow as a writer. Additionally, readers will easily be able to find your site just by searching for your name in Google.

If you have a common first and last name, that domain might already be taken. No cause for concern. There are still countless domain names available so you’ll just have to get creative.

Try using your name along with a word like “writer” or “author” or “books”. For example, if nicolebianchi.com had already been taken, I might have registered nicolebianchiwriter.com or bianchiwriter.com.

You can use this tool to check the availability of a domain name.

2. Choose Self-Hosting over Free Services

Once you’ve decided on a domain name, you’re ready to start setting up your site. You have two options: self-hosting or a free hosting service.

A free hosting service (like WordPress.com) is good for the short run if you don’t want to invest money right away and want to practice setting up a website.

However, these websites look less professional as the free hosting services have limited options for updating the design and customizing the website. They also don’t let you advertise or sell products, embed email forms, usually don’t offer support if you run into problems, and don’t give you a personalized web address.

For example, a free account at wordpress.com would have “wordpress” in the website address: nicolebianchi.wordpress.com. (Even if you are able to upgrade to a personalized web address, you still will not have the same functionality as a self-hosted website.)

Self-hosting, on the other hand, means that you buy your own domain name and a hosting package. It’s like buying a house, rather than renting an apartment. You will have full control over your website and the design, your website and blog posts will rank higher in Google searches, and if you ever need any help, you can always contact customer support.

My websites are currently hosted with WPX Hosting. I highly recommend them. Their support is incredible, and they will quickly answer any technical questions you have (and quickly fix any problems for you).

They offer free SSL certificates, super fast loading times for your websites, and free security protection and support if your website ever gets hacked. Yes, they remove the malware for you without charging any extra fee. They’ll also migrate your website for free if it’s currently hosted with a different hosting company.

SiteGround is another great choice if you’re looking for a more affordable option with slightly less features, and you only need hosting for one website.

3. Install WordPress & Powerful Plugins

I just advised against setting up a free account on WordPress.com, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love WordPress. With it’s easy to use interface, it’s the best software out there for creating a beautiful website.

WordPress can actually be installed on your self-hosted website (WPX Hosting and most hosting services have free, one-click WordPress installs).

The self-hosted version of WordPress can be heavily customized with professional themes and a special feature called plugins. Here are several free plugins I recommend you should install to get your site off to a running start:

  • Akismet – protects against spam comments.
  • Yoast SEO – helps you write better blog posts and optimize your website so you can rank higher in search engines.
  • Google Analytics – the plugin connects to a free Google Analytics account that lets you track who visits your website and which pages they read.
  • Jetpack – a plugin developed by WordPress that can help you boost the security of your site, integrate your site with social media, and much more.

4. Set Up an Email Subscription Box

Email is one of the best ways to connect with your readers. With my email newsletter, I can let readers know when I publish a new post and also share announcements and other projects I’m working on.

An email subscription box on your website is the perfect way to collect readers’ emails. First, set up an email account through MailerLite (free for up to 1,000 subscribers).

Then you can install their WordPress plugin on your website. It connects to your MailerLite account and will let you display professional looking subscription forms on your website.

5. Personalize Your Blog Design

Now you’ve come to one of my favorite parts of owning a website: the design.

There are many free WordPress templates to choose from in the WordPress library. If you’re brand new to creating websites and navigating the WordPress framework, these will be fine for the short term.

Once you’ve gotten the hang of WordPress, I recommend investing in a premium theme. Premium themes come with excellent customer support, are far more secure than free templates, and will make your site look much more professional.

One of my favorite premium theme providers is Studio Press. (I am using their Lifestyle Pro Theme on this blog). Their beautiful WordPress themes run on the Genesis Framework that is SEO optimized and has rock-solid security. A website framework is a powerful type of WordPress theme that handles all the core code. A child theme sits on top of that framework and handles all the design and layout aspects of your website.

I also highly recommend Elegant Themes. They have developed the Divi Theme, an incredibly versatile WordPress theme with a drag & drop page builder that makes it easier than ever to build beautiful websites, especially if you’re a WordPress newbie. (They also have a plugin that lets you use their drag & drop builder with other WordPress themes. I use this on my websites to create sales pages and landing pages.)

I hope this guide helps you as you set up your first website. The Internet gives anyone the opportunity to get published and start spreading their ideas and writing across the globe.

Have you built a website or are you in the process of building one? Share links to your online projects in the comments below! And if you have any questions about WordPress or website building, leave those too. Please share this guide with a friend if you found it helpful!

Comments

  2. WPX Hosting says

    Thank you for the high praise, Nicole.

    You can be sure that your website is in good hands with us and whenever you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. Our tech support is 24/7 ready to help and answer all your questions.

    All the best,
    WPX Hosting

    Reply

  5. Sarah Harris | Makesmewander.com says

    Great advice here! I’m most curious about you saying that you’ve had a few websites along the way. When do you know it’s time to stop and move on or reinvent and how do you get your followers to follow you? Also how do you divide time so you’re not doing more website stuff and less writing?

    Reply

    • Nicole Bianchi says

      Hi, Sarah! Great questions.

      I think it’s time to reinvent your site when you no longer feel excited about updating it. I believe writing blog posts shouldn’t be a chore, but something you feel passionate about. Sometimes you might not need to start a whole new website but maybe just change your domain name.

      Balancing writing and website marketing can be difficult. I think it’s important to figure out when are your best writing times — maybe early in the morning or evening. Make sure you set those times aside to devote to your writing. I usually find that I can write emails and update social media when I’m tired, but it’s much more difficult to write when I’m not at my peak creative energy.

      Hope this helps!

      Reply

  6. Elizabeth says

    Love that your content is easy to follow and to get started on immediately. A lot of websites that try to be helpful forget that people have to start in a place that feels attainable. Great list!

    Reply

  8. Monika says

    All great tips! From the beginning, I decided to go with a self-hosted WordPress site. I did my research beforehand and I’m so thankful I took the plunge and did it this way. So many people complained about having to move their site from free to self-hosted and how much of a pain that was.

    -M

    Violet Roots || Instagram

    Reply

  9. Elizabeth says

    Thanks for the helpful hints! I just started a blog at http://theinklizard.blogspot.com/, and realized I have a lot to learn at this aspect of platforming. I have a lot to learn about platforming, period! Is is very bad that I used “the ink lizard” instead of my name in the url? I liked how it sounded, because ink= writing Liz= Lizard, and I love nearly anything alive that walks this earth except for spiders (and scorpions, though I’ve never met one, thankfully). When I grow, and move on to something a little bigger, would it be a bad idea to keep The Ink Lizard domain name? Thoughts? Opinions?

    Reply

    • Nicole Bianchi says

      Hi, Elizabeth! 🙂 Great question.

      If you’re planning on writing books in the future, I highly recommend using your full name or a version of it for your domain. Look up most authors and you’ll see that they use their full name as their website domains. For example, neilgaiman.com or johngreenbooks.com. A website that uses your full name will help you stand out as a professional writer.

      Originally, I had a free blog with the username “inkwellmusings”, and I also used that username on several social media platforms, but I decided to switch everything over to my full name.

      Now, if you really like “theinklizard”, you could have two websites. You could use your personal domain as your professional author website, and The Ink Lizard as your blog. The writer Joanna Penn, for instance, has her author website, jfpenn.com, and then a second website, thecreativepenn.com, where she blogs about writing and marketing books.

      Hope this helps! 🙂

      Reply

  13. Tiffani says

    This is a DOPE giveaway. I actually use Genesis right now as my theme and I really like it. I started my blog in April and I am still trying to identify the best plugins for my site, there are A LOT! Best wishes to the winner.

    Reply

  14. JT says

    Thanks for the tips! My site looks very standard.

    I started my blog almost 3 months ago and am finding my footing in some areas, but need to grow in many other areas. It’s been some parts frustrating (I’m not technically savvy) but many parts fun and exciting!

    You can take a gander at my site here: justmakingcents.com

    Reply

    • Nicole Bianchi says

      Hi, JT! I just stopped by your site and left a comment. Love your niche. 🙂 It’s frustrating for me sometimes too. There’s always something new to learn when you’re running a website, but I agree that it is fun and exciting!

      Reply

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