Do you want to start a writer website? Or have you heard that maybe you should? Then check out this post on getting going.
How Did I Start a Writer Website?
Me, personally? This blog and this site will not look or behave as perfectly as I think a writing website actually should. But that’s okay, because my site has had other purposes.
It’s been about social media, my Master’s degree, and even various job searches. So, there is older stuff in here. And there is nothing wrong with that.
Plus, I hope you’ll realize this means you can convert an older blog/website into one for writing. You do not have to throw out your older posts and the like. However, if they are too far off-topic, you may want to consider a new domain, or shunting your older blog to one. Or maybe just pulling your older posts and creating redirects for them.
A blog on handcrafting most likely won’t lend itself to such a conversion. But a site or blog on SEO, social media, or education is probably fine. You make the call, sports fans.
What’s Missing?
Oh, and make no mistake about it. I will be writing about things I have not done yet! For the most part, that has been due to budget—either of my money or time or both (and mental bandwidth!). This is the reality of being an independent writer. When you get it in your head to start a writer website, you may find your reach exceeds your grasp.
But you can (and should!) start a writer website anyway. Why? Because guess where you’re going to build your brand? It’s right here, folks.
Start a Writer Website by Actually Starting a Website
God lord, what the heck does that mean?
It means that just having a Facebook page or group is not going to cut it. BookTok is lovely, but it is not enough. Neither is a Twitter stream. Those things are absolutely helpful and they may even be vital.
But they are not an actual website.
Plus, not for nothing, but you should own your spot. Why? Because we used to think MySpace would last forever.
Own your stuff. And own your space. At the absolute minimum, keep copies of everything. Behave as if you could lose it all tomorrow. Because you just might.
Owning Your Space
This inevitably means hosting. You can buy hosting from providers like GoDaddy or HostGator, etc. Shop around and ask friends if you don’t have a provider for some other site. If you’re an utter novice, then ask around at work.
What if you are on an absolute budget of, like, $0? That makes this harder but not impossible. Because you can try a few things.
Medium
Medium is popular, and that can make it hard to break through the noise. But some people do. Since you wouldn’t own the space, keep copies of everything. And, keep in mind, you will likely lose all comments if you transfer your work elsewhere.
If you do not break into Medium and do at all well, then you may or may not be able to improve the findability of your page. You are also beholden to their rules. Writers of erotica will probably find it too constricting.
Wix or Weebly
Don’t get me started.
Both offer freebie hosting and ways to start a writer website (or any other type of site, for that matter) easily.
However, your URL (for their free hosting) will be something like yoursite.weebly.com (which is long for business cards and bookmarks). Search might not be the greatest.
Plus, you are beholden, at least in part, to their designs and templates. If those are good enough for you, then have at it. And keep in mind, anything that’s really pretty or functional might not be free.
You can, eventually, have Weebly or Wix host your domain and you would pay for that. And then others would probably never have to know.
But for serious flexibility, these are probably not going to be it.
Github
If you don’t need a lot of instruction, this could work in a pinch. But it’s really just going to allow for hosting a static page. A blog, for example, will change too much.
Wattpad
A decent place for hosting writing you aren’t planning on publishing for money, Wattpad is not a place for blogging. Also, anything too commercial will be pulled by the moderating staff. So much for selling stuff.
Want to Start a Writer Website? WordPress to the Rescue!
What is it, 48% of all websites are on WordPress? Their functionality is hard to beat. They have an enormous number of plugins and apps, both free and paid for.
Support varies and is mainly tied to app and plugin developers. If a developer provides good support, then awesome! But if not, then either get a different plugin or head to YouTube and pray for good tutorials.
If your budget is truly $0, you can even put a blog (and probably just a blog) onto their freebie pages. But those are numerous and with less support and functionality. But they will help you to get used to using the platform.
Still, eventually, you’re going to have to cash in your empties and spend something or other.
The Planning You’ll Need to Start a Writer Website
Welp, I originally just threw this one together.
And then I realized I wanted it to not look terrible. This was even before I was using it to tout writing, or even social media.
Really, really far back (as in over 20 years ago), I really just wanted a place to plonk some photos. Geocities was it.
As a result, this website and its accompanying blog have grown organically and not always intelligently.
Head some of my mistakes off at the pass and do some preplanning. To wit.
Decide on a Basic Design Sensibility
You don’t need to be a designer (God knows I’m not!) but you do want something that looks attractive and, at the same time, feels put together.
If, like me, your design sensibilities resemble those a semi-sapient sponge, then I suggest talking to someone you know who does have design chops. They don’t have to be a professional.
This person could have maybe taken it in school. Or their living space always looks ‘just so’, or their look in clothing is always well-put together. At the barest minimum, it should be someone you know who does art of some sort, even for fun.
And if you really and truly know no one like this, then you’ve probably got a high school near you, yes? Talk to the art teachers there.
Here’s what you want to know.
Ask Your Designer Friend the Following
A designer friend makes them sound like they come with a logo, but I digress.
I Love These Colors. Do They Go Together Well?
You can also check out any color wheel online, but if your monitor skews toward green (for example), you won’t get a true result.
If You Were Working With These Colors, Which Would You Use as Primary? Which Would be the Accents?
You may love neon pink, but it’s probably a bit much for a main color for a website.
I Normally Write in the ___ Genre. Which Colors Speak to You When You Think of That Genre? They Don’t Have to be Any of the Colors I’ve Chosen
Now, you should also look at covers (seriously). But what I am getting at here is what’s called Color Theory.
For example, what does yellow make you think of? Pretty standard responses will probably include the sun, sunflowers, butter, egg yolks, Post-it notes, bananas, and canaries.
Does it remind you or your designer pal of any genre, though?
It’s okay if it’s not an oh my God perfect match. But there is a reason why a horror writer might have a website with darker colors and a Halloween feel to it regardless of the time of year.
And there’s a reason a romance writer might start a writer website with pastels and mainly use a scroll-like font.
Given My Main Genre, What Would You Suggest as Ideas for a Logo or Other Predominant Image?
I really, really hope you won’t use a stick of butter for your logo, even if you write cookbooks. But if you love yellow, and your genre is dystopian science fiction, you might consider an image of something burning.
My Own Design (Er, Maybe)
I made this logo (and a couple of others, which I’ll show in other posts) and I own the image!!
And that is important all by itself.
Do I love this logo? It’s … okay.
The idea of books with different colors appeals to me because what I write is kind of eclectic. But the books are all monochrome, almost looking like photo albums or research texts.
I don’t like that the font ended up washed out. But I do like a font like this. It dovetails well with what I generally write, which is science fiction.
I know I can do better, and will probably play around with this some more another day. Again, mental bandwidth!
To Start a Writer Website — We’ve Barely Scratched the Surface, Folks!
Yes, I will write more about this topic. But the main takeaways I am giving you today are:
- Own your space if you can afford it.
- Use WordPress! You won’t regret it, I swear.
- Get an idea of visual design before you get started, to keep a unified look.
See you ’round.
Want More of Writer Website Development?
If my post on website speed resonates with you, then be sure to check out my other articles about how to create a writer website.
Writer Website Development
- How to Create a Writer Website: Start a Writer Website
- How to Create a Writer Website: What to Write About
- Writer SEO
- How to Create a Writer Website: Writer Website Copyright
- How to Create a Writer Website: Writer Website Design
- Mobile Design
- How to Create a Writer Website: Writer Website User Experience Design
Start a writer website and get going the smart way! #amwriting
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