Are you a writer looking to take your business to the next level? Getting a website is an important step in this process. In this post, I share the best website builders for freelance writers through my experience as a freelance writer myself.
Self-hosted websites
I always recommend investing in a self-hosted website if you are a freelancer, as it gives you more ownership. Your website is like your digital storefront and should have everything about your brand in this one location.
Having a self-hosted website means you own your domain and website. It means you won’t have an unappealing tag like .wordpress.com at the end of your website name. Instead, you’ll have the freedom to choose between .com, .org., .co.uk etc. alongside your domain name – like: remireports.com.
The self-hosted websites also signal to your visitors that you are serious about your brand and willing to invest in it. Also, if you plan to monetise your website in the future through ads or products, self-hosting allows much more flexibility compared to free websites.
When your website is on a platform that you don’t own the domain, there are usually blocks put in place to make it more difficult to monetise on it. That’s why owning your domain and website is the best option if you’re looking to represent yourself as a professional freelance writer.
How I tested these best website builders for freelance writers:
As a freelance writer for over four years now, I’ve been able to use a range of websites and CMS for clients through writing and uploading content to their sites. From working with national publications like The Independent and Bustle to working directly with Founders of small businesses, I have first-hand experience using all of the websites mentioned in this list. So, whether you plan to sell products on your website or use it to blog primarily, this list takes into consideration various factors that professional freelance writers are likely to use their website for in 2023.
Best Website Builders For Freelance Writers 2024: Ranked
Best overall: Bluehost + WordPress
Best for ease of use: Wix
Best for modern design: Squarespace
Best for eCommerce: Shopify
1. WordPress + Bluehost
| Features: | Free detailed SEO tools, 24/7 Customer service, eCommerce, free SSL |
| Themes/Templates: | 10,000+ |
| Best for: | Overall |
WordPress is the OG of blogging platforms and therefore is an excellent website builder for freelance writers.
As WordPress alone is a Content Management System (CMS), you would need to integrate it with a website builder to create your website. Bluehost is a top-performing website builder and host to integrate with WordPress.
I’ve had Bluehost for over three years now and had no prior experience in web development. And whilst it does certainly take more time commitment to build a site through Bluehost + WordPress, the Bluehost 24/7 customer service team was extremely helpful in assisting me in the set-up process. From basic website coding to embedding my newsletter subscription, their live chat agents are always at hand to help.
Once your website is set up and you get the hang of it, it is totally worth it.
Building a website for freelance writers using Bluehost + WordPress
Plugins
WordPress has a plethora of plugins to help structure, optimise and personalise your website. This is particularly useful if you have no experience in web design, as there are several plugins that help automate aspects of the site for you.
SEO
There is a range of search engine optimisation (SEO) tools in WordPress to make use of. From the inbuilt SEO alt text tags to the range of plugins to download, you’re by no means short of options. The YoastSEO plugin in particular is a gold mine to help give your website the best chance of ranking on search engines like Google. The comprehensive plugin acts as a traffic light signal guide as you write, prompting you with tips on what to improve on to maximise your chances of ranking on search engines like Google.
Some of these prompts include passive voice, target keywords, image alt text, and more. It has helped me so much in optimising my blog posts. It’s a major recommendation for SEO beginners and comes with Bluehost + WordPress for free with most of the plans offered.
Themes
WordPress also has a variety of themes available to its users. The themes have a fair amount of customisation and there are also premium themes too. But if you want to really tailor your website to your specific needs and wants, you can of course hire a website designer to deliver the vision you have for your site.
Shop Facilities
Although WordPress is made specifically for writers, it also has impressive eCommerce features in the Online store plan. It allows you to sell both digital and physical products. Check out my shop for example, where I offer digital downloads.
WordPress + Bluehost Pricing
WordPress hosting with Bluehost has four different types of plans. Here are the ones I think are worth checking out
- Choice Plus (£4.53 p/m annually)- Offering 40 SSD GB storage, this plan is worth getting if you are using your site mainly as a portfolio for your writing.
- Online Store (£8.26 p/m annually)- This is the latest WordPress + Bluehost plan that offers 100 SSD GB of storage which is great if you have lots of books you’d like to sell or other digital products.
Money Back Guarantee Trial
Wordpres + Bluehost does not offer monthly plans. Instead, you have the choice between either a 12-month or 36-month payment plan. However, there is a generous 30-day money-back guarantee trial if you find it is not right for you during this period.
Bluehost + WordPress also currently have over 50% discounts across all of their plans! This includes their Choice Plus plan which is just £4.53 per month, meaning you save 72% from its usual price of £16.60.
Currently, it is the best deal on offer from the websites mentioned in this list. I would definitely recommend trying it out with the 30-day trial as it’s enough time to get your website set up and really test it to see if it works for you.
Pros
Designed specifically with writers in mind
Excellent SEO tools to create blogs with and expand the reach
An extensive bank of plugins to help with SEO, website design, ads and more.
24/7 customer service to help with any set-up website issues
Affordable deals on plans
Cons
Not the simplest website to set up and therefore will need some time and help with set-up if you’re a beginner
Minimum 12-month payment plan
2. Wix
| Features: | Beginner-friendly, free domain |
| Themes/Templates: | 800+ |
| Best for: | Ease of use |
Wix is an easy website builder to set up for beginners. It’s pretty simple to get your head around and so if you are looking for something quick to set up and use as a freelance writer, then this is worth checking out.
Building a website for freelance writers using Wix
Themes
Wix has several website template designs for you to choose from and the process of designing or working your way around the themes is pretty easy too, through the drag-and-drop features. The website builder also has a fair amount of themes for you to get around – both free and premium, with over 800 to choose from.
SEO
Wix does offer some basic built-in SEO features, like alt-text and alt-image tags and more through its inbuilt Wix SEO Wiz. However, whilst it has improved over the years with its SEO offerings if you are looking for more in-depth SEO tools that come with the website builder, it is restricted in that sense.
Therefore you are more than likely to rely more heavily on outsourcing SEO tools to create highly optimised blog content if you plan to blog regularly on your website.
Shop facilities
In line with the themes, the shop facilities on Wix are also an easy-to-use platform for beginners. Not all of the plans offer eCommerce options, but the ones that do are pretty easy to navigate if you’re new to setting up websites.
Wix Pricing
There are seven different types of pricing plans on offer to build a Wix website. These seven plans are sectioned into two different groupings – one is simply titled “website plans” which is targeted more so for showcasing professional sites. So for example, if you are looking to use your site as a freelance writer for your portfolio, these plans may be better suited for you.
The other group is targeted more specifically for Business and eCommerce plans. If you are an author, for example, wanting to use your website to sell your books or you want to sell other freelance writing products on your site, these plans are more targeted towards you.
All of the plans come with a free domain for 1 year and an SSL certificate to help keep sensitive data on your website secure.
Wix offers a 14-day refund for Premium plans purchased.
Wix plans to try out if you are a freelance writer may be:
Wix plans are strictly monthly payments only.
- Business Unlimited (£20 p/m) – if you are wanting to sell your writer products on your website, such as digital downloads or books, this is best as it has unlimited bandwidth, which means no matter how many products you add to your store, the website will continue to run smoothly as it downloads data. It also comes with a generous 35G of storage.
- Unlimited (£11 p/m)- This is the most popular plan and Wix specifically recommends it for freelancers. It has 10GB of storage and also allows you to stream for up to 1 hour of video content on the site. If you are looking to use your website purely as a portfolio site and for blogging, this may be best for you as it comes without eCommerce so you won’t be able to sell online.
Pros
Beginner-friendly
Easy to customise and use for website themes
14-day refund policy
Cons
Restricted SEO plugin tools to help increase reach
Only offers a monthly payment plan
3. Squarespace
| Features: | Modern design templates, easy to use |
| Themes/Templates: | 100+ |
| Best for: | Modern designs |
Squarespace is another platform that is pretty easy for beginners to navigate.
Building a website for freelance writers using Squarespace
Themes
Squarespace seems to prioritise taking more of a modern feel throughout its templates and themes. The platform seems to prioritise design throughout, with over 100 themes.
SEO
On top of this, whilst not the most comprehensive, Squarespace also has some basic inbuilt SEO features to help you with creating blogs for your website.
Shop facilities
Squarespace also has good eCommerce features if you are hoping to use your platform to sell products too. Again, this is simple to navigate and use for beginners.
Squarespace pricing
Squarespace offers four different plans, all of which come with a 1-year free domain if paid annually. The monthly method of the same plans, however, will require you to purchase your domain. Most of the plans offer similar things, but there is a key difference in the eCommerce offers.
You can be refunded for annual plans only, within 14 days of purchase if you find that Squarespace is not for you.
Squarespace plans I would recommend checking out if you are a freelance writer are:
- Business -(£17 p/m annually) This may be best if you are looking more for a portfolio site and not relying as heavily on eCommerce for your website as there is the option to sell but with a 3% transaction fee.
- Commerce Advanced (35 p/m annually)- If you are planning to use the website to sell products, subscriptions, and more, this option may be best for you as it comes with a 0% transaction fee for products sold
Pros
Prioritises modern designed templates and themes
Beginner-friendly
Monthly and annual payment options
Cons
Limited SEO tools
The 14-day refund policy only applies to annual subscriptions
4. Shopify
| Features: | 3-day trial, prioritises eCommerce |
| Themes/Templates: | 100+ templates |
| Best for: | eCommerce |
Shopify is a great platform if you plan to rely heavily on your website as a freelance writer to sell products.
Building a website for freelance writers using Shopify
Themes
Shopify has a wide selection of website templates with over 100 themes to choose from in its catalogue, with a mix of free and paid options. They are catered towards prioritising an online shopping experience.
SEO
Shopify does offer a blog section, with some in-built SEO tools, as well as some apps to help with SEO such as SEO Booster, which is specifically targeted at beginners.
Shop facilities
Whether it’s books, articles or other freelance writer-related products, Shopify is one of the best leading eCommerce platforms. Therefore, it is the best pick from this list if you want a website with more comprehensive eCommerce features.
Shopify pricing
Shopify offers three different plans with the option to pay monthly or annually. All of their plans offer eCommerce features. The plans offer a lot of similar functions overall, but the key differences are in the credit card rates.
Shopify offers a 3-day free trial with no credit card required on sign-up. On top of this, after the trial, you have the option to pay just £1 a month for 3 months to give you some more time to decide whether you want to go full in with a paid plan. Shopify does not have a refund policy.
- Basic (£19 p/m annually)- This is probably the best plan for freelance writers. It offers basic inbuilt reports, but also comes with some of the benefits of a leading eCommerce website.
Pros
Prioritises eCommerce which is helpful for writers wanting to sell products on their website
3-day free trial + £1 a month for 3 months
Monthly and annual payment options
Cons
Was primarily made with selling products in mind as opposed to blogging or writing services
More pricey plans
What is the best website builder for freelance writers overall?
As mentioned above, WordPress was made primarily with writers in mind and has almost two decades of experience in the blogging world, and takes the position of a blogging giant today. It integrates really well with Bluehost and therefore Bluehost + WordPress is the best option for freelance writers in that sense and also has good eCommerce plans on offer. This option firmly takes the first place in our list of the best website builders for freelance writers.
How to make a freelance writer website: Top tips
eCommerce: Decide whether you want to sell products or services on your website. This is a key factor in deciding which website may be best for you.
Decide if you want to be using your website as a blogging platform: WordPress prioritises writing and so if you want a website with features that encourage this then this may be the best fit for you. If you want a website with the best eCommerce features, then you may want to lean more towards Shopify, for example.
Ease: If you want a simple set-up process, this will determine which website is best for you. Wix and Squarespace are probably the easiest on this list to set up but lack in more comprehensive SEO tools for your writing for example. Consider this when choosing what website builder is best for you.
Website builders for freelance writers FAQ
What are the best website builders for writers?
The best website builders for freelance writers include WordPress + Bluehost, Wix, Shopify, and Squarespace. They offer a mix of ease and a variety of features for blogging for writers.
Is WordPress + Bluehost good for freelance writers?
Yes, WordPress + Bluehost is an excellent choice for a website builder. WordPress has been in the blogging game for almost two decades and therefore prioritises writing throughout the platform.
Do freelance writers need websites?
Every professional freelance writer should have a website that acts as their digital shopfront, to help increase their online presence and ultimately land more clients.
How do you build a freelance writer website?
For advice on website builders for freelance writers, purchase a domain with one of the website builders listed in this blog post, and then proceed to build a website with one of these website builders.
Also, if you are at the start of your freelance journey and looking for guidance on how to navigate this world, I offer a Beginner Freelancer E-course to help you with this.
