What’s the Difference Between a WordPress Site and a Canva Website for Authors?
It’s about control, complexity, and how much chaos you’re willing to manage.
Let’s cut to it: your author website doesn’t need to be fancy. It needs to be functional.
It needs to look good, yes—but more importantly, it needs to work. It needs to tell your story, build your reader magnet, sell your books (maybe even merch), and make you feel like a pro—not a panicked mess in a backend dashboard you don’t understand.
That’s where this question comes in:
Should you use WordPress or Canva for your author website?
Let’s break it down.
💻 WordPress: The OG Powerhouse
What it is: A full-blown content management system (CMS) used by bloggers, corporations, and authors alike. It’s open-source, endlessly customizable, and plays well with most tools on the internet (email, ecommerce, SEO plugins, etc.).
Pros:
Full control: WordPress lets you build anything—landing pages, shops, memberships, blogs, advanced SEO, custom templates.
Plugins galore: Want a pop-up? A store? SEO tracker? There’s a plugin for that.
Built for growth: If you’re building an empire (or just love tinkering), WordPress can scale with you.
Cons:
Maintenance required: You’ll need to handle updates, backups, and occasional plugin drama.
More complex: It’s not drag-and-drop by default (unless you use a builder like Avada).
Hosting costs: You’ll need to pay for a web host (which is honestly a plus for control, but still a factor).
Best for:
Authors who want a long-term home base with flexibility, advanced features, and full ownership. If you plan to blog regularly, run ads, sell books directly on your WordPress, or you want everything to be on your website, with WordPress and the right webhost, you can do this.
🎨 Canva Websites: Sleek, Simple, and Shockingly Pretty
What it is: A visual website builder from the design platform you probably already use for graphics. Canva websites are new-ish, lightweight, and ultra-easy to edit.
Pros:
Drag-and-drop simplicity: If you can make a Pinterest graphic, you can build a Canva site.
Zero maintenance: No plugins, no updates, no backups to worry about.
Beautiful templates: Canva makes it easy to match your book’s vibe without hiring a designer (or losing your mind).
Cons:
Limited functionality: No plugins. No advanced SEO tools. No ecommerce unless you link from another platform (like Payhip or Fourthwall).
No true blog: You can create a “blog-like” experience using multiple pages or sections, but there’s no built-in blogging engine.
Hosted by Canva: You can’t add custom code or move the site easily if you outgrow it.
Best for:
Authors who want something fast, functional, and gorgeous—without tech headaches. Ideal for debut authors, short-term promos, or anyone who wants a stylish landing page without the weight of WordPress.
So... Which Should You Choose?
It depends on your vibe, your goals, and your tolerance for tech.
If you want to host absolutely everything on your website, from a direct ebook store, to merch from your blog to membership? Go WordPress but don’t dismiss that the bigger the website, the more heavy plugins you install, you will need an exceptional web host to match.
We recommend Siteground, if you’re excepting to grow and use your website as the central hub for everything.
However, if you want a clean, low-maintenance website that’s easy to edit and beautiful out of the box? Go Canva. You don’t have to host everything on your own website and I know I have said it in the past but I also understand that not everyone wants their website to be the central hub for everything.
Not everyone wants to manage plugins or pay a developer and that’s okay.
Where Canva is lacking, there are easy ways around it—
👉 How to add forms to Canva even without plugins
👉 This one shows you bog alternatives
👉 If you’re wondering how to collect emails? You can link a newsletter form
👉 Want a shop without WordPress? Fourthwall lets you sell digital and physical products (ebooks, audiobooks, merch).
👉 And if you’re worried about SEO—don’t be. Here’s why GEO is the real secret weapon for authors
And if you’re still not sure?
That’s where I come in.
I design both WordPress and Canva websites for authors—with an eye for genre, mood, and the magic that turns visitors into readers. If you’re ready for a site that looks like you and works like a dream, explore my services here.
Final Word
There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to author websites—just the one that fits you best.
WordPress gives you the power to build a full-blown author empire.
Canva gives you the freedom to launch fast—without the tech headaches. And don’t underestimate how powerful your site can become with the help of smart third-party tools.
Choosing Canva doesn’t make you less professional, less serious, or less capable.
You’re not being lazy. You’re being strategic.
Your website should work for you, not the other way around.
Both can be powerful. Both can be beautiful and both can help you build a site that actually sells your stories.
So whether you're planning a simple landing page or a fully loaded author hub, the important thing is this: your website should reflect your brand, support your goals, and feel like a tool—not a burden.
Need help figuring that out?
That’s what I do.
👉 Explore my design services or reach out to chat about what kind of website would serve you best—WordPress or Canva, power or simplicity, empire or elegance.
Let’s build your digital home together.
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