Online store vs. website – which one should you pick as an author website?

Back in the old days, the choice was pretty much simple.

We have WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, or somewhere in between.

Just pick any of them and you’re pretty much set.

But now?

You can have an author website on any of these platforms.

But you also have the option to make your Shopify or Payhip store your main website.

Rather than directing your readers to the typical author website, you direct them to your storefront instead.

And that begs us to this question: should you forgo the typical website and make your Shopify or Payhip store your default website?

Or should you stick to having a typical author website with the e-commerce component on the side?

Which option is best for authors?

Sad to say, there is no clear-cut answer to that question, as it depends on your specific situation.

Online store vs. website: what you should know about having an online store as your main website

I’m sure you hear plenty of authors saying they don’t have enough bandwidth to manage two different websites.

Rather than having to maintain two different websites, they decided to forgo the regular website and make their online store their main website instead.

Not only do they have one less website to maintain, but they also make a killing with their online store, too.

As someone who barely makes any sales on the retailer’s website, that seems like a convincing argument to do the same.

But the reason why they’re doing so well with their online store goes far deeper than having their online store as their main website.

They’re using paid ads to drive traffic to their online store

You probably hear about some authors saying they’re making more book sales from their online stores than they do from Amazon and other retailers alike.

So, how is it possible for these authors to generate this many sales from their online store?

Well, there’s a big chance they’re using paid ads to generate traffic to their storefront.

And they’re more likely to rely on it when they’re using platforms like Shopify or perhaps Payhip as their online store.

Is it necessary for you to use paid ads to drive traffic to your online store?

Not necessary since platforms like Shopify do optimize for the search engine.

But it may not be as robust as WordPress since the optimization is somewhat limited.

And that doesn’t leave you many options other than to rely on the paid ads to drive traffic to your online store.

If you’re hoping to rely on the organic traffic when you use Shopify or Payhip, you’ll have a hard time driving traffic to your website, let alone generating sales.

You need to rely on something else to drive traffic to your online store if using paid ads isn’t in your wheelhouse.

They have a huge backlist

Having your online store as your main website makes more sense when you have a huge backlist.

Added with books in many different formats, and you’ll have an online store akin to having a mini bookstore.

The only difference is that they’re all your books, even if you write under a different pen name.

Can you do the same if you only have one book?

Of course, you can.

But it can feel rather weird for your potential readers when they only see one book in the store, nothing else.

And you have a much higher bounce rate, too, since there’s no reason for your readers to stick around other than to leave the website after seeing your book.

They have a list of active buyers

If you want consistent sales, then you’ve got to build that email list, which these authors already did before they even had their online store.

The good news is you can start building your email list now if you haven’t already.

Once you have one, it will be so much easier to get your readers to buy directly from you.

Online store vs. website: the recommended option for you

If you’re not sure which option you should pick as an author website, then having a regular website is the way to go, hands down.

Why is that, you ask?

Well, think about it from the readers’ standpoint.

When they visit your website, they want to know as much as they can about you and your books.

And that seems easier to do when you have a regular website.

Sure, they can get the same information even when you have an online store.

But it’s much easier to do that with a regular website as opposed to an online store.

Of course, you can have an online store running within the same website.

It doesn’t need to exist as a separate website unless you’re using Shopify or Payhip.

If cost is your concern, then this option is the best one.

Pretty much, platforms like Squarespace and Wix allow you to have both a regular website and an online store in one place.

But I recommend WordPress since it costs less than Squarespace or Wix.

And it offers better website optimization, too, which is perfect for generating organic traffic.

Is there no place for having an online store as the main website?

If you have a huge backlist and you have a budget for a platform like Shopify, then I don’t see anything wrong with making it your main website.

It’s just that when you have an online store as your main website, you will have to think like a retailer.

Is there a way for you to drive traffic to your website apart from paid ads?

What about offering free shipping to entice your readers to buy more from you?

How about coming up with a seasonal promotion that ties back to your book?

For some, that may not seem like a big deal since that’s expected when you’re running a business.

But for some, doing something business-y may feel like a death sentence.

Of course, you will still need to do more or less the same thing, even if you decide to opt for the regular website with an e-commerce component.

There’s no exception to that.

Regardless of which one you choose, you need to take it seriously, especially if you want your direct sales to surpass the sales on Amazon and on other retailers.