In this Author2Author Chapter 17 video, Tim Trott argues that authors should choose WordPress over AI‑only website builders for their author platforms. He outlines ten specific advantages: full ownership of files, databases and hosting; granular SEO control; a massive plugin ecosystem for e‑commerce, memberships, and marketing; limitless theme and customization options; seamless integration with third‑party services and scalability; a vibrant community offering support and resources; the ability to grow from a simple brochure to a full‑featured store; built‑in AI tools in WordPress 7 that augment writing, image generation, and SEO; robust contact‑form plugins with spam protection; and the capacity to edit and evolve a site without rewriting static code. Trott also notes that WordPress and AI can complement each other, using AI inside WordPress for productivity. The video concludes with a sponsorship pitch for Cybershoot Hosting, offering a $10‑per‑month author‑focused WordPress hosting package with backups, SSL, firewall, email, and human support. He encourages viewers to subscribe for more episodes.
Chapters
Welcome to Author2Author. Hello, I'm Tim Trott. I write both fiction and nonfiction. WordPress just rolled out Revision 7, and there are a lot of new features, even if collaboration isn't quite ready yet. I just finished a book about it. You can find it on my website. But why would you need WordPress if AI can build a website for you? Today I'll answer that question in Author2Author Chapter 17: 10 Reasons WordPress Is Better Than AI for Building an Author Website. Author2Author is presented by Cybershoot Hosting. If you are serious about selling books and generating an email list, you need your own platform, your own website. Goodreads won't let you install a Facebook pixel, and social media won't let you track your ad results. But your own custom website with Cybershoot Hosting will. You can build an author home for just $10 a month. It's a real package with all the extras included, like installation and setup for your WordPress website, daily backups, hosted email, SSL security— not just for the first year— a Wordfence firewall, and one more thing: no robots, totally human tech support. Take control of your author business with Cybershoot Hosting for your author website. Check out this link for a special bonus. Whether you're publishing your first book or managing a growing list of works, you really need an author website. So why should you build it with WordPress when AI can generate it for you? Let me count the ways. Reason number 1: When you build with WordPress, you own everything—the files, the database, the content, and the hosting account. AI website builders, including Wix, keep you locked inside their platform. If they change pricing, shut down, or upsell features, you're stuck. As an author, your website is your home base, your mailing list, your content, your brand. With WordPress, it all belongs to you. WordPress is open source and portable. If situations change, you're not locked in. Don't like your hosting company? No problem. Switch. Your entire website comes with you. With AI platforms, migration can be difficult or even impossible. Years of content could be trapped in someone else's system. WordPress began as a blogging platform and evolved into the world's most popular content management system, dominating 40% of the internet. It has tools for article management, categories, tags, editorial workflows. For authors, it's a natural fit. Book excerpts, blog posts, newsletters, chapter previews, and reader engagement all work seamlessly. If readers can't find you, your website isn't doing its job. Most AI-generated sites only offer the basics. WordPress gives you control over search engine optimization. With SEO, you can fine-tune and adjust your metadata, redirects, sitemaps, and indexing. As an author, SEO means readers discover your books organically through search, and that includes AI search. The WordPress plugin universe is massive with thousands of resources. Need to sell books direct to readers? WooCommerce. Want to create a membership site for premium content? It's done. Online community forums, event management, marketing automation, the list goes on. AI-generated sites simply can't keep up. AI can generate attractive initial designs, and that's useful, But WordPress gives you unlimited customization. Theme choices and plugins mean you can create exactly what you imagine. Authors can build portfolios, book landing pages, and establish reader communities. As your author platform grows, WordPress integrates with third-party services— email marketing, payment processing, analytics, social media management. It all connects. That kind of flexibility becomes critical as your readership expands. Who you gonna call? WordPress is a community of users, developers, designers, agencies, and trainers. When you hit a problem, and you will, solutions are everywhere: forums, tutorials, courses, and manuals. WordPress scales from a simple brochure display all the way to a full e-commerce store. You can start with a simple one-page site and WordPress will grow right along with you. An AI-generated site works great when you're starting out, but it can be a dead end. You don't really have to choose between WordPress and AI. They can work together. New tools inside WordPress 7 can use AI for writing assistance, image generation, SEO recommendations, chatbots, and content summaries. You get all the productivity benefits of AI combined with the ownership and flexibility of WordPress. In other words, it's the best of both worlds. There's one practical issue some people don't think about until it's too late. Visitors want to contact you, but posting your email address is an open invitation to spammers. AI can build a beautiful contact form, but there's no backend to process and deliver the message. WordPress has a choice of free contact form plugins with built-in spam blocking and secure message delivery. WordPress connects, AI doesn't. Here's the bottom line: AI website generators are fine for creating a basic static website, but the key difference is AI builds in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Need a change? Unless you're a programmer, you regenerate the whole thing. With WordPress, you edit, extend, and evolve, just like you work in Word or Google Docs. You're on familiar ground. For authors, publishers, and anyone thinking long-term, that distinction makes a deciding difference. AI website builders will help you create a website fast. WordPress helps you build a website that will last and grow with you for years. Speed versus sustainability. Convenience versus control. For authors, there's no mystery. AI website builders are quick. You can make something in minutes. But with AI, adding a new book or adding a detail could mean replacing an entire website, assuming you're not skilled at coding in HTML and JavaScript, because that's what AI uses. WordPress provides what AI builders can't: a flexible platform that grows with you. One more thing. Ask AI why WordPress is better than AI for building websites. Go ahead. This top 10 list came from ChatGPT, but you'll get the same answer from any other AI model. Copilot says WordPress is better than AI-only website generators for anyone who cares about long-term control, flexibility, ownership, and scalability. Gemini says while AI website builders are excellent for speed and simplicity, WordPress remains the industry standard for professional-grade websites due to the deep control and ownership that it provides. WordPress is just the better choice for long-term control, customization, scalability, and ownership. WordPress helps you build a website that can grow with you for years to come. If you're looking for a good place to host your WordPress author website, or if you are unhappy with your current website or host, you should consider Consider CyberShoot hosting at CyberShoot.com. $10 a month with no upsells and no robots. Thank you for watching. Subscribe for more episodes.
