Scoring your next acting gig doesn’t require going to dozens of auditions or handing out hundreds of headshots anymore. With the help of a well-designed website, get your headshot and reel to casting directors around the world much more quickly and easily than ever before. To help you out, my team and I put together this list of the best website builders for actors:
Hostinger
Choose from hundreds of templates and customize each page easily with Hostinger
Squarespace
Create a blog to keep all your fans updated with a great actor site from Squarespace
Strikingly
If you're looking to build an eye-catching one-page portfolio - choose Strikingly.
Weebly
Sell branded items, film & television releases, & more easily on Weebly
Actors are making more per film than ever before in history. Just last year, Will Smith earned $40 million for his role in King Richard. That’s $40 million for just one film!
The truth is that most actors won’t ever earn this much, but imagine earning just 5% of that in a year. You’d still be making more than most people working other jobs.
And while this is possible, it’s hard to get noticed as an actor. While actors are being paid much more than in years past, there is much more competition.
With the internet, casting directors can find new talent quickly and easily. A great headshot, natural talent, and a portfolio of film or television credits often aren’t enough anymore.
Today, actors need to have a website where they can showcase their headshots, highlight their portfolio, post clips of their performances, blog about their latest roles, and much more.
But with all the website builders currently on the market, how does an actor or actress decide which one to use? The answer is simple: peruse this guide I spent 10-12 hours creating and find out what website builders for actors are worth using to build your audience and get cast in the next blockbuster.
What is the Best Website Builder For Actors?
There are many different website builders out there. Some are general site builders, like Wix, Squarespace, and Weebly. However, like ActorGear, others are actor-focused with features specifically designed for actors.
Both types of website builders will help you create a stunning, professional-quality website or a landing page for career-related topics.
You can choose one based on your needs, but each will serve you equally well when building your website.
Read on to discover everything you need to help you choose the best actor website builder to create a fantastic actor website – even if you are technologically challenged.
1. Wix
Best Overall Website Builder for Actors ($14/month)
Wix offers you two options for building your website. First, you can choose from over 900 templates to showcase your acting skills. Many of them are in the creative arts category and are perfect for building a website.
You can then customize these templates using the simple visual editor on the platform that allows you to drag and drop different elements like text, images, and videos onto a page.
Alternatively, you can build your websites using Wix ADI (artificial design intelligence). This tool generates a design for your website based on your answers to a few questions which puts Wix in contention for the best website builder spot.
You can then customize the site to your liking by changing colors, fonts, images, etc.
Key Features:
- Share Media Content: One of the most notable features of Wix is that it allows you to easily upload, embed, and live stream videos directly on your site and share podcasts, clips of your best performance, introductory video, head, and full-body shots, and much more.
- Email Campaigns: Email marketing and automation tools will help you encourage sign-ups from loyal fans and other entertainment professionals so you can send them emails with updates, film teasers, etc.
- Website Stats: Wix lets you know how you’re doing with website and video stats on the Wix dashboard and Wix Video app.
Pros of Wix:
- In-depth, step-by-step tutorials and comprehensive support
- Add a news section to your website
- Embed videos from Vimeo and YouTube
- Send periodic branded email newsletters to subscribers
- In addition to paid subscriptions, Wix offers a free plan
- Hundreds of Templates for your actor website design
Pricing:
You can get started building your actor website using the free plan on the platform. However, if you want to get rid of Wix ads and branding, you must upgrade to a paid plan also unlock additional features. Paid plans start at $14/month for the “Combo.”
2. Hostinger
Most Customizable Design Tools for Actor Websites ($2.79/month)
Hostinger is an increasingly popular website building platform with many stylish, modern templates to make even the most discerning actors happy.
Although this platform does not offer as many features as other actor website builders mentioned here, such as ActorGear, Wix, and Squarespace, it’s priced significantly lower than the rest, making it ideal for actors who are down on finances yet require a professional-looking website.
The no-code editor lets you drag and drop images, text, and videos onto a page to create your website exactly how you want it to look. All the templates are mobile-responsive and easy to edit, even for someone without technical website creation skills.
Key Features:
- Robust eCommerce Plans: Hostinger has commission-free plans that let you sell services or merchandise on your platform and keep all the profits (after processing fees).
- Free Marketing Tools: The platform has a free logo maker, AI branding tool, and an AI writer to help you create website content in minutes.
- Image Slideshow Feature: This feature will help you showcase your images in the best way to elicit reactions from fans and casting directors.
Pros of Hostinger:
- 24/7 live chat support
- Simple drag-and-drop functionality for your actor website design
- Extremely affordable plans
- Stunning templates ideal for actors
- Built-in SEO, sales, and marketing features
Pricing:
Hostinger offers one simple plan with a 30-day money-back guarantee that offers a free domain, email, e-commerce features, marketing integrations, the ability to host 100 websites, unlimited traffic visits, free SSL certificates, and their proprietary website builder for $2.79/mo with the first 3 months free.
3. Squarespace
Best Website Builder for Actors With Great Blogging Tools ($12/month)
Squarespace is the preferred option of many actors, thanks to its ease of use and actor-focused templates.
You can choose from a wide range of sophisticated and modern templates to customize your website without being overwhelmed by too many options.
The platform also has features that make it extremely easy to upload video and audio clips to your site and present the content as attractive and visually appealing. Thanks to the platform’s powerful blogging features, you can also post any career updates and upcoming appearances.
Although Squarespace doesn’t offer as much design freedom as Wix or ActorGear, it does allow you to move elements around to create optimal website design on a predefined grid. You don’t have to be a professional web developer to design a professional-looking website.
Key Features:
- Customizable Image Galleries: Use gallery blocks to highlight your greatest moments using a fun carousel, stacked layout, grid, or a standard slideshow format.
- Stylish and Modern Templates: Squarespace has a ton of clean, modern templates for you to choose from, all of which are fast and mobile responsive.
- Video Background: You can use video backgrounds or moving background images to add flair and visual appeal to your actor’s website.
Pros of Squarespace:
- Beautiful templates for stunning actor websites
- Massive selection of built-in integrations for your actor website design
- Free trial with no credit card required
- Register a unique domain name on premium plans
- Extremely easy to use drag-and-drop editor
Pricing:
Squarespace doesn’t offer a free plan, but there is a 14-day free trial that you can sign up for on the website.
You can upgrade to the premium plan for $12/month. This plan allows you to register your unique name that suits your professional image as an actor. The pricing and features you get with each plan make it easy to see why some people feel that Squarespace is the best website builder for actors.
4. Strikingly
Best Website Builder for Actors for Beginners ($8/month)
Strikingly is one of the best website builders for actors who want to get their own site online but have zero technical knowledge.
It comes with several actor website templates to choose from, and all you need to do is add your content to the templates, hit publish, and you’re good to go.
The templates are also fully customizable to change fonts, colors, images, etc., to make your actor website design more unique and aligned to your personality and brand.
The editor is straightforward to use, and it’s available in 10 languages – a feature that is great for actors who want to create multilingual websites.
Key Features:
- Beginner-Friendly Interface: No coding skills are required, thanks to the editor’s simple drag-and-drop functionality for your professional actor website.
- Best-in-Class Support: Strikingly prides itself on its fast, friendly, and efficient customer support team.
- Single-Page Focus: This website builder is ideal for actors who want to create a unique, professional single-page website to showcase their talents.
Pros of Strikingly:
- Multilingual feature
- Cheap for multiple websites accessible to any internet browser
- The support team goes the extra mile
- Stylish templates for single page websites
- Unlimited free sites
Pricing:
You can use Strikingly for free, but to connect a custom domain and get access to features such as 24/7 chat support, eCommerce tools, etc., you need to upgrade to one of the paid plans, starting at $8/month billed yearly.
or Read my Strikingly Review Here
5. Weebly
Best eCommerce-Based Website Builder for Actors (Starts from Free)
Weebly is more eCommerce-focused than the other website builders and options on this list. Square, a payment processing giant, recently acquired the builder.
However, the platform, as one of the top website builders, still offers many excellent features and unique templates that creative professionals love.
A drag-and-drop editor is designed for extreme ease of use so that anyone can create a fantastic website even with zero coding knowledge and not needing to hire a professional web designer.
This is a simple yet powerful platform that creative professionals use for the top-notch site, and with it, you will have your actor website up and running in time for the final curtain call.
Key Features:
- Weebly App Center: Choose from a wide range of third-party apps to amplify your online presence, including live chat functions, social plugins for social media accounts, your actor website, etc.
- Embed Visual Media: You can easily upload and embed images, audio clips, and demo reels from YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, and other video hosting sites to your actor website and create a nice-looking website.
- RSVP Forms: As an actor, you may require a headcount for your next show’s tickets, and customizable forms allow visitors to RSVP so you know exactly who is coming.
Pros of Weebly:
- Third-party integrations for your blog, website, or online store
- Built-in SEO tools (for search engines) for more visibility online
- Live chat feature for visitor engagement and interaction
- Unique acting-specific templates to choose from
- Free forever plan for basic use
Pricing:
Weebly has a free plan that you can use for as long as possible. However, to connect to a custom domain with a more professional look, you need to upgrade to the premium plans, starting at $6/month billed annually or $9 month-to-month.
6. WordPress with Thrive Themes
Website Builder and Template for Serious Actors ($228/year)
WordPress is arguably the best website builder and a popular content management system that powers over 40% of the internet. It’s the number one option if you want a free and flexible website builder.
But, you have to get your own hosting and theme to use this open-source software.
Thrive Themes is a set of plugins and themes designed specifically for building WordPress websites. The builder comes with a range of powerful features to help you create a stunning website to boost your online presence and your actor website engagement.
Using these two tools together will allow you to get the best of both worlds and create an actor website that showcases your skills prominently.
You’ll also be able to display all your essential information, including links to IMDb, Backstage, Actor Access profiles, etc., to ensure directors and fans have access to the information they need.
Key Features of Thrive Themes:
- Powerful Suite of Tools: Thrive comes with all the tools you need to become a successful actor with a great actor website. It has tools to market yourself effectively, sell services online, build an email list, etc., all the complex work for your WordPress sites
- Thrive Apprentice: This feature lets you create courses and sell them directly from your WordPress website, so you can easily share your acting knowledge with the world.
- Great Templates for Actors: Thrive has a wide range of professionally designed, conversion-focused actor website templates that actors will love.
Pros of Thrive Themes:
- All templates are 100% responsive
- Free training from Thrive University
- Simple, easy to use drag-and-drop page editor
- Choose from dozens of pre-built actor website templates
- Extend website functionality with third-party integrations
Pricing:
Thrive’s a suite of tools includes everything you need to create an actor website to attract fans and casting directors in this pricing details, including tools for building sales funnels, email lists, scarcity campaigns, online courses, quizzes, etc. You get all this for $90/quarterly or $228/yearly.
7. ActorGear
Best Website Builder for Actors for Attracting the Attention of Casting Directors ($15/month)
ActorGear is designed to help you create and launch an actor website faster than other platforms.
That’s because the website builder is explicitly focused on assisting actors in creating stunning websites to attract the attention of casting agents and avid fans alike.
A recent test comparing Google Page Speed and responsive design shows that websites built with ActorGear load faster than most others, which is an important feature for your actor website to have if you hope to rank high on Google.
This site builder also has starting themes or demo sites that are flexible and easy to customize.
They give you structure and proper design with just a few clicks, perfect for actors who want to build and launch their actor website as soon as possible.
Key Features:
- Visual Builder: ActorGear has a visual builder for your actor website design that is extremely easy for beginners to use, yet it’s powerful enough for pros.
- No-Failure Rule: There is a team on the platform whose job is to personally review your new site so you can make the best first impression with your great actor website.
- Starting Themes: There are flexible, structured themes that will help you input your content and get your website live quickly.
Pros of ActorGear:
- Pre-designed themes and templates for actor websites
- 30-minute consultation from real design pros a
- One-button import feature to help you get live faster
- Innovative, no-code page-building with SEO Tools
- Affordable custom express pricing
Pricing:
ActorGear has one plan, which is priced at $15/month. This plan comes with 24/7 help from the support team on the platform to help you make tweaks to your website until you are happy with your final results.
8. Site123
Easy to use website builder with a wide range of useful apps (Starts from Free)
SITE123 has an intuitive Design Wizard that helps users build beautiful websites in just minutes.
There are also a ton of helpful video clips and video background tutorials for just about every conceivable question you might have.
The website builder is designed with ease of use in mind, and to get started on the platform, all you have to do is choose a site template and then start dragging content blocks onto the template to fill out your actor website’s basic structure.
The platform offers a wide selection of pre-formatted content blocks that you can quickly customize with your own text images, background images, and embed videos to make things even easier.
Key Features:
- Timeline Pages: This is one of the best features of this website builder, and it allows you to share a history of your acting career and achievements with your acting website.
- Custom Form Builder: This lets you give managers, agents, fellow actors, and fans a quick and easy way to get in touch with you.
- Powerful SEO Tools (for search engine optimization): You can create customized meta-tags to help your good actor website rank well on Google and other search engines so casting directors can find you online.
Pros of Site123:
- Beginner-friendly editing tools
- Reliable 24/7 support via live chat
- Offers multilingual actor websites
- Powerful eCommerce functionality
- Free forever plan with 250 MB storage and bandwidth
Pricing:
You can use Site123 for as long as you want without paying a cent. But, free actor websites come with a floating Site123 tag, which will not look very professional on your great website.
To remove the ad, access more features, and increase your storage and bandwidth, you can upgrade to the premium plan, which costs $12.80/month.
Additional Options For Your Actor Website
- Webflow: Free version available with plenty of modern templates.
- Webnode: The cheapest website-building platform (when using your own domain).
- SimpleSite: A great starting point for technically challenged newbies.
- GoDaddy: The fastest way to build a great actor website.
- One.com: The budget website builder ideal for actors who are just starting.
- Webstarts: A primary, no-frill website builder for actors.
- Duda: Ideal website building platform for actors who want multiple sites.
- Jimdo: An AI-powered platform to help you get your website online quickly.
What Features to Look For in a Website Builder For Actors
Some website builders can be complicated and time-consuming yet provide you with exceptional results.
In contrast, others are highly user-friendly and intuitive – great for simple actor websites but not ideal for actors looking to build a strong brand online. Finding the best website builder for your needs requires analysis from your side to determine which one fits your goals best.
You can upload unlimited video and audio clips with some, while others charge a premium for storage space.
Depending on your needs, it’s essential to know what to look for in a site builder to pick the right one to satisfy your needs.
With that in mind, here are the features to look for when choosing the best website builder for actors.
1. Ease-Of-Use
This is one of the essential features, mainly if you are new to building websites. Choose a platform that has a simple visual editor to make it as easy as possible for you to create your website pages.
2. Professionally Designed Templates
Actors need visually appealing websites that will attract the attention of agents and fans alike. So choose a platform with plenty of professional-quality templates for actors and make sure it’s Mac friendly if you use Apple products.
Also, your website has to look good on all devices, so make sure the templates are mobile-friendly.
3. Customization Features For Your Own Website
You should be able to fully customize the templates on your portfolio website that suit your actor website design to show off your work, personality, and talents in the most effective way aligned with your brand.
4. Growth-Focused Actor Websites Plans
The website builder you choose should offer plans that give you room to grow. As your acting career progresses, you will require additional or unlimited bandwidth and storage space for video streams, images, and interactive features.
5. Customizable Galleries (For fans and casting directors)
The main reason for your portfolio website is to showcase your acting skills to the world. So you need a platform with a gallery feature that is easily customizable and draws the visitors’ focus to your work.
The gallery should also be easy to navigate and browse. Otherwise, visitors won’t stick around looking at poorly rendered images.
How Can a Website Builder Help You as an Actor?
A unique and professional website will help you secure work as an actor and strengthen your online presence so more producers and directors can learn about you.
A website builder makes it easy for you to build a beautiful and functional website that will showcase your acting skills and personality in the best way possible.
Moreover, you can do all this without ever learning a single line of code.
A website builder also makes it easy to integrate third-party tools so you can do more with your website. This includes eCommerce tools, email marketing tools, a personal email address, marketing automation, etc.
Furthermore, an actor website builder makes it easier for you to manage your website from wherever you are. All you have to do is log in, and you’ll be able to make real-time edits to your website.
Website Builder For Actors FAQ
An actor needs a website to help demonstrate their professionalism and showcase their talent.
Your acting website portfolio serves to define your unique brand or identity, which helps cut through the noise in the acting industry.
Some of the must-have menu items for a great actor website include a simple headshot, your screen name, a page about you, a contact form, a full-body shot, an acting reel, a performance in a musical theater, and in-action photos, and testimonials.
Some of the essential pages you need on your great actor website design include a homepage, “about me” page, testimonials page, contact page, latest news page, and a page for video backgrounds, video clips, or reels.
You can have fewer or more pages depending on the information you want to include, but make sure your website has the following essential information: Links to social media, easy-to-browse galleries for your work, including your best headshots, and your resume and bio.
There is no right or wrong way to organize your portfolio website. But, some of the most important information to have in your portfolio includes professional headshots, resume(s), bio, updates, contact information, and social media links.
As an actor, you can also offer other services on your website, including acting lessons, voiceover artist, script reader, and even social media marketing services.
When starting, actors often have to do their own marketing and publicity and post helpful video tutorials. With the right strategy, any digital marketing skills you have amassed can be monetized on your website.
Best Website Builders for Actors — Summary and Top Picks
Depending on your needs and skill level, you’ll find that some website builders work better for you than others.
Fortunately, all website builders on this list are great for actors who want to expand their reach and score a feature in a blockbuster film.
When selecting a website builder for actors, there are a few things to consider: third-party marketing integrations for email and social media, the total amount of storage space, image hosting features to get your headshot out there, video hosting features to expand the reach of your reel, the total cost of the platform, and actor-centric features to make help you build an effective and great actor website design that reaches the eyes of leading casting directors.
Here Are My Top Picks of the Best Website Builders for Actors:
Hostinger
Choose from hundreds of templates and customize each page easily with Hostinger
Squarespace
Create a blog to keep all your fans updated with a great actor site from Squarespace
Strikingly
If you're looking to build an eye-catching one-page portfolio - choose Strikingly.