WordPress is one of the most widely used website-building platforms in the world. WordPress is used by approximately 75 million websites currently, according to TechJury.
WordPress is a popular site-building platform, but is it also the most cost-effective option to go online? Although many people know that WordPress is free (and open-source), which makes it incredibly versatile, this does not mean that you will not spend money on a WordPress website. Various factors will determine the true cost of your system.
Today, we’ll go over all you need to know about starting from scratch with an ecommerce WordPress website and how much it might cost.
We’ll also discuss how you might perhaps lower the costs of your WordPress site.
Let’s get going.
What Do You Need for a WordPress Website?
Anyone may download and use WordPress, which is a free website-building platform. You can use this open-source software to install WordPress on any website and server. Unfortunately, this does not rule out the possibility of WordPress incurring fees. WordPress fees are derived from a variety of additional charges.
The first thing to remember is that while WordPress.org is free to download and use, the tale does not end there. You can save money because the technology is technically free, but you will still need to pay for the additional costs of hosting a website.
Common costs include, for example:
- $12 per year for a domain name (depending on your name)
- Hosting costs as little as $4 per month (ongoing)
- Some themes are free, while others cost money.
- Plugins: Some are available for free, but some are not.
- Security starts at roughly $50. (Depending on what you need)
- Developer fees: Depending on your needs, they can range from $0 to $1000.
Let’s take a closer look at the most prevalent charges.
The Domain Name
You need to know what your domain name will be before you start thinking about SEO or developing a WordPress theme. This is your website’s name and how visitors will find you. While many website builders include domain names with paid plans, WordPress.org requires you to purchase a domain name from a registrar.
A perfect domain name is as close to your site or business name as possible. Your name should be short, simple to remember, and easy to spell. Most domain names are reasonably priced, costing around $11.99 per year. However, some popular solutions are significantly more expensive.
If you want your online store to stand out, you should get an a.com domain.
Website Hosting
After choosing a domain name, the next step in creating an online store or website is arranging for hosting. Aside from your domain name, hosting is one of the only other inescapable fees when starting a website. You don’t have a website if you don’t have hosting.
You pay a small monthly charge for a complete service with a website builder, including hosting and a domain name. These are, however, WordPress.org addons, not something you can whip up with a little CSS understanding.
The greatest thing you can do is look for a reputable hosting company online.
There are numerous solutions available, and various types of hosting that can suit diverse businesses.
WordPress Themes
You can do many things when creating a WordPress website to make it as appealing as possible. This could entail installing an SSL certificate for added protection or experimenting with online store addons such as a simple checkout counter.
Themes are the simplest method to begin making your website more professional. Free themes are available on the internet today, but they are rarely the best solution for most businesses. Many businesses prefer premium themes because they are more professional and appealing.
Of course, if you’re short on cash, you can always forego the theme for the time being. On WordPress, there are several free theme alternatives that you can try out with a single click. You can decide to engage a designer or developer to assist you in bringing your ideas to life once you’ve decided on a style.
WordPress Plugins
WordPress plugins are another cost that contributes to WordPress costs, but they don’t have to be expensive. WordPress does not require the use of plugins.
They’re like downloading an app for your laptop or smartphone: they’re a simple method to add functionality to your existing theme or website.
Free plugins are occasionally available, and they are far more useful than you might imagine. You can also spend money on premium plugins that provide specialised features. Yoast SEO, for example, is a tool that’s ideal for nailing things like SEO and making your site stand out on Google. Another option is to employ an email marketing service like Mailchimp as part of your overall business strategy.
The free version of Mailchimp is adequate for novices, but if you’re prepared to pay the premium pricing of roughly $59 or more per year, you can have a more advanced plugin.
WordPress Security
Security is one part of your WordPress price plan that you can’t afford to disregard, unlike a premium theme or a collection of plugins. You may not have to pay anything for various security features. WordPress includes security features in its software. However, it must be updated and maintained regularly to keep WordPress secure.
Consider working with a WordPress hosting service that can give you automatic upgrades and data backups to keep your costs down. Some hosting companies will also provide an SSL certificate in their purchase bundle. An SSL certificate, or Secure Sockets Layer certificate, is a must-have for a secure website and a critical piece of technology for corporate websites. SSL will also offer your website the padlock visitors will see in the search box.
Because Google and other search engines are taking security more seriously, users who visit your site without an SSL certificate may be notified that they aren’t entering a secure website, prompting them to leave. Although many website builders provide an SSL certificate as standard, you’ll have to arrange one yourself if you’re using a CMS like WordPress.org.
You can do other things to improve your chances of having a secure website besides using SSL. If you’re worried about losing your data, security plugins on the market make it easier to safeguard yourself with backups and restores. You can even pay for sophisticated security there if you need assistance with things like hacking or want extra protection from harmful threats.
Developer Fees
So, what if you want to add something unique to your website? This is where a developer can help. Unfortunately, developer knowledge is not inexpensive. You might hire a developer because you’re short on time and need to get your website up and running quickly, or you have a specific design project. Developers can also assist you if you are unsure about the design process.
It isn’t easy to estimate how much these abilities will cost because it depends on what you require. It may just cost a few hundred dollars to hire someone to assist you in setting up a basic website. You may spend hundreds of dollars if you want anything more complicated. For example, if you’re opening a health club, you’ll need a website where customers can establish profiles, pay for memberships, and schedule courses with your instructors.
You can find all of those extra capabilities if you know where to search. You may also locate plugins to assist you with a lot of your tasks. On the other hand, a developer will make it easy to produce something unique.
On the plus side, you shouldn’t have too much trouble hiring a developer who specialises in WordPress technology because there are so many of them out there.
Investigating the Costs of Creating a WordPress Site
Depending on your demands, you could establish a WordPress website for almost nothing, or you could spend a small fortune attempting to bring your site to life. It’s critical to know what kind of website you’re constructing from the start since this will guide you and your team on the right route.
For example, developing a basic WordPress website with just enough functionality to maintain an active blog differs significantly from the cost of building a site where you intend to offer items and services.
Let’s look at how much a WordPress website on a shoestring budget might cost.
What Does a Low-Budget WordPress Website Cost?
You may create a fully functional WordPress website for yourself, and your costs will likely be under $100. You must, however, keep your requests to a bare minimum. For example, you might begin with the fundamentals:
- A web addresses
- A hosting companies
- Basic safety
After you’ve installed WordPress on your hosting account, you’ll be able to pick a design for your website from one of WordPress’ numerous free templates.
There’s also the option of looking at thousands of professionally designed themes for a premium price, but that won’t be an option if you’re on a budget.
Following the instructions for installing a WordPress theme, check into various basic plugins that can help bring your site to life.
If your hosting company does not include an SSL certificate as part of the hosting package, you may have to pay for one separately. You can also use free malware scanning software like Sucuri.
What Does a Website on a Mid-Budget Cost?
Basic WordPress websites are fine, but you’ll want to add additional features and functionality in the future. The easiest approach to saving money is to wait until you need something before purchasing it. It’s easy to get carried away and believe that you require all of the complex features that WordPress developers offer, but this is rarely the case.
However, if you want to collect email addresses for your marketing campaigns, you may find that you require sophisticated capabilities like advanced forms. Alternatively, coupon and discount code plugins can help increase your website’s chances of eCommerce success.
Extra features that may increase the cost of your WordPress website include:
- Professionally created premium themes for your website
- Premium caching plugins to speed up your website
- Marketing solutions and tools with professional analytics
- Backup services to keep your information safe.
If you have any specialised needs for your WordPress website, such as including a specific type of booking form for a health club or fitness centre, you may need to engage a developer to help you out.
What Does It Cost to Build an Ecommerce Website?
WordPress now powers millions of websites around the world. Some of these websites offer things to customers worldwide, while others provide useful information. If you want to sell your products worldwide or just in your local area, you’ll need to invest a little more money.
You’ll need a domain and hosting for an ecommerce site, just as you would for a regular website. When uploading protected data like credit card information, you’ll also require an SSL certificate to keep your consumers safe.
You’ll need the correct ecommerce plugins for WordPress and your safe domain. There are several possibilities. However, the majority of users feel that WooCommerce is the best option. WooCommerce enables you to create a robust online store that accepts credit card and PayPal payments.
It’s simple to integrate WooCommerce with WordPress into your website. Most hosting companies will assist you with this, so you’ll have no trouble getting started whether you’re using WordPress.com or WordPress.org. While WooCommerce is free to use, if you want more features, you’ll have to pay for them. The cost of your WordPress site will vary based on how complicated your store will be.
Furthermore, once your site is up and running, you will require a drag-and-drop template compatible with WooCommerce. Even if your hosting package includes a free domain and extra features like HTML coding and Google Analytics, you’ll still have to pay for a premium theme or template. The good news is that several one-click choices are available.
You can start looking at the parts that give extra functionality for your small business to your website once your design is correctly set up.
Marketing tools are one of the more expensive components of a WooCommerce or WordPress eCommerce site. Even if you choose the WooCommerce free plan, you’ll need marketing strategies to attract customers to your store and spend money with their credit cards. This entails spending money on email marketing and opt-in forms.
Ideally, you should start with a few basic addons and work your way up to more complicated alternatives once you’ve determined what you require.
It costs roughly $3000 to develop a website for a blogger who has evolved into a business owner. However, there may be a higher cost depending on the services and addons you wish to use.
WordPress Pricing: Paying for Custom Sites
Although there are some things that you can obtain for free with your WordPress websites, such as themes and a free SSL, there are a lot more components that you may need to pay for as well. The more features and functionality you desire for your website, the more expensive it will be.
Because you’re engaging a developer to construct everything from the theme to the FAQ page, custom WordPress sites are frequently the most expensive. You can locate freelancers to assist you with this process online. However, keep in mind that you’ll have to pay for your hosting plan. Before choosing a premium plan, make sure you compare all of your options, including GoDaddy, Bluehost, and others.
If you’re working with a site designer or developer, you might want to look into managed WordPress hosting. Managed updates, premium support, developer-friendly tools, and stringent security are all available in this WordPress-centric hosting environment.
When looking for a WordPress developer, seek a company with a strong support team and a lot of experience with the platform. After all, you don’t want a Wix expert working on your WordPress setup.
You can also ask to see some of the previous web page projects they’ve worked on when you’re looking for developers. This is an excellent technique to determine what your web developer can do. You can follow the designer on social media as well.
It’s a good idea to seek quotes from multiple pros, ranging from independent developers to agencies, depending on your needs. The price of your bespoke website will be determined by the criteria you have. However, keep in mind that a customised theme can cost several thousand dollars.
If you want to construct a website with eCommerce functionality and checkout facilities, you’ll probably have to pay tens of thousands of dollars. Before committing to anything, get down with your developer and explain what you need and how much it will cost in advance.
So, How Does WordPress.com Work?
We’ve spent the majority of this post talking about building a website with WordPress.org, the most popular free CMS for online site development. It’s worth noting, though, that there is another website building service under the WordPress umbrella. You will have to pay a little monthly cost to use WordPress.com.
Finally, you pay a fee for a site almost ready to go once you’ve contributed your content and theme. The pricing will already include the domain name you desire for your website. You’ll also have the option of including hosting in the plan.
When you receive your pack, you choose a theme and can usually alter it to incorporate exclusive aspects of your company. If you’re not sure you have the coding skills and background necessary to succeed with a WordPress.org site, this might be your option.
WordPress.com offers two pricing options: the Free Plan and the Pro Plan, which costs $15 per month and is ideal for novices. This is an excellent option for novices because everything you need to blog is already included. However, it’s worth mentioning that WordPress.com’s eCommerce options are relatively limited.
Although WordPress.com appears to have fewer features at first glance, creating a website using this service is a little easier if you have no prior coding experience.
How to Avoid Paying Too Much for WordPress
Depending on what you require from your online presence, WordPress websites can be costly. It’s also difficult to locate a developer or designer that can offer you a complete money-back guarantee.
The good news is that numerous activities are completely free. Finding a pre-made professional theme on a website like ThemeForest will save you money on a bespoke design while allowing you more flexibility than the free themes. At the same time, payment gateways like Stripe and PayPal are usually free to add to your site.
The best thing you can do to limit your chances of overspending on the finest WordPress pricing is to plan and conduct your research. Start small and figure out what you truly need if you’re establishing an online small business. For example, you may require email marketing to help you generate leads, but you may not require a real-time chatbot right now.
There are many premium features available that may be appropriate for your company in the future but will merely add bulk and cost right now. If you know how to alter WordPress themes properly, even free WordPress themes can be sufficient for your website.
Begin by weighing your hosting alternatives. Before you sign on the dotted line, ask your web host what kind of hosting solution is best for you and look around for alternative options. If your site’s traffic starts to spike, you can upgrade your hosting later.
Start with free plugins and layouts when it comes to WordPress functionality. You can start thinking about premium features like unique themes, paid backup plugins, and strong email marketing tools after you start attracting valuable users and traffic. It’s not necessary to start rushing in too soon.
Start with the very minimum in eCommerce tools as you create your site. Until you set up a full payment site, most clients will be satisfied with using services like PayPal. You can also find various coupons and discount codes for specific features online if you know where to look.
Remember that you don’t always need to hire a developer for a solid WordPress site. There are also numerous step-by-step guides on building various types of WordPress websites. If you’re prepared to put in the time and effort, you might be able to figure out much of the work yourself.
It’s also worth mentioning that, while all websites cost money to build and scale, they also make money over time. The more you improve your WordPress site, the easier it will be to collect money from clients for future expansion.
