How Much Does A WordPress Website Cost?
WordPress has started itself as a simple free blogging site, but now it is one of the major platforms that power about 40% of websites, and it now makes sense why use WordPress for developing your website. Even though WordPress says that the platform is free to use, a simple question arises in users’ minds: what is the cost of a WordPress website? Read the article to learn more about how much a WordPress website costs you and the budget required for a one-time or ongoing basis.
Why Is WordPress Not Free?
WordPress will tell that the platform is completely free to use, but the real fact is that it is not completely free. If you want your WordPress site to be fully functional, then you need to add some extra features for which you have to pay, and some of these features are
- Domain Name for Your Site
- Web Hosting
- The themes and designs used
- Extensions or plugins
- eCommerce features
Many businesses are using WordPress for website development, and they are paying for it, but that does not mean WordPress is not good for development. Even though there are some charges, WordPress is still the most used platform for website development. Read on to know the charges for specific features you have used for the site.
1. Domain Name
Before designing any website, choosing a domain is important as it represents your business. The cost of a domain depends on where you have purchased it, and at the same time, you need to pay $12 per month to keep the domain for yourself. When using WordPress for development, it is ok to have a domain for yourself, but you must pay for it.
2. Web Hosting
After having your domain, it is time to select web hosting. There are two types of hosting, shared and dedicated. In shared hosting, you share web space with other businesses, and in this option, the cost is less as you are sharing space with other websites. The server is allocated only for your business in dedicated hosting and is expensive compared to shared hosting. For hosting, you might be spending about $24 to $10000 per year.
3. Design And Themes Of WordPress
There are many themes available in WordPress, out of which some are free and some you need to pay to use them. Free themes are great for beginners, but they do not have the necessary features needed for your website. There are many themes available, and you need to choose the best one suitable for your business website. After choosing the theme, necessary changes can be made, but there is some price needed to pay for using the themes. The charge for the theme can be $0 to $50000 based on your requirement. If you want a professional look for your website, you need to use a custom-made theme, and you need to take the help of a professional WordPress developer.
4. Extensions And Plugins
For any WordPress site, plugins play an important role in adding functionality to the site and giving it a professional look. Some plugins have yearly charges, while some have one-time charges. With over 50000 plugins, as a business website, you have dozens of plugins to choose from which can be used for SEO, site maintenance, anti-spam, and many others. The cost of the plugin depends on your usage and also the type. On average, the cost varies from $0 to $1000.
5. Security Features For Site
As a business or eCommerce website, security is important as financial transactions take place on the site and your customers share sensitive information. SSL certificate is the standard technology for every website. There is a need to pay a yearly or monthly fee for security certificates. While the basic fee is about $50, the fee can climb up when additional security features are added.
6. ECommerce Features
Creating an online store might be a difficult task, but not with the help of WordPress. There are no eCommerce features available in WordPress by default, but plenty of solutions can help create a store. Some of the solutions available in WordPress are
- WooCommerce (Free)
- Easy Digital Downloads (Free)
- Shopp(Free)
- Inventory Source ($50 to $175 per month)
While most plugins are free, you need to have some premium plugins for payments and subscription options for your site. Some premium plugins for payment gateways are
- Recurring Payments ($199 per year)
- Stripe Payment Gateway ($89 per year)
- Software Licensing($199 per year)
- AffiliateWP($99 per year)
7. Other Costs That WordPress Might Have
The other costs that WordPress might have been difficult to know to depend on the functionality chosen for your website. As you have seen, there are thousands of plugins and themes available, of which some are free and some paid. For every blogger using WordPress, backing up their website could be a major problem. Not concentrating on regular backups can make all your work drain in seconds. Backup plugins are available, which can regularly back up your data. If security is most important for your website, backup plugins can start from around $99 per year.
Build Your Customized WordPress Site With Ayatas
Some powerful websites are designed using WordPress in the internet world, and most of the top companies use WordPress for website development. If you are a business person looking to design a website using WordPress, you need to take the help of a professional web design company. At Ayatas Technologies, we have over 15 years of experience designing customized websites for our clients. Our WordPress experts are always ready to create a fully customized website that is unique for your business. If you are ready to build a website for your business or have any queries, you can contact us at 916-836-8099 for more details.