How Much Does It Cost to Create a Website

WordPress is used by many to create professional and beautiful websites. If you're looking to carve out your own corner of the internet with WordPress, you'll be in good company. Really good company. We're talking about The New York Times and Vogue kind of company.

The process of website building is different for every business and individual since each site has a unique purpose. For this reason, it may be difficult to predict exactly how much building your WordPress website will cost.

In this blog post, we'll cover the potential costs you might encounter while creating your website so you'll be able to more accurately determine the total.

How much does WordPress cost?

While the WordPress software is free, it's important to remember that each site is unique and will have different requirements — that's why WordPress sites can range anywhere from $30 to $3000. This section will help you narrow down that price range and budget accordingly.

WordPress Plan

To begin creating your site, choose a WordPress plan that's right for you. Low-cost WordPress hosting is available, but your exact rate will largely depend on which package you choose. There are five plans and their main differences relate to price, customization, and support.

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Although the Free plan is technically free, there's more work to be done on the back end in comparison to the other four plans. For example, the Free plan requires you to purchase a domain while the Personal, Premium, Business, and eCommerce plans will host your domain for free for one year.

Domain Name

After choosing your WordPress plan, it's time to think about your domain name. This is the home address of your website. An example is Hubspot.com.

There are plenty of websites where you can purchase your domain name, such as GoDaddy and Bluehost. In regards to WordPress, you'll have to pay for your domain name upfront with the Free plan, and after one year with the other plans.

Domain names can cost anywhere from 99 cents to thousands of dollars. But you'll be relieved to hear that on average, domain names usually cost between $2 to $20 per year, according to GoDaddy.

The wide price range is due to variation in domain extension (.com versus .org), where the domain is purchased, and any add-ons you choose. Some hosting providers will also offer a free domain name for a certain amount of time when you register, so it may be worthwhile to purchase the domain name and hosting provider together.

Hosting Provider

A hosting provider is where your website will live on the internet. Choosing the right hosting provider is essential for a well-functioning website as it can affect the site's overall health, speed, and security.

Again, there are many providers to choose from and prices will vary, but there are definitely great options for low-cost WordPress hosting. We gathered 23 of the best WordPress hosting providers here to help you narrow down your options. Some examples include SiteGround and Bluehost, with prices ranging from $14.99-$39.99 per month and $7.99-$119.99 per month respectively.

Low Cost WordPress Hosting

The cost of web hosting will depend on the type of web server you choose for your site, which can be determined by the amount of web traffic you expect. Shared hosting is the go-to option for low-cost WordPress hosting. As the cheaper option, it's great for websites with low traffic volume, while dedicated server hosting is ideal for ones with high traffic volume. The more exclusive the server, the more expensive the price tag.

Website Theme

This part is my favorite — it's time to make your website eye-catching.

To do so, you'll need a theme for your WordPress website – a theme will allow you to organize content and display it in a visually appealing way. Your branding should help you determine the ideal theme for your site, so take time to choose the best option for your business and goals.

There's a wide selection of free themes from WordPress to choose from but if none of those float your boat, you can also pay for professionally designed themes. To help get you started, we created a list of 27 of the best WordPress themes for all types of sites from ecommerce to personal sites. We've also created this handy guide that can show you how to install your WordPress theme.

The price range for paid themes can reach thousands of dollars depending on the level of customization. Based on the themes we compiled, you should be prepared to spend anywhere from $50-$200 upfront or on an annual basis.

Plugins

Plugins are software that enhance the functionality of your website and can also improve user experience (UX). Think of them as apps you download to your phone, but for your website.

Similar to themes, there are free and paid plugins with prices that reach up to several hundreds of dollars as a one-time or annual payment. We compiled a list of 20 WordPress plugins here, but below are two quick examples for your convenience.

Used by over 100,000 websites, the HubSpot WordPress Plugin is a free plugin for your site. This plugin helps you to capture and engage website visitors with free forms, live chat, contact management, email marketing, analytics, and other features that come with a powerful CRM.

An example of a premium plugin is Monarch, which costs $89 per year. Monarch is made to boost social sharing by adding social media buttons to your site. You can choose from over 20 social media networks and customize the buttons as you like.

Does WordPress Cost Money?

Certain features of WordPress will cost you nothing, while others could cost several hundred dollars. You can get the basics of your website, such as simple plug-ins and a premade theme, for free. More complex aspects like security or a unique domain name will likely come with a fee. So, much of WordPress does cost money, but how much you spend will depend on your website needs.

There are six basic features to factor into your budget for a WordPress website: domain name, hosting, theme, plugins, security, and developer fees. Each aspect can range in cost, and you may choose how to distribute your spending based on the features you prioritize. For example, you might need to pay more for hosting if your website gets a lot of traffic, but you could pair that with one of WordPress' free premade themes to save on design costs. When starting out, you won't necessarily need all the most expensive options.

WordPress Cost Calculator

The above chart details the estimated average spend for a WordPress website based on business size. In general, if you run a

• Small/Medium Sized Business you're likely to spend between $3 to $5 a month.
• Ecommerce Business you can expect to spend between $800 - $1500 per month.
• Enterprise Business your costs could be north of $3K per month.

Estimate the Cost of Your WordPress Website

Your journey to build your online presence on WordPress is an exciting one — but, it can also feel slightly overwhelming. Hopefully, the above information cleared up any confusion related to the costs involved in building your ideal website on WordPress.

This post was originally published in August 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Originally published Sep 28, 2021 7:00:00 AM, updated September 28 2021

How Much Does It Cost to Create a Website

Source: https://blog.hubspot.com/website/wordpress-cost-per-year

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