Establishing a website is not that simple. Different components come into the picture when working to establish it. Whether it is the website costs for the domains, design, or hosting, it exists. So, when building a website, one can go 3 of the ways. Be a website builder, use WordPress, or hire a designer. When you do it all, do not forget the website cost. Remain prepared for every coming expense.
Website Costs- A Guide to Essentials
To set up the website has different steps. It begins with registration of a domain name and can continue ahead in many more. Some other considerations to look for include obtaining an SSL certificate or the add-ons. Now, it might look possible to create the basic website within budget. But do not forget to consider the features. Yes, it can lack essentials like security, user engagement, and more. The goal must be to create a site wherein visitors are confident to get information. They must remain confident to make purchases.
- Domain Name- $0-$20 per year
- Web Hosting- $30-$500 per year
- Professional Web Design- $100-$5000-plus
- Theme or Template- $0-$100 (one-time fees)
- DIY Website Builder- $100-$400 per year
- SSL Certificate- $0-$249 per year
Domain Name
Securing the right name for the domain is essential. Specifically, it’s important for the .com/top-level domain (TLD). It can be pricey because of its prime position after the root zone. The registration would cost between $12 and $60 annually. Though the premium domains having popular keywords are expensive. The price can go to 1000s of dollars.
There are some websites that offer the free domain for the 1st year, too. But the services, including WordPress, it charge extra.
Some of the best examples of domain names are,
- Namecheap- $5.98 (1st year)
- Domain.com- $11.99 (1st year)
- DreamHost- $8.99 (1st year)
Web Hosting
To make the website accessible, hosting beyond the domain is essential. It has a fee. The drag-and-drop builders include hosting within annual plans. But self-built/WordPress sites, they need separate hosting services.
The hosting costs can range between $100 and $500 per year. If there’s high traffic, to choose a robust hosting plan is important. It would help to avoid crashes.
Owning the servers in-house is also one option. It can, though, cost $5000-$20,000 per year.
If you are willing to get a web hosting service, there are a few examples to begin with.
| Hosting | Price (Per Month) | Storage | Domain Name (Free) |
| MochaHost | $3.18 | Unlimited | Yes |
| InterServer | $2.50 | Unlimited | No |
| A2 Hosting | $2.99 | 100 GB | No |
| TMDHosting | $2.99 | Unlimited | Yes |
| DreamHost | $2.95 | 50 GB | Yes |
Note: Bandwidth is unlimited in all options provided above. As for the SSL Certificate, it’s free for all cases.
DIY Website Design
The cost to build a WordPress Website is reduced with website builders. The choice works best if there’s a tight budget. It comes with accessible features, wherein basic remain free while premium costs. Like unique themes fees come to around $200 per year. Customization choice remains limited here, in comparison to custom-built sites or WordPress.
For unique designs, it’s suggested to hire a graphic designer with HTML coding familiarity. The charge here will be $30-$100 per hour. Also, when choosing the designer, look for a stronger portfolio. It will ensure the final results are as per you want.
It all might seem overwhelming, but it leads to a successful websites build. All it needs is effort & time.
Some examples to choose from and to find the Cost to build a WordPress Website are,
| Platforms | Price (Per Month) | E-Commerce Price (Per Month) | Domain Name (Free) |
| Squarerespace | $16 | $28 | Yes |
| Weebly | $10 | $12 | No |
| GoDaddy | $9.99 | $20.99 | No |
| Wix | $16 | $27 | Yes |
| Shopify | $29 | $36 | No |
Note: All the names mentioned above offer free prebuilt templates, web hosting is included therein, and free SSL certificates.
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)
SSL certificates are important. It ensures website security, particularly for accepting payments in online stores. It also authenticates the identity of the site and enables encrypted connections. It thereby protects the visitors from cyber-attacks. The browsers might warn the users away from the non-SSL sites, ensuring SSL trust. Varied hosts offer a free SSL certificate. If you want, you can buy it through the 3rd-party providers.
Certain SSL Services that are considerable are,
| SSL Services | Cost (Per Year) |
| Comodo | $5.99 |
| SSL.com | $36.75 |
| DijiCert | $28 |
| Sectigo | $99 |
| AlphaSSL | $49 |
Other Considerable Costs
1. Add-on and Plugins
Using it helps enhance the functionality of the website. It brings features like contact forms and testimonials. There is a free choice and also the paid ones. A few even cost around $100 per year. So, use it right and avoid any issues like downtime, etc.
2. Hire Webmaster
Again, this is a cost to build a WordPress website. For the larger ones, hire a professional. They will ensure regular maintenance and updates.
The costs of hiring can range in hours or per month. Monthly, it can go up to $6500. Its dependent on the website’s needs.
3. Search Engine Optimization
Ranking right in the search engine is not that easy. So, to hire a specialist when you hire WordPress developer will be right. It will cost around $500-$6000 per month. The hired experts will recommend keywords, monitor the performance of the site, and optimize content & more.
4. Design & Images
Creating an appealing WordPress website isn’t easy. It requires costs to have custom images/or even professional photoshoots. Even though there are free images, custom choices help to stand out. The fees for the royalty-free images can range between free-$100. As for professional photoshoots, it will cost between $25 and $500 per hour.
Website Costs- Industry-Wise
The cost of website development is based on different industries. Some need certain integrated elements, and features that will be charged extra.
| Business Type | Costing for Web Design | Site Maintenance Costs (Annual) (up to) (Approx.) USD |
| Small Business Website (up to 16 pages) | $2000-$9000 | $1200 |
| Corporate Website (up to 75 pages) | $10,000-$35,000 | $15,000 |
| E-Commerce Website (up to 1000 Products) | $35000-$55,000 | $30000 |
| Website Applications (up 2000 pages) | $60000-$75,000 | $60,000 |
Final Words
Based on the scope of the project, and your requirements, the costs of a website can vary. Remember, WordPress developmentisn’t even that easy. But if you are willingness to learn new skills, you can do it all by yourself to save the money, too.
If you wish to hire WordPress developer, though, or want more functions, costs will add up. Either way, the choice is yours. You can either outsource or keep it in-house until there’s revenue. It’s, after all, then that you can justify payment made to another party for the maintenance & upgrades.
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