What’s needed in a WordPress site?
WordPress is open-source software that helps you create your own website. It’s completely free for anybody to use and it now powers 40% of all websites. WordPress is also used by 14.7% of the top 100 websites in the world so it’s a very popular platform to build your website on.
So if WordPress is so popular and it’s completely free to use, then where is the cost coming from?
The cost of a WordPress site is broken down into 4 main sections.
These sections are:
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1. WordPress hosting
If you want to create a WordPress site, you’ll need web hosting to store all of your files. Every website on the internet has to have hosting. Think of it as your website’s house. To live on the internet, your website needs one.
There are different types of hosting plans available, so you’ll have to pick the one that best suits your requirements. Most hosting is charged on a monthly or annual basis.
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2. Domain name
If the hosting is your website’s house, then your domain name is your website’s address on the internet. This is what your users will type into the browser to get to your website. A domain name has a yearly fee.
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3. Design
WordPress has over 6000 free website templates that you can use at no extra cost. There are various templates out there, but if you want something unique, you’ll have to get a custom website design made, which will raise your website’s cost.
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4. Plugins and extensions
On WordPress, there are over 55,000+ free plugins that you can use on your website. These are extensions and apps like contact forms and galleries that you can use to fill out your site.
You can now build your website with just the hosting and domain cost, but if you want something specific, you might have to pay more for additional tools and services.
These four costs to a WordPress website don’t take into account the main cost to getting a website professionally built: the time and expertise of your web developer.
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The steps to figuring out how much your website will cost
Depending on your needs, a WordPress website’s cost can range from €199 to €30,000 – it can even be more if you’re looking for complex functionality.
To figure out the cost of your WordPress website, it’s important to know what type of website you want to build and what functionality you’ll need, as it will directly affect the cost of your website.
Here are three things to consider before you can figure out how much your website will cost:
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1. Set your budget
Knowing how much money you have to spend on your website will help guide you through the site-building process.
There are a few upfront costs for building a website. There are also ongoing costs, even when building a small website for a local Waterford business so always bear this in mind when budgeting for your site.
Before you decide to make any final decisions regarding spending money, be sure to double-check that you have all your finances in order and that you can afford what you want for your site.
There’s no point in asking someone to build you the new DoneDeal or Facebook if your budget is €500 – it’s simply not possible to get complex, high-quality websites built for a few hundred euro.
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2. What features will you need?
After figuring out your budget, it’s time to figure out what will be on your website. It’s time to plan and organise what features you’ll need to reach your goals.
Create a list of must-have features and another list for features that can wait until you’ve started turning a profit. This will make it easier, faster, and less stressful when building your website.
Remember, you can always add more to your site as your Waterford business grows.
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3. Do you need to hire a professional?
You might think that you can build your website all by yourself. I mean, there are loads of templates available on WordPress, so why not, right!
To get your website to perform exactly the way you want it to, you’re going to need to hire some professional designers and developers to help you out.
How much this costs depends on the level of web design skills you’re looking for. For example, a freelance website designer will cost a lot less than a digital agency, but they might not provide you with the quality of work you want.
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Recurring WordPress website costs in Waterford
WordPress websites have recurring costs. Whether it’s security updates or hosting, your website will have monthly or annual costs to keep it up and running.
If you have a small budget, then you can maintain a WordPress website for a low price: you can pay for the hosting and your domain name. You’ll have a functioning website for between €100 and €500 a year.
You can easily get free WordPress plugins to cover your security features on your website and even help with your search engine optimisation.
If you need specific features and paid plugins for your website, then the ongoing cost of your website is going to be a bit more.
Depending on what premium WordPress plugins and services you use, your website can be anywhere between €500 and €1000 a year.
Don’t forget to add the cost of a website developer and designer for future updates and maintenance to that too. If the premium templates aren’t good enough and you’re looking for a custom-built site then you’re going to need a designer and a developer.
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Overall, your WordPress website’s price will be completely dependent on what features you’re looking for and what your goals are for your site.
If you want some help bringing your website to life, our team of Waterford website designers and developers would love to give you a hand.
At Whelan Web Design, we love helping local Waterford businesses get the perfect website for their company.
If you’d like to talk about how to get the perfect website for your Waterford business then get in touch with our team today.
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