Do you want to invest in a custom WordPress website for your business? The cost for designing your website always depends on the theme, design, and developmentās needs. According to Web FX, the average upfront cost for a WordPress website is $75 to $115,000. Ongoing maintenance costs for WordPress websites range from $75 to $15,000 per year.
Cost to Build a Custom WordPress Website:
If you are new, some factors will determine the cost of building a custom WordPress.
The content management system
An excellent content management system (CMS) helps make a great impression on your customers because of the text, pages, and images. Several CMS platforms are free, but you may have to pay a website designer to configure and make customizations to match your website requirements.
The navigations and usability of the website
The cost of designing a website will vary depending on the number of links. With many links, you will need a good number of labels for the link.
If the website will be E-commerce or static
With the rapid growth in e-commerce, most business websites nowadays tend to have e-commerce features. However, some businesses prefer to have fewerinteractive websites. If you are keen on getting an e-commerce website, you will have to pay more than you would with a brochure website.
SEO Features
You may have the best website design. But to rank highly on search engine pages, you have to consider other factors. You will need rich content and optimized keywords that people can use to find the website. Your website cost will depend on your SEO strategies.
With building a custom WordPress website, there are various costs you will incur to get your site up. Here is a rundown of the extras and how much you may have to part with in building the business website:
Web hosting
One of the most crucial decisions you have to make when creating your WordPress site is deciding on a web host. WordPress hosting can cost anything from $30 monthly to $900 monthly. Select a plan that meets your budget and ideal bandwidth.
Also, you may host your website directly on WordPress as that comes at a lower price point. The only downside to that arrangement is that WordPress may not monitor the website on your behalf or help you with issues between third-party plugins.
As with anything, the cheaper the hosting, the lower the quality. Some low-priced hosting options make compromises and may have overcrowded servers. That can impact your site performance considerably.
Most higher costing and high-quality hosting options tend to be more flexible. They also have advanced features like resource isolation. With resource isolation, you are sure that your site will remain online even during traffic surges.
Domain name
Registering a domain name means purchasing a site URL. A domain name will offset you by about $10 to $30 every year. There are various places to buy your domain name, like GoDaddy and Namecheap.
Design and themes
WordPress has several themes available for all its users. Some may be free, while others may cost up to $2OO. For a beginner, the free WordPress themes may serve the purpose. However, they may lack the necessary features needed by seasoned business owners.
Browse through the WordPress theme library to get the best theme for your business. Ensure that you select a theme that matches the overall feel you want for your website.
You can use plugins to make changes to it when need be. If youād prefer not to purchase premade templates from WordPress, you can get them from sites like Template Monster.
The prices range from $75 to $200. It is worth noting that buying templates from third parties places you at risk of having templates that do not automatically integrate with native plugins. The premade templates may also be hard to customize, especially if unfamiliar with HTML and CSS.
If none of the themes you find matches your website needs, you could opt to hire a web developer to create your unique one. The price will depend on the developer you hire, but you can expect it to cost between $700 and $10,000.
When selecting a theme for your business, ensure that you go for a mobile-friendly theme. The mobile e-commerce industry is worth billions and is continually growing. Having a mobile-friendly website is for sure a plus for your business.
Security
Security is a fundamental aspect of a business website, especially if you have an e-commerce site. You want to ensure that your customers enjoy privacy and security. That way, they will have more confidence in your business website.
Having strong encryption with an SSL certificate helps to assure privacy and security. If your website is having a single domain instead of multiple domains or subdomain, you can go with low-cost SSL cert like RapidSSL, Comodo Positive SSL certificate, Thawte SSL that not only allows for 256-bit encryption but also makes it possible for data integrity and security.
Extensions/Plugins (Apps)
These are bits of code that you can add to your website. You can find free plugins but the premium options cost between $47 and $200. You can either pay a one-time fee or a recurring charge. Plugins can boost your website level to compete with even the top WordPress experts.
You shouldnāt, however, go crazy with all the plugins. Only install those that are necessary for your business. The fewer plugins you have, the faster your website will be. Declutter your site by integrating only needed extensions. An in-house developer can help you clean up plugin codes to make them suit your website theme better.
If you are developing for property search then IDX is the must have plugin you would like to have on your site to make your property search more flexible and handy. Be wise when you integrate one as a poorly developed IDX can slowdown your website. Go with good rating and pay if they ask for a small fee rather than going free.
Ecommerce features
WordPress does not have inbuilt e-commerce features, but there are numerous solutions. Some of which may be free. WooCommerce is a free WordPress plugin offering e-commerce solutions. You can use it in conjunction with Inventory Source that costs between $50 to $175 per month to dropship.
Easy Digital Downloads is also a free solution for businesses dealing with digital downloads and services. Another great free plugin is Shopp. It allows you to run sales, add new items, update your inventory, and so much more.
While you can get so much for free, you may need some premium plugins to ensure the free ones operate the way you expect them to.
For instance, a developer selling plugins with Easy Digital Downloads may need plugins like Recurring Payment, Stripe Payment Gateway, Software Licensing, and Affiliate WP. These premium plugins improve the functionality of WordPress.
Wrapping up
As you can see, the cost of building a custom e-commerce WordPress site will vary depending on your specific needs.Ensure that you go for the best unique design and meet users need without compromising the cost.
