If you’re considering creating a WordPress website, you’re probably wondering about the cost. The truth is, it can vary quite a bit, much like how the cost of a house varies based on location, size, and features. This makes it difficult to provide a one-size-fits-all answer.

A website’s purpose significantly influences its cost. For instance, a simple blogging site generally costs less than a comprehensive e-commerce platform, as the latter requires more advanced features and add-ons. Likewise, a small business may have distinct necessities compared to a freelancer or a blogger, which can either inflate or lower the costs.

Typically, you could start a basic WordPress website for as little as $50-60 per year. However, if you add many advanced features, the cost could rise into the thousands, similar to adding a pool or home theater to a house. Most people find their needs fall somewhere in the middle of these two extremes.

But the good news is that with solutions like Elementor Hosting, you can start and scale a WordPress website more affordably, making it an excellent choice for both beginners and established businesses.

Learn how to create your very own WordPress website.

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How Much Does it Cost to Build a WordPress Website?

The short answer to this question is this:

The Minimum Cost 

To create a barebones WordPress site that uses all free extensions, you should expect to pay about $50-60 per year for decent hosting and your domain name. This is basically the minimum cost to build a WordPress website. It’s not super realistic for most users, but it’s achievable.

The Realistic Cost

A more realistic website cost for most users would be to budget ~$60 for a premium theme and at least $100-200 for some premium plugins. So, you should expect to pay ~$220-320 for a year of running your WordPress site. Of course, it can also go higher if you need more advanced features, or you are creating an ecommerce store.

We’ve broken these costs down to show you how we’ve come to these figures. 

Breaking Down The Costs

When you’re building a WordPress website, there are two types of costs that you’ll encounter:

  1. Required costs — even if you have the most barebone site in existence, these costs are pretty much impossible to avoid. Think of these as the bare minimum cost of making a WordPress site.
  2. Optional-but-likely costs — these are costs that you can avoid if you’re willing to sacrifice a little, but that you’ll most likely spend at least a little bit on.

Let’s dig deeper into each type of cost…

Required Costs

The two costs that no WordPress website can avoid are:

  1. Hosting — Hosting is crucial as it powers the WordPress software and makes your site accessible online. While free WordPress hosting exists, it’s not considered suitable for professional or serious websites. Check out Elementor Managed Hosting for an excellent and affordable solution.
  2. Domain name — our website’s permanent address on the Internet. You can purchase a domain name from registrars like Hover or get it bundled with some hosting plans.

Hosting

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Choosing the right hosting for your website impacts its performance, security, and how much manual work you need to undertake. While cheaper shared hosting options can start as little as $5 per month, they come with drawbacks you need to consider:

  • Shared Resources: With shared hosting, your site shares server resources with others. This can negatively impact site speed and availability during high-traffic periods.
  • Limited Support: Cheaper options often lack robust customer service, leaving you to solve problems independently.
  • Maintenance Overhead: You’re responsible for updating your site, securing it, and manually installing performance-optimization plugins.

Given these challenges, we advocate for a more reliable solution: Elementor Managed Hosting. Priced from $9.99 per month for the first year, it offers numerous advantages:

  • Performance: Tailored specifically for WordPress, Elementor Hosting guarantees excellent performance and minimal downtime.
  • Automated Updates: Elementor manages updates automatically, significantly reducing your maintenance work.
  • Daily Backups: Your site data is secure with daily backups, enhancing the reliability and security of your site.
  • Elementor Pro: All Elementor Managed Hosting plans come bundled with an Elementor Pro license, which would otherwise cost you $59 per year if purchased separately. This tool provides an extensive range of advanced design and functionality features, enabling a more streamlined and comprehensive site-building process.
  • Optimal Compatibility: The hosting is fully integrated with the Elementor website builder, offering a smooth and consistent experience.

Elementor Managed Hosting isn’t just about affordability; it’s a strategic investment in your site’s long-term success. It ensures a superior user experience from the get-go, prioritizing not just cost-saving, but setting your site up for success from day one.

Domain

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Some web hosting providers allow you to register a free domain name when you get a certain plan, and some will offer you the chance to purchase it for an additional cost. However, it’s sometimes cheaper to get a domain name from other sources. 

The cost of your domain depends on two factors:

  • Where you register your domain name.
  • What domain extension you use.

The most common domain extension, .com, typically costs $10-12 dollars per year if you purchase it at a domain registrar like Hover.

Some domain extensions are cheaper, like .info, while others get into the $30+ range, like .io.

If you put those two costs together, you get a bare minimum cost of about $50-60 to power a WordPress website for an entire year.

But — to turn that “working website” into the “website of your dreams”, you’re likely going to want some premium WordPress extensions, which is where the next set of costs come into play.

Total Cost: $5 – $72+ / Year

Optional Costs

To customize your WordPress website to meet your needs, you’re likely going to want some premium WordPress extensions, which come in two forms:

  • Themes — your theme controls the design structure of your site.
  • Plugins— plugins add new features to your site.

First, it’s important to note that there are thousands of free themes and free plugins for WordPress available – being an open source CMS means these costs are optional.

If you’re on a super tight budget, you can avoid these costs and use all free extensions, though you’ll likely need to make some sacrifices to do so.

Some free extensions are actually pretty generous with their functionality. For example, using just the free version of Elementor at WordPress.org, you can already build some great-looking content and landing pages using a visual, drag-and-drop editor.

However, most WordPress users are going to want at least a few premium extensions.

Developers often lock the best features behind paid versions. So if you want those features (and premium support), you’ll need to pay.

Themes

If you want a premium WordPress theme, the “standard” price for a premium WordPress theme is ~$60. You can find some themes at a cheaper price, but that’s rare.

You’ll also find themes that are more expensive, which is a little more common. For example, some theme developers have moved to more like ~$90, while you’ll even see some developers charging $200+ for a single theme.

Plugins

Plugins are the most variable cost of any WordPress website because there’s no cap on the number of plugins you can use. Your site only needs one WordPress theme, but you might need anywhere from zero to 20+ premium WordPress plugins — anything from contact forms to search engine optimization (SEO) plugins and others, depending on what you want to do with your site.

Also, there’s no “standard” price for a premium plugin like there is for themes. Some plugins cost just $10, while others cost $100+.

Here, it’s really hard to say more than “it depends”.

Most WordPress owners will probably want at least a few premium extensions, so a good starting point is to budget $100-200 for plugins.

If you’re creating more than a blog or brochure website it’s also easy to exceed that.

For example — an online store or an eCommerce site. While the core WooCommerce plugin is free, most WooCommerce stores need to spend hundreds or thousands on premium plugins to extend the core plugin.

Total Cost: $10 – $200+ / Year

Content Creation and AI Tools

Content creation is another cost to consider when building a WordPress website. The cost of content creation can vary greatly depending on the complexity of the content, the expertise required, and the rates of the content creators. For instance, blog posts could cost anywhere from $50 to $500 Or more, and custom graphics or images could cost anywhere from $10 to $50 each force stock images, or up to several hundred dollars for custom graphic design work.

In addition to manual content creation, you might also consider using AI tools to help generate content. For example, Elementor AI offers two pricing plans:

  • AI Starter: This plan is designed for web creators who are getting started with AI. It provides 18000 credits per year, which can be used for text, code, and image generation. The cost of this plan is 35.88 per year.
  • AI Power: This plan is aimed at business owners building multiple websites. It provides 50000 credits per year for text, code, and image generation. The cost of this plan is $99 per year.

These AI tools can help automate the process of content creation potentially saving you time and money.

Total Cost: $10 – $500+ / Year

Marketing & Promotion

Of course, once your website is up and running it’s crucial to drive traffic through paid marketing and promotion. The average marketing spends for new businesses in 2021 was between $2500 and $12,000. The rule of thumb is to base your marketing ad spend on your revenue from the previous year.

Additionally, The U.S. Small Business Administration recommends spending 7% to 8% of your gross revenue for marketing and advertising if you’re doing less than $5 million a year in sales and your net profit margin – after all expenses – is in the 10 percent to 12 percent range.

Total Cost: $2500 – $12,000 or 8% of your revenue / Year

Design & Themes

Design & Themes is of course subjective to your industry, and personal brand, but if you want a premium WordPress theme, the “standard” price for a premium WordPress theme is  ~$60. You can also find some free WordPress themes that may suit your business website needs

You’ll also find designs and themes that are more expensive, which is more common. For example, some theme developers have shifted their pricing to the  ~$90 range, while you’ll even see some developers charging $200+ for a single theme.

Total Cost: Free – $200 / One Time Fee

Development

When it comes to development, the average person is unaware of what is needed to make his requests a reality, both in terms of man-hours and actual functionality.

This is why WordPress website pricing varies based on each business’s design and development needs and use cases. However, in 2023, the average development cost for a WordPress website was between $75, and $115,000.

Total Cost: $75 – $100,000+

Security & SSL

Website security is a critical element for any online presence and is usually included as a standard feature with your WordPress subscription. Still, if you feel the need to boost your site’s protection, there’s a myriad of options available for you to explore.

Another indispensable component of website security is an SSL certificate. Standing for “Secure Sockets Layer”, an SSL acts as the padlock on your website, ensuring that all sensitive data transferred between your site and its users is well-protected and secured.

Usually, an SSL certificate comes standard with your hosting package. However, if you’re setting up your own hosting, you might need to purchase it separately, and prices can vary. For a basic SSL certificate, you might need to shell out about $50, while more advanced ones can cost up to $600!

However, when you opt for managed hosting solutions, like Elementor Managed Hosting, an SSL certificate is included as part of your package. This not only takes the technical stress off your shoulders of having to set it up but also leads to substantial cost savings.

Additionally, there are reputable resellers from whom you can purchase SSL certificates that come in various types, including wildcard SSL certificates. It’s worth mentioning that while free SSL options exist, going for a paid SSL certificate usually translates to more robust website security.

Total Cost: $50 – $600 / Year

Save Money with Elementor

If you’re looking to maximize your return on investment, the Elementor Pro Page Builder plugin offers an all-inclusive package that bundles powerful functionality into one affordable solution.

Elementor Pro

Elementor Pro is a transformative tool that reduces WordPress website costs, allowing you to bypass the need for a premium theme and several premium plugins. For just $49, it integrates an array of functionality:

  • All-in-one Site Builder: Instead of investing in a premium WordPress theme, you can use Elementor Pro’s Theme Builder. It provides a straightforward visual, drag-and-drop editor for custom site design.
  • Elementor Template Kits: If building a site from scratch seems daunting, you can rely on these pre-made designs. Customize them to meet your needs and get your site up and running faster.
  • Premium Plugins Replacement: Elementor Pro can substitute many premium plugins you might consider buying separately:
  • Landing pages: Craft conversion-optimized pages with Elementor Pro or use its pre-made templates.
  • Forms: Create subscription or registration forms using the Form widget.
  • Popups/email opt-ins: Grow your email list with the Popup Builder and Form widget.
  • Sliders: Generate image or post sliders using the Slides widget.
  • Social sharing: Integrate social media via the Share Buttons widget.
  • Pricing tables: Display prices effectively using the Price Table widget.

The idea is simple yet powerful – you can replace numerous other tools with just one plugin.

 

Elementor Hosting for WordPress

Elementor offers its own managed WordPress hosting, starting at $9.99 per month. It includes the Elementor Pro license, further enhancing its value. Here are the benefits:

  • Fully Managed WordPress Hosting: This frees you from complex technicalities, allowing you to focus on growing your website.
  • Top-Tier Performance: Elementor Hosting offers superior site speed, stability, and security.

Elementor Pro: Every hosting plan includes the Elementor Pro license (valued at $59 per year), ensuring seamless site-building and management.

Final Thoughts: Navigating WordPress Costs with Elementor

Stepping into the world of WordPress website building might feel a bit like venturing into the unknown, especially when you start thinking about costs. But here’s the good news – it doesn’t have to be overwhelming! By making savvy decisions and understanding what you’re investing in, you can navigate this journey like a pro, even if you’re just starting out.

Sure, you might be tempted by the low-cost hosting plans out there, but trust me, the trade-off in terms of time, maintenance, and security can make this “bargain” seem pretty expensive. This is where Elementor comes to the rescue.

With Elementor Managed Hosting combined with the powerhouse of Elementor Pro, you’re not just investing in top-notch, secure, and high-performance hosting. You’re also equipping yourself with a wide array of website-building tools that kick additional themes and plugins to the curb. It’s like having your very own Swiss Army knife for website building!

This all-in-one solution isn’t just cost-effective – it simplifies the entire process, saving you from the hidden complexities that can sneak up on you when building a WordPress website.

So, if you’re wondering about the initial cost of creating a WordPress site and how it can swing wildly depending on your requirements, don’t fret. Elementor offers a unique, budget-friendly, and incredibly efficient way to embark on your WordPress journey.

Go ahead and give it a shot! With Elementor, you’re setting your site up for success from day one, ensuring it’s scalable, function-packed, and eye-catching right from the get-go.

Your awesome WordPress adventure starts here!