How much does it cost to develop a WordPress website?

Before entering into any venture, professional or otherwise, one of the first issues that need attention is the budget. The task of developing a WordPress website is no different.

The cost of developing a WordPress website may vary depending on several variables. Although domain names, hosting servers, plug-ins, etc., add to the cost of developing a website, the biggest portion of website costs are the charges paid to the developers. Besides these, factors like deadline, complexity, and project requirements may add to the cost of developing the website.

While developing a website in-house on WordPress can cost anywhere between $0 to $400 with access to certain premium features, hiring a freelancer to enhance the characteristics can cost you between $600 to $5000. Agencies, however, can charge you between $4000 to $10,000.

How Much Does it Cost to Develop a WordPress Website? (Cost Components)

WordPress development costs range from $1000 to $10,000. The cost of WordPress development depends upon the timeline, project requirements, and complexity of the website.

In order to determine how much it would cost to develop a website on WordPress, one must understand the basic cost bifurcation in website development. All website development costs fall into two categories:
(a.) Required Costs and (b.) Optional yet Likely Costs. The names of both categories describe the types of costs it includes.

Required Costs: These are the most necessary, basic costs incurred to develop a website. These costs are unavoidable even if you plan on making just the ‘skeleton’ of the website on WordPress. Two costs are included in this category:

1. Hosting – what fuels the WordPress platform and allows multinational Internet accessibility for your website. Hosting for a website is what a plot is for your home. Although a free hosting feature is available on WordPress, it is unsuitable for more professional, serious websites. Hence, this cost becomes unavoidable.The hosting of your website significantly affects its performance, security, and timely maintenance cost for the website. If you are just starting with your website, a shared hosting plan will be more effective. Some of the shared hosting options can cost as less as $3 per month, although it requires an upfront payment for an entire year. Examples of a few such hosts are A2 Hosting (at $35.60 per year) and BlueHost (at $71.40 per year).You can switch to a more managed WordPress hosting when your site grows or if you want a better hosting solution. Examples of such hosts are Kinsta (at $30 per month) and WP Engine (at $35 per month).
2. Domain Name: You do know which plot you are going to build your house on, but how do you reach there? Simple, with the help of an address. A domain name is like a permanent address for your website on the internet. It is what people will use to reach your website.Although some hosting platforms offer you free domain registration with some plans, some may offer the same at an additional price. Where you register the domain name, and the type of domain extension you want to use are the main determinants of your domain name costs. Domain extensions like .com costs around $10-12 a year while those like .io can fall in the category of $30 and above.

Optional Costs: These are the costs of customizing the WordPress website to suit your needs. With some premium WordPress extensions, you can develop a website that is one of a kind using:

1. Theme: A design structure of your website is the general theme of your website.Although there is a plethora of free themes available on WordPress, their functionality is either limited or hidden in the paid versions. Hence we suggest getting a paid version of any theme to unlock its full potential and keep your website more professional-looking. If you want to purchase a premium WordPress theme, the “standard” price is $60. Some themes are available at a lower cost, but this is relatively rare. There are also more expensive themes ranging from $90 to over $200, which is a little more popular.
2. Plug-ins: Your website can have only one theme, but when it comes to plug-ins, the sky’s the limit, making it the most variable cost in developing a WordPress website. You may add any number of plug-ins depending on what functions you want your site to offer. Similar to themes, plug-ins may cost anywhere between $10 to well over $100. The usual budget companies have for plugins is $100-$200, but it is really easy to exceed that if you are making a professional website.

(Best for personal use)5 weeks (200 hours)(Best for freelancers)8 weeks (320 hours)(Best for small businesses)10 weeks (400 hours)

FAQ About WordPress Development Cost

1. How much does it cost to hire a WordPress developer? (Freelance and Agency)

An average freelance WordPress developer will charge anywhere between $5 to $120 per hour, based on the extraordinary skills of the developer, these estimates can go as high as $1000 per hour. If you are hiring an agency, the cost can reach a few thousand dollars.

2. How much time does it take to build a WordPress website? (Time Investment)

A standard WordPress website can take approximately 5 weeks, or 200 hours on average, to develop. However, if we are talking about a custom, tailor-made website, it can take up to 240 hours to develop one. This, compared to other platforms for creating websites, is a time-saving option.

Ready to Build a WordPress Website for Your Business?

We always suggest our users start out small and then scale up as their WordPress site grows. In many situations, you may not want all of the premium features offered on many well-known websites in your business.

You can begin with a low-cost website by leveraging free plugins and templates. When you begin to receive visitors, you can consider adding premium features such as a premium template, email marketing, a paid backup plugin, a website firewall, live chat, and so on.

So, what are you waiting for? Unleash your creative head and start building a one-of-a-kind website!

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