There is no doubt that WordPress is the best choice for small business owners who are looking to create an online presence for their businesses.
But sometimes, the funds to create an attractive, attention-grabbing website are limited.
Not to worry though, with a little bit of know-how and some inspiration, you can go a long way toward getting your site up and running and looking the way you want it.
Here, we’ll try to give some tips on affordable, cheap, or free ways to enhance your WordPress website while saving you time and money.
What Is WordPress And What Does It Cost?
WordPress is the world’s most popular CMS platform. More than 50 percent of the top million websites on the internet use WordPress.
And it’s easy to see why. With its intuitive drag-and-drop user interface and built-in SEO features, WordPress is an ideal platform for creating and managing a website.
If you’re a non-programmer, WordPress will make it easy for you to build a site in just a few minutes.
Part of what makes WordPress so special is its associated themes and plugins. Think of themes as wallpapers that you can customize to change the appearance of your website.
Plugins affect the functionality of your site. You can use them to add features, such as eCommerce. Think of plugins as apps on your iPhone or Android handset.
Sounds great right? There is a catch. While WordPress itself is free, as well as many of the themes and plugins, as your site grows you may need functions that are not available with the free software.
You will also need a domain name for your site as well as a company to host it, which adds to its costs. With WordPress, you also have a choice of doing the development work yourself or hiring a designer. Lastly, you need security to protect your website and its users.
Over time, the costs for all of this can add up.
How to get affordable WordPress Website Design
The first question you need to ask yourself is how much can you afford to spend on a website. Once you’ve determined that, break that amount down into the elements we identified earlier.
Hosting
Web hosting is a type of service that allows people to put their websites online. Websites are usually made up of text and images, and they can be accessed by typing the website address into a browser.
Web hosting companies allow customers to store these websites online so that they can be accessed anywhere there’s an Internet connection. There are different types of web hosting available.
You can start saving money by exploring the options. You can have free hosting. You can also have shared hosting. This involves using the same server as other website owners, which cuts costs.
Free hosting also significantly lowers your initial outlay. You don’t pay for the hosting and are also able to get a certain amount of bandwidth and storage free.
That said, a lot of people confuse “free” with “low-cost.” This isn’t always the case. Many website owners think hosting comes with other services, like maintenance, but not always.
You need to do a bit of research to find out what services you need to support your website beyond hosting and find out what the costs are going to be.
Get a plan that fits your budget. A good web hosting service should offer multiple types of plans, from basic hosting to shared web hosting, to dedicated hosting and tiered costs.
Functionality and Design
Plugins are free or inexpensive add-ons for WordPress that include widgets, which are mini-applications that allow you to add something to your site without having to install another program.
Necessary plugins on your site should include those used to boost SEO ranking, collect data and provide insights, allow you to collect customer information and backup your site’s information among other functions.
There are 59,000 plus free WordPress plugins, many of which cover these basic functions. There are also over 9,000 free WordPress themes. Your search for cost savings can start here.
Again, once your site starts to grow, these free options may not be able to handle the increased traffic. Upgrading to premium or even custom themes and plugins can come with significant costs and benefits.
Again, do your research. Find the plugins and themes that can give you the best combination of functionality, appearance, and price.
Maintenance
Your website’s upkeep will be one of its most expensive features. Your website has to be secured because it contains important information. If this falls into the wrong hands, it can cost you and your customers.
You also need to retain your domain and hosting services, otherwise, your website won’t have a home.
The software on your site requires regular updates, which could be a time-consuming job. You’ll need someone with technical skills who can handle the server.
You will also need to make sure that your site is protected by an SSL certificate. This helps ensure your data can’t be accessed by people who try to visit your site through another website. You’ll also want your website to have email functionality.
These are all functions you can handle yourself and save money but it’s likely you won’t have the time or expertise. Taking out a tech support plan with your hosting company can save you time, but each additional function will add costs to your eventual maintenance bill.
And that bill can be hefty. All of these services cost anywhere between $60-$60,000 annually, possibly more depending on the type of business you run.
You can save money by bundling all of these maintenance items into one single plan with one single company or entity.
Yes…You Can Have An Affordable Website
As you see, having a budget-friendly site comes down to good judgment and practicality. Don’t get more features and functionality than you need. When outsourcing services, try to get them all in one place to lower what you pay.
Always have your eye on what you can spend at any stage of your business’ growth.
This way, you won’t pay for non-essentials and your website’s costs stay manageable.
