How Much Does It Cost to Create a Custom WordPress Website?
WordPress is the world’s #1 content management system (CMS) and it’s estimated there are over 200 million websites built on the platform. The most popular version is currently number 3 on the world’s most popular apps and platforms list which, as you might guess, is Android.
While WordPress is a free app, premium options are available to make creating and maintaining content easier for your users. Enterprises, startups, and individuals may choose to pay for WordPress services including the platform, design, and support from professional developers and agencies. This can range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars a month depending on your needs.
The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly Of Building A Custom WordPress Website
Let’s get the bad out of the way first, because while there are a lot of benefits to building a custom WordPress website, the process isn’t without its challenges. Specifically, there’s a lot of manual labor that goes into building and maintaining a standard WordPress site. Here’s a short list of things you’ll need to watch out for:
Design And Development
Unlike a standard WordPress site, where templates are applied to a blank canvas and then content is dropped in, a custom WordPress site is built from the ground up with a specific design in mind. You’ll need to sit down with your developer and work out a design plan before you begin coding. This means you’ll need to review specific aspects of the design including colors, fonts, and photos to be sure everything fits within your budget. Additionally, you’ll need to choose a theme that is easy to maintain and update.
Once you have a final template laid out, it’s time to dive into development. From here you’ll need to make multiple rounds of adjustments to fit the design plan and ensure everything works as intended. If you’re a tech-savvy individual, you can and should take the time to get involved in the development process from beginning to end. Doing so can help you identify potential issues early on and help you squash them before they become a problem.
Complexity
Because a standard WordPress site can be created and then left alone to run by itself, it’s easy to update content and perform routine maintenance without too much difficulty. A custom site, on the other hand, is more complicated. Consider the work involved in keeping a sports blog updated with the latest news articles. With a standard WordPress site, this is a simple matter of creating and dropping in a few new posts each week. If you want to do more, you can always hire someone to help you or take the time to learn how to use Automattic’s tools for the job. These include Multi-author, which allows you to collaborate with other authors on a single site, and Visual Builder, a drag and drop content creation tool.
With a custom WordPress site, the work is a bit more involved. While it is possible to simply import existing content from other sites and/or blogs to a blank canvas, doing so without taking the time to reorganize and rework the content into something that fits your design guidelines can prove problematic. For this reason, you should consider hiring an agency that is experienced in web design and digital marketing to help you with the complex task of putting together a functional, attractive website. The cost of this service is usually around $100 per hour with a minimum of three hours required.
Maintaining The Website
Because a custom WordPress site is more involved, it’s important to choose a design that is easy to maintain. Things like color blindness and readability should be considered along with the visual appeal of the site. When it comes to the content, you’ll need to keep up with the latest news articles, sports scores, and business or entertainment announcements to maintain relevancy. For this reason, you should look for a design that is flexible enough to accommodate future growth and maintenance needs.
Creating a custom WordPress website can be a cost-effective and time-saving alternative to building a standard site. The cost of a custom site is usually around $15,000 – $25,000 with design and development. This price includes a free domain registration for one year, one gigabyte of storage, and the use of a premium theme. The benefit of having a custom website is that it will save you time and money in the long run.