If you want to build a website, WordPress is an obvious choice for so many reasons. It’s easy to use and maintain and has a layout that’s familiar to blog readers and website-users around the globe. However, the cost of building a WordPress site can seem prohibitive, especially if you’re building the site yourself. Below is a quick guide to how to build a high-quality WordPress site on a budget.
Advantages of WordPress
There are so many website platforms out there, (check it all at MyBestWebsiteBuilder.com ), so why use WordPress? First, if you’re interested in generating internet traffic and making your website accessible to the broadest possible audience, then WordPress is almost a no-brainer. 32% of websites are currently built on WordPress, and that number is only growing. One of the big reasons for this is that it’s an open-source platform, so just about anyone with internet access can use WordPress to build their site.
Another big plus of using WordPress is that it’s free. There are some inevitable costs that do eventually come with building and maintaining a WordPress site, but there is no cost for simply using the platform, which gives it a huge leg up on just about every other website platform out there and makes it the natural place to go for people with limited funds.
WordPress is also incredibly DIY friendly. There’s no reason that you can’t build and maintain a WordPress site by yourself, even if you have no knowledge of code, tech, or website building. It’s also incredibly versatile in terms of what kind of website it can be adapted for. So whether you’re looking to start a blog, create a website for your business, advertise yourself as an artist or freelancer, etc., WordPress can facilitate your needs.
If you’re not convinced yet, WordPress is also noticeably faster than a lot of other website platforms, which goes a long way toward making your site user-friendly and therefore generating more internet traffic. It’s also SEO-ready, which makes the work of promoting your website much easier.
Building your Site
It’s important to note that the “wordpress” this article refers to is WordPress.org, the software, as opposed to WordPress.com, the commercial service.
That being said, once you’ve chosen WordPress as your website hosting platform, it’s time to get started building your website. Once you’ve chosen a name and a domain name, you’ll encounter the first cost associated with building your website – purchasing a domain name and hosting package.
Choices are abundant when looking for cheap WordPress hosting. Greengeeks starts at $2.95 per month while Bluehost has packages starting at $3.95.
After these, your next cheapest options are Dreamhost, iPage, and A2 Hosting. A Basic hosting package with these providers will cost you $4.95, $7.49, and $7.99 respectively. Each of these plans offers different advantages, so it’s best to do your research and see which one is right for you. Remember, however, that none of these other hosts offer a free domain name, so the price of the domain name should be factored into your start-up costs.
And really, it’s as simple as that! Once you’ve successfully installed WordPress, you have free access to the full panel of all its features. If you have the money to spare, you can pay for a high-quality theme to add to the aesthetic of your site, but there are also thousands of free themes for you to choose from.
The same is true for plugins. Like apps in the app store, there are plenty of plugins available for purchase, but there are also thousands of free plugins to choose from. Like choosing a free theme, you can greatly improve the functionality of your website by installing several plugins for no cost whatsoever.
To sum up, you can build a fully functioning website, searchable on Google, Bing, and other major search engines, for a total start-up cost of around $50. However, be advised of the time and effort it will take to build a successful site. Producing engaging content will take time, money or both, depending on whether you produce it yourself or outsource to third party writers.
Be certain you have a plan in place before beginning any project.
