Everyone knows that hosting your blog can become a costly affair, and the question of cost arises in every new blogger’s mind.
How much is it going to cost to create a self-hosted WordPress blog?
There is no upper limit when it comes to blog investment, and in this guide, I will share the minimum amount you need to spend to create a professional blog that you can proudly share with the world.
How much does it cost to start a WordPress Blog?
With WordPress, you can start a blog with very little money.
The WordPress software is free. You can download it from the WordPress.org page.
Still, there are some other necessary elements that you will have to pay for (such as a domain name and a hosting space). These extra costs will depend on your specific requirements.
You may also choose to invest in customization, SEO, or other factors along the way. These things may also cost money.
If your intent is simply to start a blog on WordPress, you can start with a minimal cost of $60 for unlimited hosting and a free domain with Bluehost hosting. The best part, Bluehost will auto-install WordPress software for you.
Domain Cost for running a WordPress site: $8 every year
The first element you need to shop for is a domain. Having a domain name is like buying property and giving an address for your new website.
You need to ensure that your domain name is brandable or, at least, keyword rich.
You should choose a domain with either .com, .org, or .net. If you purchase through Bluehost, you will get a free domain, which saves you a decent amount.
In case you need to buy additional domains, Namesilo is one of the better cheap domain registrars.
- Namesilo: Buy cheap domain names
- Cloudflare domain registrar: $7.85 for a .com domain
- NameCheap: Another popular website like GoDaddy to buy a domain name
Here are some guides which will help you in selecting your domain name:
WordPress Web-Hosting Cost: $56-$100
This is one major investment that you will be making in the process of starting your own WordPress blog.
I would suggest that you do not compromise on the quality of your hosting service. You should try to get reliable (yet affordable) web hosting. For a new blog, shared hosting is best.
Here are some recommended WordPress hosting services along with prices for one year:
WordPress Set-up cost: Mostly free
There are many tutorials and resources available on the internet that will let you learn how to install WordPress.
Here are some of the tutorials I’ve written which you can use to guide you through the process of installing WordPress and setting up your blog:
- 8 Essential Settings After Installing WordPress
- Must have WordPress Plugins (Our exclusive list)
You can easily follow our DIY guides above to get everything done.
However, if you find that this requires too much technical knowledge for you at this point, or you don’t have the time, you can take advantage of ShoutMeLoud’s WordPress services.
You can also refer to our WordPress guide page for more WordPress resources.
WordPress Theme Cost: (Free to $400)
From my experience, the toughest task is to choose the right theme for your site in terms of speed, price, and functionalities. There are many free WordPress themes, but they are missing some of the important aspects of premium WordPress themes.
If you are looking for a low-cost solution, I suggest Genesis Theme or Astra theme.
WordPress Premium Plugins: ($47-$200)
One of the major benefits of WordPress is its great list of free plugins, many of which can be found at the WordPress plugin repo.
There are also many premium plugins that are available at varying costs.
Technically, as a new blogger wanting to start your blog with minimal investment, you may not need any premium services or plugins. But if you don’t have an investment issue, you can grab some of the premium plugins to help you increase your site’s functionality (like boosting your on-page SEO optimization).
- Here’s a list of plugins I use at ShoutMeLoud
Now let’s figure out how much WordPress blog costs (where you will be doing everything on your own):
- Basic setup with the free theme: $70
- Basic setup with the premium WordPress theme: $110
- Professional setup with Astra theme: $399
- Professional setup with various premium elements: $499-$1499
As a new blogger, you can consider using a basic setup with a premium WordPress theme.
Here is a FAQ related to WordPress costs:
WordPress is the cheapest way to put your website or blog up. Especially for anyone looking to build a business online, WordPress’s cost is minuscule compared to other platforms.
Yes, there are many monthly hosting where you can pay monthly. However, pre-payment for a year or more helps you save a significant portion of the money. I discussed this in-depth in my earlier guide on saving money on WordPress hosting.
Yes, there are many ways you can accept payments on WordPress. Be it PayPal or Stripe, there are many WordPress plugins out there.
Apart from WordPress hosting cost, you should consider paying between $100-$500 for building a website on WordPress.
Once your website is up and running, the only cost you would pay is:
Hosting Renewal
Domain name renewal
And if you are using any Premium plugins, renewal for that.
Let me know if you have any other questions regarding the setting up of your new self-hosted WordPress blog!
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For further reading:
Great Post!
I actually got myself a free domain along with a free hosting to get started on my self hosted account. My website: muditjhawar[dot]ml runs on free hosting by Hostinger and the domain is also a free one. Though, I’d prefer to get a dot com in the coming year.
Thanks for this post Harsh.
Thanks for the summing up things. I’m sure this will be very helpful to bloggers who are starting out. BTW I set up my blog on my own, love for DIY after all. And yes all the learning that comes with it.
Domain can cost 3-4 $ if you get any discount or coupon code, thanx for this post really very helpful for newbie bloggers
Great blog – thanks for sharing. It’s always useful hearing about the process of setting up your own site, project or company. It’s become increasingly popular for people to branch out into their own individual projects – whether they’re a fun side business or a full-time profession. Thankfully, there’s a lot of great programs and tools now in place to make this more possible and easier than ever!
Hello Harsh,
I recently started my own blog and I got the Hosting from Hostgator. Hope it will work fine for me.
Cheers.
Hi Harsh, Thanks for nice information, I am running blogs with bluehost from last three years, I took 3 websites hosting plan and got one domain free, but later for renewal I didn’t got any discounts. All plans and discount given only to new customers. also free domain received at first time need to pay Rs. 1000 for domain renewal. Please suggest to ShoutmeLoud readers who already have hosting plan but expect some benefits or guidance while hosting renewals
@Sunil
We already have a guide on this. This should help you: https://www.shoutmeloud.com/how-to-save-money-on-webhosting-renewals.html
Hi HARSH AGRAWAL,
You have incredibly explained about Self-Hosted WordPress Blog but now I have no enough money to create a Self-Hosted WordPress Blog. That’s why Now I am using free Blogspot Blogger to drive my blog.
Thanks.
@Alamin
It’s a good way to start blogging when you are learning & starting out. I recommend you to start using custom domain name feature.
” I recommend you to start using custom domain name feature.” It’s a good idea but which company is good & where from will I buy the Domain for my blog? That’s mean, there are many Domain selling company has online but I dont know, which best is.
@Alamin
Use GoDaddy. They offer domain for $2 (For new users only).
You can get the coupon here https://www.shoutmeloud.com/godaddy-coupon-code-promo-domain-discount.html
Hello Sir, How much traffic can handle Bluehost. If I get per day 10000 visitors…then is Bluehost shared hosting is good for me.
@Shubha
Bluehost can handle 10k traffic/day provided you have optimized your site well. Make sure you are using limited high quality plugins & well coded theme.
Use Cloudflare to filter bot traffic
Use cache plugin to further reduce load on your server.
With proper optimization, shared hosting can handle good amount of traffic.
Thanks Harsh for SHOUTMELOUD! Excellence work. Recently I started a site following your articles. Thanks again.
Wonderful to hear Emma & Let me know if you have any questions
I feel Bluehost is a bit expensive, I would say Big Rock is a great place to purchase hosting for a decent value.
@Yaseen
if you are looking to host your site in Indian server, then yes you can use Bigrock or Bluehost India. However, if your traffic or target audience are in other countries, you should pick server location based on that. This is a good time to read my earlier guide on how to target country specific traffic to learn more about importance of server location.
Hi Harsha
I am new blogger , purchased domain from godaddy and hosting in same , installed free wordpress theme (ColorMag) but my adsense been rejected.Does the free wordpress effect adsense approvel or should i go for premier wordpress theme .
waiting for reply
@Balakrishna
There is no problem when using a free WordPress theme. However, you should ensure your blog have all essential elements requires for getting AdSense approved.
These two blog posts should help you:
https://www.shoutmeloud.com/how-to-get-google-adsense-approval-new-blog.html
https://www.shoutmeloud.com/how-i-got-google-adsense-within-a-month.html
I created my own WordPress self-hosted blog (domain + Hosting) in or around 12 USDs. Though, I will be paying 53 USDs the next year. I hope that I can Churn out at least that much from my blog.
Hello! well i have a quick question. is it possible that we can host our own domain name on wordpress.org for free just like you wrote an article for blogger that we can host our own domain name on blogger.com. I used that information to buy my own domain name and then get hosted on blogger, but i want to switch to wordpress as blogger is giving very limited options to adjust the theme and layout
Hey Jedz,
Hosting is not free for WordPress.org. You will have to buy hosting from a good company like Bluehost, Hostgator etcc..Also, after buying hosting, you will have to move from blogger to WordPress.
Dear HARSH ,
I want to start my own blog with WordPress -hostgator -hatchling plan, how much it will cost me? is there any other service which is cheaper? Pls guide me as what I have learnt about blog is through you. Thanks
@Manish
You should grab the hosting & launch your blog. Hostgator Hatchling plan is good to get started!
which is better and cheap–hatching plan or baby plan?
@Priyanka
If launching 1 site: Use Hatchling (Cheapest)
if plan to launch more than one blog: Use Baby (Costlier than Hatchling but allows unlimited hosting)
Hello Harsh
Just I purchased a domain name from godaddy.
I want to create own hosted a blog which I can connect with Google AdSense and affiliate marketing for earning. So tell me what should be do step by step and how to create that type blog and what will coast?
Please let me know that..
Thank you
@Abhinav
You can create blog on Bluehost. Here is the guide which would help you to point your domain to Bluehost.
http://bhusers.com/point-domain-godaddy-bluehost/
You will also find everything regarding creating your first blog here: http://bhusers.com/
Hi Harsh!
Good article! I am always thinking about starting a blog site with an online magazine style look and monetize it as well. But I don’t know a single line of coding. Should I go for this interest or even if I start it somehow, may I face lots of problems later? Waiting for your advice and thanks in advance!
Hey Saroj,
Starting a blog and monetizing it does not require technical knowledge. All it takes it hard work , dedication, and patience. Even I am not a coder. There are many articles online how to start a blog and make money from it. You can easily understand it.
Harsh sir,
New bloggers cannot invest more money. So I recommend blogspot as blogging platform. But blogger is less seo-friendly when compared to WordPress.
Hi are the charges good for a month or a year?
@Ziano
This is for a year!
Hi Harsh,
Thank you for your kind words. Well, I have a doubt. Is these offers only for the beginners or this will be the same figures for the renewal process after the completion of the current running plans such as hosting plan.
Hi Harsh, Can you tell us readers what your site like this would cost to build and setup. Hope you dont mind as im just thinking about paying for a complete setup as i have a subject i want to blog about already and dont want the long wait of learning all the wordpress setup etc. Thanks in advance
Ged