WordPress is a free web design and blogging platform, but is it really completely free? The platform and design program is free to download. Below are some areas where you may end up paying money for your website using WordPress.

Domain Name

You can set up a site on WordPress.com and have a name that is a subdomain of WordPress.com. This allows you to create a blog or family site without paying any money to do it. However, if you are a freelancer, starting a business or creating a website to market yourself, you likely want to create a unique domain name that is your name or the name of your business. WordPress.com offers this option on a monthly plan or you could register your own domain name through another site. You will need to renew your domain name each year. Depending on where you shop and the traffic, this could be as low as $15.00 a year, but it can go up.

Hosting Costs

You have several options when it comes to hosting your website. WordPress.com offers free hosting using their subdomain names. You can pay a monthly fee for hosting options that include having your own name and offers free themes. These plans are tiered and may include other features like themes and plugins too. Another option is find your own separate host that you will upload the site you built on WordPress to. If you are having your site designed by a web designer, this is likely the option that your web designer will use.

Themes

Themes are the templates that you can use for your website. There are dozens of free themes to choose between that allow some customization. There are thousands of premium themes that you will need to pay money to use. These may offer more customization options or may better fit your website. You also have the option of creating your own theme, but generally you will need to be proficient in coding for WordPress to do this. You may also hire a web designer to create a custom WordPress theme specifically for your business or website. The cost for the themes is really dependent on the route that you chose to take.

Plugins

Plugins are tools that you can install using code for your website. These plugins can help you track visitors, set up a shopping cart on your website, monetize your page and do a number of different things with your website. There are some free plugins available, but if you are running a business and completing transactions online, you will need to pay for plugins for your customers’ safety. This may be the most expensive aspect of your website design. There are packages available that will allow the plugins to work together properly.

Is WordPress Free?

It is possible to set up a free WordPress site, but if you want to create a professional site, you will need to pay for some aspects of your website. You can control just how much you spend and as your business expands, you may decide to upgrade in certain areas. It is important to remember that your website may be the first contact that potential customers have with you, and it is worth making a good impression. This means that you will likely need to spend some money to do so.