When you start a self-hosted WordPress blog, the very first thing that comes into your mind ” How much does it cost to start a blog “
Well, there is no straight answer to this question. Because the cost to start a blog depends on your budget and website needs.
However, knowing how much does it costs to start a blog in 2024 might save your time (and money).
If you don’t want to waste your money read this blog up to the bottom? In this blog, I explain exactly How much does it cost to start a blog in 2024.
Let’s get started!!
How Much Does it Cost to Start a Blog in 2024
In general, How Much Does it Cost to Start a Blog, the real cost of starting a blog is between $100 and $250. The basic cost includes a domain, hosting, and Blog theme (not necessary).
However, your setup costs can increase if you invest in other blogging tools, resources, and essential blog functionality tools.
Note: I assumed that you already have blogging equipment such as a Laptop or Desktop, otherwise your blogging cost might increase!
Let’s figure out what are the essential things that basically cost you when building a blog.
1. Domain Name
A domain name is the very first thing you need to start a blog. In other words, your domain name is the address of your blog on the Internet.
So, You need a domain to build a blog so that people can find you online.
So, how much does a domain name cost to start a blog?
Well, the Domain price depends on the domain register or hosting provider you register with.
If you choose blog hosting like Bluehost your domain name costs would be ZERO for one year.
But, If you want to buy a domain name from a domain register it costs anywhere between $8.00 – $20 per year.
Let’s have a quick look at the average DOT com domain cost:
Avrage .com domain Cost
| Provider | .Com Price | Renew | Check Price |
| Dynadot | $6.99 | $8.99 | Visit Site |
| NameCheap | $8.88 | $12.98 | Visit Site |
| GoDaddy | $6.66 | $14.00 | Visit Site |
| Domain.com | $8.99 | $15.98 | Visit Site |
| Name.com | $9.99 | $12.99 | Visit Site |
Note: No matter where you buy your domain name, make sure you have domain privacy with your domain.
1. Dynadot -$6.99
Dynadot is probably the cheapest domain provider around and the .com domain costs only $6.99 a year. It
2. NameCheap – $8.88
NameCheap has been my personal favorite domain register since 2019. I used to have a couple of domains from GoDaddy.
But later on, I found Namecheap to be great and I moved all my domains to Namecheap. The great news it offers free domain privacy and It average cost of the .com domain is $8.88 per year.
3. GoDaddy-$6.66
Godaddy is another solid option in terms of domain name and Web hosting. It counts as an industry-leading domain register.
From Godaddy, you will get a .com domain of $10.00 and $20.00 per year. But if you buy it the first time the .com domain costs $6.66 per year.
4. Domain.com- $8.99
Domain.com is one of the most popular domain registrars and its .com domain costs you $8.99.
5. Name.com – $9.99
Name.com is one of the largest domain registrars and the .com domain costs $9.99. From name.com you can register a wide variety of domain extensions.
So, How much does a Domain Name cost?
Basically, domain prices vary greatly depending on the domain registrar you choose. After checking some popular domain providers, you can guess that the average cost is anywhere between $8.00 – $13 per year.
Feel headaches, aren’t you? don’t worry, that’s what we are about to cover here. Let’s see how much Blog hosting costs to build a blog?
2. Blog/ Web Hosting (Self – Hosted)
When it comes to answering the question, “how much does web hosting cost to start a blog?” it determines your web hosting requirements.
To build a website with WordPress (.org) you must NEED web hosting. The major cost of starting a blog comes from web hosting.
You cannot avoid this cost if you want to blog professionally.
I’d suggest that you do not compromise the quality of your web hosting service. You should try a hosting service that’s fast, secure, and reliable (yet affordable).
Some recommended Web hosting You can check:
Average Web Hosting Cost for Beginners!
| Web Hosting | Monthly Cost | Yearly Cost | Check Price |
| Bluehost | $2.95 /Mo | $35.40 Yearly | Visit Site |
| Inmotion | $3.29 /Mo | $39.48 Yearly | Visit Site |
| Hostinger | $2.99 /mo | $35.88 Yearly | Visit Site |
| Nexcess | $15.83 /mo | $190 Yearly | Visit Site |
| Wp Engine | $22.00 /mo | $265 Yearly | Visit Site |
Here’s some of the Hosting you can use:
1. Bluehost: Best hosting for beginners and beyond. They offer great shared hosting solutions at incredibly affordable prices.
2. Inmotion: Best for any business that’s looking for simple websites. It is a well-known web hosting company because it stands out for the way it manages its web hosts.
3. Hostinger: Anytime Guaranteed and most affordable web hosting for anyone. I love Hostinger because of its advanced technology for website speed, scalability, and support, no matter what.
4. Nexcess: Best WordPress hosting for scaling and growth. They offer a truly excellent host with a wide assortment of plans for longtime customers.
5. Wpengine: It Best managed WordPress hosting for any WordPress website.
Above these five are some of my favorite web hostings I ever used in my blogging journey.
If you’re just starting out then use shared hosting like Bluehost or Hostinger. Because for a new blog, shared hosting is best. Or if you have a growing site I recommend going with Nexcess or WpEngine.
Once you’re paid for your web hosting all the extras you can add at a later date or right now if you have the investment.
How much does Web hosting cost?
Basically a web hosting cost: is $3.5-20 per month, or $60-250 per year. But it depends on your site needs and the features you want.
Note: Though, choosing web hosting is a critical decision when you build your blog. Only if you wanna do it right, then I highly recommend purchasing hosting from Bluehost.
3. Blog Set-up Cost
A Blog setup cost is mostly free. You don’t need to hire a developer because there are so many tutorials and resources available on the internet (You can even follow our tutorials to build your very first blog here)
All you need to do is search out and learn how to build If you are not sure where to start, here are some of the tutorials I’ve already written.
By following the guide I’m pretty much sure you get everything done. Even if you don’t have any tech skills to build a blog.
Note: If you want a step-by-step guide, I have written a detailed guide (9900 words) on how to start a blog from scratch in under 10 minutes.
4. Blog Design Cost (Not Necessary)
Once you’ve got your hosting and website set up, then the very first thing you need to focus on is blog design. YES! you heard right because blog design matters a lot.
For a better blog design, you need a better blog theme. Though there are tons of free and paid themes available on the market and in the WordPress theme directory.
You can either use a free theme or a paid theme, it totally depends on your website needs and budget.
Technically, If you need advanced features and awesome looks then you need a paid theme, or if you need a normal site then a free theme is good enough.
Now you might think, Am I not able to build a blog on a free theme? Answer; YES.
There’s nothing wrong with using a FREE theme. But the reason behind the free theme just hooks to get you to pay for their premium version.
If you install a free theme, I can 100% guarantee you’ll be upgrading to their paid version within a few days.
Why? It is because you constantly feel the lack of features you need. All the way, you feel you should upgrade to a paid theme. By far I think it’s worth paying for a blog theme.
Here are some of the themes you can use:
- Twenty Twenty (free): It is a completely free theme that comes with the default-free Gutenberg editor.
- Neve (freemium): It’s perfect for blogs, small businesses, startups, agencies, online shops, and more.
- Kadence (freemium): It is a lightweight blog theme.
- Avada (paid): Avada is the ULTIMATE game changer, all in one blog theme
- Genesis Framework (paid): It is a fast, fully customizable & beautiful theme suitable for any type of WordPress website.
From my experience, I HIGHLY recommended you get a paid theme but not STRICTLY essential.
Choosing the right theme might be the toughest task similar to web hosting because you need speed, price, and functionalities.
If you are looking for one solution then go with Genesis or Kadence.
If you want to build a website fast with a premade blog design then go with Avada. Because Avada’s pre-made template allows you to build a website in a few seconds (no tech skills required).
So, How much does a blog theme cost?
A blog theme costs you $0 – $130, but a paid theme mostly costs between $50- $250 per year. But it’s not a necessary cost to start a blog.
Must Read: 12+ Best Blog Themes for Bloggers in 2024.
5. Blog Functionality Costs (Not Necessary)
Blog functionality basically comes from some code. For WordPress users, you can get everything from the WordPress plugin.
It costs almost $0 to $200 but it depends on you and your site’s needs and budget.
For WordPress (CMS) If you just started a new blog, then the free plugin is enough. Because most new bloggers want to start blogging with minimal investment.
You don’t need any premium plugins because WordPress has a lot of free plugins that make it easy for you.
But if you don’t have a budget issue, you can get some of the premium plugins to boost your site’s functionality. It’s up to you!
Here is some WordPress plugin you need to start with:
- SeedProd: It is an under-construction plugin, while you design your blog and lets you hide your new blog until it’s ready.
- Yoast: It’s a must-have SEO plugin to check each blog post or page’s SEO score.
- WPForms: A drag and drop form builder to create a contact form for your site.
- MonsterInsights: It allows you to connect your website to Google Analytics to check data about your site visitors.
- Wp Rocket: This plugin improves your website speed and performance as well as the user experience.
- Convert Plus: It allows you to capture emails from your visitors.
- Social Warfare: It’s for social media share buttons on your blog.
- Solid Backup: It creates a real-time backup plugin for your site right in the WordPress dashboard.
- Sucuri: It is one of the best security plugins for web applications. It provides firewalls to protect your site against hackers, DDoS attacks, brute force attacks, malware, and more. If you want an all-in-one web service from one place like CDN, Backup, and security then go for it.
These plugins are mostly free, but some of them can cost money. There are always paid plugin alternatives in WordPress.
No matter what functionality you need just search in the WordPress plugin directory where 58,864 plugins are available.
Note: In WordPress, A premium plugin is only needed when you want more advanced features. If you don’t need it then the plugin cost is ZERO.
That’s it this is the actual cost of starting a blog!
FAQ: Cost to Start a Blog
What is a Self-Hosted Blog?
A self-hosted blog is a blog that has its own server. This means you have to pay a third-party hosting to host your blog. The major benefit of a self-hosted blog is you have total control over the blog.
How Much Does WordPress Cost?
Technically, WordPress doesn’t have any cost. It is software, completely free to use. All you need to do is download it from WordPress.org and run it with your hosting.
What are the Best Hostings to Build a Self-Hosted Blog?
Bluehost, Hostinger is one of the best hostings to build a self-hosted blog. However, I have already mentioned some of the web hosting in the post.
How Do You Create a Blog on WordPress?
All you need to buy a domain and hosting and then install WordPress. If you are not sure how? Check this: How to build a WordPress blog from scratch.
Is Web Hosting Necessary in Starting a Self-Hosted Blog?
YES, Web Hosting is necessary for starting a Self-Hosted blog.
Should I Start a Self-Hosted Blog or a Free Blog as a Beginner?
Well, it depends on you. But I recommend you start a self-hosted blog over a free blog as a beginner. Yeah, it costs you a little bit but it’s worth it from a free blog.
Over to You
If you’ve been thinking about starting or moving to a self-hosted blog, it’s not going to be inexpensive. However WordPress might be free, but the “self-hosted” part is giving you pause.
If you want to make money blogging, you need to invest money in it. Because blogging is not just a blog or writing it’s about a business.
HERE’S THE TRUTH:
| LOW BUDGET | Mid BUDGET | |
| Domain Name | $8.5 | $13 |
| Web Hosting | $35 | $150 |
| WordPress | $0 | $0 |
| Theme | 39 – 50 (Themeforest) | $150 |
| Plugin | X | $250 |
| Total= | $90 (within 100) | $563 (within 600) |
Ahhh! That’s it!
By far, Self-hosted WordPress is one of the quickest and most inexpensive ways to build a website or blog.
If you just started then the website costs you almost $100, which means within 100. But if you need other blogging tools like themes and plugins then the cost is within $600.
Though WordPress website costs it depends on the type of site you want to build
So, What do you think… how much does it cost to start a blog? Share your thoughts in the comment below.!
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