WordPress now powers 40% of all websites and is used by 14.7% of the top 100 websites in the world. So, it’s no wonder that more and more people are looking to get their website developed on this open-source content management system (CMS).

One of the questions we get asked most often is: how much does a website cost in Ireland, but we’ve already answered that, so today we’re going to answer another common question: how much does it cost to build a website on WordPress in Ireland?

A website’s cost lies with what functionality you want and the calibre of the web developer you hire, on top of this, the answer also depends on:

• Your expectations – how good you want it to look
• What your technical requirements are – what features do you need
• What kind of standard of work you’re looking for – how well do you want it to work

These are all critical things to consider when trying to figure out how much your WordPress website is going to cost, and today, we’re going to help you figure out just that.

How much does a WordPress website design cost in Ireland?

The cost of a WordPress website will depend on multiple factors, including:

• The number of pages
• The number of those pages that require a custom design
• The number and type of WordPress plugins
• Website capabilities (eCommerce functionality)
• Custom development needs
• Design style
• Content needs
• Ongoing support and maintenance
• Website traffic

Depending on your needs, functionality requirements, and the level of expertise of your web developer, your WordPress website can cost anywhere from €500 to €150,000. Yes – really. Here’s a full breakdown of the different options when hiring someone to build your website.

Let’s take a look at two examples:

Example 1: Basic Brochure Website

• 10 pages of content
• 5 unique designed pages
• Mobile responsive website, design, logo, and branding services
• Gallery
• Contact forms and other forms
• Social media integration
• Basic SEO
• Google Analytics installation
• Stock images

Outsource company quote to expect: €500 – €3,000
Freelancer quote to expect: €2,000 – €5,000
Agency quote to expect: €6,000 – €8,000

Example 2: Custom eCommerce Website

• 25 pages of content
• Mobile responsive website design, logo, and branding services
• Up to 50 products
• Multiple payment processors
• SSL certificate
• Custom graphic design and build
• Professional email set up
• Content writing
• Contact form
• Blog
• Full digital strategy plan
• Inbound marketing software set up
• Email marketing series created
• Spam protection using Captcha
• Website security hardening features
• Social media integration
• YouTube integration
• Advanced SEO
• Google Analytics installation
• Facebook advertising configuration
• Google AdWords configuration
• Conversion tracking
• Up to 30 stock images
• Hosting and domain for one year

Outsource company quote to expect: €5,000-€10,000
Freelancer quote to expect: €8,000-€12,000
Agency quote to expect: €10,000-€20,000

*Due to advanced functionality, you may struggle to find a freelancer able to complete this project.

To cover the basic costs of running a WordPress website in Ireland (hosting, domain and SSL certificate), you’re looking at paying €10 – €50 a month from your average hosting provider.

Realistically, you should also consider ongoing website maintenance (running updates on an ongoing basis), taking backups, monitoring your website for security and fixing bugs as they come up. Maintenance can cost anything from €150 per month.

6 pricing factors that you should keep in mind when pricing your WordPress website

1. Hosting

You have to have web hosting when creating a website; it’s essentially your website’s home on the internet.

There are two options for web hosting:

1.  Shared
   • Standard
   • Enterprise
2. Dedicated

Shared web hosting means you’ll be sharing a server with other businesses. This costs less, but the server might not perform well due to the number of companies using it. You will find shared hosting in Ireland from €5.95 but this type of hosting won’t typically be very fast, will limit resources and may make your website perform poorly especially if you have a big/custom designed website with lots of functionality or plugins.

Our preferred hosting partner Hosting Ireland also offer Enterprise hosting plans which are similar to shared hosting in that they look after the server for you but you get way more resources and share with less companies, this type of hosting is more suitable for established businesses, those that have eCommerce websites or a lot of website traffic. This type of hosting can set you back between €50 – €100 per month.

Sometimes neither of the options above are suitable for a website especially if it’s a big website, getting huge traffic, extremely critical to your business or requires extra control of your server. In this case Dedicated hosting is the way to go, dedicated means that you have a server for your business and only your business. It can be more expensive, but you won’t have to worry about it crashing or not working correctly.

If you find the idea of setting up, managing your own hosting and all of the headaches that go with this then don’t worry, at Ireland Website Design we can provide the hosting for you and manage it, you never need to worry about server problems or maintenance or in fact knowing how to deal with a hosting provider, we will take care of all that for you.

2. Domain name

When creating a website, you’ll also need a domain name. A domain name will cost anywhere between €15 – €55 a year depending on the TLD you choose (a TLD is the extension that your domain name ends in e.g. .com, .net, .ie etc), and it’s essentially your website’s address. It’s what your users will type into the search bar to get to your website.

3. Storage and bandwidth

Another essential cost that has to be factored in is the storage and bandwidth of your website. This isn’t easy to price as each website will have a slightly different cost.

For example, if you’re using your WordPress website as a brochure site, you won’t need much storage. But if you’re developing an eCommerce site, you’re going to need a lot more storage due to your product inventory.

Photos, videos, products and other content, will all increase the cost of storage and bandwidth. On average, though, it can cost you anywhere from €5 – €650 per month.

4. Themes

One of the great things about WordPress is the number of themes available to use for your business. You can easily personalise your online presence with the perfect piece, thanks to the wide variety of free WordPress themes.

You can also purchase premium themes for your business. These themes are usually a lot more professional looking, they have more functionality, and they can include various plugins.

These themes do come in a range of prices. You might find one for €20, or you might find one for €100. The prices vary greatly depending on the style and functionality.

If you can’t find the perfect theme for your website the best thing to do is hire a team of website designers and developers. They’ll be able to do a custom design and build for your site so you can have the perfect online presence for your business.

5. Plugins

On WordPress, there are over 55,000+ free plugins that you can use to add functionality to your website and make it more professional looking.

Some plugins will charge you a one-off fee, whereas others will have a yearly cost to them.

There are loads of different types of plugins to choose from, including:

• Anti-spam plugins
• Search engine optimisation (SEO) plugins
• Site maintenance plugins
• User tracking plugins

The cost will vary depending on what type of plugin you choose and how many you choose. Companies can spend as little as €10 on plugins and as much as €1,000.

6. Security & Speed

One of the most significant expenses that you’ll have to pay for when it comes to your WordPress website is your website’s security & speed.

You have to make sure your users feel safe when browsing or shopping on your website, so you’ll have to add security to encourage people to stay on your site.

This includes getting an SSL certificate which is a standard technology that keeps your website safe from harm. It also helps keep your audience’s internet connection secure.

You can also consider getting a company like Ireland Website Design to provide ongoing maintenance for you that will keep your website loading quickly and secure for your customers and typically this includes:

• Live Security Monitoring
• Blocking Suspicious Visitors
• Uptime Monitoring
• Backups (Server & Local)
• Plugin & WP Core Updates
• SSL Certificate
• Monitoring Broken Links
• Testing Forms
• Monthly Reporting
• Website Improvement Suggestions
• Support

If the worst happens and you do find your website hacked then Ireland Website Design can jump in and rescue you.

Maintenance plans typically start from €150 per month. Usually, you might tie some hours into your maintenance plans and larger websites and those with more plugins can be more expensive to provide maintenance for.

It’s recommended that you use more advanced security if you’re handling sensitive information and personal client details like credit card information, birth dates, names and phone numbers.

How can you get the most out of your WordPress site?

WordPress is one of the best website builders around. It can help you add practical elements to your websites, like security and SEO monitoring and it can provide you with loads of free themes. However, WordPress can also get complicated quite quickly.

So you’ve probably been wondering how you can make the most out of your WordPress website, and the easiest way to do this is to hire a web design agency.

When you hire a design and development team, you’ll be able to stay focused on your business while a team of professionals builds your website for you.

Here are three reasons why using a professional website agency to build your site is the right choice.

1. Better customisation

Your website is the first connection a client makes with your business, so you want to have something that makes a good first impression.

This isn’t always possible with the free or premium themes available on WordPress. For more unique, custom design and functionality, hiring a web design professional is the best option.

2. Professionals working on your site

Web designers are professionals that know how to make a website look good. They’ll already know all the ins and outs of a good web design, and they’ll be able to implement it seamlessly on your website.

When you tackle WordPress alone, you might end up spending a lot of your time trying to figure out what the right plugins are and how to actually build the site. This takes up a lot of time, time that could be spent working on your business.

3. More than just web design

When you work with a website design agency, you’re getting more than just a website design. You’re getting high-quality content writing, a responsive website, SEO services and loads more.

All these features will help your website become your best salesperson and make your company look trustworthy, professional and unique for your customers.

If you need help improving your eCommerce marketing then get in contact with us today and our friendly team of expert eCommerce marketers will be there to help.

As a leading premier digital agency based in Ireland, our work will drive sales to your business and help you succeed.

Let us know if you need any help optimising your online sales and marketing strategies.