How Much Does it Cost to Create a Blog – Everything You Need to Know

There are no definite answers to the question of how much it costs to create a blog. 

It depends on a variety of factors. 

From the blog type you want to create, hosting plan, features, business needs, tools, management, etc. Starting a blog today can range from $20 to $200 for a personal blog the first year. 

Hiring a developer to build a custom blog from scratch could even cost a few thousand dollars. 

However, I assume you’re starting a simple personal blog with moderate needs, traffic, and features. 

The focus of this article is to help you determine how much it costs to set up a blog.

So, let’s check the cost of starting your blog in this article.

How Much Does it Cost to Start a Blog?

As mentioned earlier, the cost of creating a blog today will depend on how you intend to start the blog. 

You could go with a website builder like Wix, Weebly, or Shopify or a content management system like WordPress.org, which gives you more freedom and control.

Also, as mentioned before, a developer can code a custom blog that meets your unique needs and features. However, this will cost you multiple thousands of dollars.

For beginners, the easiest option is either a drag-and-drop website builder or a CMS-like self-hosted WordPress blog. 

On the surface, website builders like Weebly, Shopify, and Wix seem the cheapest options because your monthly cost will remain consistent. And you have almost every tool to build and manage your blog built into the software.

On the other hand, a self-hosted WordPress blog requires hosting, a domain name, plugins, themes, and other tools, which gives you total control but more responsibilities over your blog.

However, both options have advantages and disadvantages. It depends on what you want from your blog business, your long-term goals, expectations, and needs.

Here is a breakdown analysis of the pros and cons of WordPress vs. website builders like Wix vs. hiring a developer.

What Type of Blog Are You Starting?

If you’re starting the blog as a side hustle, you expect to make money sooner or later; you’ll likely need reliable hosting, tools, a domain name, premium plugins, a theme, etc.

But if it’s a hobby blog, you’re likely not interested in investing in your blog. 

For example, a hobby blogger may have no reason to hire writers, pay for hosting, or even get a custom domain name. Writing about your passion and enjoying the process is your ultimate goal. 

Starting a blog is cheap if you do not intend to make money in the long run; the essential requirement is free blogging software and a domain name.

You can start for free on a platform like Blogger, Squarespace, Wix, Tumblr, etc.

However, if you intend to see your blog grow into a full-time or side income, investing in your blog management, tools, marketing, and growth is an important decision. 

Let’s walk through the essential tools and how much does it costs to create a WordPress blog today.

Essentials Blogging Tools

No matter what type of business blog you’re starting today, you need these tools at the minimum. Most blogs need these tools to get off to a good start, especially for beginners. 

Let’s walk through them below.

Domain Name

For a website to be visible on the internet, it needs an address that leads to it. 

This address or contact name is what people type into the browser to locate your blog. Without a domain name, it’s impossible to reach your website pages. 

A domain name is equivalent to a contact book or a house number. You need a contact book to dial a contact and a number to locate a house in the street. 

Since you’re starting a blog to generate income, you need a custom domain name. The cost of a domain name varies depending on several factors. 

A domain name can be as cheap as $1.98/yr or as costly as $100 million. 

Several domain names, like Voice.com (sold for $30 million in 2019), have been sold for multiple millions. Recently, OpenAI bought AI.com for a staggering $11 million. 

You don’t have to go after single-world domain names, which are the most expensive today. With extensive research, you can get relevant and memorable domain names cheaply at NameCheap.

Namecheap is one of the best affordable domain name registrars today. It currently offers promo sales on many top-level domain name extensions. 

Here is the domain name extensions promo page. 

Read this post for more information on how to find a good name for your blog.

Web Hosting

Next, how much does it cost to create a blog for web hosting?

Web hosting is an essential aspect of online marketing. You can only build a blog by hosting its files and content on a server.

Server/hosting is a virtual rented space or land on the Internet where you can host your blog files and content. The service is like renting a space or land offline to build a house. 

To a blog, a hosting/server is what land is to build a house.  

The cost of hosting a website/blog varies significantly depending on many factors.

If you’re starting a simple personal blog, your hosting cost might range from $20 to $150 in the first year. 

However, your cost could be higher if the blog requires more advanced e-commerce features, such as payment processors, shopping carts, and security features.

You can start a free blog using free hosting platforms like Blogger and WordPress.com; I suggest you start with a self-hosted blogging platform like WordPress.org and cheap hosting like Namecheap.

Free hosting and blogging platforms are good choices for a hobby blogger, but you don’t own the full rights to your blog and its content. 

The free blogging platform can take down your blog for policy violations without explanation or notice.

This is why creating your blog on a self-hosted platform (WordPress.org) and purchasing a hosting account from a reputable web host like NameCheap, Bluehost, or Hostinger is a better choice.

When you subscribe to a yearly hosting plan, these hosts offer one year of free domain name registration. Also, there are other great features to benefits when you host with any of the web hosts:

• Free SSL Certificate
• Free Website Builder
• Automatic plugin, theme, and WordPress updates.
• Free CDN (Content Delivery Network)
• Host unlimited websites in a single hosting account.
• Free domain name privacy protection
• Flexible subscription plan
• 24/7 customer support
• Up to 80% discount price
• Thirty-day money-back guarantee.

You should consider Namecheap Stellar Hosting if you want the best value for money. 

Hostinger WordPress hosting plan is another excellent option offering up to 100 websites and 100 GB SSD storage.

You can go through the table below if you require more web hosting options to make the right choice.

WordPress Themes – Free or Paid

Your blog theme is part of the cost of creating a blog. 

Though you can select from thousands of free themes, premium themes are the right option to stand out and be unique. 

A Pro theme like WP Astra gives you more advanced features, layout options, design options, and many great features to build any website today. 

With Astra Pro, you can quickly build an e-commerce store, personal blog, corporate website, forum, or membership site.

Astra premium version has three license tiers. Your plan depends on your blog’s needs, features, and budget.

The Pro license costs $47/yr, the Essential Bundle costs $137/yr, and the Bundle Growth plan costs $187 for a year’s support. If you want the most significant discount, the lifetime license saves you much more. 

Suppose you purchased the Stellar shared hosting plan from Namecheap, which costs $22.88 for the first year, plus the Astra Pro license at $47; that sets you at $69.88 for the first year.

However, we are still unsure how much it costs to create a blog. There are a few tools to consider – some are essentials, while others might be optional and free. 

WordPress Plugins – Free or Paid

When considering starting your blog and how much it costs to make a blog, you must think of the plugins you will need.

You will need several WordPress plugins to extend the core functionalities of your blog.

There are thousands of free WordPress plugins and hundreds of premium options.

You don’t need paid plugins if you don’t want to. You’re fine and good with using free WordPress plugins. You will also find free plugins for almost any blog function or feature you need. 

Premium plugins offer more control, support, regular updates, and sometimes better performance than free options.

But this does not remove the fact that free plugins often do the job.

Most of the plugins I have ever used are free, and I’m good with them. 

However, it will be challenging to add the cost of a premium plugin to your overall cost of creating a WordPress blog in this post. This is because there is no one-size-fits-all to the plugins you need to use on your blog. 

Each blog is unique and requires different tools, features, and operations. What works for me might not work for you, even in the same industry. 

However, based on download numbers, functions, and an active user base, these plugins are essential to most WordPress blogs (they are free and offer premium versions).

• Rank Math SEO (SEO Plugin)
• Yoast SEO (SEO Plugin)
• All-in-one-SEO (SEO Plugin)
• Broken Link Checker (Check broken links on your blog)
• Akismet (Spam protection plugin)
• WP-Optimize (Database optimization plugin)
• JetPack (Multi-Purpose WordPress Plugin)
• WP Rocket (Speed and performance optimization plugin)

Note: You can only have one of the Yoast, Rank Math, and All-in-one-SEO plugins active at a time on your blog. Using multiple SEO plugins isn’t recommended and might break something on your blog.

Also, except for WP Rocket, a premium-only WordPress plugin, you can use the free version of other plugins on the list without bothering to upgrade to the premium versions.

For this reason, your cost of building a WordPress blog remains under $70 for the first year, assuming you use only free plugins.

Website Builder, DIY, or Hiring a Professional?

Let’s explore the three options for creating a blog. Each option has pros and cons and offers unique ways to start an online presence.

The first and easiest way is a website builder.

Website Builder 

You have a few options regarding the actual building or setting up of the blog.

The cheapest and most suitable option depends on what type of blog you’re creating.

The website builder is cheap and the best option if you have little or no coding knowledge. 

Most website builders use a drag-and-drop feature, an easier way to get everyone online regardless of web development skill.

Even if you have never created a blog before, website builders make it easier to create a website, as long you can read, understand and follow instructions.

The average website builder costs $10 monthly, which is decent and affordable for most beginners. However, you have limited customization and control over your blog. 

However, most website builders offer excellent customer support, built-in apps and plugins, and template design. They are also easy to use and provide a free trial period. 

DIY – Do it Yourself 

You can do it yourself if you build with a content management system like WordPress. 

This will eliminate the cost of hiring professional WordPress blog development freelancers. However, you will spend more time developing and managing your content than promoting it. 

I have published several past guides discussing how to do it yourself. Here is an in-depth guide on how to create a WordPress blog from scratch.

Several YouTube tutorials are available online to help you learn how to build a blog with WordPress that you don’t have to hire someone for.

Hiring a Developer/WordPress Blog 

If you’re paying someone to create your WordPress blog, the cost could range from $80 to $1,500 for a successful blog design.

You will find affordable talent on platforms like Fiverr and Upwork. 

Before hiring a freelancer for a web development gig, ensure you have read the gig description and know the delivery, requirements, cost, description, etc.

For instance, this Fiverr gig is specifically for landing sales pages – if you did not read through to order this gig, there would be a dispute. 

If you must hire freelancers to build your WordPress blog, here are some Fiverr-verified Pro sellers. 

Editors’ Note – How Much Does it Cost to Create a Blog

Whether you’re starting a hobby or income-generating blog, there is much to consider regarding the cost of creating one.  

You must consider the blog’s purpose, what you intend to achieve with it, the budget, long-term or short-term goals, and the process of creating it. 

However, if you seek my opinion on which option to start a blog, you’ll monetize now or later; a self-hosted WordPress blog is the answer. 

A self-hosted WordPress blog gives you the perfect foundation to build a solid SEO-friendly blog that is scalable, highly customizable, state-of-the-art secure, endlessly possible, and supported by a great support community.

Being an open-source project, developers from over 57 countries contributed to WordPress’ core development. 

This is a significant advantage WordPress has over other CMS and blogging software. 

You can also host your blog with a web host and optimize it with tools relevant to your needs. 

As I said earlier, Namecheap, Bluehost, and Hostinger are web hosts suitable for beginners. They are affordable, scalable, and offer value for money. 

Conclusion 

It isn’t easy to know or calculate the amount it will cost to create a blog. 

However, you can keep your costs low by subscribing to an entry-level hosting plan from one of the above-mentioned web hosts.

It will cost you less than $25 for the first year at most, assuming you subscribe to the Stellar hosting plan from Namecheap. 

Hostinger’s first-year WordPress hosting Starter plan costs $35 (you’re saving $108.00), while Bluehost’s Choice Plus hosting plan costs $101.28 (72% off first-year invoice).

They offer different values for money; it depends on what features your business needs, your budget, your blog growth, and your marketing goals.