If you are thinking of creating an eCommerce store to sell your products online, WordPress is a great platform to build business. Knowing your ecommerce website cost is important before starting business. By using WordPress, your chosen theme, an eCommerce plugin, and a selection of extensions, you will be able to build an online shop that includes all the features you need to sell your products and offer a customer experience to match your brand.
However, while WordPress is free, not all of its themes, extensions, and plugins are. So in this post, I will take a look at some of the expenses you may incur while building your online store with WordPress.
The post aims to give you an idea of what tools and services you might need to build the store you want, while also helping you to establish the cost of creating site or shop you need. This should give you the information you need to decide if WordPress is the right platform for your online store.
Table of Contents
eCommerce Website Cost – Building an Online Shop With WordPress
This post will be some kind of website cost calculator. Take a look at everything you need to get an eCommerce store up and running with WordPress, from hosting through to any additional features you might want to add to the store. The associated costs involved in acquiring all the recommended tools will be listed to give you an idea of what your project might cost to complete.
The options covered will all be off the shelf tools or services, although you may need to create custom solutions if you have any specific needs that have not yet been met by an existing plugin.
The Foundation of Your Store
If you choose to build your store as outlined in this guide, WordPress will be the foundation of your shop. Thankfully WordPress is open source, which means it’s free to use, and you are free to use it how you wish.
While there are other open-source shopping cart solutions, this lack of cost is one clear advantage WordPress has over its commercial competitors.
Cost: FREE
The Cost of WordPress Website Hosting
When it comes to choosing low cost WordPress hosting for your online store, the options are endless. Your needs will vary from depending on the products you will be selling.
However, those just starting out, with a small inventory and smaller ambitions, could get by with budget, entry-level shared hosting. Most shared hosts give you the option of leveling up as your needs grow to enable you to meet the demands of your growing store.
Those planning on launching with a large store or scaling their store quickly would be better off starting out with a high-performance web host. Premium managed cloud WordPress hosting like Cloudways (check Cloudways review) is a good option for serious eCommerce stores.
This is due to the fact your store will be hosted on a server optimized for WordPress for a faster loading website. The addition of expert support staff who are proactively monitoring your website, as well as being on hand should anything go wrong, can alone justify the higher price tag.
Cloudways is one of the leading managed cloud-based hosting platforms that specialize in managed WordPress WooCommerce Hosting for freelancers, bloggers, designers, developers, e-commerce stores, and digital agencies.
Key features that Cloudways offers to its customers:
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NOTE: Below stated information might not be accurate as hosting providers change their options, features, and prices.
- NAME
- SSD INCLUDEDSolid state drives provides increased performance and reliability over mechanical hard drives.
- FREE DOMAIN
- DISK SPACE
- BANDWIDTH
- EMAIL SPAM FILTERING
- SUPPORT
- FREE WEBSITE TRANSFERDoes hosting company provide free site migration from another hosting provider
- FREE BACKUPS
- MONEY BACK GURANTEE
- ADVERTISING CREDITS
- FREE WEBSITE BUILDER
- WEBSITES SUPPORTEDHow many websites can you have
- PHP 7 SUPPORTED
- SSH ACCESS
- PARKED DOMAINS
- SUB DOMAINS
- FTP ACCOUNTS
- MALWARE PROTECTION
- FREE SSL
- LETS ENCRYPT INTEGRATION
- CLOUDFLARE INTEGRATION
- CPANEL
- HTTP/2 ENABLED SERVERS
- PRICE
- INMOTION SHARED WORDPRESS HOSTING LAUNCH PLANLaunch plan
- If you already have a domain, you will geta credit that can be used to transfer your existing domain from another registrar.
- UNLIMITEDCertain restrictions apply
- UNLIMITEDCertain restrictions apply
- PHONE,TICKET,LIVE CHAT
- Applies to accounts consisting of 3 or fewer databases and/or websites. Accounts wishing to transfer more than 3 items will be charged $10 per additional item to be transferred.
- 90 DAYS
- $100 of Google Adwords credits, $75 of Bing advertising credits and $75 of Yahoo advertising credits and a free Yellow Pages business listing
- 2
- 6
- 25
- You will need to install it manually
- $4.89/MONTH
- BLUEHOST SHARED HOSTING BASIC PLANBasic plan
- 50
- UNLIMITED
- PHONE,TICKET,LIVE CHAT
- They charge $149.99
- 30 DAYS
- 1
- 5
- 25
- You will need to install it manually from 3rd party
- You will need to install it manually
- $3.95/MONTH
- SITEGROUND WORDPRESS SHARED HOSTING STARTUP PLANStartup plan
- 10
- UNLIMITED
- PHONE,TICKET,LIVE CHAT
- For 1 website
- 1 copy
- 30 DAYS
- 1
- UNLIMITED
- UNLIMITED
- $4.65/MONTH
- NAMECHEAP SHARED HOSTING VALUE PLANValue plan
- Free .website domain and free WhoisGuard
- 20
- UNLIMITED
- TICKET,LIVE CHAT
- Twice a week
- 14 DAYS
- 3
- UNLIMITED
- 50
- 50 users
- You can manually add Lets Encrypt free certificate
- You need to manually add
- Not out of the box
- $0.82/MONTH
- NAME
- SSD INCLUDEDSolid state drives provides increased performance and reliability over mechanical hard drives.
- FREE DOMAIN
- DISK SPACE
- BANDWIDTH
- EMAIL SPAM FILTERING
- SUPPORT
- FREE WEBSITE TRANSFERDoes hosting company provide free site migration from another hosting provider
- FREE BACKUPS
- MONEY BACK GURANTEE
- ADVERTISING CREDITS
- FREE WEBSITE BUILDER
- WEBSITES SUPPORTEDHow many websites can you have
- PHP 7 SUPPORTED
- SSH ACCESS
- PARKED DOMAINS
- SUB DOMAINS
- FTP ACCOUNTS
- MALWARE PROTECTION
- FREE SSL
- LETS ENCRYPT INTEGRATION
- CLOUDFLARE INTEGRATION
- CPANEL
- HTTP/2 ENABLED SERVERS
- PRICE
- GREENGEEKS MANAGED WORDPRESS HOSTING
- If you already have a domain, you will geta credit that can be used to transfer your existing domain from another registrar.
- UNLIMITEDCertain restrictions apply
- UNLIMITEDCertain restrictions apply
- PHONE,TICKET,LIVE CHAT
- That includes 1 free site or cPanel transfer, so if you have a few sites in a single cPanel account they could move them all over for free
- 30 DAYS
- Free SEO and Marketing tools and $20 BidVertiser ad credit as well as coupon for Google AdWords for $75 in credit when you spend $25
- UNLIMITED
- UNLIMITED
- UNLIMITED
- You can manually add Lets Encrypt free certificate
- You can manually add Lets Encrypt free certificate
- $3.95/MONTH
- IPAGE SHARED WORDPRESS HOSTING WP STARTER PLANWP Starter
- UNLIMITED
- UNLIMITED
- PHONE,TICKET,LIVE CHAT
- 30 DAYS
- Google AdWords offer ($100 value) when you spend $25, Bing search credit ($100 value, Yellowpages.com listing, One toll-free phone number (US only)
- UNLIMITED
- UNLIMITED
- UNLIMITED
- THEY USE VDECK PANEL
- $3.75/MONTH
- A2HOSTING SHARED LITE PLANLite plan
- UNLIMITED
- UNLIMITED
- PHONE,TICKET,LIVE CHAT
- 30 DAYS
- Free Bing/Yahoo Ad Credits, iContact Email Marketing Trial
- 1
- 25
- 5
- $4/MONTH
- NAMECHEAP SHARED HOSTING VALUE PLANValue plan
- Free .website domain and free WhoisGuard
- 20
- UNLIMITED
- TICKET,LIVE CHAT
- Twice a week
- 14 DAYS
- 3
- UNLIMITED
- 50
- 50 users
- You can manually add Lets Encrypt free certificate
- You need to manually add
- Not out of the box
- $0.82/MONTH
- NAME
- SSD INCLUDEDSolid state drives provides increased performance and reliability over mechanical hard drives.
- FREE DOMAIN
- DISK SPACE
- BANDWIDTH
- EMAIL SPAM FILTERING
- SUPPORT
- FREE WEBSITE TRANSFERDoes hosting company provide free site migration from another hosting provider
- FREE BACKUPS
- MONEY BACK GURANTEE
- ADVERTISING CREDITS
- FREE WEBSITE BUILDER
- WEBSITES SUPPORTEDHow many websites can you have
- PHP 7 SUPPORTED
- SSH ACCESS
- PARKED DOMAINS
- SUB DOMAINS
- FTP ACCOUNTS
- MALWARE PROTECTION
- FREE SSL
- LETS ENCRYPT INTEGRATION
- CLOUDFLARE INTEGRATION
- CPANEL
- HTTP/2 ENABLED SERVERS
- PRICE
- NAMECHEAP MANAGED WORDPRESS HOSTING EASYWP PLANEasyWP plan
- 5
- UNLIMITED
- TICKET,LIVE CHAT
- 14 DAYS
- 1
- $0.74/MONTH
While some web hosts include a free domain name, you might be better off purchasing one separately from somewhere like Namecheap or NameSilo. This can ensure a smoother migration process, should you need to switch hosts in the future.
For instance, if you choose to migrate your website in the future and opt for dedicated ecommerce hosting, companies like Cloudways offer a free first migration.
Cost: from $2.95 per month + domain name ($10 or more)
The Price of eCommerce Plugins
There are several great eCommerce plugins available for WordPress, with the majority of them being free to use. Of the available options, WooCommerce is a safe choice and is a popular plugin that has been downloaded over 5 million times.
If you are setting up an eCommerce shop to sell physical products online, then WooCommerce is a great option. However, if you are planning on selling digital products online, then you can’t go wrong with the free Easy Digital Downloads plugin and its extensive library of optional add-ons.
Cost: FREE
eCommerce Theme Pricing: Free vs. Premium
With so many themes available for WordPress, you should have no trouble finding a suitable option without having to turn to the services of a developer.
While those on a bigger budget or with higher aspirations may want to commission a custom-built theme, those just starting with eCommerce should be able to find an off the shelf theme that meets their needs.
When it comes to premium vs. free WordPress themes, in most cases, it’s worth investing the $50 to $100 that can get you a high-quality premium WordPress theme.
If you choose wisely, you should be able to find a theme that is well supported and looked after by its creators, ensuring long shelf life and someone to turn to should any problems arise down the line.
Although most themes will work with WooCommerce, you may want to look for one that explicitly offers compatibility with your online store builder plugin of choice. This can save you some time and effort as the theme will include templates for essential shop pages such as the product, cart, and checkout pages.
You can start out with a free theme, with the intention of upgrading to a premium template at a later date. However, the switchover could entail more work than you might expect, especially if you need to reformat any images or descriptions for 100s of products to meet the different formatting and styling settings of the new theme.
This migration could end up costing you more time and lost sales than what you would’ve saved by not investing in a premium theme from the start. Some great themes with eCommerce options are GeneratePress theme (see difference between Astra theme vs GeneratePress theme) Deep theme (see pros & cons of Deep theme), Ocean WP (check OceanWP review), Astra (check differences between Astra pro vs Astra free), Monstroid (see Monstroid review), etc.
Cost: $50 to $100 if going with a premium theme
Getting a Store Logo
While this isn’t a cost unique to WordPress, it is a cost that most online store owners will want to factor into their budget. If you already have a logo, then you can skip this step. However, for everyone else, unless you have the graphic design and illustration skills to create a professional logo, then you will need to spend some money.
While you can get by with a custom logo from Fiverr, if your store aims to make money, then a premium logo could end up portraying a better image to your potential customers. Crowdsourcing sites like 99designs.com make it easy to commission the perfect logo in a matter of days or get a full refund.
Cost: from $5
Premium eCommerce Extensions
This is where the costs can quickly start to mount up. Most of the WordPress eCommerce plugins work on a similar revenue-generating model, which sees them give away the core plugin for free while charging you to add extra features to your online store.
Creating premium add-ons for popular eCommerce plugins can also be a lucrative activity for third-party developers. While this is great for those building stores with advanced requirements or non-standard needs, the costs of these extensions can often be overlooked when planning a store.
However, this isn’t a cost that is unique to WordPress users. Premium hosted online store builder tools also have their own app stores, where users can upgrade the functionality of their store for a price.
Out of the box, the core WooCommerce plugin will allow you to accept payments from your customers (see best payment gateway plugins for WooCommerce). However, you can install additional extensions to offer your shoppers more payment options and streamline the checkout process to make it look more professional and user-friendly.
- PAYMENT GATEWAY
- AVAILABLE COUNTRIESIn which countries it is available
- MONTHLY FEE
- TRANSACTION FEES
- KEEP BUYER ON SITE
- SSL CERTIFICATE REQUIRED
- RECURRING BILLING SUPPORT
- REFUND FEE
- CHARGEBACK FEE
- ACCEPTED PAYMENT OPTIONS
- PAYPAL PRO
- US, UK, and CanadaFor more countries check PayPal standard and PayPal express gateway
- $30
- 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
- $0.3For all refunds, except refunds of Direct Payments or Virtual Terminal Payments where the buyer used an American Express Card. It also depends on currency
- $20Amount is charged in the currency of the transaction. There is no chargeback fee while using PayPal Standard
- PayPal and credit cards
- BRAINTREE
- 46 countries
- 2.9% + $0.30 per transactionIt varies based on country
- $15In changes depending on country. It is mostly 30 EUR for Europe
- PayPal all major credit cards, Apple Pay, Android Pay, Venmo, and even Coinbase
- STRIPE
- 25can accept payments from anywhere in the world
- 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
- $15
- All major credit cards and debit cards, Bitcoin, Alipay, ACH Debits
- AUTHORIZE.NET
- United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Europe and Australia
- $20 + $49 setup fee
- 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
- N/A
- $25
- All major credit cards and debit cards, and PayPal
- 2CHECKOUT
- Most countriesOver 200 countries
- 2.4% + $0.30 per transactionDepending from which country is buyer this fee may differ
- N/A
- $25Always the same no matter from which country was buyer.
- Accept credit cards, debit cards and PayPal
Table rate shipping is one feature that a lot of store owners will want to add to their shop. The add-ons in this category allow you to set multiple rates of shipping based on the individual details of the customer and their order. This could include their location, the size, and weight of the products, and other custom factors.
Popular extensions for adding table rate shipping to your store include:
- Table Rate Shipping by Bolderelements: $25
- Table Rate Shipping by WooThemes: $99
There are add-ons available for WooCommerce (see best WooCommerce addons), which can detect abandoned shopping carts and will then email the shopper to prompt them to complete the transaction. These plugins can help you recover what would otherwise be lost sales and revenue, making them a worthwhile investment. Check my post on tips how to reduce shopping cart abandonment.
You can also offer your potential customers who didn’t make it to the checkout a discount coupon in the reminder email to help entice them back to the store to complete the checkout process. This can all be automated, making it a hands-off way to increase sales at your store.
Popular extensions for recovering sales from abandoned carts include:
- WooCommerce Recover Abandoned Cart by FantasticPlugins: $49
- WooCommerce Abandoned Cart Pro by Tyche Softwares: $119
Other interesting and useful premium extensions for WooCommerce you can use:
- Order Delivery Date Pro: $99
- Dynamic Pricing and Discounts: $49
- PDF Invoice: $35
While there is a large number of premium add-ons for WooCommerce available at the WooThemes store, you might be able to find a cheaper alternative on marketplaces like Code Canyon. Although it’s important that you check out reviews, customer feedback, and the level of support on offer when making a purchase.
eCommerce Website Cost Conclusion
Whether you are building an online shop to sell your own custom made products, items from a range of manufacturers, or list products for sale on a drop shipping basis, WordPress is a great choice.
With so many plugins and extensions available that can add a whole host of additional features to your website to turn it into the fully functioning eCommerce shop you need, not to mention the number of WordPress developers out there ready to take on custom development work, you should have no trouble building the ideal store for your needs.
Just remember to consider the features your online shop will require carefully, and factor in the ecommerce website cost of any premium extensions and add-ons you will need, before making your final decision of which eCommerce plugin or platform to use.
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