Before you start any project, you must have an achievable plan. That starts with figuring out the cost and resources needed. Only once the ducks are in a row should the project begin with a high expectation of success. When it comes to a WordPress project, there is no difference in strategy. In fact, the first step involves cost of the project. If you have no means of covering the cost, you have no project. At the same time, finding the cost of the WordPress project can be a complex undertaking. Often, a lot of variables and what if’s figure in. For example, many times achieving the same goal involves more than one plausible method.
Tackling the Cost of the WordPress Project
Working out the cost of a website usually starts with what kind of site should be built. Should it be a business card page? Should it become more developed and branded? Or, does the need focus around a large, ecommerce site? When these questions get answered, The initial cost factor does too. Yet, even that involves variables. For one, the cost of hosting and domain name must be factored in. Domains average around $20/yr. Hosting can vary, depending on the extent of the website. In fact, hosting ranges from $4 or $5 to as much as $700/mo. Knowing how big and how much functionality the site must have makes tackling this part of the cost of the WordPress project much easier. For example, if you plan a site that will have hundreds of pages and functions, plan on the much higher end of the web hosting cost spectrum.
The Nuts and Bolts in Cost of the WordPress Project
Now you can dive into designing the ideal website to suit your vision. Although, figuring out the look and feel takes comparisons, testing and retesting, picking a 2 to 3 level color scheme, and a whole lot more! For much visual appeal and dynamics, like sliders, logos, unique images, popups, chat windows and carousels, a ton of extra time over a standard build fills the project schedule. As a result, the cost of the WordPress project in design talent and time can advance the figure from about $500 for a simple website to $2500 for 3-5 unique template layouts. Although, for fancy, ‘designer’ sites the toll of design costs reaches into the 6 figures. Keep in mind we are factoring in just the cost of design right now.
The Frontend Factor
The next primary step in the WordPress project involves frontend development. Here is where the rubber meets the road. With a completed design, conversion to a static or dynamic template becomes possible. It’s no snap of the fingers. There’s no magic here, but if completed well, it will seem as if there were. Your WordPress website will be a new, gleaming flagship to take plenty of pride in. It’s maiden voyage will be the start of many profitable adventures.
Frontend developers cover a lot of ground converting the mockup or initial design to digital integrity, in code review, testing, final approval and launch. Their deliverables and timing involved takes a heightened skill set and precise approach. As a result, the cost of the WordPress project in frontend development advances from about $1000 – $5000 for a 3-5 unique page template. That cost depends on how complex the design and amount of functionality involved. For converting designs with 20 + custom pages the cost advances to $10,000 and up. That cost depends on prime factors like the level of brand focus and detail in the functionality per page.
The Backend Factor
The next steps involves backend development. The new, converted template must now be married to the dynamics that support and project the website look and feel. You and your administrators must maintain appearance, content and functionality from that level. The cost of backend can vary greatly, depending on how often updates are made, and features are added, for example. The cost advances from about $1000 for a standard template with WordPress CMS to as much as $100,000 for an advanced ecommerce template website.
Other cost variables come into play with essential maintenance and optimization services like SEO, image creation and uploading. Also, marketing and copy writing services commonly come into play. Digital marketing, social media and email marketing figure in as other key, ongoing factors in the cost of the WordPress project. These costs can vary from about $300 to $1500/mo on average. These figures can also go much higher.
After years of being in Development, we can say that there are low budget projects and higher budget projects. There is nothing wrong with low budget if you are looking for temporary solutions. Here at ProStyle Dev we can determine this with only a few questions. If you are looking at building a project that needs the functionality to deliver data, collect data, sustain user engagement and build brand awareness, then you may want to talk with one of us and outline details to determine a realtime cost for your project needs.
Put the strain of meeting the mark for all your website project needs and variables aside. We are professional developers, optimizers and branding experts at Prostyle Development. We’ll take it from there, as we consult closely with you on every step. We’ll hand you a final product you can be highly proud of. Then, we’ll take care of each ongoing variable and dynamic involved in your successful, profitable, online adventure.