If there is one topic I don’t hear often enough, it is the question of cost of webhosting. I have met far too many people who simply pay whatever their hosting companies charge, and never ask if they are overpaying or getting the quality of service they deserve.

This might not matter to larger businesses, but for a small business, freelancer, or solopreneur, wasting $50 or $100 a month can add up to a significant expense each year. And of course, no one likes to pay for service they aren’t getting.

So how much should you pay?

The answer is” It Depends”. The traffic a site receives, the required level of security, of there is a a large volume of files taking up storage space, all affect the cost of hosting a site. For example, a basic WordPress site is going to cost less to run than a site with an active WooCommerce store. The latter will require better security, and will also have more activity from paying customers. And a site with a lot of of posts on its blog will require more storage (this can add to the cost).

And of course if you want gold-plated service with site optimization and support included, that will cost a lot more than just basic site hosting.  (my recommendation: WPEngine)

Here are a few ballpark estimates for how much you might have to pay to host a WordPress site.

Meat & Potatoes

• Description: This is a basic business site or blog where potential customers can find information, but not one
• Size: 5 to 50 pages, and anywhere from zero to a couple thousand blog posts.
• Traffic: up to 100k visitors per month
• Cost: $20 per month

Amazon-Killer

• Description: A retail site running on, for example, WooCommerce,. This site will need additional security and upkeep
• Size: dozens of pages, and possibly hundreds of product pages
• Traffic: varies
• Cost: $30 to $50, or more

Facebook, Jr

• Description: WordPress supports both forum and membership plugins. One will require extra spam-blocking, and the other will require tighter security.
• Size: one or more forums, or up to dozens of member-only pages
• Traffic: varies
• Cost: $50 to $150 per month

The Next TechCrunch

• Description: A blog focused on a niche topic with ads, affiliate links, and a lot of comments
• Size: hundreds, possibly thousands of blog posts
• Traffic: 200k to one million page views per month
• Cost: $50 to $150 per month

* * *

All of these costs are of course ballpark estimates,  and there are many exceptions where these estimates don’t apply.

But these estimates do cover around three-quarters of all sites, so if you are paying more – or if you are not happy with the service you are getting – please contact is and we’ll help you get on the right track.