Category: wordpress

What started out as a neat way to blog about your life now powers up 34% of the internet. That is WordPress in a nutshell.

It’s a powerful platform that’s used by everyone from all walks of life. From small businesses to enterprise corporations, everyone benefits from the unmatched functionality provided by the platform.

More often than not, however, we’ve observed that it’s marketed as a “free” platform. But is it though?

Well, technically it is, but there are additional costs associated with using it. In this article, we’ll give you a short rundown of the costs you can incur when using WordPress.

So, let’s begin!

How Much Does a Web Host Cost?

Let’s make one thing clear from the outset; not all web hosting is created equal.

Your choice of web hosting depends on what you want to achieve with WordPress.

If you’re just going to blog about something, then the choice of host would be a lot cheaper. A basic plan from Bluehost or SiteGround can work wonders for your blog.

If you’re going to start an eCommerce store with lots of products, you’re ideally looking at an intermediate-level hosting package that supports your eCommerce efforts.

For a beginner, that is enough. But what if your blog or business starts to grow?

Whenever a business grows (scales up), owners decide to migrate to a newer, more professional host. Whereas before you were working with shared hosting services like Bluehost, now you’ll be using a WordPress managed hosting service like WPEngine.

These hosting services are a lot more powerful than their shared hosting counterparts. Not only do they provide more powerful features, they help you scale your website without you ever having to worry about running into any particular hurdles along the way.

The only problem is that these services are expensive.

To reiterate, your choice of hosting depends on what type of WordPress website you want. If you have a limited budget, it’s best to start off small and build your way up in such a way that you’ll be able to afford the advanced hosting services in the future.

Now, let’s talk about SSL certificates.

A Note on SSL Certificates

SSL certificates are an integral pillar of your website’s security. That nice little “https” you see at the top of a browser matters a lot to Google and indicates that your site is secure.

Almost all the major hosting services, shared and managed, do provide SSL certificates with the hosting package. If for some reason, you did not get an SSL, you can always contact web hosting support or purchase an SSL certificate.

Domain Name Registration

As with the hosting, the price of a domain name depends entirely on the type of name (abc, xyz) and extension (.com, .org) you’re looking for.

There are plenty of sites where you can purchase a domain name. The most notable amongst them being NameCheap and GoDaddy. They provide affordable options for domains that cost you anything in between $10 – $40 per year.

These companies also offer additional services like WHOIS Guard that allows you to hide your personal information from the WHOIS domain directory. If you’re worried about your identity being public, then it’s a very important feature to have.

Costs of WordPress Design and Themes

The best thing about using WordPress is that there are tons of free themes available on the official WordPress theme store. You can install and customize them to your liking with website building tools like Elementor.

However, if you’re strapped for time and want a professional theme without the extra effort you can always pay for a WordPress theme. The costs you incur on these premium themes vary depending on their provider.

In addition to these free themes, there are also third-party WordPress themes that you can download from sites like ThemeForest. While their prices are high, you’re getting tons of useful features that you would be hard-pressed to find on free themes.

What’s the Cost of a WordPress Plugin?

Another redeeming feature of WordPress is its plugin database. Similar to WordPress themes, the official WordPress plugin store has a vast collection of free and paid plugins. You can get a plugin for just about any WordPress functionality.

While the majority of the plugins are free, those that are paid can cost you anything between $47 to $200 depending on what the plugin does.

For example, MailChimp and Yoast SEO are both freely available on WordPress. They are, however, limited in their functionalities and features. If you want the whole range of features, you can purchase their premium versions for $89 and $35 or more respectively.

Note: There are plenty of piracy sites where you can get premium versions of various WordPress plugins for free. But what you’re getting for free you’re trading off for your website’s security. These “nulled” themes are infected with bugs and viruses that can lead to dire consequences for your website.

WooCommerce and Extensions

Let’s talk about WooCommerce and the price you can incur using the plugin.

The plugin itself is free. You can create an aesthetically designed and functional online store in just a few hours. On the WooCommerce platform, you get a ton of nifty extensions, both free and paid, that you can use to power up your eCommerce operations even further.

Where you’re getting Easy Digital Downloads for free, you’re also paying $50 to $175 for Inventory Source, a dropshipping extension for WooCommerce. There are plenty of paid extensions that add serious value to your store if you have the budget to go about purchasing them.

Final Words

From all of what we’ve discussed in this article, it should be pretty clear that WordPress isn’t free. The costs you incur in addition to downloading the software can range depending on your requirements and budget.

At the end of the day, it all depends on the amount of time you’re willing to invest on the platform. If you’re not giving your site enough time, it’s eventually going to fall apart even with the most advanced theme, plugin, extension, or web host.

Thanks for reading!

Author Bio. :- Shazaib – A passionate writer and tech enthusiast,  He works as a Digital Content Producer at Reviewsed.

If your WordPress theme is visually appealing, then it’ll increase the engagement of your site. There are thousands of themes available for WordPress so choosing a particular theme does get tricky.

Your website will make a first impression on any person visiting the site. If it is cluttered, then it will be a turn-off.

Most people choose a WordPress theme that is aesthetic so it creates the right impression on the visitor. Also, the WordPress theme should be chosen based on your product requirement and business niche.

If it is for blogging, then it requires a connection. WordPress themes are available with pre-designed templates and features but you need to consider some other things as well.

8 things to consider when choosing a WordPress theme:

1. Lightweight and Responsive

If the theme is lightweight, then it’ll load faster. Heavy themes generally take time to load and that may affect the performance of the website. If a site does not load in two seconds, then it is a major turn off for the visitor. It is ideal to choose a theme that is lightweight as that is also important for the SEO experience.

Also, look for a theme with a responsive design. The theme should automatically adjust to the format of your blog or site. It should optimize according to the desktop or a mobile layout.

Google prioritizes mobile-friendly and responsive websites. If your WordPress theme is not responsive, you could lose the plot. The layout should adjust to changing screens to make them more responsive.

2. Customization

If you want your blog or site to look unique, then you need to consider customization. Look for a theme that will fairly make it easier for you to customize. There are many themes with limited customization features.

So considering this factor is important. ‘Theme options lab’ feature gives you easy access so you can customize your site depending on the product line or business.

Don’t go for a theme that requires you to edit the CSS files. Editing that part will be more technical so it can be tricky. With the customization feature, you’ll be able to change the site’s look, layout, and many other features. Free themes may not provide you with customization features so you may have to purchase the pro version.

3. Simple Interface

WordPress themes are available with flashy animations, catchy colors, and complex layouts. But if it’s all cluttered and complicated, it’ll confuse the visitor who visits the site.

It is advisable to keep your interface simple so that when any visitor visits your site, it’ll be easier to read the information.

Your site layouts should leave an impact on the visitor. The simpler your site is, the more it will create a positive impact. A website theme should have an easily navigable layout. It should bring in the visitor for the second time.

So, simplicity is surely a factor that should be considered when choosing a WordPress theme. This goes for a new website or a WordPress website that needs an update.

4. Compatible with Browsers

Browser compatibility is another important factor that you need to consider before choosing a WordPress theme. Google Chrome holds a major market share of 60% while other browsers hold a 40% share.

But, if you choose a theme that is only compatible with Chrome, then your WordPress site won’t reach people who use other browsers like Firefox, Internet Explorer and UC browser.

If you are choosing a new theme for your WordPress site, then do a test for all the browsers. This will not only increase your website’s reach but also drive more traffic to your site. Brower compatibility does play an important role in choosing the best WordPress theme for your website.

5. Functionality

Design and layout can be appealing but what about functionality. If a theme is just good in design, it won’t serve the purpose, right. If you want to monetize your WordPress website, then you need to look for SEO optimization.

A WordPress website that is SEO optimized will make your site stand out from other sites in the webspace. You also need to look for a theme that offers you third party integration.

To create a website for your target audience, you may need to integrate with third-party apps. Limited functionality can hinder the possibility of growth. So, functionality plays a big role in making your WordPress site a huge success.

6. Supported Plugins

WordPress becomes all the more powerful when it integrates with different tools and plugins. There is an inventory of WordPress plugins that you can use to create a site.

Choose plugins that can make your site innovative and classy. The choice of more than 50,000 plugins will make your website engaging. But, when you look for a theme with plugins, choose the ones you need for your site’s niche.

Too many plugins and tools can affect the speed of the website. The theme you choose should work well with all the key plugins so that there is no issue managing your site.

Make a list of plugins you need and choose a theme accordingly. Choose the best plugin for your business or site based on the theme.

7. Developer’s Support

At times, you may face a problem with WordPress installation or update so you know you can reach out to the support team.

Even if you are well versed with technical knowledge, support for a theme is always handy. Most free WordPress themes don’t provide that support you need when you are stuck on some issues related to creating a website.

Support is handy when you need help regarding any configuration or technical problem. With the developer’s support, you know that you have someone to bank upon when in trouble.

So, choose a WordPress theme that not only offers you robust support when required but also supports thorough documentation. A developer’s support is a must if you are planning to start a new website. At times, you may face a problem with installation or update so you know you can reach out to the support team.

8. Reviews

A review helps you understand the popularity and efficacy. So, when you choose a theme always lookout for a positive review. At times, even a premium WordPress theme may have a negative review.

While downloading the theme, look out for the rating tab. Any theme with a good rating tab will provide you with the best features. So, do check out the review when you download a theme for your WordPress website.

Choose the best theme,

An ideal WordPress theme can help your business grow and give your site good exposure. With so much competition in the webspace, your website must look different.

The appeal should be great and at the same time, the interface should be simple. Your WordPress theme should have the right mix of elegance and functionality, so choose the best one.

Author Bio. :- Sudhir Bhushan is a Tech & Social enthusiast. He is also a Web Entrepreneur by Profession and loves to write about the latest trends on Social Media & SEO. 

WordPress is one of the most powerful, versatile, and flexible CMS out there. And the fact that it powers around 30% of all sites on the internet makes it one of the most popular too.

But what really makes it a good choice for your website is its ease of use and user-friendly interface, which makes it a suitable choice for everyone who wants a website – no matter the level of technical expertise they have.

Here is how WordPress is one of the most user-friendly CMS out there and why you should be using it for your website development.

1. It’s Easy to Install and Set-Up

Installing the WordPress software and setting it up on a server is a breeze. Many hosting providers these days offer 1-click installation services that you can use to install WordPress on your server. Even if you do it manually, there are tons of tutorials that will guide you step by step on how to do it properly.

2. Designing your Site is a Breeze

Whether you’re a seasoned WordPress developer or a newbie trying to put together a good looking site for your business, navigating through the WordPress interface is quite a breeze. For one, WordPress offers hundreds of thousands of off-the-shelf themes and templates you can use to put together your site. Most themes are even bundled with drag and drop page builder plugins that offer an intuitive designing experience – you can create stunning layouts and customize each and every element of your page without any coding skills at all.

3. You’ve Thousands of Plugins to Use for Extra Functionality and Features

Website design comprises of two things: the aesthetics and the bells and whistles. WordPress, thankfully, takes care of both of them and makes sure anyone with any level of technical skill can put together a site that functions the way they want.

For the extra bells and whistles, you’ve got thousands of plugins you can easily install and activate on your site. So, if you want your site to do a certain thing, there’s a good chance a plugin exists that does what you want. And all you need is to install, activate, and configure its settings and it will do the rest for you.

4. You can Manage your Site Effortlessly

Whether you designed the site yourself or hired expert WordPress development services, managing your site afterward is really a snap. If you’re familiar with Microsoft Word, you’ll find WordPress editor quite straightforward and simple to use. You can add blog posts, pages, new content, and media effortlessly.

5. Keeping WordPress Updated is no Trouble at all!

Updating the core WordPress software, themes, and plugins regularly is paramount to the security of your site. Skipping or delaying those critical updates can lead to site compromises. But do you know how simple it is to update everything? It just takes one click, that’s all! WordPress has a nice one-click update feature that will update everything and harden up the security of your site without any hassle.

On top of that, WordPress also has a neat feature called child themes. With child themes, you can easily make customizations to your theme without worrying about losing those modifications when you update your parent theme.

6. WordPress is Simple to Learn

Though the WordPress dashboard is quite straightforward, some people may find themselves racking their brains trying to figure out how to the basic things like add a new page or add a menu item to their top navigation bar. However, with tons of tutorials at your disposal, learning WordPress isn’t mind-boggling at all.

7. You can Optimize your Site Easily

SEO is an important aspect of site management. To optimize your WordPress site, all you have to do is find a good SEO plugin like Yoast SEO and install it on your site. Go ahead and configure the settings and let the plugin do the heavy lifting for you. The simple, intuitive editor lets you add Meta titles and Meta descriptions without any trouble.

8. There is a Huge Support Community

What if you run into some kind of a problem with your WordPress site? Being open-source, WordPress doesn’t offer you a 24/7 support team to answer your queries. But what you do get instead is an amazingly helpful WordPress community. You can post your queries on the WordPress forum and some seasoned developer is surely going to help you out.

9. It’s a Favorite Among Developers

Last but certainly not the least, developers love the versatility and flexibility of WordPress. Because of this, you won’t find any problem looking for WordPress developers who can build your site any darn way you want. Whether you want a bespoke theme, a bespoke plugin, or a complex WordPress integration or solution, you’ll easily find a development team that can craft a customized solution that fits your unique business needs.

Every business needs an online presence. But while we’ve been stating this fact consistently since the last decade, now is the time when it has become almost urgent.

Today, if your business doesn’t have a website, it suffers. Period.

However, there’s a catch. Now, when everyone is rushing to have their website built and designed, they are bombarded with a ton of choices and options of website building platforms that make it seem all too easy and simple to have their website done. One of those choices is Wix, which has become immensely popular, thanks to its budget busting marketing campaigns.

But before you hit the sign up button on Wix, you must gather all information about it and decide if it’s a good fit for your business.

Here, we have compared the two platforms – WordPress vs. Wix. This comparison will give you the insights you need to make an informed decision and find out if Wix is a good WordPress alternative.

What’s the Major Difference Between Wix and WordPress?

Before you compare Wix with WordPress, it’s important to understand the basic difference between the two platforms.

Wix is basically a SAAS (Software as a Service) company that you sign up for. It’s fully hosted and managed. When you sign up for Wix, you get the infrastructure you need to host your site and a feature rich website building editor where you can design your site without any coding skills.

WordPress is open-source software that you can download for free. You need to install this software on a web server before you can use it to build your site. This means you need to get the infrastructure or web server space to host your site before you can use WordPress.

Unlike Wix, which is truly a website builder, WordPress is a Content Management System. And out of the box, WordPress features only a bare-bones content editor that can be populated with text, media and links.

However, being so versatile and flexible, WordPress can be used to build any kind of website whether it’s a small portfolio site or a full-fledged online store featuring thousands of products.

How Easy is Wix vs. WordPress?

To start off, Wix is designed specifically for non-techies and beginners while WordPress involves quite a steep learning curve and may be intimidating for a new user.

When it comes to building and designing a site, the process is quite straightforward in Wix. It all starts from a simple sign up button to a point and click website editor where you can add page elements and simply edit anything you want on your site by pointing and clicking. All changes are shown in real time, so you don’t have to guess what your site would look on the front end.

WordPress, on the other hand, has a somewhat complicated process to start with. It begins with the hunt for a suitable hosting package and domain registration followed by the actual WordPress installation, which in itself is a bit tricky for a newbie. And then begins the designing process, which is nothing like the point and click editing on Wix. Designing on WordPress requires some HTML and CSS skills. You can use some nice themes with a page builder plugin to simplify the process but it still requires the user to have some comfort level with the WordPress interface.

Though you can find many WordPress tutorials to help you out, it isn’t as streamlined and intuitive as the Wix interface.

Design Options in Wix vs. WordPress

“Beauty has a persuasive power all its own.”

This is true for everything including websites. That’s why we want to create beautiful and stunning websites that will catch the attention of your visitors.

When it comes to design options, both Wix and WordPress fare almost equally.

Wix gives you endless design possibilities. To start off, you can choose from 500 different templates or layouts and then you can edit each of those templates the way you want on a point and click editing interface. Each and every element from an empty row to a small button can be edited and customized. Wix even lets you inject custom code so you can create your own design elements and use them on your site.

When it comes to designing on WordPress, the sky’s the limit. WordPress is all yours – you can edit things the way you want. To start off, you can choose from tens of thousands of WordPress themes – you can even find a theme that matches the exact purpose of your site. While you can edit your theme the way you want, the process isn’t as streamlined as on Wix. There is no point and click editor on WordPress – you need coding skills to wrap your head around WordPress and create the design you have imagined.

Most people using WordPress hire WordPress development services to get their website done. Wix, on the other hand, offers an intuitive and simple interface for anyone to build and design their own site.

Speed and SEO on Wix vs. WordPress

The time it takes for your site to load is critical for your business. Especially if your business thrives on your website, you need to make sure that your site is fast to load and serve content. But do you know why this is so important? Let’s step back and take a look at the facts.

Google has figured out that with every one-second delay, your bounce rate increases and your conversion rate falls. On the contrary, the faster your site is, the longer people are going to stay and engage with your site.

SEO is also directly related to the speed of your site. If your site is speedy and performs well, Google will eventually take notice of it – especially the higher conversion rate – and shoot up the rankings of your site.

That said, let’s see how both platforms perform when it comes to speed.

All Wix users will tell you the same thing: Wix is slow to load! And on Wix, there isn’t much you can do to optimize the speed of your site. So, if slow speed is hurting your business, you have to bear with it. Note that slow speed will eventually hurt SEO as well.

On WordPress, on the other hand, there’s a lot you can do to optimize the speed and performance of your WordPress site. In fact, if you create a site on WordPress, maintenance is always on the top of your list and you need to make sure you keep everything updated and optimized for the best user experience. With that said, well-optimized WordPress sites will generally do well in search rankings as well.

Flexibility and Scalability on Wix vs. WordPress

Flexibility and scalability are two different but related things. Let’s understand the difference between them.

Flexibility is when you want to do something different with your site or add some new functionality that changes the way your site works. For example, you can decide to have an online bookings system on a small photography portfolio site you made earlier. This is called flexibility.

Scalability, on the other hand, is how well your site can grow with you. When your business grows, you’ll want your site to accommodate those growing needs like more site pages, more products, more content, and more traffic.

While flexibility is more about the functionality of your site, scalability is more about the infrastructure your site lives on.

Both flexibility and scalability of a website building platform are important in the long term. Unfortunately, when it comes to these two factors, Wix and WordPress are as different as chalk and cheese.

WordPress is open-source software, which means you own the code and you can edit your site in any way you want. If you want to install some new functionality or integrate your site with some third-party service, you can use one of the thousands of plugins available. And if a suitable plugin doesn’t exist, you can get it custom made, thanks to thousands of WordPress developers you can easily find at your service.

WordPress sites are also highly scalable. You have full control over the infrastructure of your site. If you have a small website that doesn’t get much traffic, you can use a shared hosting plan for about $3/month. But if you have a growing business and you need a site that can accommodate a lot of content and traffic, you can upgrade your infrastructure and even get a dedicated VPN hosting worth $300/month.

Wix, on the other hand, is a different piece of cake. It’s not open-source and you don’t own the code. If you want to add some new functionality to your site, you’re only limited to the 80+ apps available on the Wix store.

And if your business is scaling up, you can upgrade your Wix plan to one of its higher tiers. But even the highest tier on Wix is limited in itself. So, there are always certain limits you’ll have to stay in if you build your site on Wix.

Conclusion

Let’s come to the question it all started with. Is Wix a good WordPress alternative?

Well, it’s pretty clear. Wix is no match for the powerful, versatile, and flexible platform of WordPress. WordPress has a huge eco-system and it’s highly flexible and scalable that makes it suitable for any kind of website.

However, the simple and intuitive interface of Wix makes it a good option for newbies and non-techies who want to have their website built without paying for development services. If you’re one of them and if you don’t have any plans of scaling up, Wix is a good option that will get you started with a website fast and quick.

Author Bio: Camila James is a WordPress Expert at Codup.co. A WordPress fanatic by day and a reader by night, Camila enjoys exploring the ever-changing world of Technology, Development, and eCommerce.

This applies even to your business. With the changing times, you need to keep yourself updated constantly. Trends come and go in a flash, and you need to keep your business from falling behind. Similarly, with new features and quirks dropping in the market every day, you cannot afford to present yourself or your business with an outdated website. And hiring a new developer now and then is both expensive and too much of a hassle. But if you have your website with the WordPress, you’ve been covered.

WordPress is a platform that allows you to create and manage your websites for free. If you don’t have coding knowledge and skill, you can choose from the provided themes. It also offers you plugins to keep your website updated with new features. If you don’t know about WordPress, let’s go through that quickly.

What is WordPress?

WordPress is a free-to-use, open-source CSM platform that is written in PHP and is paired with a MariaDB or MySQL database. In other words, WordPress is a simple way to create your blog or website. You can also say that WordPress is a popular online platform that helps you to create and manage your website without having any knowledge about design or coding.

WordPress initially started as a blogging platform. It lets you focus on the important aspects of your website while it takes care of creating it. Over the years, its CMS has been developed to support various kinds of websites. Online stores,  affiliate websites, membership sites, woocommerce auction sites  and media publications are just a drop in the river of the diverse website list.

Over 30% of all websites currently active on the internet are powered or associated with WordPress.

What is a Plugin?

WordPress has a variety of plugins available. When you create a website with WordPress, you have an array of plugins at your disposal. You are free to choose from this varied range of plugins and help yourself customize your website according to your need. Plugins extend existing features and add additional functions.

They are available for free as well as premium. Even the premium ones range differently, from low costing to expensive. If you are not able to find the right plugin for yourself, you can ask a professional WordPress plugin development company to make one for you.

Benefits of WordPress Plugins!

1. Available for Any Requirement

Plugins are essential tools for the non-coders to achieve their desired functionality on their website. A huge community of talented developers supports WordPress. This WP plugin development has facilitated you to choose from over 54,000 available plugins. Whatever you need from your website, a plugin will deliver it.

There are various types of plugins available. Contact forms, SEO optimization, integrated automated email marketing, scheduled and regular backups, membership, and live chat are just a few examples.

Develop a WooCommerce plugin, an e-commerce solution from WordPress allows safe and secure transactions on online shopping from your website. WooCommerce powers about 28% of all online stores. It has been a trusted tool, which has been proven by it’s over 30 million downloads.

2. Flexible with Your Changing Needs

When you need to add a feature to your website, you don’t need to hire a developer or overhaul your website. Just add the required plugin. The variety of plugins available will help you create a website with the features that you want. WordPress plugins even let you modify them and lets you add your functions to that.

In case you are not able to find the desired plugin or face the plugin bloat, you always have an option of custom WordPress plugin development.

3. Easy on Your Pocket

Hiring a web developer to customize your website is not cheap. It is also a time taking process, and you may not get the desired results out of it.

Plugins are free tools offered by WordPress to equip your website with unique and needed features. There are also premium plugins. These premium plugins can be expensive or light on your pocket, depending on their price. They also have a basic or demo version available for free. So you can use that to check if it is the right plugin for you. However, they are still inexpensive compared to hiring a developer.

4. Easy to Compare

It’s challenging to find the correct developer for your website. Skilled developers will deliver good quality, but are expensive. Less skilled developers, on the other hand, are comparatively less expensive, but there is no guarantee on the outcome. Besides, it’s hard to identify skilled developers from the less skilled ones, let alone determine if their skills match your requirements.

However, it is different from the plugins. Plugins have all the necessary information available about them. Hence they are easy to compare. A plugin with a thousand active installations will have fewer issues compared to the one with a hundred active installations. A popular plugin will have all the issues identified and possibly already been rectified. There is a reason that many people are trusting it.

You can also know when a certain plugin was updated. A plugin that hasn’t been updated for years is outdated, and a new plugin may still have unrectified issues. It is necessary to check the plugin version and all available information to make the right choice.

5. Easy to Install

Plugins are really easy to install. There are two basic ways to add a plugin. The first one is to visit ‘Dashboard.’ Look for the ‘Plugin’ section and select ‘add new.’ There you can look for the one you need from the ‘search’ section. After you have made your choice, you can ‘install’ it and let it download. In a summary, Dashboard -> Plugins -> Add New -> Search -> Install -> Activate.

Or

You can choose one from the plugin directory or a seller’s website and upload the zip file. You can activate or deactivate an installed plugin via the admin panel.

Finally

WordPress provides you a lot of plugins equipped with unique features. These plugins have over 1 billion total downloads worldwide. However, each plugin uses its coding that may not be compatible with your website resulting in dropped performance. This is called the plugin bloat. And a popular plugin does not mean that it is the right plugin for you. So keep looking and make the right choice.

Author Bio :- I’m Jigar Shah. Web Developer, Editor and Contributor at WPWeb – a WordPress Development Company in India . Helping global businesses with unique and engaging tools for their business.