Expert Reviewed: How Much Does It Cost to Start a Blog in 2024

Thinking of starting a blog and wondering how much it costs to start a blog? It could be as low as $12 per year. The amount, however, is not fixed as there could be many factors that can raise the cost higher or lower. These factors are adumbrated below.

In 2024, starting a blog has become very affordable and easy, especially with the help of content management systems (CMS) like WordPress, Wix, and Blogger, etc.

With those systems, you can build an entire blog by yourself from scratch without knowing how to write codes. But if you decide to outsource the work to a WordPress website builder or a developer, clearly you’ll have to pay the person, and that will impact how much it costs to start a blog.

So, one factor that determines how much it costs to start a blog is whether the blog will be built by you or if you’ll hire someone to build it.

Also, the domain name extension and so many other factors, which I’ll go over in detail to give you a comprehensive background on what it takes to start a blog,

Factors That Determine How Much It Costs To Start A Blog in 2024

1. Domain Name 

The domain name is your blog’s address on the Internet, similar to your physical house address. People use it interchangeably with the website name. But in rare cases, a domain name may not necessarily be the website’s name. For instance, the domain name of a brand might be “bestwidgets.com,” but it markets itself as “Widget World” on the website. Anyway, this might get technical, so let’s stop there.

To determine how much it costs to start a blog, you need to decide what kind of domain extension to use, such as .com, .edu, .org, or a country-specific domain like .uk for the United Kingdom, .ng for Nigeria, or .gh for Ghana. 

The domain name extension is the last part of a domain that follows the final dot. Common examples include “.com,” “.org,” and “.net.”. 

I’ve adequately discussed this in choosing a domain name for your blog, including the different meanings of different extensions and the factors that should influence the choice.

Normally, a .com domain is more expensive compared to a country-specific domain. And the recently introduced new gTLDs like .ai, .store, or .tech are also more expensive than traditional ones. 

So, if the domain extension is a .com, your budget should be around $9–$12 to purchase it. Some companies might decide to sell it lower, like $2, for you as a first-time customer, but the renewal usually falls within that range. This is a yearly payment.

Another factor to look at is the company you’re buying the domain from. Prices can vary between companies. 

For instance, Bluehost might sell a .com domain for $10, while Namecheap might offer it for $9.

Furthermore, the currency you use for payment has an impact on the cost. Paying in your local currency might be cheaper than using a foreign currency. For example, if you are in India, paying in Indian rupees could be more affordable than paying in US dollars. If you’re in Nigeria, using a local hosting company and paying in Naira might be more cost-effective due to currency conversion issues and the challenges of making international payments with local cards. 

Blogging is a profitable career, if you follow the right blueprint. To get started, check out: How To Start and Make Money Blogging

A careful choice of company to use, the extension, and a few others can significantly impact the cost. Based on a rule of thumb, you should be spending $10 for a domain. Meanwhile, purchasing a domain and hosting together from the same company might curtail the cost.

Hosting Account / Hosting Provider

There are different types of hosting accounts, which I’ve discussed previously; you might need to look them up. Generally, a shared hosting plan is more cost-effective compared to a virtual private server (VPS) or a private hosting plan. Each type of hosting comes with different packages and perks. 

For example, shared hosting from Bluehost currently costs about $30 per year.

As a beginner, a shared hosting plan can be suitable for you without any hassle.

Storage space is another important consideration. Hosting plans come with varying amounts of storage, and the cost increases with the amount of storage. For instance, a plan with 2GB of storage will be cheaper than one with 8GB. It’s essential to assess your website’s storage needs to avoid overpaying for unused space or running out of space as your site grows.

These factors—hosting type, storage space, and specific hosting plans like WordPress hosting, shared hosting, or VPS—affect the overall cost to start a blog.

As a starter, Namecheap’s $1.98/monthly hosting plan might be the perfect hosting plan for you.

Additional Features

Other factors that can impact how much it costs to start a blog are the additional features you want. For example, while most hosting companies offer a free SSL certificate, opting for a premium security feature like SiteGuard will add to your expenses.

Using a premium theme also requires payment, either yearly or monthly. As a beginner, I recommend starting with a free theme like Kadence and upgrading later.

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Plugins are another consideration. Plugins extend the functionality of WordPress, and some may require a premium plan, such as booking or contact form plugins. While many plugins operate on a freemium model, those without a free option will increase your blog’s cost.

How Much Does It Cost to Start a Blog on WordPress?

Starting a blog on WordPress is completely free if you want to use the default WordPress extension (.wordpress.com). That’s you’ll have a domain name like https://free4esy.wordpress.com; you can choose any name, but you’ll always have the default .wordpress.com.

While it’s not bad to start with a free plan, it however, does not portray the blog owner as a serious business owner. Remember that blogging is a serious business—a career for some—and many brands will not want to work with a blog with such a name.

To make it professional, all you need is to buy a custom domain and a hosting account, as discussed above, install a WordPress script through the hosting cPanel, and you’ll have a professional blog.

Furthermore, the free .wordpress.com extension comes with a lot of limitations that are not experienced using a custom domain.

FAQS | How Much Does It Cost to Start a Blog

Final Thought

To determine how much it costs to start a blog, these are salient questions you must answer:

1. Are you building the blog yourself, or are you hiring an expert to do it for you? If you build the blog yourself, it won’t cost much. However, hiring a designer will incur extra costs.
2. Are you using a free blogging platform with their associated default domain extension (YourName.wordpress.com) or are you using a custom domain?
3. Which company are you buying the domain and hosting from if you chose to use your custom domain? Are you buying on promo or at regular cost?
4. Are you using a free WordPress theme or a premium version? How about the plugins? Are they all free or paid?

Once you can adequately answer those questions, you’ll get the exact figure it will cost to start a blog.