## How Much Does It Really Cost to Build an Ecommerce Website in 2024? (Real Numbers)
**By Naveed Ahmed**
As a seasoned digital entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience in building and scaling successful online businesses, I’ve seen firsthand the transformative power of ecommerce. But embarking on this journey requires a clear understanding of the costs involved. While many resources provide general estimates, it’s crucial to dive deep into the real numbers to make informed decisions and ensure your online store thrives.
This comprehensive guide breaks down the true cost of building an ecommerce website in 2024, covering everything from essential hosting and payment processing to design and growth hacking strategies. We’ll also explore how to maximize your budget and minimize unnecessary expenses, setting you up for success from day one.
### Understanding Ecommerce Costs
The cost of building an ecommerce website isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer. It depends on various factors, including:
* **Platform Choice:** Different ecommerce platforms offer varying levels of features, pricing, and flexibility.
* **Design Complexity:** A basic template can be budget-friendly, but a custom design tailored to your brand requires more investment.
* **Functionality Requirements:** Essential features like secure payment processing, inventory management, and shipping are necessary, but additional functionalities can increase costs.
* **Marketing and Growth Strategies:** Your marketing budget will depend on your chosen channels and how aggressively you want to drive traffic and sales.
To get a clear picture, we’ll break down our analysis into key expense categories:
1. **Hosting Costs**
2. **Payment Processing**
3. **Ecommerce Website Design Costs**
4. **Cost of Add-ons and Extensions**
5. **Total Cost of Building an Ecommerce Website**
6. **Costs of Growing Ecommerce Business**
We’ll focus on three popular ecommerce platforms: WooCommerce, Shopify, and BigCommerce, to provide real-world insights.
### 1. Hosting Costs
Just like any website, your ecommerce store needs a reliable hosting solution to store its files and data. You’ll also need a domain name, which is the web address of your store (e.g., yourstorename.com).
#### 1.1 Hosting Costs for a Self-Hosted Ecommerce Website
WooCommerce, the world’s most popular ecommerce platform, powers millions of online stores. It’s free to download and use, but you’ll need a suitable web hosting account to install it.
A basic web hosting plan for beginners typically starts at around $7.99 per month, while domain names can cost $14.99 per year and an SSL certificate, essential for security, starts at $69 per year.
Fortunately, Bluehost offers a generous discount to WPBeginner users, giving you a web hosting plan, domain name, and free SSL certificate for as low as $1.99 per month.
As your business grows, you’ll likely need to upgrade your hosting plan to handle increased traffic. This means your hosting costs will rise, but ideally, your sales will be increasing to offset the added expense.
Consider transitioning to a managed WordPress hosting provider like WP Engine. Their Startup plan costs $20 per month, and the eCommerce Professional plan is $50 per month, but you can use our WP Engine coupon for an additional discount.
**Benefits of a Self-Hosted Ecommerce Website:**
* **Complete Control:** You have full freedom to customize your ecommerce site exactly as you want.
* **Cost-Effectiveness:** Pay only for what you need, saving you money in the long run.
* **Unlimited Scalability:** You can handle unlimited products, orders, and payment gateways without restrictions.
#### 1.2 Hosting Costs for SaaS Ecommerce Platforms
SaaS (Software as a Service) ecommerce platforms like Shopify and BigCommerce handle hosting for you, eliminating the need for technical setup and maintenance.
Here’s a breakdown of their pricing:
**Shopify:**
* **Basic:** $19 per month
* **Shopify:** $49 per month
* **Advanced:** $299 per month
**BigCommerce:**
* **Standard:** $29 per month
* **Plus:** $79 per month
* **Pro:** $299 per month
Each plan includes a specific set of features, so choose the one that best suits your needs.
**Key Differences:**
* **BigCommerce:** Limits annual sales to $50,000 on the Standard plan, requiring an upgrade after that.
* **Shopify:** Requires you to use Shopify Payments, but charges a 2% transaction fee for using third-party payment gateways. This fee drops to 1% and then 0.5% for their higher-priced plans.
**Estimated Ecommerce Hosting Costs:**
* **Self-hosted Ecommerce Website:** $2.75 – $241.67 per month
* **SaaS Ecommerce Platform:** $29 – $399 per month
Remember, these estimates are for medium-sized online stores. High-volume businesses might need to upgrade to Shopify Plus or BigCommerce Enterprise, which cost thousands of dollars per month.
Based on this hosting cost analysis, a self-hosted ecommerce website with WooCommerce is initially more cost-effective.
### 2. Payment Processing
One crucial aspect often overlooked by beginners is payment processing fees. These fees directly impact your bottom line, increasing costs and reducing profit margins.
Let’s see how different ecommerce platforms handle payments and their associated costs.
#### 2.1 WooCommerce Payment Processing Costs
WooCommerce, being open-source, offers extensive payment gateway integration. This means self-hosted WooCommerce stores can use any payment gateway they prefer.
By default, WooCommerce supports PayPal and Stripe for accepting credit card payments. Dozens of other payment services are available as extensions. Alternatively, use the free Stripe Payment Gateway for WooCommerce plugin for easy setup and additional features.
You’ll only pay processing fees to the chosen payment gateway provider, each with different rates for different regions, currencies, and services.
WooCommerce even has extensions for less-known regional payment services, beneficial for ecommerce websites serving specific countries.
With WooCommerce, you can compare rates from various payment providers and choose the best option for your business. There’s no limit to the number of transactions you can process, giving you flexibility to choose your payment provider without additional fees.
**WooCommerce Payment Processing Costs:**
Fees vary based on the payment gateway, currency, and region. Here’s a quick overview for the most popular payment gateways in US dollars:
* **PayPal:** 2.9% + $0.30 for transactions over $10
* **Stripe:** 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
* **Authorize.Net:** 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction + $25 monthly fee
#### 2.2 Shopify Payment Processing Costs
Shopify offers its own payment solution called Shopify Payments, enabling you to accept credit card payments directly on your website. It also provides various third-party payment gateways, including regional and cryptocurrency services.
Shopify Payments is currently available in 13 countries. You must carefully review the payment terms for your country as selling certain items/products may not be permitted in some regions.
Choosing a third-party payment service will incur fees from that gateway provider plus an additional 2.0% fee to Shopify. This might seem small initially, but it can accumulate significantly over time.
Consider that most payment services average a 2.9% transaction fee, meaning you could end up paying as much as 5% of the total transaction in payment processing costs.
If you’re in one of the 13 countries supporting Shopify Payments, you’ll get rates similar to PayPal. However, if you’re outside those select countries, you’ll pay an additional 2% on every transaction to Shopify, potentially reducing your profit margins considerably.
**Shopify Payment Processing Costs:**
* **Shopify Payments:** 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction
* **Third-party Payment Services:** Gateway provider fees + 2% extra fees paid to Shopify on every transaction.
#### 2.3 BigCommerce Payment Processing Costs
BigCommerce allows you to choose from over 65 third-party payment gateways. These payment platforms offer wider global reach compared to Shopify but not as extensive as WooCommerce.
The key advantage of using BigCommerce is that it doesn’t charge any additional transaction fees. You’ll only pay for each transaction to the chosen payment provider (similar to WooCommerce).
Each transaction’s cost depends on the payment service, currency, and country. You can choose from popular payment services like PayPal, Square, Stripe, Authorize.Net, and many more.
**BigCommerce Payment Processing Costs:**
* **PayPal:** 2.9% + $0.30 for transactions over $10
* **Stripe:** 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
* **Authorize.Net:** 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction + $25 monthly fee
**Estimated Payment Processing Costs for an Ecommerce Website:**
Your payment processing costs depend on your chosen ecommerce platform and payment services. Here’s an average cost estimation:
* **WooCommerce:** PayPal or Stripe – 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
* **Shopify:** Shopify Payments – 2.9% + 30¢ | 2% extra per transaction for third-party payment gateways
* **BigCommerce:** PayPal or Stripe – 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
**Note:** These costs exclude any fees your bank might charge.
Considering payment processing costs, WooCommerce and BigCommerce tie for the lowest costs.
### 3. Ecommerce Website Design Costs
The ecommerce industry is booming, with new online stores appearing daily. You’ll likely face significant competition in your niche.
This is where design comes into play.
A professional and customer-centric website design helps you stand out from the crowd.
You might be thinking: “I’m not a professional web designer. How can I get a design that helps my store stand out and drive more sales?”
Most ecommerce platforms recognize this challenge, so they offer ready-made website templates. Store owners can customize layouts using drag-and-drop tools.
Store owners can also purchase premium designs with additional features, priority support, and unique layouts. Of course, you can hire a developer to create a fully custom template from scratch with bespoke features.
Let’s see how much designing an ecommerce website costs on different platforms.
#### 3.1 WooCommerce Design Costs
WooCommerce offers the most flexibility in terms of design and appearance. It’s built on WordPress, the most popular website builder, meaning you can choose any WordPress theme to use with WooCommerce.
However, choosing a WooCommerce-specific theme is recommended for optimal results.
Fortunately, thousands of WooCommerce themes are available, many being completely free, while others have a small fee starting at $30.
Here are top WooCommerce themes with extensive customization options:
* **Astra:** A popular WooCommerce theme with dozens of ready-made sites for one-click installation.
* **Divi:** A powerful WooCommerce theme with dozens of templates, a built-in page builder, and easy-to-use customization options for beginners.
* **Ocean WP:** One of the best multi-purpose WooCommerce themes on the market with tons of customization options.
For a complete list, check out our article on the best WooCommerce themes.
WooCommerce also grants access to incredible WordPress page builder plugins. These drag-and-drop tools allow you to create custom product pages and personalized landing page designs within minutes. Some page builders even let you create your own WooCommerce theme.
For example, SeedProd is a powerful drag-and-drop website builder with over 1 million users. It lets you create custom themes, page layouts, and landing pages for your WooCommerce store without coding.
Start quickly with one of their 31+ professionally designed WooCommerce themes.
Each theme is customizable for your brand by pointing and clicking. You can quickly add elements like subscription forms, countdown timers, image carousels, testimonials, business hours, and much more.
SeedProd also comes with full WooCommerce integration. Simply drag and drop WooCommerce template tags or blocks to create custom WooCommerce checkout/payment, cart, featured product grids, product rating/reviews, and more.
If you don’t want to use free or paid WooCommerce themes or create your own theme with SeedProd, you can hire a WordPress developer for custom WooCommerce development.
A WordPress developer can create a unique, custom-built theme specifically for your business. They allow you to incorporate personalized features and bring your vision to life.
Custom themes can get expensive depending on the features you need and the developer’s experience. The total cost of custom website development can range from $1,500 to $6,000 for a medium-sized ecommerce business.
A custom enterprise-level theme with its own complementary plugins can cost between $10,000 and $30,000.
However, with WPBeginner Pro Services, you can get a custom-designed ecommerce website for a fraction of the price. This service includes a dedicated project manager, bespoke homepage design, WooCommerce setup, AIOSEO plugin configuration, branding style guide, and much more.
The WPBeginner Pro Service team has over 10 years of experience and has helped over 100,000 people get started with WordPress. Rest assured, your design is in good hands.
If you’re looking for more affordable WooCommerce development, WPBeginner Pro Services is the perfect solution.
#### 3.2 Shopify Design Costs
Shopify offers ready-made templates you can use as a starting point for your ecommerce store. It also provides built-in tools to customize the structure/layout/colors and other adjustments.
Currently, 10 free and 65 paid themes are available on the Shopify website. This is a significantly smaller number, especially compared to the thousands of themes available for WooCommerce.
On average, a paid Shopify theme costs around $160. You can find cheaper themes on third-party theme marketplaces, where Shopify themes can be available for as low as $59.
You can also hire a developer to create a custom Shopify theme for you. However, Shopify isn’t as popular among developers as WooCommerce, meaning your pool of hires will be smaller, and rates will be higher.
Depending on the developer you choose and their rates, custom design development for Shopify can cost between $5,000 and $30,000 USD.
#### 3.3 BigCommerce Design Costs
BigCommerce also offers free and paid themes. Currently, there are 12 free themes in multiple styles and 100+ paid themes in the storefront.
Each of these themes is fully customizable using an intuitive user interface. You can add your company logo and custom colors, and choose different layout/structure/design/template styles for your store.
All themes are mobile-responsive and designed to increase conversion rates. They strictly adhere to BigCommerce platform guidelines and code standards, so you’ll get the same user experience regardless of the theme you choose.
You can also find BigCommerce themes on third-party marketplace websites. However, these themes might not be as good in quality as those available on the official storefront.
BigCommerce also allows developers to upload custom themes. You can find a developer to hire from the official BigCommerce Partner Directory or freelance marketplaces like UpWork.
Paid BigCommerce theme prices start at $160. A custom BigCommerce theme can cost you between $3,000 and $30,000, depending on the developer or agency you hire for the job.
**Estimated Ecommerce Website Design Costs:**
* **WooCommerce:** Free, $99 for Premium, and $5,000 for custom
* **Shopify:** Free, $160 for Premium, and $5,000 for custom
* **BigCommerce:** Free, $160 for Premium, and $5,000 for custom
**Note:** Both BigCommerce and Shopify have limited themes, both free and paid. WooCommerce gives you access to thousands of free and paid themes, a vast developer pool, and much more design flexibility.
### 4. Cost of Add-ons and Extensions
It’s impossible for an ecommerce platform to include all the features you need in a single software package. Even if they tried, things would become complicated, and the software would be difficult to use.
To address this, most ecommerce programs are modular. This allows you to add extensions and apps to the software’s core.
These add-ons or extensions let you add new features to your ecommerce website and expand its functionality. Many of them are paid, and purchasing them will increase the cost of building an ecommerce website.
Let’s compare the costs of add-ons and extensions for popular ecommerce platforms.
#### 4.1 WooCommerce Add-ons and Extensions Costs
When it comes to adding add-ons and extensions, no other ecommerce platform comes close to WooCommerce. There are thousands of free and paid plugins available for WooCommerce that you can utilize.
Also, keep in mind that WooCommerce runs on WordPress, which gives you access to over 59,000 free plugins.
There are plugins or extensions available for any feature you can think of.
Want some examples? See our selection of essential plugins for WooCommerce showcasing the most popular WooCommerce extensions (most of them are free).
The price for paid WooCommerce extensions starts at $19 and can go up to $299 (depending on the license plans and plugin features).
If that’s not enough, and you want a custom feature, you can hire a developer to build a plugin for you. It could cost you between $500 and $10,000, depending on the required work or the developer’s rates.
**WooCommerce Extension Costs:** Free – $299, and custom plugins cost $500 – $10,000 USD
#### 4.2 Shopify Extension Costs
Shopify is a SaaS platform, and the software’s core is tightly integrated to provide maximum security and stability for all users.
However, they offer APIs for developers to integrate their own services and solutions into Shopify. These extensions are available as third-party apps from the Shopify App Store.
Hundreds of apps are available, both free and paid. Paid app prices vary, and most are available via monthly subscription.
Shopify also allows you to add private apps specifically created for your store. The app must be stored and run elsewhere, and you can generate Shopify API keys to manage the app’s access permissions.
**Shopify Extension Costs:** Free – Varied monthly subscription apps. Custom app: $5,000+ depending on the developer’s rates and skills.
#### 4.3 BigCommerce Extension Costs
Similar to Shopify, BigCommerce also lets you install free and paid apps. Many of these third-party apps are available via monthly subscription.
You can also hire developers to create custom apps for a single store. These apps are stored as drafts and can only be used in that particular store.
**BigCommerce Extension Costs:** Free – Varied monthly subscription apps. Custom app: $1000+ depending on the developer’s rates and skills.
**Estimated Extension Costs on an Ecommerce Website:**
This is difficult to calculate as each online store will use different apps for its specific needs.
Of course, using more paid extensions will cost you more and significantly increase your overall costs. Extensions with recurring billing will represent a constant expense for your business.
We assume you will be careful with paid extensions to give a very conservative cost estimation.
**Additional Costs:** Free – $1,000 USD
WooCommerce extensions and WordPress plugins in general are cheaper as they are billed annually, while Shopify and BigCommerce apps are billed monthly.
### 5. Total Cost of Building an Ecommerce Website
Now that we’ve covered different spending areas for an ecommerce website, let’s take a look at what the total cost of building an ecommerce website would be.
As mentioned earlier, each ecommerce platform gives you the flexibility to choose how much money you’re going to spend. Obviously, this will affect your overall costs.
Here are the estimated total costs of building an ecommerce website:
* **WooCommerce Starter:** $500 – $3000 (Shared hosting, paid design, fewer plugins, and payment services).
* **WooCommerce Custom:** $5000 – $10,000 (Managed WordPress hosting, custom eCommerce design, plugins, and payment services).
* **WooCommerce Enterprise:** $10,000+ (Dedicated hosting servers, custom design and features, plugins, and payment services).
* **Shopify:** $1,000 – $10,000+ (Your costs would dramatically increase when you make more sales, and if you are using a third-party payment service).
* **BigCommerce:** $1,000 – $10,000+ (Your costs will increase when you make more sales as you’ll be required to upgrade your plan).
A WooCommerce/WordPress ecommerce site costs between $500 and $3000 USD for a beginner ecommerce business. This gives you the best value for your money as it’s the most robust, flexible, and user-friendly platform.
* You wouldn’t have to pay additional transaction fees
* WooCommerce doesn’t limit your sales or the number of products you add
* You can use it with any third-party service
* It has the best design options to improve conversions and get more sales
If you prefer not to maintain hosting yourself, BigCommerce saves you money by not charging you a transaction fee for using their preferred payment services.
You can also use BigCommerce with WordPress, allowing BigCommerce to manage your store and WordPress to manage your marketing content.
Finally, Shopify could be a cheap option for building an ecommerce website, but only if you use Shopify Payments to accept credit card payments on your website.
For more details, see our comparisons: WooCommerce vs BigCommerce and WooCommerce vs Shopify.
### 6. Costs of Growing Ecommerce Business
Now that you’ve built your ecommerce site. What’s next?
The real fun part comes when you start growing your ecommerce business. This part is painful and overwhelming for most beginners, but it’s also the most rewarding.
It’s painful because it can be excruciatingly slow if you don’t use the right tools. By using the right tools to grow your business, you can increase sales and skyrocket conversions.
While these tools will add costs, their return on investment is so high that it automatically justifies the expense.
Here are our top marketing tools to grow your ecommerce business with their costs:
#### 6.1 OptinMonster
When your ecommerce site starts getting traffic, you’ll realize that most visitors leave without buying. Wouldn’t it be great if you could stay in touch with them to convince them to buy?
This is what OptinMonster does.
It’s the world’s best lead generation software because it helps you convert abandoned website visitors into leads. OptinMonster works with any type of website and all ecommerce platforms.
For instructions and practical examples, see our article on how to convert visitors into customers.
**Cost:** We recommend starting with at least their Plus plan. It costs $59.60 per year.
#### 6.2 Constant Contact
The best way to stay in touch with website visitors is through email, which remains the preferred communication mode for customers.
You need to start building an email list for your ecommerce store from day one. You’re basically losing money every day you’re not collecting emails.
The easiest way to get started with email marketing is using Constant Contact. It’s the best email marketing software on the market, allowing you to send targeted messages to subscribers and boost sales.
For details and step-by-step instructions, see our tutorial on how to create an email newsletter.
**Cost:** Starting at $12 per month.
**Alternatives:** We also recommend Brevo, HubSpot, and Drip depending on your use cases.
#### 6.3 Semrush
The best source for getting free traffic to your website is search engines. To utilize them, you’ll have to keep learning about ecommerce SEO.
Semrush is one of the best SEO tools on the market. It allows you to discover new keyword ideas and see which keywords your competitors are ranking for so you can outrank them by ranking higher.
With just a few clicks, it provides tons of optimization ideas you can implement with minimal effort.
For instructions and details, see our guide on how to perform keyword research correctly.
**Cost:** Starting at $139.95 per month.
**Alternatives:** If you’re looking for free alternatives to Semrush, you can use WPBeginner’s keyword generator tool and keyword density checker.
#### 6.4 Nextiva
It’s typical to just add your landline or mobile number to your ecommerce website. However, it doesn’t look very professional and can end up hurting your business.
Nextiva is the best business phone service on the market. It allows you to use one number across multiple devices, phones, mobiles, and even computers.
It operates with Voice over Internet Protocol technology, also known as business VoIP. Compared to traditional landlines, it’s much cheaper and allows you to manage your business calls effectively.
**Cost:** Starting at $20/month/user.
**Alternatives:** RingCentral and Ooma are other popular virtual phone number apps.
#### 6.5 PushEngage Web Push Notifications
One of the easiest ways to increase your store’s revenue is to use web push notifications. They allow you to communicate with customers after they leave your website.
Web push notifications have one of the highest engagement rates out of all communication platforms.
PushEngage is a leading web push notification software that makes it easy to add web push notifications to your online store.
You can use it to send batch/bulk messages, cart abandonment notifications, automated drip messages, sale announcements, and more.
**Cost:** Free to start and grows based on the number of subscribers.
#### 6.6 PPC Marketing
Starting an ecommerce website won’t make your business start making money instantly. It will take some time before you can get search traffic to your website. Meanwhile, you’ll still be paying for hosting and other services.
This is where PPC marketing can help.
PPC or pay-per-click marketing allows you to show ads for specific keywords in search results. You can use SEMRush to find the PPC keywords your customers are targeting and plan an effective strategy in minutes.
The best place to get started with your first PPC campaign is Google Ads. It’s very easy to use, and even absolute beginners can start without any help.
PPC campaigns don’t have to cost a lot of money. You can set a small budget, run a very specific campaign, and then increase the budget to get more leads and sales.
PPC isn’t just for new ecommerce businesses. You can continue using PPC marketing alongside your SEO efforts to get targeted traffic to your store.
**Cost:** You can start at $100 and increase the budget as needed.
### How Much Would It Cost to Grow an Ecommerce Business Properly?
Ultimately, it’s up to you. Your goal should be to find the right mix of tools and start building on it. Keep experimenting with new tools as your business grows and you have more budget to expand.
**Estimated Growth Hacking Cost:** $1,000 to unlimited.
### Conclusion
We hope this article has given you a good idea of what an ecommerce website costs in real numbers. We recommend being frugal and only spending when it’s essential for your business. You can also check out our guide on how to grow your business on a very limited budget and our guide on debunking the most common myths about WordPress.
**If you’re interested in learning more about tech news, feel free to visit my website: www.naveedahmed.me.**
### FAQs
**What is the best ecommerce platform for my business?**
The best platform depends on your needs and budget. WooCommerce is ideal for those who want full control and flexibility. Shopify is great for ease of use and scalability, while BigCommerce excels in marketing features and transaction fees.
**How much should I budget for a custom ecommerce website design?**
Custom designs can range from $1,500 to $30,000+, depending on complexity and features. Consider WPBeginner Pro Services for a more affordable custom solution.
**Do I need to pay for marketing tools right away?**
Start with the basics, like email marketing and SEO, and gradually add more tools as your business grows.
**How do I choose the right payment gateway for my ecommerce store?**
Consider your target audience, supported countries, transaction fees, and additional features.
**What are the costs of managing an ecommerce website?**
Ongoing costs include hosting, payment processing fees, marketing tools, and potentially app subscriptions.
**How can I make my ecommerce website more profitable?**
Focus on customer experience, SEO, marketing, and efficient inventory management to drive sales and increase profits.
**What are some common ecommerce website mistakes to avoid?**
Don’t neglect security, customer service, shipping optimization, or mobile responsiveness.
**Should I use a free ecommerce website template?**
Free templates can be a good starting point, but consider investing in a premium theme for more features, customization options, and support.
**How can I find a qualified WordPress developer for custom website work?**
Look for developers with proven experience, positive reviews, and a portfolio of successful projects. Consider using freelance platforms like UpWork.
**What are the best ways to get started with ecommerce SEO?**
Begin by researching relevant keywords, optimizing your product pages, and building backlinks.
**What is the most effective way to advertise my ecommerce store?**
Experiment with various marketing channels like Google Ads, social media advertising, content marketing, and email marketing to find what works best for your target audience.