The running costs of a website after launch
Building a site is paid once, but keeping it online is paid for as long as it exists. Website running costs are rarely dramatic, but they surprise people who were never told about them. Here is the full list, so nothing arrives unannounced.
What do I renew to keep the address?
The domain name. You do not buy a domain outright. You register it for a period and renew it, and if the renewal is missed the address can stop working and may eventually be lost. Turn on automatic renewal, keep the payment card current, and make sure renewal notices go to an inbox that someone actually reads.
What do I pay for the site to be online?
It depends on what the site is built on. A self-hosted site, such as WordPress or WooCommerce, needs a hosting account that you renew. A store on a hosted platform such as Salla or Shopify has no separate hosting. You pay the platform a subscription and hosting is part of it. In both cases this is often the main regular item.
Are there licences that renew?
Often. Paid themes, plugins and apps usually come with a licence period. When it ends, the item may keep working but stop receiving updates, which is a slow risk on a live site. Ask for a list of every paid component, when each renews and who holds the account. An app on a hosted store is typically an ongoing charge for as long as it is installed.
What does selling online add?
Payment providers generally charge a fee on each transaction, and delivery companies charge for each shipment. These are costs of selling, not of the website, but they pass through the store and belong in your planning. The terms differ by provider and country, so read them directly from the provider before you set your prices.
What about email and other services?
Business email on your own domain is normally a separate service from the website. So are tools for newsletters, booking, live chat or analytics if you use paid versions. None is required to have a site. Add only the ones you will use, and note each one in the same list as the domain and hosting.
Does the site need maintenance?
A hosted platform looks after its own software. A self-hosted site needs updates and backups done by someone: you, your hosting company, or a person you pay. Then there is your own time for keeping content current. A site still showing old offers costs nothing extra to run, and it still costs you something.
How I handle it
I cannot remove running costs, but I can keep the editing ones off the list. You get the dashboard and change the text, images, products, prices and posts yourself, without paying for each update. For 180 days from the day the site goes live, support covers anything that breaks, anything that behaves differently from what was agreed, and questions about editing. Tell me about your project and I will go through what it would need to keep running.
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