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What does a website cost per year? Domain and hosting or a builder plan come to roughly 80 to 300 euros a year before VAT. If your site runs on WordPress and you outsource maintenance, add 200 to 1,000 euros a year, plus paid plugins and business email. A static custom site costs least to keep running; a site on a website builder you pay for as long as it exists.
The build price is a separate question, covered in how much does a website cost. This guide is about everything after launch. Amounts are before VAT unless stated; within the EU, a business with a VAT number usually pays its own country's VAT through the reverse charge. Hosting on its own, before and after the promo price, is in website hosting cost.
Every line of your yearly bill, priced
These are the items that come back on a website bill, priced at European providers that sell across the EU, before VAT. Prefer to pay monthly instead? The sum is in pay monthly website packages.
| Item | What it is | Cost per year | When you pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domain .com | Your address, rented per year | 14.29 euros renewal at OVHcloud (7.99 the first year) | Once, in the month you registered |
| Domain .be | A country domain, same idea | 7.89 euros at OVHcloud, up to 46.99 euros at pricier registrars (renewal) | Once a year |
| Hosting | The server your site runs on | 71.88 euros the first year on typical shared business hosting, 233.88 euros after | Monthly or yearly |
| Website builder | Software, hosting and template in one plan | 168 euros (Wix Light) to 1,788 euros (Wix Business Elite) | Yearly in advance or monthly |
| SSL certificate | The padlock and https | 0 euros at most hosts (Let's Encrypt) | Renews automatically |
| Paid plugins | Extra features in WordPress | Yoast SEO Premium 118.80 euros, WP Rocket about 50 euros | Per plugin, on its own date |
| Business email | name@yourcompany.com | Google Workspace Business Starter 6.80 euros per user per month, 81.60 a year | Per user, monthly |
| Maintenance | Updates, backups, checks | 200 to 1,000 euros if you outsource it | Monthly or yearly |
| Changes | New pages, copy, photos | By the hour or per job | When you ask |
Two things stand out. The renewal price of domain and hosting is often two to five times the first-year price. And the biggest item is rarely technology; it is time. Who keeps the site up to date, and what does an hour of that person cost? Agency rates differ a lot per country, see web developer hourly rate.
Three kinds of site, three rhythms of cost
Almost every site falls into one of three types, each with its own rhythm of costs.
A website builder
On Wix, Squarespace and similar, you rent everything in one plan: software, hosting, updates and a template. Squarespace Basic costs 12 euros a month billed yearly and 17 euros billed monthly; Wix Light costs 14 euros a month billed yearly. The domain is included in the first year on Wix and paid separately after. You make changes yourself in the editor. Stop paying and the site stops. The full bill per plan is in Wix pricing.
WordPress
WordPress itself is free, but it runs on hosting you rent, with a theme and plugins you keep updated. At a typical European host, a domain costs 9.99 euros the first year and 46.99 after, and shared business hosting 5.99 euros a month the first year and 19.49 after. Updates and backups come on top, every month. If you do not do them, you pay someone who does. Why a WordPress site can also slow down over time: why is WordPress so slow.
A static custom site
A static site consists of ready-made pages, without a database or plugins. No software runs on the server that needs patching to stay safe. You pay for the domain and hosting, often usage-based, and for a builder when you want a new page or a change. The difference with WordPress is worked out in custom website or WordPress.
Your website year, month by month
- Once a year
- Every month
- Updates and backups
- Changes when you ask
Website builderSuch as Squarespace
Domain nameOnce a year, at your registrar
PlanSquarespace Basic: 12 euros a month billed yearly, 17 billed monthly
ChangesYou make them in the editor
WordPressThe software is free, the rest is not
Domain name9.99 euros the first year at a typical host, then 46.99
46.99HostingShared hosting: 5.99 euros a month the first year, then 19.49
19.49 / moUpdates and backupsWordPress, theme and plugins, every month again
ChangesYourself, or paid per job
Static custom siteNo plugins to update
Domain nameOnce a year, at your registrar
HostingMonthly, often usage-based
New pagesBuilt when you need them
Example: the site goes live in January. Amounts before VAT.
Three worked examples for one year
A solo physiotherapist, a contractor with five people, and the same contractor on a static site. Each with a .com domain, before VAT. Maintenance is an example; put in the rate of whoever maintains your site.
| Item per year | Physio on Wix Light | Contractor on WordPress | Contractor on a static site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domain .com | 14.29 euros (from year 2) | 14.29 euros | 14.29 euros |
| Hosting or plan | 168 euros | 233.88 euros (from year 2) | 60 euros (example, usage-based) |
| Plugins | 0 euros | 168.72 euros (Yoast Premium plus WP Rocket) | 0 euros |
| 81.60 euros (1 user) | 408 euros (5 users) | 408 euros (5 users) | |
| Maintenance | 0 euros, Wix does the updates | 600 euros (outsourced, example) | 0 euros, no updates needed |
| Total per year | 263.89 euros | 1,424.89 euros | 482.29 euros |
| Per month | 21.99 euros | 118.74 euros | 40.19 euros |
Changes and new pages are not in the table: you pay for those on any type of site when you order them. Without email, the static site costs the contractor 74.29 euros a year and the WordPress site 1,016.89 euros. Almost the whole difference sits in plugins and maintenance.
What website maintenance includes
Maintenance is the part of the yearly cost that varies most. It covers four things:
- UpdatesWordPress, your theme and every plugin get new versions regularly, often for security. Skip them and you fall behind and take a risk. Is it safe enough? See is WordPress safe.
- BackupsA copy of your site and data you can restore when something breaks. Test a restore once a year.
- ChecksDo contact form messages still arrive? Does the site still load fast on a phone? Does every link work? The website speed test and the SEO checker give you a first read.
- Small changesA new phone number, other opening hours, a team photo.
On a website builder the platform handles updates and backups; changes are yours. On WordPress you do all of it, or pay someone, usually a fixed monthly amount. On a static site, updates fall away and checks and changes remain.
Paying monthly or yearly
Do not simply divide the yearly cost by twelve. Many providers charge more if you pay monthly: on Squarespace Basic that is 17 euros against 12, or 60 euros more a year. Paying a year ahead is cheaper, but it ties you in for a year.
Put every renewal date in your calendar. Domain and yearly plans usually renew in the month you launched, exactly when the higher price appears. Plugins renew on their own dates, which spreads the bill over the year and makes it hard to oversee.
Where the bill grows unexpectedly
- The first-year discount endsOn typical shared hosting, domain plus business hosting cost 81.87 euros in year one and 280.87 euros from year two.
- Plugins with a yearly licenceA paid form, better search or extra security each renew separately. Three plugins easily make 200 euros a year.
- A site that gets slowAs a WordPress site grows, the cheapest hosting may stop being enough. See how to improve website speed.
- A change the template cannot holdOn a builder you are limited to what the editor allows. A calculator or a second language can mean a new site.
- New rulesA cookie banner, an updated privacy notice or accessibility for a store is work your maintenance plan may not cover. See do I need a cookie banner.
- A domain not in your nameChanging builder or registrar becomes a hunt. Read country domain vs .com for how to register it properly.
How to keep your yearly cost down
| If you | Then | What you save |
|---|---|---|
| Pay a high renewal for your domain | Transfer it to a registrar with a low renewal price | Up to 39 euros a year per .be domain |
| Pay monthly for a plan | Pay a year ahead | 60 euros a year on Squarespace Basic |
| Keep plugins you no longer use | Remove them and cancel the licence | The licence, plus fewer updates |
| Pay for WordPress upkeep on a site that rarely changes | Consider a static site at your next rebuild | Most of the maintenance |
| Have five mailboxes for three people | Use aliases instead of users | 6.80 euros a month per address |
Cleaning up your yearly bill in four steps
- Collect your latest invoices for registrar, hosting, plugins and email, and list them with their renewal dates.
- Check that the domain is registered to your company. If not, ask for the transfer.
- Add up what you pay per year and compare it with the examples above.
- Cancel what you do not use and put the renewal dates in your calendar.
The SN Group site
- pages in two languages, without one plugin to update
- 118
- facts in the register behind the calculators and checks
- 761
Questions about yearly website costs
How much does website maintenance cost per month?
For domain and hosting or a builder plan, roughly 7 to 25 euros a month, without maintenance or email. A WordPress site with outsourced maintenance and paid plugins comes closer to 80 to 120 euros a month.
How much should I budget for website maintenance per year?
In Belgium, outsourced maintenance typically costs 200 to 1,000 euros a year. On WordPress it covers updates, backups and checks; on a static site updates fall away and you mostly pay for changes.
Do I have to pay for my domain every year?
Yes, you rent a domain per year. Watch the renewal price: a .com renews at 14.29 euros a year at OVHcloud, a .be at 7.89 euros at OVHcloud and up to 46.99 euros elsewhere, before VAT. You can transfer a domain to another registrar without taking your site offline.
Is hosting included with a website?
On a builder such as Wix or Squarespace, yes, it is part of the plan. With WordPress or a custom site you rent hosting separately, or your builder arranges it. Always ask whose name the contract is in, so you can move later.
What happens if I stop paying?
On a website builder your site goes offline and usually cannot be taken along. On WordPress or a static site the hosting stops, but you still have the files if you own them. Your domain expires after its renewal date and becomes available to anyone after a grace period.
Is a maintenance contract worth it?
On WordPress, yes, unless you keep updates and backups up yourself every month. On a static site a contract is rarely needed: there is nothing to patch, and you pay for changes when you want them. Check what a contract excludes, such as new pages or legal changes.