Joomla has emerged as one of the easy-to-use and highly effective content management systems. If you are looking to create an eCommerce website using Joomla, you’ve taken the smart decision. However, it is secondary to WordPress and Shopify regarding the extensive range of functions and thousands of plug-ins.
When choosing a platform to host your eCommerce website, you would normally look at the price before its features. A common question aspiring online store owners frequently ask is, “how much does Joomla cost?” In this blog, we will discuss Joomla pricing, the fee of Joomla web developers, and the overall maintenance charges.
Before that, let’s understand Joomla in brief.
What Is Joomla?
Like WordPress, Joomla is an open-source content management system for building websites and web applications. Released in 2005, Joomla has witnessed multiple upgrades since then.
Today, Joomla has become the third most popular content management system worldwide and hosts over 2 million websites. Various well-known websites use Joomla. In addition, Joomla supports the most powerful SEO tools that help get your website up in the search engine ranking, boosting your website visibility and driving significant organic traffic to your page.
Joomla, like other CMS, has pricing plans for personal and business users. It hosts your website for free, but access to the advanced features and specific plug-ins requires a paid upgrade.
Joomla Website Price Breakdown
Building a Joomla website can cost anywhere between $10,000 AUD and $150,000 AUD. The pricing differs as per the complexity and size of your website. Let’s check out the factors affecting the Joomla web development cost.
Buying a Domain
A domain name is the web address your target audience will type in the Google search bar to find your website on the internet. Millions of websites are hosted on different CMS platforms, and each is assigned a unique domain name. Think of it as a brand name for your brick-and-mortar store. When people look for your store, they use your brand name to locate it. Likewise, your audience uses domain addresses when searching for your website. A domain name costs you as little as $14 -$43 AUD annually.
Hosting
Web hosting companies make your website accessible to the public and store all the data securely. The hosting cost depends on several factors, including the size of your eCommerce store, the hosting provider, and the inclusions in your selected plan.
For Joomla, BlueHost is the best hosting company. It’s reasonable and offers excellent bandwidth. Web hosting can cost as low as $2 AUD/month, or it may go up to $143 AUD/month (depending on your business size). If you are just starting an online website, you could choose a shared hosting plan, which is the most affordable option.
Website Features
The total cost of Joomla web development also depends on the number and complexity of features you want. If you have a small budget, limit the features you want on your website and stick to the functional features instead of the fancy ones.
An eCommerce website requires more features than a standard business or blog website. The most notable features of a Joomla eCommerce website are Wishlist, Site Search, Business Logo, Checkout Page, Product Page, Categories, Blog, Contact, Registration, Payment, etc.
Web Designing
Your Joomla development company will streamline the eCommerce website design process. They will build the UI, UX, and all features. From template selection to adding extensions, the web designing company helps you in every stage of online store development. Their fees may vary depending on their experience. The company might charge an hourly fee or a fixed rate. It’s best to compare quotes from a few popular website development agencies before hiring.
SSL Certificate
Whether it’s a blog or an established eCommerce store, all website owners must have an SSL certificate. Websites encrypted with SSL are secure. SSL certificates can cost between $13 AUD and $43 AUD a year.
You must buy and renew your SSL certificate for an online store, as it will protect your customers’ confidential data, like their credit card details and identity.
eCommerce Templates
Joomla offers free and paid templates for your online store. Those with a tight budget can stick to the free versions. But if you want premium quality and sophisticated web design, go for the paid template section. Depending on the template provider, the customised Joomla templates can cost up to $114 AUD or higher. Talk to your web designer to find the most suitable template for your eCommerce store. If you are looking for a design that is completely unique then we recommend a custom-designed Joomla website. However, you will have to be prepared for significant cost increases.
Extensions
Every eCommerce website needs an extension, including a shopping cart, inventory management, store management and checkout. Some website extensions are free. However, you will likely need both free and premium extensions to ensure your Joomla store’s seamless operation.
The cost can range from $0 AUD for freemium to $358 AUD for premium extensions. You can add more extensions, depending on what fits your requirements.
How Much Does the Website Cost in Total?
The most significant advantage of using Joomla is that it’s an open-source platform and is, thus, free of cost. You can design, modify, and maintain your website on Joomla without paying a single penny.
To learn more about Joomla’s cost, talk to the best Joomla development company, get quotes from web designers, check their expertise, and outsource your web development project to a company that fits your needs and budget. Hope it helps!
