Hidden costs to watch for
The recurring website costs many clients overlook (domain renewal, hosting, plugin licenses, SSL, stock images, fonts, and third-party tools) and how to plan for them.
Most clients focus on the one-time cost of building their website. But websites have ongoing costs (some obvious, some easy to miss) that add up every year. This guide lists them all so you're never caught off guard.
Check prices with each vendor
Other companies' prices change and differ from provider to provider, so we don't quote them here. Your actual costs depend on which providers and tools your site uses. Always check current pricing directly with each vendor.
Domain name renewal
Your domain name (for example, yourbusiness.com) is rented, not owned. You register it for a fixed term and then renew it. The price is set by your registrar and depends on the extension: some (.io, .co, .agency) can cost significantly more than a .com.
What to watch for:
- Auto-renew should be on. If your domain lapses, your site goes offline and you risk losing it permanently.
- Some registrars offer a very low first-year price, then raise it at renewal. Check the renewal price before you register.
- Premium domains or short, popular names may cost much more.
See Renewing your domain and turning on auto-renew for more detail.
Web hosting
Hosting is what keeps your site online. It's typically a monthly or annual fee paid to your hosting provider, not to us.
| Hosting type | Typical cost range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Shared / budget hosting | Lower end | Not recommended for business sites |
| Managed WordPress hosting | Mid range, per month | Better performance, security, and support |
| Premium managed WordPress | Higher end, per month | Fastest performance; suits high-traffic or revenue-generating sites |
| Webflow hosting | Included in Webflow plan | Charged as part of your Webflow subscription |
| Squarespace | Included in plan | Monthly or annual Squarespace subscription |
What to watch for:
- Hosting fees come directly from your hosting provider, not from Chykalophia, unless we've set it up differently for your project.
- Prices can change at renewal. Budget a small buffer each year.
- Budget shared hosting is usually slower and less well tuned for WordPress, because you share a server with many other sites. For business sites, managed WordPress hosting is almost always worth the cost.
See Who pays for hosting? and Understanding your hosting bill.
SSL certificate
SSL is the security technology behind the https:// at the start of your URL. Without it, browsers show a "Not secure" warning, which can scare visitors away. Google also uses HTTPS as a ranking signal, though when it announced the signal it called it a lightweight one.
On our recommended hosts (Flywheel, WP Engine, and Kinsta) and on Webflow, SSL is included in the hosting fee.
On some older or budget hosts, SSL is a separate annual charge. Check with your host.
What to watch for:
- Never let SSL lapse. An expired certificate makes browsers show visitors a security warning instead of your site.
- Free certificates from your host usually renew automatically, but only while the host's setup (and, on some hosts, a DNS record it asks for) stays in place.
See What is SSL & HTTPS? for a plain-English explanation.
Plugin and theme licenses (WordPress)
WordPress itself is free. But many WordPress sites use premium (paid) plugins and themes, and many of those are sold as licenses you renew, often yearly, to keep receiving updates.
Common examples include page builders, SEO plugins, form plugins, backup tools, security plugins, WooCommerce extensions, and custom theme licenses.
What to watch for:
- Many plugin licenses need renewing once a year. If you let one lapse, the plugin usually stops receiving updates, which eventually becomes a security risk.
- Some plugins switch from one-time purchase to annual subscription. Check what you're paying for.
- If you're running an e-commerce store, paid WooCommerce extensions can add up quickly, because each one is usually a separate subscription.
See Plugins explained and Updating plugins safely.
Stock photography and image licensing
If your site uses stock photos, those images have a license. Most stock photo licenses are either:
- Subscription-based: monthly or annual fee for a set number of downloads (e.g., Adobe Stock, Shutterstock)
- Per-image purchase: a one-time or annual license per image
What to watch for:
- Stock photo licenses do not always transfer when your website changes. If we built your site using images from our account, you may need your own license going forward.
- Free stock photos (Unsplash, Pexels) are generally fine for commercial use but have specific terms. Check the license for each image.
- AI-generated images have their own licensing and usage terms that are still evolving.
See Stock photos & licensing and Where to get images legally.
Web fonts
Most modern websites use custom fonts: brand fonts or licensed typefaces that aren't built into the browser. Depending on how your site loads fonts, there may be an ongoing cost.
| Font source | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Google Fonts | Free (loaded from Google's servers) |
| Adobe Fonts (Typekit) | Tied to an Adobe account; check what your Adobe plan includes |
| Font vendor (Fonts.com, MyFonts, etc.) | Web font license: terms and prices vary by vendor |
| Webflow-served fonts | Included in plan if using Webflow's built-in library |
What to watch for:
- If a font license or subscription lapses, the font may stop loading and your site may fall back to a default font: suddenly changing how it looks.
- Some premium typefaces are expensive to license for the web. Know which fonts your site uses and who owns the license.
Third-party tool integrations
Most business websites connect to at least a few external tools. Each of these is an additional subscription:
- Email marketingMailchimp, Klaviyo, ActiveCampaign, etc.
- CRMHubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho, etc.
- Booking / scheduling softwareCalendly, Acuity, etc.
- Live chatIntercom, Crisp, Tidio, etc.
- Form toolsGravity Forms, Formidable, Typeform, etc.
- AnalyticsGoogle Analytics is free; some advanced tools are not
- Video hostingA paid Vimeo plan, if you want more control over the video player than a free plan gives you
What to watch for:
- Many of these tools have generous free tiers that disappear once you exceed a subscriber or traffic threshold.
- Integration plugins that connect WordPress to these tools may need their own paid licenses too.
Care plan / maintenance
If your site is professionally maintained, you're paying a monthly or annual fee for that service. This is not a hidden cost, but it's sometimes forgotten when clients are planning their annual budget.
See Understanding care plan pricing for a full breakdown.
Putting it all together
Here's a checklist of what a typical small-business WordPress site pays for each year, beyond the initial build:
| Cost item | Who sets the price |
|---|---|
| Domain renewal | Your registrar |
| Managed WordPress hosting | Your host, by plan |
| SSL | Often included in hosting |
| Plugin/theme licenses | Each plugin or theme developer |
| Stock photo subscription | The stock library (free options exist) |
| Web fonts | The font vendor (free options exist) |
| Third-party tools | Each tool, by plan and usage |
| Care plan | Us: see Our services & pricing |
The total varies widely depending on your setup. The point is: budget for it. These costs don't go away after launch.
Common questions
Who pays for these ongoing costs, me or Chykalophia?
Almost always you. Hosting, domain, plugin licenses, and third-party tools are costs you pay directly to those vendors. We may help set things up, but the accounts and subscriptions belong to you. This protects you: you own your site and its infrastructure. See Who pays for hosting? for more on this.
Can you give me a list of everything my site currently pays for?
Yes, email us at support@chykalophia.com and we'll pull together what we know about your site's current stack. Some subscriptions (especially ones you set up independently) may not be on our radar, so it's worth auditing your own credit card statements too.
What happens if I stop paying for a plugin license?
In many cases the plugin keeps working but stops receiving updates (the plugin's own license terms say exactly what happens). Over time, an out-of-date plugin becomes a security risk and may become incompatible with newer versions of WordPress. It's better to budget for renewals than to let them lapse quietly.
Is there a cheaper alternative to my current hosting or plugins?
Sometimes. We're happy to review your current stack and flag anything that looks overpriced or unnecessary. Just ask.
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