Fees Related to Running a Website

Fees Related To Running A Website

Running a website can be an exciting venture, whether it is for personal use or for your business. However, it is important to keep in mind that there are ongoing costs associated with maintaining and keeping your website up and running.

Domain Name Registration

One of the first fees you will encounter when setting up a website is registering a domain name. I recommend you register domains with Ventra IP – Ventra IP

Domain Name Cost

A domain name, also known as a website address or URL, is the unique identifier of a website on the internet. It allows users to easily find and access a specific website via friendly name instead of an IP address. For example, my website domain name is ethos-website-design.com.au
When purchasing a domain name, you are essentially leasing the rights to use that particular web address for your website.

• Domain names must be registered every year.
• To register an Australian .com.au suffix you must have an ABN.

Paid Plugins

Paid plugins add extra functionality for your website such as ecommerce and bookings etc. Some plugins are free and some plugins require payment because they have had more development.

When we pay for a plugin we are provided with a years license you access the latest update. It is essential to always apply the latest update.

Updates applied to plugins address:

Keeping WordPress plugins up to date is essential for the security of your website. Plugins are created and maintained by developers who constantly work on improving their code, fixing any bugs and addressing any vulnerabilities that may be discovered. By not updating your plugins, you leave your website open to potential attacks from hackers who can exploit these vulnerabilities.

Therefore, it is imperative to keep your websites plugins, theme and operating system up to date. We provide this under our Managed WordPress Hosting service.

Google Workspace Email Account Set Up

A Google Workspace Email Account is a professional email account associated with your domain name. As an example you might have hello@mywebsitecom.au

An email account takes up space on Google’s server and must be paid for. As part of the web design process, we set Google Workspace for you. Payments for this service are made directly to Google (not Ethos). There are many advantages to have a Google Workspace Email Account.

• Professional appearance: Having an email address associated with your domain name gives a more professional appearance to your business.
• Customised email addresses: With Google Workspace, you can create multiple customised email addresses for different purposes such as info@mywebsite.com.au or sales@mywebsite.com.au.
• Larger storage space: Google Workspace provides a generous amount of storage space for emails

Managed WordPress Hosting

As explained above, WordPress websites need to be maintained. Managed WordPress Hosting is an umbrella term we use to cover the services listed below:

• Taking updates before applying any updates.
• Testing the website after updates have been applied.
• Applying plugin updates when they become available.
• Applying theme updates when they become available.
• Applying WordPress operating system updates when they become available.
• Provide space and database on an Australian based server to host / server your website files.
• Provide firewall to prevent hackers accessing your website.
• Provide spam protection to prevent known spammers completing forms or setting up fake accounts on your website.
• Applying security measures to prevent hackers getting into your website including: changing the default login URL, changing database table prefixes, blocking known hacker IP’s, applying an SSL certificate, hide WordPress version visibility to hackers, strengthening user passwords etc.

Why are website backups required?

Before applying updates we always need to take a backup. When updates are applied, on most occasions there is no issue. Sometimes, however, an update to write correctly and the entire website can be affected by error. When this happens, we need to restore the website using an up to date backup file.

Conclusion

In conclusion, running and maintaining a website comes with ongoing fees that are important to consider. From domain name registration to managed WordPress hosting, each aspect plays a crucial role in keeping your website secure, up to date and functioning smoothly. By understanding these costs and investing in them, you can ensure the long-term success of your website.