Welcome back to "Your Podcast Website," where today we're diving into the practical and pressing question: How much does it really cost to run a podcast website? We're going to explore various hosting and theme options available for podcasters, comparing prices and features from WordPress to specialized platforms like PodPage to comprehensive solutions like Squarespace and Wix. I'll break down what I currently use for the School of Podcasting and discuss alternatives that might save you time and money. Whether you're a beginner needing straightforward solutions or a seasoned podcaster looking to optimize, this episode will equip you with the knowledge to effectively budget for and enhance your online presence. So, tune in as we lay out all the necessary information right here on "Your Podcast Website."

Yes You Need a Website...

In episode one, we talked about how you need a website. Today, we talk about how much it is going to cost. As always your mileage may very.

Some Confusing Items

A few things are confusing. WordPress has a free version that you then pay to host on a WordPress host. They also have a hosting service, but depending on how much you pay it may be limited.

What Are WordPress Themes and Plugins?

Picture, your website is all done. A WordPress theme is something like the "Clothes" of your website. It's the same skeleton (your content) but a different way to display it.

A WordPress plugin is software that adds functionality to your website. Think of a basic car, but then you add air conditioning. That additional feature is like a plugin in WordPress.

Going back to confusing items, Elementor is both a plugin and a Web hosting option. Wordpress has a paid version (where the more you pay, the more features you get) or a free version that gives you maximum flexibility that you must install on your web host (most web hosts have it pre-installed).

Mentioned In This Episode

WordPress Hosting

WPEngine - $20 Month

Siteground - $18/month (deep discount first year)

Cooler Websites - $14 a month

WordPress Builders

$249 Elegant Themes (lifetime or $89/year) makers of Divi builder

$69 Second Line themes

$59 a Year Elementor Plugin

$49/yr Astra (works well with Elementor)

$149/Yr Kadence AI Theme Making Tool

Podpage

trypodpage.com

learnpodpage.com

$19 - $60

$50 Network

Elementor Hosting

$3-$20

Podcast Page

$12- $18

Squarespace

$25-72

Wix

$17-$36

How Much I Pay For the School of Podcasting For a Year

$15 For WordPress Hosting (Maplegrove Partners) ($180)

$69 Second Line themes

$59 a Year Elementor Plugin

$77 Link Whisper

$119 Wordfence Yr

$2/month managewp

$29 Social Warfare Plugin

$99 All-in-One SEO (Yoast is also $99)

$656

Podpage for a year $144/228/468

Elementor with hosting $36/$120/$240

My striped-down WP Recommendation $320/yr

PodcastPage $260

Wix $204/yr

Squarespace $276

Mentioned In This Episode

Join the School of Podcasting

Website Resources

Listen to Podcast Website Tips: Growing Your Podcast via the Web

Mentioned in this episode:

Podpage Built on Podcaster Feedback

Brenden Mulligan, the founder of Podpage, built Podpage on user feedback. He stays in his lane and focuses on building the ultimate podcast website (including Podcasting 2.0 features incorporated into your site) for podcasters. You can build your website in 10 minutes with no coding.

Podpage

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy