You will have to pay for:
- Domain registration: The cost will vary depending on the name you register, the number of years you register for, and the domain registrar you choose. Plan on paying from $10-$15 US annually for your domain registration.
- Web hosting: Your website will be hosted on Siteground.com. If you decide to remain with Siteground after the first year, there are several plans to choose from depending on how large and active your blog has grown. Keeping in mind that monthly costs are lower for longer plans, plan on paying from $47.40 - $71.40 annually for your web hosting. You can also move your site to another web host, which any reputable web host will usually do for you free of charge.
- WordPress theme: The free WordPress theme we provide, Astra, has more than enough horsepower for a beginner site. Should you want more features or customization options, you can upgrade to the Astra Pro theme for $59 annually. It's probably more than you will ever need.
- Email service provider: We'll set you up with a free MailChimp account, which will remain free until you've built an email list of 2,000 email subscribers. Plan on paying $10 monthly until you start sending more than 12,000 emails per month.
- Other additional plugins or services: Your needs and costs will vary depending on the kind of Freedom Machine you build.
- Stock photo images: We don't recommend using free photos you find online because copyrights are often ignored. There are numerous stock photo sites that feature frequent sales. Check out DepositPhotos.com, iStockPhoto.com, ShutterStock.com, Dreamstime.com, and others. These sites offer frequent sale packages where you can buy credits to buy a quantity of photos at a discount.