When you’re trying to figure out what kind of budget you need for a WordPress webmaster, there are a few factors you need to consider. I’m going to identify these factors here.
What WordPress Webmasters Do for You
First things first though, let’s cover what a webmaster does:
A webmaster will manage your WordPress site. This includes updates as they are made available. Plugins often come out with updates that include security features and advancements. A webmaster will ensure these updates are made as soon as possible, so your website continues to functions at its best.
Webmasters will also make minor changes to your website. If you have some textual changes to a page, a webmaster can go to the page and do them for you. This ensures structure and any other features of your site are not affected.
Webmasters will also alert you to any problems with the site that may need further development. Most webmasters will have the skills and experience to handle these developmental changes, but they will alert you before doing them because it could be much more money than what is budgeted for the month.
Today, webmasters also perform many more functions than they used to. Things like graphic work in Photoshop, customizations of open source, and assistance with integrations of external systems are fairly standard tasks for any good webmaster.
How Much a WordPress Webmaster Costs
Now that you know how much a WordPress webmaster costs, I can move on to the cost and the factors that affect those costs.
The average rate for a WordPress webmaster is likely in the $35 t0 $75 an hour range.
Usually, you can choose how many hours you would like your webmaster to spend on your website per month. Maintenance is usually set at an hour, while sites that need more updating will need more time to meet the expectations.
Sometimes, you’ll probably need more than an hour a month. Site upgrades and design changes can take much longer. This could end up costing more money, but then drop back down to the maintenance fee once it is done.
It’s important to know that the $75 per hour is for someone who is a very experienced webmaster, typically with senior developer skills like managing webservers and their networks. You will likely find rates that are lower, but in the digital world, you do get what you pay for. Someone who is charging less may not have the experience of someone who charges a bit more, and that can affect the number of hours the person spends on your site. Someone who is not skilled will take longer to do updates and make changes, which could end up costing you more money in the long run.
The other downside of choosing someone who charges less because of inexperience is that the person could end up breaking your website. Fixing coding issues can lead to a lot more money spent. For some WordPress site coding issues, once coding is deleted, it may have to be rewritten. This could be a huge process and take a lot of time, and that equates to a lot of money.
Contact an Experienced, Affordable Webmaster
If you’re looking for someone to manage your WordPress website, contact us. We can help you keep your WordPress site current and functioning optimally.
