A friend of mine inquired of me what the cost of starting a blog in Kenya was. I quickly understood his predicament.

I was at the same place several years ago when I decided to start this blog. It could be that you are having the same question.

I will answer the question using two ways we can look at it. However even before we look at this, the cost starting a blog in Kenya depends on

• Cost of domain
• Hosting
• Website design
• Theme

However, it would be unfair to leave you here. Therefore, what I am going to do is to let you walk with me as we explore this topic together.

Now, if you have decided to start a blog, you have two options here.

One is to pay a web designer to do it for you. Second, is to build it yourself. Either way, there is a cost involved.

Cost of starting a blog in Kenya: Two Ways to Do it.

1. Pay a web designer.

If you have money and do not have time to sit down and build a blog, you can pay someone to do it for you. In Kenya, there are many companies that offer these services at a fee.

And a good website or blog cost anything above Ksh. 5000.00. I have been doing research on this topic and found out that the average price of building a website in Kenya is about Ksh. 15000.00.

Some website developers will charges you Ksh.20000.00. Nevertheless, all this depends on the functionality of the blog or website you want to set up.

I have seen clients asked to pay as much Ksh. 100000.00 for an E-Commerce site.

If you are going to choose this method, then be sure to have anything between Ksh.5000.00 to Ksh.100000.00.

Once you have paid, the designer with consultation with you will set up everything for you and deliver your blog or website in 3 days or more.

However, there are disadvantages of using this route; here are four things website designers in Kenya will not tell you.

2. Build the blog yourself

Yeah I love the idea of building a blog by yourself. Why? Because you begin learning how to maintain your blog.

I always repeat this, that learning how to start a blog in your own puts you in the driver’s seat. Besides, you can easily control the cost of starting such a blog in Kenya.

I am going to take you the same steps I took to set up this blog and the cost I inquired. Thereafter we will add up and see how much it cost me.

To cost of starting a blog will require the following;

Domain Name( Mandatory)

A domain is what gives your blog its address on the World Wide Web. Domain names usually begin with www. …..or http://www….

For example, this site domain name is https://shopinkenya.com

Registering a domain name is straightforward process. However, you may need to take more time to get the best name.

Once you done you have it, you can register here locally or abroad. I would prefer you use a host such as Bluehost, Hostgator or Siteground.

Domain names cost as cheap as US$0.01 to US$ 20.00 per year. In fact, some hosting companies give you free domain names if you buy hosting.

On domain name, it could cost you nothing to US$ 20.00 at the start.

Pro Tip: One way of getting a good domain name is to try to go through dropped domain names and see if you can get what you want. Besides, an old domain can make you pages rank fast.

Hosting( Mandatory)

Hosting is extremely important for this is where you store your files online. We have many hosting companies in Kenya, but I would recommend that you go for a reputable company out there. Moreover, there are so many of them.

Hosting your blog can cost you a few shillings to thousands of shillings. Again, this depends with your needs.

If you are beginning a blog, you may not want to spend so much. So go for a cheap but reliable host. For example, blue host have plans as low as US$ 2.50 per month.

For hosting, you can spend Ksh. 500 to Ksh 50000.00

Pro Tip:  Most hosting companies are cheap when you pay for a longer period. I would advise you pay a longer period to give you more time to focus on content creation. Besides, if you are shopping around for a host, some may offer you a domain for free.

Theme ( Optional)

Is you are intending to use WordPress as you Content Management System, you can opt to buy a premium theme. The theme I use here cost me US$ 65.00 about Ksh. 6500.00.

Hover this is an optional cost, for there are thousands of free themes on WordPress to use. You can buy a premium them on Theme Forest if you wish to.

The cost of starting your own blog in Kenya is so small.

If you wish to start a blog on your own, he can read this complete guide.

It is more fulfilling to do it own you own.

Conclusion

Now let us do the math.

If you are paying a designer to do it for you, the average cost is Ksh. 15000.00.

If you are doing it yourself, it could cost you about Ksh. 5000.00

The cost of starting a blog in Kenya is quite affordable. Should you need a website or website to be built for you, you can hire me.