How I Launched a Portfolio Site on a $25 Budget (and Didn’t Cry Once)

I built my own online portfolio for less than the cost of dinner. Here's how I did it, domain, hosting, setup and all. No fluff, no tech degree required.

by the CEO Online Research Team
April 14, 2025

Let’s be real, dropping hundreds on a flashy portfolio site when you’re just starting out is a bit… much. I wanted something clean, professional, and mine, without coughing up my entire Friday night budget. So, I gave myself $25 and a challenge: build a legit personal website that I’d be proud to show clients, without cutting corners or pulling my hair out.

My $25 Website Budget Breakdown

Here’s where that sweet, sweet $25 went:

Item	Cost
Domain (1st year on Namecheap)	$6.98
Hosting with EasyWP (Starter Plan)	$17.50 (first 3 months)
Free theme from WordPress.org	$0

Total: $24.48, with a whopping $0.52 to spare. Boom.

The Setup (Step-by-Step)

Grabbed a domain on Namecheap. They gave me free WHOIS privacy (love that for me).
Signed up to EasyWP, Namecheap’s managed WordPress hosting. It’s beginner-proof and took 90 seconds to set up.
Connected the domain to EasyWP in a few clicks. No DNS panic attacks needed.
Installed a free theme, did some light customising, and boom, we were live.

Was It Actually Any Good?

Shockingly, yes. It loaded fast, looked clean, and felt like mine. No annoying platform branding, no shady upsells, and I could actually update stuff myself without breaking it.

How I Made a Free Theme Look Like I Paid a Designer

So, I had WordPress installed and a blank site staring back at me. At this point, it looked like every other beginner’s blog from 2011. I wanted something that said “I know what I’m doing,” not “this was slapped together at 1AM.”

First up, I picked a solid free theme. Astra was my weapon of choice, lightweight, customisable, and didn’t scream “default.” No ads, no weird branding, and I could tweak colours, fonts, and layout with zero code.

I set the layout to full width, picked a punchy accent colour, swapped in a modern font, and used a nice bold typeface for the headings. Already it felt 10x more professional. Most of this was done in the WordPress Customizer, no plugins, no code editor.

Little Tweaks That Made a Big Difference

Hero image: Used a royalty-free photo and added my name + job title over the top.
Button styles: Matched them to my colour palette so it didn’t feel like a mish-mash.
Navigation: Kept it super minimal: just Home, Portfolio, Contact.

Answers to Stuff I Googled at 2AM

Do I need to install any plugins to launch?

Not really. EasyWP handles caching and performance stuff. You can add a form plugin if you want a contact form, but that’s it.

Is the EasyWP dashboard actually easy?

Yep. It’s got a clean, no-fuss interface. You don’t need cPanel or any server knowledge, just log in, click “Go to WordPress,” and you’re off.

Looking Pro Without the Price Tag

Honestly, the biggest trick was restraint. I didn’t overdo it. No ten-font madness, no 20 plugins, no spinning logos. Just a clean layout, a personal logo I whipped up in Canva, and a short blurb about who I am and what I do.

By keeping it simple and sticking to the essentials, I ended up with a site that felt intentional, not cheap. And best of all, I still had change from my $25.

Was It Worth the Effort?

Absolutely. The site does exactly what I need it to do — showcase my work, give people a way to reach out, and act like a little digital business card I control. No platform branding, no hidden costs, and no weird limitations.

It might not win any design awards, but for $25, I got a fast-loading, mobile-friendly site that looks clean and does the job. Not bad for a single night’s effort and less than the price of a takeaway pizza.

What I’d Do Differently Next Time

Spend more time picking a font combo that really fits my vibe
Use fewer images — they slowed things down at first
Write better copy up front instead of “fixing it later” (still fixing it…)

The Pros of Going DIY on a Budget

Pro	Why it matters
You own everything	No platform branding, rules or lock-in
It’s affordable	Especially with EasyWP intro pricing
You learn useful stuff	A basic WordPress setup is a handy skill to have

The Cons (Just Being Honest)

There’s a bit of a learning curve with domain linking
Free themes can feel limiting without a builder plugin
You’ll need to do your own maintenance — updates, backups, etc.

Wrap-Up: $25 Well Spent

If you’re starting a freelance hustle, launching a side project, or just want a clean place to show your work, this approach works. It’s affordable, doesn’t rely on drag-and-drop gimmicks, and you’ll actually own your site from day one.

FYI: I used Namecheap for both my domain and hosting. No hard sell — it just worked really well and didn’t make me want to scream.

For $25, I got a working site, some new skills, and a way to look legit online. That’s a win in my book.