WordPress for eCommerce

WordPress for eCommerce

In this blog post I will talk about WordPress for eCommerce. If you are a serious business owner looking to start an eCommerce business and wondering which platform to use to build your site, then you would definitely want to read through this article and follow along.

Market Share of WordPress

WordPress powers more than 33% of the internet and their market share and popularity is growing each day. This statistic itself is a powerful indicator of why you should be building your site on WordPress platform if you are planning for the long-term success of your business.

WordPress comes in two Flavors

WordPress ships in two flavours:

• Self Hosted Free Open Source Version: Automattic the parent company of WordPress is one of the pioneers of the concept of Open Source software. They have been releasing their publishing tool free for the world to use ever since the first version of WordPress was launched and they still continue to do so.
• Managed Fully Hosted Solution: You can also take advantage of a fully hosted and managed WordPress system for your website. Your website will be hosted on WordPress.com servers.

Which version of WordPress should you opt for?

For the self-hosted open source version of WordPress that you can download freely at https://wordpress.org/download/ you will need to purchase hosting and domain name for your site from hosting providers like Godaddy, Hostgator, Siteground etc. You will be in complete control of the WordPress code you downloaded from WordPress.org and will yourself be responsible for setting up your site, installing plugins, themes and host of other things that goes into the site building and management.

So essentially, self-hosted open source version of WordPress is a good fit for you if you are a developer yourself or have access to a developer like yours truly 😉 who can help you with the site.

On the other hand, if you want to save yourself from the issues that might crop up with hosting providers servers, your website’s code, any other maintenance related problem, you should opt for fully managed and hosted solution offered by Automattic, the parent company of the WordPress.com.

To get started simply click on the banner link down below and you will be taken to the page on WordPress.com which is the starting point of where you should begin with. WordPress.com offers a guided user experience wherein you will be taken step by step through the process of setting up a website for your business.

Hit the banner link down below to jump-start with the process of setting up your website or continue reading the benefits of using a fully hosted website solution offered by WordPress.com

Benefits of using fully hosted WordPress.com as a solution for your eCommerce website

I have built several websites for my clients using the self-hosted open source WordPress platform which requires you to buy a domain and hosting and then install the WordPress software on top. Although there is nothing wrong in going this route but the problem comes when your site / business grows. You would need a dedicated WordPress developer to help you out with issues that are prone to come up and trust me your hosting provider’s customer support would be able to offer you limited support in such situations.

So what do you do when your business have high stakes and you can’t afford to have your website down for even few minutes? The answer is to plan intelligently with future in mind.

They say every good thing in life comes at a cost. This is quite apt in case in point here too. It might be tempting to just go ahead with the the open source version of freely distributed WordPress software to start building your website, but this would be a more costly affair for you few years down the lane in your business when you have put up thousands of hours into building your website and paid plenty of handsome money to developers.

WordPress.com offers eCommerce plan which I would recommend you to subscribe to if you are planning to build a website for an eCommerce business. I recommend this plan for the following reasons:

• Jetpack Essential Features: Speeds up your site’s performance and protect it from spammers. Access detailed records of all activity on your site. While you’re at it, improve your SEO and automate social media sharing.
• Free Domain for One Year: Get a free domain for one year. Premium domains not included. Your domain will renew at its regular price.
• Email & Live Chat Support: Automattic employs a dedicated full-time staff of Happiness Engineers that will be available for help to you via email, live chat or via concierge service to fix your issues and keep your business up and running 24×7.
• Storage Space: with eCommerce plan subscription, you will get unlimited storage space. With increased storage space you’ll be able to upload more images, audio, and documents to your website. On the Premium, Business, and eCommerce plans you can upload videos, too.
• Dozens of Free Themes: Access to a wide range of professional theme templates for your website so you can find the exact design you’re looking for.
• Unlimited Premium Themes: Unlimited access to all of advanced premium theme templates, including templates specifically tailored for businesses like yours.
• Advanced Design Customization: Customize your selected theme template with extended color schemes, background designs, and complete control over website CSS.
• Advanced Social Media: Schedule your social media updates in advance and promote your posts when it’s best for you.
• Simple Payments: Sell anything with a simple PayPal button.
• Site Monetization: Put your site to work and earn through ad revenue, easy‑to‑add PayPal buttons, and more.
• VideoPress Support: The easiest way to upload videos to your website and display them using a fast, unbranded, customizable player with rich stats.
• SEO Tools: Adds tools to enhance your site’s content for better results on search engines and social media.
• Google Analytics Integration: Track website statistics with Google Analytics for a deeper understanding of your website visitors and customers.
• Get Personalized Help: Schedule a one‑on‑one orientation with a Happiness Engineer to set up your site and learn more about WordPress.com.
• Install Plugins: Install custom plugins on your site.
• Upload Themes: Upload custom themes on your site.
• Accept Payments in 60+ Countries: Built‑in payment processing from leading providers like Stripe, PayPal, and more. Accept payments from customers all over the world.
• Integrations with Top Shipping Carriers: Ship physical products in a snap – show live rates from shipping carriers like UPS and other shipping options.
• Unlimited Products or Services: Grow your store as big as you want with the ability to add and sell unlimited products and services.
• eCommerce Marketing Tools: Optimize your store for sales by adding in email and social integrations with Facebook and Mailchimp, and more.
• Premium Customizable Starter Themes: Quickly get up and running with a beautiful store theme and additional design options that you can easily make your own.