Starting an online store is never been easier or more convenient. With platforms like Shopify and WordPress, starting a business or selling products online is now the easiest task for everyone.
While Shopify may be the best solution for someone or many, I believe that WordPress is the best option over Shopify. As future belongs to open source.
Discover below why WordPress might be the right choice over Shopify for your online store. This article breaks down the top 6 reasons to consider.
What is Shopify?
Shopify is a popular platform that allows you to easily set up and run an online store. It provides all the tools you need to manage your business, from building a website and adding products to taking payments and shipping orders.
Features:
E-commerce platform: Shopify provides all the tools you need to create a professional online store, even if you don’t have coding experience. You can customize the look and feel of your store to match your brand, and add product descriptions, images, and videos.
Sales management: Shopify makes it easy to manage your sales and inventory. You can track orders, process payments, and fulfill orders from a single dashboard.
Marketing tools: Shopify offers a variety of marketing tools to help you reach new customers and grow your business. You can create email marketing campaigns, run social media ads, and track your results.
Multichannel selling: Shopify allows you to sell your products in multiple places, including your online store, on marketplaces like Amazon and eBay, and social media.
Point of sale (POS): Shopify also offers a POS system that allows you to sell your products in person. This is a great option for businesses that have a brick-and-mortar store in addition to an online store.
Shopify is a subscription-based service, so you’ll need to pay a monthly fee to use the platform. You can try the free trial before committing to start. Overall, Shopify is a powerful and user-friendly platform that can help you start, manage, and grow your online business.
What is WordPress?
It is a free and open-source content management system (CMS) that helps you to develop a website without being a coding expert. Originally, it started as a blogging platform, but it has evolved into a powerful tool for building various websites, including:
- Blogs
- Online portfolios
- E-commerce stores
- Business websites
- Membership sites
- And more!
Features of WordPress:
- Easy to use: WordPress has a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to create and manage your website content, even for beginners. You can insert text, images, videos, and other elements easily.
- Free and open-source: The core WordPress software is free to use and modify. This means you have a lot of control over the look and feel of your website. There’s also a large and active community of developers who create themes and plugins to extend the functionality of WordPress.
- Themes: Themes control the design of your website. There are thousands of free and paid themes available, so you can find one that matches your style and needs.
- Plugins: Plugins help to use new features and functionality to your website. There are plugins for almost anything you can imagine, from adding contact forms to creating online stores.
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There are two main ways to use WordPress:
- WordPress.com: This is a hosted service where WordPress takes care of everything for you, including hosting, security, and updates. However, you have less flexibility over the design and functionality of your website.
- WordPress.org: A self-hosted version of WordPress. You will need to find your web hosting provider and install WordPress yourself. However, this gives you more control over your website and allows you to use any theme or plugin you want.
6 Reasons to choose WordPress over Shopify for your online store
Unmatched Flexibility and Customization: With WordPress, you have complete control over the design and functionality of your store. You can choose from thousands of themes and plugins to customize the look and feel of your site, and add features that are specific to your needs. Shopify offers a good range of themes and apps, but it doesn’t give you the same level of customization as WordPress.
Affordability: WordPress itself is free to use, and there are many free themes and plugins available. While you’ll need to pay for web hosting and potentially some premium plugins, it can be a significantly more affordable option than Shopify’s subscription fees, which can add up over time.
Site Ownership and Control: When you use Shopify, your store is hosted on their platform. This means you’re subject to their rules and limitations. Here, you get full ownership and control of your website. You can choose your web hosting provider, and you’re not beholden to any one platform.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO): WordPress is built with SEO in mind, which can help your store rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). Shopify stores can also be SEO-friendly, but you may need to use additional apps or workarounds to achieve the same level of optimization as you can with WordPress.
Content Management System (CMS): WordPress is a powerful CMS at its core, which means you can easily create blog posts, landing pages, and other content alongside your online store. This can help you to attract more visitors to your site and improve your conversion rates. Shopify is primarily focused on e-commerce, and content creation is not as integrated.
WooCommerce: WooCommerce is a free, open-source plugin that transforms WordPress into a powerful e-commerce platform. It offers a wide range of features, including product management, shopping carts, secure payments, and shipping options. While Shopify offers a comprehensive set of e-commerce features, WooCommerce gives you more flexibility and control over your online store.
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Conclusion: WordPress or Shopify which one?
Ultimately, the best platform for your online store depends on your specific needs and budget. If you value flexibility, affordability, and content management capabilities, then WordPress with WooCommerce may be the better option. If you prefer a user-friendly, all-in-one solution, then Shopify could be a good choice.