If you want to start a business, or an eCommerce business, to be precise, you’ve probably spent some time thinking about the platform you should use to build your site.
There are quite a few options to choose from, but we’d cast our vote for WordPress, and below we’ll be listing our top reasons why.
1. It’s Free and Simple to Use
If you didn’t know this already, WordPress is completely free, which is fantastic if you plan to start a small eCommerce business and build it from the ground up. Using WordPress, you also won’t be having any issues setting up a website, as the dashboard is intuitive and super beginner-friendly.
The only cost you’ll face in the initial stages is hosting, but luckily popular hosting providers like Bluehost and HostGator offer some affordable hosting plans.
2. Specialized eCommerce Plugins
Using plugins is the fastest way there is to add eCommerce functionalities to your site. Furthermore, many of them are freemium, i.e., they offer both a free core version and a pro version that adds more features for a small fee. They’re simple to install, implement and use.
Plugins can genuinely do a lot for you as some of them allow you to create payment gateways, add a shopping cart, manage stock, configure communication with your customers, etc.
Plus, since there are so many of them and you happen to have trouble deciding on the right one, there’s an abundance of reviews you can always browse through.
3. A Vast Variety of Themes
What’s the first thing you need to think about when creating a site? Well, apart from the content you’ll be making in the future, the apparent answer is designing. As a newbie in the business, you might not afford a professional developer to create your site from scratch.
However, with WordPress themes, this becomes a non-issue, as you can easily opt for a pre-designed theme instead. And much like the plugins, there are so many to choose from. Even free ones are available on occasion.
There’s also an abundance of WP Themes already designed for eCommerce, so there are no issues when it comes to turning your site into a store. In your search for the perfect theme, you can either browse through an already established company whose style you like, Blossom Themes in our case or visit sites like CodeCanyon. By doing either, you should be able to find a fitting theme in no time.
4. Great Search Engine Optimization
No matter the kind of site you’re running, you want it to rank as high as possible to get as much organic traffic as you can. Everyone building a website these days does it with SEO at the forefront. It’s just that important.
WordPress websites are SEO optimized by default, but that can only go so far. Luckily, with WordPress, you can easily select an SEO plugin or a tool that can optimize it even further. Not to mention the abundance of WP specialized blogs that share SEO strategies you can consult to learn new tips and tricks.
5. Responsive Designs
As we all know, a vast majority of people these days surf the web on their phones. So, having a website that looks bad on mobile or is challenging to navigate is a big no-no.
The vast majority of WP themes offer responsive designs from the get-go, so you won’t have to spend a lot of time wracking your brain about it. Most WP themes can adapt to any screen size without distorting the display.
6. Security and Reliability
WordPress is a powerful CMS and web design platform that updates continuously. So, when it comes to security and reliability, it’s at the very top. Safety is also of utmost importance to eCommerce stores, as you’ll be handling many payments and valuable data.
To further improve security, you can consistently implement your SSL certificate. There are also plugins on the market that can track activity and boost overall safety.
7. Easy Access to Analytics
As we’ve already mentioned, WordPress plays well with other tools, and analytics tools are no exception. Most themes and plugins meant for eCommerce businesses integrate with various analytics tools.
Google Analytics is the most popular tool of this kind, and its free version alone provides you with valuable insight into your customer’s desires. Analytics tools generally let the entrepreneurs know who they’re selling to and why they should be selling to a specific demographic through various collect data.
8. Marketing Tools
Starting an eCommerce business isn’t just creating a site with your products. It can be, but that doesn’t get you far, as there’s so much competition nowadays. Using WordPress, there’s an option to easily integrate a marketing blog or a fashion blog if you’re in the business of selling clothes.
Besides that, you can use the blog to generate hype about your products and integrate it with various marketing tools that can help you advertise and maybe even collect newsletter subscriptions.
Quick Reasons
Since there are so many reasons why WordPress works well for eCommerce, here’s a quick-fire round of a few more.
- It’s easy to add dynamic content through plugins or other tools
- WordPress is free, so all of the money you’ll spend on plugins and themes is up to you. Spend as little or as much as you want. It’s important to mention that, WordPress is far superior to Shopify you can try.
- There’s a large online support community that can help you if any troubles occur and several knowledgeable WP blogs that post tips daily
Final Thoughts
WordPress has all the elements needed to create a visually appealing and successful eCommerce store. Everything you do with it is under your control, and you’re entirely free to do as you please, which is why it’s personally our number one choice for an eCommerce business.