Switching ecommerce platforms might seem daunting, but transitioning your products, customers, and orders to WooCommerce can be surprisingly straightforward.
Keep reading to uncover why WooCommerce stands out as an optimal choice for your online store and the smooth pathway to change from Shopify to WooCommerce.
WooCommerce vs Shopify
WooCommerce hands you the keys to the kingdom, offering complete autonomy over your online business.
As an open-source platform, it empowers you to tailor every aspect of your website, breaking free from constraints to craft the online store of your dreams.
Embracing the SEO Meaning
While your search engine rankings are largely based on the work you put into your site and SEO optimization, WooCommerce allows you to edit every single aspect of your content, no matter how technical.
- WordPress + SEO: The combination is a powerhouse. With WooCommerce, you’re leveraging WordPress’s superior SEO capabilities, giving you an edge in search engine rankings.
- Content Marketing: WooCommerce’s compatibility with WordPress makes it an ideal platform for integrating a content marketing strategy, a crucial aspect often overlooked in e-commerce.
Pro Tip: Optimizing your product descriptions with the right keywords can improve your WooCommerce SEO, making your items more likely to appear in search results and drive traffic to your site.
WooCommerce Payment Gateways
WooCommerce stands out by offering connections to a wider array of niche and international payment options. And no, we are not referring to payment options at Costco.
WooPayments provides comparable integrations with leading payment providers such as PayPal and Stripe, extending to global options and digital wallets like Apple Pay and Amazon Pay.
Check out our blog for more info on How To Pick The Best Payment Gateway For Your WooCommerce Store.
Ecommerce Backup Solutions
Shopify may offer basic export features for customer data and orders but falls short when it comes to backing up your entire site without additional fees.
As you scale your WooCommerce shop, the freedom to select a hosting provider that matches your specific needs—be it handling increased traffic or bolstering site security—becomes invaluable.
This is just another instance where you can count on WP Autopilot.
With daily backups, they can always restore operations if anything breaks along the way, so you can enjoy greater WooCommerce security, performance, and control over your website.
The Definition of Open Source
Both WordPress and WooCommerce thrive on an open-source philosophy, inviting anyone to tweak, transform, or entirely overhaul the source code to their heart’s content.
This stands in stark contrast to Shopify’s closed-source ecosystem, where the underlying code remains under tight lock and key.
It does not matter if your website is an online store for clothing or if your products are more complicated & unique; you can set up your store however you’d like with WooCommerce:
- Accept deposits from your customers or offer payment plans.
- Allow shoppers to mix and match products.
- Sell your photographs online in a visually pleasing way.
- Add, edit, and remove fields on the Checkout page.
- Offer product add-ons, like upgrades, gift wrapping, and customization.
Endless Website Design Options
With a vast repository of over 54,000 WordPress plugins covering everything from aesthetic design tweaks to functional enhancements and SEO marketing tools, the platform is a treasure.
Additionally, WooCommerce enriches this landscape with its own marketplace of more than 300 extensions crafted expressly for eCommerce ventures.
Thanks to the free WordPress block editor, you can create virtually any design you want for landing pages, blog posts, categories, and more.
There are also endless WooCommerce themes that range from customizable designs to drag-and-drop layouts for niche-defined stores.
Block Shop, for example, was designed specifically for WooCommerce and helps you align your online store with your brand’s style.
For even more insights as to why WooCommerce is the best choice, check our article on WooCommerce vs Shopify: Exploring Scalability and Limitations to learn the true power of WooCommerce.
Reducing Costs with WooCommerce Pricing
Embracing WooCommerce means stepping into a world where the only costs you’ll face are for your domain, hosting, and any specific plugins or themes you choose.
For an in-depth breakdown of potential expenses and how to optimize your budget, WooCommerce prepared a comprehensive guide to WooCommerce pricing.
With Shopify’s model, your budget is continuously stretched by:
- Shopify Monthly Subscriptions: Shopify’s tiered pricing means your monthly bill can range from $29.99 to $299, depending on the functionalities you desire. Brace yourself for the Advanced plan’s hefty fee.
- Shopify Add-ons: Many Shopify features require add-on purchases, with prices that can quickly stack up over time. A feature like product waitlists might run you $179.88 annually.
- Shopify Transaction Fees: Using external payment gateways on Shopify adds transaction fees on top of what your payment service may charge. These fees can significantly eat into your margins.
The WooCommerce Community
From forums to meetups, the support you receive is a game-changer, especially compared to the more limited community around closed platforms.
Join the community through:
- Virtual and physical WooCommerce and WordPress meetups that take place around the globe;
- Annual WordCamp conferences based on your country or region;
- Regular WooCommerce Live shows designed to help merchants succeed;
- The official WooCommerce Facebook group;
- WooCommerce and WordPress support forums;
- The WooCommerce Community Slack channel;
Setting Up Your New Base Camp
Begin by laying the groundwork: Choose a hosting plan, install WordPress, and activate WooCommerce.
This foundational step is made effortless with a WooCommerce guide designed to walk you through the process, ensuring you start on solid ground.
Migrating your store from Shopify to WooCommerce is a voyage that can take several routes, each with its own scenery and challenges:
Manual Import/Export
Although it may seem a little time-consuming, manually migrating your products is free and relatively straightforward.
- Export and download your product data from Shopify.
- In your WordPress dashboard, navigate to WooCommerce → Products.
- Select Import at the top. There, you’ll find a built-in product CSV importer that will make the process easier.
- Click Choose File and select the CSV file that you want to import. Click Continue.
- You’ll see the Column Mapping screen, where WooCommerce automatically attempts to match the column name of your Shopify CSV file to WooCommerce product fields.
- Select Run the Importer and wait until the import process is finished.
Your Best Bet: Hire a WooCommerce Expert
If you don’t want to migrate store data yourself, you can always count on a professional to take care of this for you.
Luckily, CoSpark has its own seasoned WooCommerce development team that can easily transition your online store.
After your website is up and running, WP Autopilot, crafted by CoSpark, can offer its WooCommerce maintenance services to make sure it stays up and running.
Transition Your Online Store Into Greatness
This isn’t just about moving from one platform to another. It’s about claiming the freedom to create, to profit, and to secure your online store exactly as you see fit.
Rest assured, CoSpark is on standby to assist you every step of the way.
So, why make the move? Because in the world of WooCommerce, the only limit is the boundary of your own ambition. Reach out & let’s start building.
