You’ve done all the homework, and are ready to build a store using WooCommerce.
But wait! Even though you’ve done the homework, it’s always best to stay vigilant. By vigilant, we mean that you take a step back and read up some important eCommerce considerations before you start your operations. Who knows? You might find something interesting.
If you’re looking for a quick run-down on such considerations then this article is for you. The following are nine important factors that you need to consider before starting up a store on WooCommerce.
Selecting a Theme and Design
The design of your store matters a lot in the grand scheme of things. The more user-friendly your store is, the better it will sit with your audience.
The best part about WooCommerce is that there are plenty of themes available for you to use on your store. You can use them as is, or customize them with the help of website-building tools like Elementor or hire a WordPress developer.
WooCommerce Store Optimization
Nowadays, no site can ever be complete without optimization. Let’s look at some of the ways you can optimize your store, shall we?
SSL Certificates
Having an SSL makes your site legitimate in the eyes of search engines. While it basically adds a “https” to your site, it’s important to know that this is a sign to Google that your site provides a secure connection between the hosting server and the customers’ browser. If you don’t have it installed as of yet, then install it.
Security
Keeping your site safe from hackers and malware practitioners is crucial. While WooCommerce is already secure from the outset, you can make it even more secure with the help of security plugins like WordFence. It’s a trusted name in the cybersecurity sphere which helps you beef up your wordpress site security significantly.
Backups
Try to have a backup plugin installed on your WooCommerce store in the event things go south. It’s always best to be careful about backups since you can recover data from them if your site breaks or gets hacked. Updraft Plus is the best plugin for creating backups of your site.
Speed
Using caching and optimization tools can help you boost your site’s speed significantly. WP Super Cache is a good tool to clear up your cache whereas WP Squish is a great way to compress and optimize images uploaded on your WooCommerce store.
SEO
Your eCommerce store won’t fare well if you don’t invest your time and resource in performing SEO. There are plenty of tutorials available on how you can make your site rank better on Google.
Fortunately for you, WooCommerce can help you a lot with SEO through plugins like Yoast SEO which are made to help you gain the upper hand in getting your site to the top.
Hosting Options
You need to invest in a good hosting service in the event you start to scale. Increases in traffic can lead to your site slowing down if you don’t have a good hosting service.
It’s always best to look for a host that delivers server-side caching functionalities as well as a CDN that fetches your web content from the closest location. Many good hosting services also offer free migration, backup storage, and additional security.
Branding Considerations
Typography, graphics, colors, and your website’s logo. All of these are important pillars helping you set up your brand’s identity. When focusing on branding, you should ideally focus on the following elements:
- Selecting your domain name
- Your site’s logo
- The type of font family you’re using
- The graphics and icons you’re using
- Your website’s name and tagline
- The color palettes used on your site
While it’s just a start, focusing on all these aspects will put you well on your way towards developing a brand that shines in the digital world.
Selecting Payment Methods
On WooCommerce, there are plenty of ways you can handle payments, taxes, and shipping. If you’re selling a product, then it’s obvious that you would need a method for receiving those payments. Some of the options for doing so are:
- Payment gateways like PayPal, and methods like credit cards, wire transfers, and offline payments are some of the most popular options.
- Membership fees, subscription fees, etc.
- Tax calculations based on regions.
- Return offers and terms for returns.
Shipping and Delivery Options
Once you’ve set up a payment method, it’s time you decide how you will ship the products. This does not apply to digital downloads. For shipping, you need to determine:
- The type of shipping method.
- The locations you’ll be shipping to.
- The carriers that will be used to ship your products.
- The rates you’ll be using to ship products.
- Will you be offering free shipping?
Having clear-cut answers to these questions can help you avoid the stress of shipping later on.
Utilizing Social Media
Social media can boost your eCommerce store significantly. For social media marketing, you need to select a few platforms that you’ll be utilizing. The platform selection process depends solely on the type of niche your WooCommerce store is in.
Take some time to build an organic audience. Once you’ve done that, you’ll have a healthy market to cater towards. If you don’t have the time to focus on building an audience organically, there’s always the paid option you can use.
Newsletter
Newsletters and email marketing are perhaps the most effective tools to have on an eCommerce store. People who have subscribed to your newsletter can avail coupons, discounts on products, and get introduced to new products.
If you have white papers, news reports, and other relevant content, you can pack all of that up in your newsletter as well. WooCommerce gives you the facility to create customized newsletters using tools like MailChimp.
Integrating Google Analytics
In order to get the most out of your business, you need statistics at your beck and call. As it stands, there is no better analytics software available than Google Analytics. Sure enough, there are others but when it comes to free analytics tools, there is no comparison to Google Analytics.
The tool provides you all the necessary information related to your site. From conversion optimization, sales funnel analysis, to consumer behavior metrics, traffic channels, and more. On WooCommerce, you have tools like Monster Insights and WooCommerce Google Analytics Pro that help you integrate your site with Google Analytics in a seamless manner.
Final Thoughts
This was our list of nine things you need to do before you start up a WooCommerce store.
While contemporary information would have you believe starting up with WooCommerce is a difficult job, in reality, it’s not. At the end of the day it’s always best to have enough foresight before starting up.
The more you prepare before going live; considering each detail meticulously, the better your chances are at reducing your headaches when you start managing your business.
For now, these ten strategies will put you in the best position to start up your store.
