Long gone are the days when a storefront had to be at least a 3-walled location and with a shopkeeper behind a counter in front of one of them. That was the only means you have of selling products up until nearly 30 years ago, but since then the advent of the Internet has given us eCommerce. You can do all of that selling online now if that’s what you choose to do. For many people it’s exactly what they choose to do, because it’s a more cost-efficient means of doing business and it means expanding your customer base in a way that is simply unmatchable by any other means.
What we’re going to do here with this entry is compare WordPress vs Shopify for anyone who is set to take their store online, and is trying to decide on the best platform for an online store. We’ll be right up front and say for us it is WordPress, and there’s plenty of reasons why that’s the way we feel.
The aim here will be to have you thinking similarly once you’ve read through the entirety of this blog, because there are Shopify alternatives. If you are willing to put in just a bit of work to optimize your WordPress site you’ll be amazed at how it can be just a conducive to selling a lot of whatever it is you’re bringing to the online market. One thing is not debatable is that you will be taking on much less monthly operating costs when you do business online with a WordPress site rather than getting Shopify’s services.
But cost savings are just the smallest part of the advantage here with WordPress for eCommerce. The newest version of WordPress is even more user-friendly and intuitive for users as well as putting much more capability in their hands. That applies to WordPress sites for online stores too, and the value in going this route is even more pronounced for smaller businesses and especially ones for people who are running a small business entirely on their own and selling what they make online.
You can optimize your store with WordPress, and if you’re already doing relatively well with having your website rank for related keywords you can see nearly immediate benefits when you take advantage of what the new WordPress has to offer. So without going on any further setting this up let’s get right into this WordPress vs Shopify comparison and really compared the two.
Launch & Thrive
The one thing that everyone will agree on is that launching an online store is easier and more convenient than ever nowadays, and there are also WooCommerce benefits to consider although we won’t touch on those here. Instead our look at the best platform for online store is going to be a showdown between Shopify and WordPress, and with either the prospect of opening an online business and selling products online is entirely doable for anyone.
Let’s begin by looking at Shopify, and it’s not difficult to see why this platform has had such a level of success in gathering and retaining online store owners who were looking for the easiest way to have success selling products online. Very few people if any start out in any business with lots of money to work with and an operating budget that has no limits to it. For most it is going to be best if starting up is done as affordably and inexpensively as possible, and Shopify is great for that.
It’s also much more hands-off than going the WordPress website for eCommerce route, and for some people that is going to be worth the added cost. That may be especially true when the people who are doing the webmaster work for the site are also the ones producing the products. For a smaller business that has a person doing marketing and operations separately there is a lot to be said for going with WordPress for eCommerce.
But back to laying out the pluses for Shopify. It is an e-commerce platform that has the bulk of its appeal in the way it is an all-in-one solution for creating an online store. Ease of use is definitely the big selling point for Shopify, and it is straightforward for even the most novice users to manage their online business with a user-friendly interface and streamlined inventory and order management process that has received high marks from users all over the world.
Again, though, we have to remind you that this ease of use and proven reliability does come with more cost for the user in comparison to WordPress. There is a $51 CAD monthly fee for the basic package and users will encounter limited flexibility and not much with ability to customize the site. There are definitely more affordable online store solutions, and from where we’re sitting you absolutely have to consider WordPress for this reason.
Heart of a CMS
What makes WordPress so great and our choice here in a WordPress vs Shopify comparison is that at its heart it is – and always will be – a content management system (CMS). Not only does this give you a very proven path for website creation and setting the site up for future success based on the content you feature on it, but it also lends itself to giving users a virtually unlimited level of flexibility.
Now it is important to understand that you will need to know exactly what type of content you’re going to feature on the site, and that will cover everything from the product descriptions to the blog content you publish to share insight into the products and their applications. You will need to be knowledgeable about what you’re selling in the same way you’d need to be if you had an actual storefront.
WordPress is also especially good here because of its open source software and the way that also contributes to it being a complete solution for online businesses. Thanks to a wide range of features, WordPress is impressively adaptable to users’ needs. If you want to create a showcase site, a blog, a portfolio or an online store, WordPress gives you comprehensive options at a much lower price.
The unmatched flexibility and customization really is huge, and this is where we think the most decisive aspect of our finding is seen. WordPress, along with its WooCommerce plugin, provides almost unlimited flexibility and customization. Shopify is different in that it is much more prescriptive, while with WordPress there is the possibility to assemble an online store that is more fully in line with what you envision for it. This freedom to customize every aspect of your site is one of the main reasons why many people prefer WordPress.
Affordability and Site Control
We talked earlier about how it’s very common for $$ resources to be limited when people are launching a business or an online store. It’s clear that WordPress is the better choice here based on more options and lower cost. And we also mentioned how Shopify has that CA$51 per month up-front investment required and right from the start. Plus the fact that Shopify may charge a transaction fee every time a sale as made, along with charging for adding certain features.
Hosting and domain name fees will apply for WordPress, but they’re much lower and you’ll have control over these costs. After that it’s all free if you’re using the basic version of the platform and for many people it meets all of their needs quite nicely. You always have the option of investing in premium features, but even if you do running an online store with a WordPress site isn’t likely to cost you more than a hundred dollars a year.
And even if I did the unlimited scalability you’ll get would make it worth the price if you’re selling quality products at fair price. It’s important not to look past that part of what you’re doing too, and not rely on any Shopify alternatives for an online store platform to make up for sales that are really lacking because you’re not offering a good product.
WordPress wins for site control too, and especially with the absolute control it gives users over both the site and its content. Simply contacting the webhost to resolve the issue is all that will be needed if there is a problem with web hosting, and the host can often remedy any arisen situation very quickly. You also have the final say on your site’s performance and security solutions: you choose the options that really meet your needs.
With Shopify it’s really not quite as good, as it is more of a turnkey solution and hosts everything on its own servers. There are benefits to that, but inevitably you lose control over a number of technical aspects. Your choice should be based on individual preferences and needs in terms of site control and management.
Search Engine Optimization Interests
SEO is always going to be of paramount importance for any website serving eCommerce interests, and you want your site to be ranking high in search results at all time. The advantages of SEO with WordPress are another huge part of what should be swaying online store owners to that platform as compared to Shopify. Unlike Shopify, WordPress offers built-in features specifically designed to optimize content and if you use Yoast for WordPress SEO you are almost certain to be gaining greater improvements for your site and how well it ranks. That really is just the simple fact of the matter here.
Having full access to the source code is a huge plus too when you go with WordPress as an online eCommerce platform. Having it means you are so much more able to optimize everything you’d like to with the site, and nearly every online shop owner is going to want to make significant changes from time to time. With Shopify all you have is the ability modify title tags, meta descriptions and so on.
We said we wouldn’t talk about WooCommerce itself, but we will make a quick mention of the WooCommerce plugin for WordPress here because it is such a potent addition for anyone who wants to be best positioned for sales and increased visibility as business online. If you’re weighing WordPress vs Shopify, the use of plugins for WordPress really needs to be factoring into your comparison and these WooCommerce benefits aren’t to be overlooked.
The free basic version of WooCommerce is a good place to start, and it will make the process of creating your store a lot simpler. Although some premium features require an investment, you can design a very viable store using only the basic version. Once you create product listings and create the link to a payment processing system like PayPal or Stripe then you are set to start selling online. From there you also have the option to add a number of features to enhance the shopping experience.
Dynamic Ecosystem
Another aspect of WordPress ecosystem that makes it so rich is the vast community and many active forum where users can find a wealth of resources and plugins. That can range from advanced e-commerce functionality to social networking integrations to analytics tools, and WordPress also those super-valuable plugins that have always been a huge part of its appeal for DIY website types. This diversity isn’t seen the same way with Shopify, where options are more limited and users are operating in what is really a more rigid framework.
The only thing detracting from WordPress for eCommerce a little bit is the fact that there is a steeper learning curve with it. There is no disputing the way it is more versatile and relatively easy to use once you get the hang of it, but Shopify is a much simpler way to go if you’re looking for a way to set up an online shop that doesn’t require much of you. As we’ve mentioned that simplicity and hands-off nature does come at a cost though. Back to WordPress, there is also the issue for some of having difficulty with tech support.
We will agree that Shopify might be best for those looking for the benefit of an all-in-one, integrated solution, and are willing to pay for it. The conclusion you reach after a WordPress vs Shopify comparison will depend on your needs and comfort level. Those who have customization and flexibility for their online store as priorities are probably going to see WordPress with the WooCommerce Plugin as the best platform for online stores.
FAQs
Why should I choose WordPress over Shopify for my Online Store?
WordPress has a free basic version that covers all of what most online store operators will need, and it offers superior flexibility and customization options plus the ability to pair with the WooCommerce plugin that quickly and automatically optimizes a site for use as an online storefront.
How does WordPress handle SEO compared to Shopify?
WordPress gives users more ability to SEO optimize their eCommerce website with built-in features specifically designed to optimize content along with the Yoast Plugin for WordPress that is well-known for delivering proven results with SEO optimization for a site. With WordPress you will also have access to the source code, and this also promotes more ability to improve SEO for the site through different approaches.
Is WordPress more affordable than Shopify?
Yes. The entry-level price for a Shopify packages is $51 CAD per month, whereas you can have the basic WordPress version for free and higher tiers will still cost less than what you would pay for one year of basic Shopify service for your eCommerce website.
Do I need technical knowledge to use WordPress for my online store?
There is no need for an especially high level of technical knowledge to use WordPress, and for most users they are able to learn what they need to simply by using the platform and getting to know how it works. There is something of a learning curve to it though, so those without a basic understanding of website functionality and how a CMS (content management system) works as the basis for website platform may have some difficulty in the beginning.
