If you’re getting into eCommerce, you might have heard of WordPress and Shopify among other eCommerce platforms. Both of these platforms offer certain advantages and come with various disadvantages when it comes to SEO and eCommerce.

When deciding whether to use Shopify or WordPress, there are various pros and cons to consider to help you make the right choice.

 

What Is Shopify?

 

 

Shopify is a popular eCommerce platform that enables businesses to sell all types of products on an online store. These products could include physical and virtual items.

Shopify makes it easy for people to create their own eCommerce stores with a minimal learning curve. Just about anyone can pick up and use Shopify without any need for web design or development skills.

Shopify is entirely web-based, meaning you don’t need any additional software, and it’s a hosted platform that eliminates the need for separate web hosting services. Essentially, everything is included with Shopify to keep things cost-effective and easy to use.

 

What Is WordPress?

 

 

Depending on what you need, you can use two versions of WordPress to create an eCommerce site: WordPress.com or WordPress.org.

WordPress.com is the hosted version of WordPress that functions much like Shopify. You don’t need to pay for additional hosting services and there are different plans available with various features. You can also manage it right from your browser like you would with Shopify.

Meanwhile, WordPress.org is the version of WordPress that requires users to self-host it. You can install the WordPress.org software and run your site from there. The main advantage of WordPress.org is the ability to fully customize your eCommerce website on this platform. While WordPress.com allows for a degree of customization, your options are far more limited than they are with its .org counterpart. This level of customizability may be worth the cost of external hosting services, web design and development, and other expenses if you have a sufficient budget.

 

WordPress vs. Shopify: Which Is Best for SEO?

 

 

If you want people to find your eCommerce site online, you need good search engine optimization (SEO). Shopify and WordPress can benefit SEO in numerous ways, but they do have some differences between them to consider.

 

Shopify

 

Using Shopify, you can rank your eCommerce website in search engines without the need for technical SEO expertise thanks to the platform’s many included features.

Some specific benefits of Shopify for SEO include SSL certificates that keep websites secure, mobile optimization, fast page load speeds, and various SEO apps. It also comes with HTML5 and CSS coding capabilities.

However, Shopify may limit your SEO campaigns in a few ways. For instance, it comes with limited technical customizations that can prevent total optimization. Additionally, it doesn’t allow you to rank for rich snippets or the critical “position zero” in search engines, nor will it enable you to develop extensive SEO-optimized blogs.

 

WordPress

 

The ability to optimize for SEO with WordPress varies depending on whether you use WordPress.com or WordPress.org.

WordPress.com is similar to Shopify in its pros and cons regarding SEO. You can benefit from SSL certificates, mobile optimization, and coding thanks to the WooCommerce plugin. On the other hand, you won’t be able to customize every element for SEO with this limited version. Also, pages don’t tend to load quite as fast in WordPress as they do in Shopify.

For more capabilities, it’s best to use WordPress.org. You can fully customize your website and optimize code for SEO, with many SEO plugins available. You also get more blogging support with WordPress than you do with Shopify. However, you will need to manually optimize your WordPress.org site for mobile devices.

 

WordPress vs. Shopify: Which Is Best for eCommerce?

 

 

If you’re wondering which platform is better for eCommerce in general, the following is a breakdown of the differences between them.

 

Shopify

 

When using Shopify as an eCommerce platform, you’ll gain access to many features that make it ideal for online stores of all types. Some of these features include:

• Thousands of plugins and apps that you can access through Shopify’s in-house app store. These solutions can help improve processes such as inventory management and billing, giving you more time to focus on running and growing your business.
• A wide selection of high-quality themes. Shopify offers a selection of themes designed by professionals that are also optimized for mobile devices.
• Fast loading speeds and improved security. This is due to a combination of SSL certificates and professional security measures.
• Ample scalability that helps your website grow with your business. Shopify enables your websites to handle surges in traffic and growing inventory as your business expands.

These are a few of the main advantages of Shopify for eCommerce businesses, but there are some caveats to keep in mind. For instance, you will face certain transaction fees on Shopify that will vary from plan to plan. Customizations are also limited and you won’t have access to an email hosting feature to provide customer support.

 

WordPress

 

WordPress runs on WooCommerce, which comes with several key features, such as:

• Plenty of plugins for eCommerce businesses. A couple of these many plugins include Yoast SEO, which can help optimize content and SEO elements, and Google Analytics for measuring the performance of your website.
• A free, open-source solution for online businesses. WooCommerce comes at no cost and is open-source, which is why it’s a popular and reliable option for many eCommerce businesses.
• Mobile-optimized websites to appeal to mobile shoppers. This aspect helps with SEO and connecting with eCommerce users on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.
• A variety of supported payment methods and currencies. This offers superior versatility if you want to sell to customers of all types regardless of location or preferred payment.

These and other benefits make WordPress and WooCommerce great for eCommerce. However, some downsides to consider include frequent updates, a lack of advanced features, and a potentially slow website resulting from using too many plugins at once.

 

Find the Right Platform for Your eCommerce Business

 

 

WordPress and Shopify offer several benefits that make them great for hosting many eCommerce websites, but it’s best to look into both to determine which is right for your business.

To help grow your eCommerce store with a reliable marketing and design agency, reach out to the experts at Vigor Seorchers today.