Are you looking to build your eCommerce site?
If you want to avoid coding, you must be pondering over two big e-commerce platforms—WordPress and Shopify.
Both platforms have positioned themselves as a go-to platform for web building.
But the struggle is real when it comes to choosing between them.
So, which is better—WordPress or Shopify?
No platform is inferior or superior to others here, as it is all about choosing one that can better meet your needs.
To help you with that, here is a brief comparison between WordPress and Shopify to help you determine the right platform for your store. By the end, we hope you will be familiar with the main differences between the two platforms and what fits your requirements.
A BASIC INTRODUCTION OF WORDPRESS AND SHOPIFY
What is WordPress?
WordPress is an open-source platform. It is a content platform that can be turned into an eCommerce platform by using plugins like WooCommerce. Nearly 75 million websites use WordPress.
The successful eCommerce websites made on WordPress are Vic Firth, Porter and York, Rooth Science, and Lugz. Some WordPress sites make up 14.7% of the top 100 websites worldwide, including Fortune 500 such as CBS Radio, UPS, NFL, Best Buy, and Tech Crunch.
(Image source: Kinsta.com)
What is Shopify?
Shopify is a dedicated e-commerce platform that hosts your site and provides all the necessary tools under one roof. It comes with an efficient inventory management system as well as inventory tracking features.
Since both are meant for different purposes and function differently, your decision to choose the one will entirely depend upon what kind of online store you plan to create. It powers nearly one million online stores worldwide. Its users include the likes of BBC, Heinz, Red Bull, Gymshark, and Kylie.
(Image Source: https://magecom.net/shopify-statistics-2020-general-usage-shopify-stats-traffic-sales/)
6 KEY FACTORS TO COMPARE SHOPIFY AND WORDPRESS
1 SEO:
SEO helps increase your website’s visibility on search engines like Google and Bing. It is a kind of online marketing.
And it is an essential factor to keep in mind while choosing between Shopify and WordPress.
The Performance of Shopify Website in SEO:
Shopify has a range of features to support SEO for eCommerce. However, over the past few years, many issues have come to the surface, affecting its credibility as an SEO friendly platform.
“Shopify does not allow for URL structure customization, so every page you create is incorporated into a predetermined URL structure that can’t be changed.”
Tony Verre, founder of DreamFire Digital Marketing, in an interview with Search Engine Land.
Some of the critical SEO issues found in Shopify websites are…
- The difficulty of Editing URL Structures
- Not Being Able to Access the Robots.txts
- Not Being Able to Edit Sitemaps as they are automatically generated.
- The problem of Duplicate URLs associated with the products belonging from a collection page or group of products.
- Lacking Out-of-Box Subcategories
Therefore, it requires you to be careful with the optimization of your Shopify website.
How WordPress Performs in the SEO Test
WordPress comes up with everything to be expected from an SEO-ready website. Frankly speaking, it gets an edge over Shopify in terms of flexibility and features as required by SEO.
“So even if you don’t have a WordPress website, you’ve interacted with one at some point in your time on the Internet. This makes it one of the most influential website builders in the world. But more than that, it’s an extremely powerful marketing tool.”
Neil Patel on his blog titled Powerful WordPress Marketing Tips
Here’s how WordPress contributes to a website SEO:
- Letting you customize URL permalinks for each of the posts and images.
- Being easy to generate an XML sitemap
- Optimization of Images
- Adding metadata automatically
- Enabling the Use of SEO plugins like Yoast
2 TEMPLATES:
Templates enhance the visual appeal of your eCommerce site. Both WordPress and Shopify offer a range of free and premium templates to accentuate the way your site looks.
Shopify’s Templates are Limited Yet Powerful
With Shopify, you can choose from a range of free and premium templates to get started. They are professionally designed and simple to edit. As an added bonus, Shopify templates are responsive for mobile screens.
“Shopify has essentially these themes which allow you to brand your website or design your website without having to know you pretty much any coding.”
Chris Winter, The Money Mentor
It Takes Time to Find the Right One WordPress Template
WordPress, on the other hand, offers more than 1,000 themes to choose from. Different themes are provided by third-party developers.
Not every WordPress template is ideal for your online store, though. It’s quite time-consuming to explore through the options. On top of that, not every theme goes well with the tools you have picked from the app store. You need to make sure that your WP theme complements your WooCommerce plugin, tools, and other things you have.
It is also worth mentioning that Shopify themes are designed to keep non-technical users in mind.
The only thing that goes in WordPress favor in this context is that its customized templates.
3. TOOLS AND FEATURES:
Tools and features are the heart and soul of any eCommerce website. Some features help you market and sell as well as improve buying on your website.
SHOPIFY TOOLS HAS ITS OWN TOOLS
Shopify comes with in-house features and tools, whereas WordPress relies on third-party plugins.
Starting from Shopify, the platform has plenty of eCommerce features, including:
- Abandoned Cart Recovery
- Discount Codes
- Multi-Channel Integration
- Tracking and Inventory Management
Multiple Staff Login Option
WORDPRESS relies ON THIRD-PARTY PLUGINS/TOOLS
WordPress also offers a range of tools owing to its two key features:
WooCommerce, which lets you…
- Sell Unlimited Products
- Build-in blogging option
- Product Review and Ratings
- Sorting and filtering
And Ecwid which offers
- Guest CheckOuts
- Save Favorite Products
- Shipping Calculator
- Multilingual Calculator
CONTROL:
Control is Somehow Restricted in Shopify
You can use any type of content with WordPress. If you use Shopify, keep in mind that Shopify can remove content if it doesn’t go according to their acceptable use policies.
Although Shopify lets you export your content quickly, it is challenging to move static pages and blog posts, meaning that you have to manually “copy and paste” them somewhere.
WordPress Makes User the Master of All Controls!
It is easier to move content out of WordPress than it is from Shopify due to built-in export tools that support the export and backup of data.
“The advantage is that you can fully control it, and it’s a way better content marketing platform. It’s great for subscriptions, memberships, and other continuity models. It seems like the right choice for anything that’s more than just a transaction, which is why we often recommend it.”
Setven Hammer, founder of RankHammer.
5. CUSTOMER SUPPORT:
Shopify Has Got Your Back!
Customer support is an area where Shopify outperforms WordPress easily, especially if you are building the site on your own.
A Shopify plan also includes customer support via live chat, email, and phone. It gives peace of mind that someone covers you if things go wrong.
You Have to Manage the Things on Your Own in WordPress
But that’s not the case with WordPress. If you are building your eCommerce website on your own and face problems, you don’t know whom to contact. It forces you to seek support from WordPress Forums, a hosting company, or a WordPress developer and designer.
PRICING:
Shopify’s Prices Worth It!
Shopify is better than most of its competitors in terms of transparent pricing and the associated value. In fact, you can get the best pricing in the industry.
“As a beginner, Shopify just seemed the most reputable and easiest platform to use at a reasonable price. It was a no brainer when I first got started really.”
Chris, Founder of Advanced Dropshipping Academy at WebsiteBuilderExpert.com.
The lowest tier in their plans is available at $29—which might not be reasonable for hosting or a website builder. The relief is that every plan is equipped with a whole range of associated tools. You are also required to move to better plans as your website grows in terms of traffic.
Image Source: https://www.shopify.com/pricing
WordPress Gets Pricier with the Added Features
It’s not easy to say how much a WordPress site can cost you, thanks to the involvement of various things.
Contrary to popular belief, WordPress is not a totally free solution. Although you can get CMD software for free, other things require you to pay to get your WP powered website off, including:
- Hosting
- Template (you might choose premium)
- Tools and Plugins to Sell Your Products Online
- Developer’s Fee (based on your skills).
OUR VERDICT:
Hope this brief comparison of WordPress and Shopify in 2020 will help you choose the right one for you.
Shopify and WordPress have their own pros and cons. If you are looking to make a serious eCommerce site with sound customer support, Shopify can be the right choice as it is designed for online stores. It also comes handy for people with little to no technical knowledge.
WordPress wins hands down for its flexibility, control features, SEO potency, and affordability. You can make the most of it by adding a plugin like WooCommerce to sell online. But it is more beneficial for those who have the technical know-how.
However, everyone’s requirements are unique, so what one finds the better of the two, might not be suitable for you. Therefore, make sure to ponder your needs and budget first to choose the right eCommerce platform for you.