WordPress and Shopify: A Guide to Help You Choose the Best Option

In order to build a successful eCommerce business, entrepreneurs need a platform. Many people start by searching for the best eCommerce website builders, where they find a wide array of options. If you dig further, you will find that WordPress and Shopify are highly recommended by people who say either is the best for your needs. So, how do you choose between the two?

This article will tell you what you need to know about both, WordPress and Shopify, and compare them to make choosing easier.

WordPress Vs. Shopify: An Overview

WordPress is a content management system (CMS) initially created as a blogging platform and one that businesses could use to create their websites. It has since become a versatile, flexible, and customizable tool for almost every website creation need.

In addition, many themes and plugins enable individuals and businesses to create complex websites, including e-learning and eCommerce sites. In addition to millions of users, it also has a huge community of developers who are constantly adding new features.

Shopify is a Software as a Service tool that lets users create a website without coding or design skills. Even though you do not own the underlying software, businesses, individuals, and developers can customize the HTML and CSS to create unique stores.

It is important to understand that developers who understand Ruby and the Liquid templating language can write code to create custom themes for Shopify stores.

A Word About Hosting

One thing that users of either platform should consider when choosing either is the hosting solution. Shopify is a hosted platform which means everything runs on its servers. Users do not have to worry about buying web hosting, installing software, or maintaining their website’s infrastructure.

WordPress provides users with two options: hosted or self-hosted WordPress. Users can access the hosted WordPress option on wordpress.com. This option is similar to Shopify in that they pay a monthly fee and do not have to worry about hosting, servers, and the like.

Self-hosted WordPress is software you download and install on your server or local machine if you would like to develop themes and plugins and test them. Since it is open source, it is a highly versatile tool that developers with the right skills can leverage to build any website or platform they want.

Next, we will compare Shopify against self-hosted WordPress as those are the options most people want to differentiate between.

Types of Users

Both of these tools appeal to different types of users. Shopify is the better option for people who do not have web development skills or who do not have the budget to hire a developer to build their eCommerce solution. Because of this, Shopify turns out to be the more economical option.

WordPress appeals to a broader group because it is such a versatile option. However, it is heavily skewed towards web design novices, businesses with budgets for custom web development, and users with web development skills.

WordPress remains easy to use for people without coding skills or large budgets since they can use free and paid themes/plugins or WordPress website builders to create stunning websites.

Nevertheless, WordPress also caters to individuals and enterprises seeking customized eCommerce websites. The allure lies in its flexibility, as there are fewer constraints on the capabilities of the CMS compared to Shopify. Additionally, these users have the freedom to migrate their websites to any preferred hosting provider, including high-speed SSD servers, thereby enhancing the overall user experience.

Themes

WordPress and Shopify themes that users can install on their websites to make them attractive and look however they want. Both platforms have free and paid options, although Shopify has a much smaller number since its developer community is smaller.

Shopify users can get their theme through Shopify developers approved by Shopify or third-party developers. You should choose the first two options because they offer better themes and superior customer service.

Plugins and Apps

Users can choose plugins on WordPress or apps on Shopify to add functionality to their websites. WordPress’s most popular eCommerce option is WooCommerce, which can turn any WordPress website into an online marketplace. There are also thousands of WooCommerce themes and plugins that you can use to enhance the functionality of your eCommerce website further.

On the other hand, Shopify uses apps to add functionality to websites built on the platform. Shopify handles the eCommerce aspect for you, so you only have to add apps that enhance the website’s functionality. Users can install apps from the Shopify store.

Most WordPress plugins and apps that provide access to third-party data and functionality require integration and authorization to work. For example, you have to log into the website to use Printful as your preferred print-on-demand service on your Shopify website. You will need to do the same for similar WordPress plugins.

Search Engine Optimisation

SEO is another significant differentiator between both options. WordPress has a better SEO setup, but only if you configure your website correctly. With Shopify, you can access everything you need to optimize individual pages and the whole website for better SEO.

WordPress users can also choose faster servers since it is an important consideration when ranking.

WordPress and Shopify are very strong options for entrepreneurs starting an eCommerce business. The best option for those without coding skills and without large budgets for custom development is Shopify. With WordPress, you can control everything from the hosting to the WordPress plugins used on your eCommerce website.