Shopify and WordPress are two of the most popular eCommerce platforms. Each has its own set of advantages and disadvantages, but which one is better? The answer to this question is subjective, as it depends on your unique business needs. Some businesses might find that Shopify is a better fit because of its ease-of-use and affordability, while others might prefer WordPress because it’s free, has more flexibility, and offers more customization options. If you’re looking to create an eCommerce store for your business, you’ll want to know which platform will give you the most benefits in the long run. In this article, we’ll explain why WordPress is superior to Shopify by breaking down the pros and cons of each platform so you can decide which one best meets your business needs.
A key advantage of WordPress over Shopify is the level of flexibility it offers. Businesses that wish to modify their store’s design, change their payment methods, or add new features will find that doing so is much easier on WordPress. Because WordPress is an open-source platform, it has a large community of developers and designers that you can turn to for help with any aspect of your store. Also, if there is something you want to add to your store that doesn’t exist out-of-the-box, you can modify the source code to create it yourself. Because Shopify is a closed system, it is much more restrictive when it comes to customizations. If you want to add new functionality to your store, you will likely have to pay a developer to do it for you – and what you’re allowed to do is heavily dependent on your Shopify plan.
Another advantage of running an eCommerce store on WordPress is the fact that it’s free. While Shopify doesn’t have any upfront costs, it charges you a monthly fee for hosting and an additional fee for a merchant account if you want to accept credit card payments. Shopify doesn’t let you host the WordPress website on your own server. In most cases, the platform is hosted on Shopify’s servers, meaning that you don’t have full control over your site’s security and uptime. Hosting your site on your server is another perk of using WordPress. For these reasons, WordPress is also better for businesses that want to scale their eCommerce operations. Because WordPress is an open-source platform, it has a huge developer ecosystem that can help you expand your store with a plethora of plug-ins.
Another advantage of using WordPress is that it’s better for SEO. WordPress websites rank higher than Shopify stores because the content is hosted on your own server and you have full control over what gets published. Since Shopify is a closed system, it publishes the same content on every store, which means that it’s optimized for conversions and not for Google. On WordPress, you can optimize every page for Google, which results in higher rankings. The difference in SEO capabilities also means that WordPress is a better choice for eCommerce brands who want to expand their business into other channels. With Shopify, you can only host your online store, but with WordPress, you can also create an email list, publish articles and blog posts, host podcasts, and create an online forum.
Another major advantage of using WordPress over Shopify is the fact that there are more designers, developers, and agencies that work with the platform. Because Shopify is a closed system, many of its partners have developed their plug-ins in-house, which means that you’re limited to what they offer. If you want to create a custom design for your eCommerce store, a Shopify partner may not have the skills required for your project. With WordPress, there are thousands of designers, developers, and agencies that have experience working with the platform. You can find a team that has the skills and expertise to create a custom design for your WordPress store, and you can hire that team directly without going through an intermediary.
This article has discussed why WordPress is superior to Shopify by breaking down the pros and cons of each eCommerce platform. If you’re looking to launch an online store, you’ll want to make sure that the eCommerce platform you choose is robust enough to meet your business needs and will last for the long haul. While both Shopify and WordPress have their own set of advantages and disadvantages, WordPress is the better choice. This is because it has a robust set of features, is free, has better SEO capabilities, has a larger ecosystem of developers and designers, and has a lot more flexibility and customization options. We hope you’ve found this article helpful and that you’ve gained a better understanding of why WordPress is superior to Shopify!
