While we all know that WordPress has made it easy to develop an eCommerce website quickly and cost-effectively, do you know that most webmasters still face some challenges while developing or maintaining a WordPress eCommerce website?
In this blog, I will discuss four such challenges and their solutions.
#1 Security Vulnerabilities
As one of the most common CMSs in the world, WordPress has also become a favorite of spammers and hackers. In other words, WordPress is prone to malicious worms, malware, and viruses.
It becomes even more critical to secure a WordPress website if it’s developed with eCommerce features. In other words, when you run an eCommerce website, you must handle security vulnerabilities.
How to fix vulnerabilities in a WordPress eCommerce website?
Although there are several ways to fix security vulnerabilities, some of them are below:
A. Change database prefix
B. Using 2-Factor Authentication
C. Updating all plugins and themes
D. Disable file editing at the backend
You may also like reading one of my previous blogs on securing WordPress e-commerce websites.
#2 Slow Loading Speed
The slow loading speed of WordPress E-Commerce websites has been found in most cases. It could be because of using outdated plugins/themes or even due to the web hosting provider. Whatever the reason, the slow loading speed of WordPress e-commerce websites kills the revenue of every business.
Several studies have shown that users who are dissatisfied with an e-commerce website’s loading speed are less likely to buy products from it. What’s more, search engines like Google have also officially accepted that they consider websites’ loading speed when ranking them in search results.
As I mentioned, there could be a few reasons behind the slow loading speed of an e-commerce website built using WordPress. Here are some fixes that have worked for me(in almost all cases) and should be helpful for you, too.
A. Update all the plugins and themes to their latest versions
B. Install caching plugins like W3Cache
C. Install plugins for compressing images
D. Optimize database. Plugins like WP-DBManager allow you to optimize, repair, backup, and restore your database.
Please read my blog on how to enhance the loading speed of your WordPress e-commerce website.
#3 Regular Upgrades For WordPress Version
If your e-commerce website was built using WordPress, you might be required to upgrade the software occasionally. The primary reason to upgrade is to keep your website free from security threats and vulnerabilities.
As you can see, upgrading the version of your WordPress eCommerce website is for a good cause and must be done regularly, but many webmasters still don’t upgrade it. Why? A simple upgrade can cause a lot of other settings to reset.
If your WordPress developer has done a lot of customizations in your WordPress core files (although it’s not recommended at all), a simple upgrade can spoil your e-commerce website. As a result, you will be left with no option other than doing all the customizations again.
#4 Regular Upgrades For WordPress Plugins
We all know that WordPress websites run on plugins. Just in case you are not familiar with plugins, a plugin is a set of codes that can be plugged in into your WordPress website to run a specific feature.
For example, if you want to create an e-commerce website on WordPress software, WooCommerce is one of the best plugins for empowering a simple WordPress website with comprehensive e-commerce features. Similarly, for every feature, there are several options of plugins available.
Like any other platform or tool, WordPress plugins need to be updated regularly, which can cause security vulnerabilities and other issues.
What’s the solution?
Always ensure that all of your plugins are updated to the latest version. If any plugin used on your e-commerce website doesn’t have its latest version, or if it’s no longer maintained by its developers, you must replace it immediately.
Updating plugins is as easy as clicking a few buttons, but if you need to replace a plugin, it’s better to hire a WordPress web developer to do this job for you.
How to choose the best plugins:
A. Make sure that the number of downloads should be higher.
B. Make sure that its last update must be on a recent date, preferably not older than six months.
C. Make sure to read other users’ reviews for that plugin.
Conclusion
Be it any E-Commerce/CMS software, you will face challenges. The only way to tackle these challenges is to get yourself informed about the problems, their consequences, and solutions.