Building a WooCommerce store is no easy task. There are a lot of places where things can go wrong. Luckily for you we’ve put together a list of some of the top mistakes to avoid when creating your first WooCommerce business.
There is lots of potential for success in the world of e-commerce. Learn from the mistakes of those who have had to figure it out the hard way. If you do, you’ll be on a much quicker path to growing some effective business.
- Forgetting to Use the Latest Version:
Many of use often ignore or put off doing system updates. Sometimes that choice has very little consequences. That is not the case for WooCommerce however. You can run into some real issues with an old version.
When you don’t update, it can interfere with the use of your plugins. Developers make sure to update these to be compatible with the newest format of WooCommerce. For your security plugins and other security software, you could be left at risk.
Plus, if you build your website around an old version of WooCommerce than update it later, all your hard work could go to waste. The only way to guarantee a smooth operation is installing updates as soon as they release.
- Never Checking System Status:
WooCommerce gives you access to a special system status report. It is likely during your time operating the store you’ll run into a few errors. Misconfigurations of the system settings only leads to more trouble in the future. Be sure to keep a close eye on server versions, plugin status, core functions, and other system info. If something does come upnas an issue, it will get flagged in a red color.
There is a lot of aspects covered in the report. It would be very beneficial to take some time to fully understand everything that is included. Those new to web development might be a little confused at first, but anyone should no problem getting the basics down. Make sure everything is in the green, and you actually read the whole system status report!
- Not Using Professional Development When Needed
When are new to starting a business, there might be some hesitation on investing in the services of professional development teams. Well, you are right to be caution. Not every service will offer the same quality. Opting for help from cheap ecommerce web development company is sure to return cheap results.
If you are not an expert developer, take the time to invest in a quality service. You can save yourself countless hours of work and problems by relying on a good team. In the end you will get a better overall product to offer to customers. To grow a business, you have to be willing to invest. Don’t skip out on hiring a development to save in the short run. It just might cost you much more in the future.
- Not Testing Before Launch
It is easy to get excited about the beginning of your WooCommerce store. You’ll probably want to launch it right away and start building some traffic. You need to make a strong first impression on the customer first.
Taking the time to test and validate your features is essential for any process. There is a huge chance that your or your team overlooked something. Perhaps just the smallest detail. Extensive testing and validation should be done. This way your customers won’t be the ones testing your store’s platform for you. Instead, they can enjoy the best possible experience that you helped delivery through your hard work.
Testing ensures a good user experience, and leaves the buyer with a sense of credibility about your business. You’ll want to get as many good reviews as possible, so don’t skip the functionality tests.
- Forgetting to Control Selling Locations
Depending on your resources, you’ll only be able to ship product to so many locations. If you are limited in your shipping capabilities, don’t forget to adjust your selling location settings. To do this, go directly to the settings menu. Look for the general tab and adjust your selling locations. You can also restrict the countries you can choose at check out under the shipping tab in the settings menu.
If you neglect to update your locations, there is a good chance you’ll get orders outside your capacity. This leads to angry customers and potential fees during refunds. To avoid this easy mistake, make sure setting your selling locations is one of the first things you do.
- Skipping Security Checks
Website security is always a concern. The standards for online security are pretty strict these days. If you don’t have SSL certificates and using proper HTTPS in use, you can’t expect your websites to rank high.
When running an ecommerce store this becomes even more important. You’ll be handling sensitive financial information of customers. Without an encrypted connection, all that data is at risk. Consumers are well informed on the potential danger of poor online security. If you don’t demonstrate basic security protocol, you can’t expect to attract any buyers. There are dozens of tools available to manage your security settings available. It really couldn’t be any easier. Don’t make excuses and keep up to date with your security checks.
- Never Updating Plugins
Plugins offer a host of benefits to build the best WooCommerce store possible. You should definitely take advantage of what many of the free plugins have to offer. When you do, you also have to be sure to update them regular. Just like you keep your WooCommerce software updated.
Many of the updates have to do with security. If don’t update your plugins, you are leaving yourself vulnerable to potential threats.
At the same time, failing to update them can halt your site all together. Depending on what kind of tools you rely on, new changes in the software can directly alter functionality. Before you know it, your payment process stops working. You can always test plugins before launching them to be certain. If you notice some issues, double check for software updates.
- Not Taking Advantage of Mailing Lists
Mailing lists are a great way to market what you have to offer and keep customers returning. If you forget to use mailing lists, that is a lot of lost opportunity. Before you launch, implement a method for customers to sign up for email newsletters, offers, and more. They can’t sign up if don’t include a way to do it. It’s all on you to remember this feature!
- Not Using Live Chat or Other Pre-Sales Tools
You won’t always be able to provide all the information a customer needs to make a purchase. For those cases, having pre-sales tools can make the difference in getting a sale or not.
If you are capable, implement a live chat system. You don’t necessarily have to have a person immediately respond. With AI technology, many companies use responsive chatbots to help customers navigate any questions. Or good methods include using questionnaire forms for customers to submit, and customer support lines through email or phone calls. You don’t need to implement all of these things, but having something is much better than nothing.
- Include Backup Features
When things go wrong, you’ll want a backup of all the critical information. Make sure you include a way to catalog important transactions or data. Otherwise, you risk the potential of losing sales. If these go really wrong, you make be forced to restart your whole storefront. Having that backup record will save your business from sinking while you figure out how to proceed.
Ravi Sharma
Ravi Sharma, founder of Webomaze is a young entrepreneur who has established his business as a brand that strives to showcase every business the best way on the web. He has got a team of experts with an amazing grip on the idea of effective wordpress website development. He is highly motivated and loves to explore places in search of adventure.
