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Best of Best WordPress Tutorials of 2023 on WPBeginner
As we say goodbye to 2023, it marks the end of yet another year filled with opportunities for reflection on our achievements and aspirations.
This past year, due to slow economic activity, layoffs, and inflation, we witnessed many individuals starting new businesses online. So many of them took advantage of WPBeginner’s free resources to kickstart their online ventures.
We are grateful for the continued support of our amazing WPBeginner community. You give us the inspiration and energy to keep producing top-notch WordPress tutorials.
In keeping with tradition, this article will reveal our team’s selection of this year’s top-notch WordPress tutorials on WPBeginner.
Additionally, our CEO will provide a comprehensive overview of 2023, offering insights to gain some perspective about the progress we made.
WPBeginner Recap 2023 by Syed Balkhi
2023 has been an outstanding year full of new experiences, accomplishments, and lessons learned.
This year unlocked a new level of challenges and opportunities for me. I’m grateful for both of them as they helped me gain more clarity, self-awareness, and new perspectives that will greatly influence my decisions as I go into 2024.
I turned 33 years old, visited 8 countries including two bucket list experiences (Egypt and Maldives), passed the milestone of 25 million websites using our software, completed 12 business acquisitions + 4 growth fund investments, and overall I’m ending the year stronger than ever.
None of this would be possible without the support of my wife, Amanda, and my family.
This year, WPBeginner turned 14 years old, and I’m really proud of the amazing work our team is doing.
Our software products passed the milestone of 25 million active installs. We celebrated it with a NASDAQ billboard in Time Square with photos of our team members.
It’s pretty incredible to see the small blog that I started at age 19 has become a movement for making the web a better place.
Our team has done some great work this year.
We have launched 6 new free business tools to help you do more with WordPress.
Aside from these tools, we created hundreds of new tutorials as well as updated over 2000 WordPress tutorials this past year.
WPBeginner – Fun Fact:
Our team has now grown to over 320+ people across 50 different countries. We’re hiring for full-time remote positions. If you’re interested, check out our Careers page.
Our growth is a direct result of the incredible growth of WordPress and the support of our amazing WPBeginner community.
One of the questions I often get from new readers is how does WPBeginner make money? Well, it’s through our suite of premium plugins and SaaS software that we create. I did a brief overview of WPBeginner income, but here’s a quick recap of our various products.
WPForms
WPForms is the fastest growing online form builder for WordPress with over 6 million active installs. It’s the #7 most popular plugin in the WordPress.org plugin directory. Here’s a link to the WPForms free version.
This year, we added several powerful features including ability to accept credit card payments for everyone including free users. This was previously a Pro only feature. Aside from that, we also created a new payments dashboard, added coupons feature, and more.
A lot of our users asked for the ability to create Calculators, so we created a brand new Calculations addon in WPForms. Now, you can create advanced lead generation calculators using WPForms. Furthermore, you can use the calculations feature to create more powerful online order forms too.
Aside from that, we added many more powerful features including 1300+ pre-made form templates, lead forms addon, form styles for block editor & elementor, customizable email templates, ConvertKit addon, WPCode integration, and much more.
I truly believe that WPForms is a MUST HAVE plugin for all website owners, and I’m really proud of our team for continuing to raise the bar.
The WPForms team also did their own 2023 Year in Review post which is far more interactive and super cool.
AIOSEO
All in One SEO (aka AIOSEO) is one of the most popular WordPress SEO plugins used by over 3 million websites. This year my team worked really hard to make it by far the best SEO toolkit in the market.
I have been told by many users that they’re switching from Yoast and RankMath to AIOSEO because of the features we’re adding. See the top reasons why users are switching from Yoast to AIOSEO.
This year, we added a powerful Search Statistics feature inside your WordPress dashboard that shows you how your website is performing in Google search. It lets you do keyword rank tracking, see which keywords are winning / losing, and more.
We also added a Content Rankings report that shows you which of your content have started to drop in SEO rankings, so you can quickly update them and re-gain your rankings.
Aside from that, we added the much-requested SEO revisions feature that allows you to keep track of your SEO progress inside WordPress. This also allows you to undo changes with a single click.
The best part is that our team added the integration with Google algorithm updates, so you can see whether your changes are having a positive or negative impact.
At AIOSEO, we’re adding features that other WordPress SEO plugin simply don’t have. That’s because we’re practitioners, and we understand what publishers & eCommerce websites need to grow their SEO rankings.
I highly recommend that you check out AIOSEO if you want to grow your site’s rankings. There’s a free version available as well.
We also created a free SEO Chrome extension to help you do on-page SEO analysis faster.
Last but not least, our AIOSEO team has launched a new SEO trends section where we’re sharing the behind-the-scenes case studies of the fastest growing websites.
Other Notable Product Highlights
- WPCode passed over 2 million active installs. It’s truly one of the most powerful and underrated WordPress plugins. We added conversion pixel tracking, access control, new testing mode, and much more. Give the free version a try, and you’ll see why it’s one of the fastest growing WordPress plugin right now.
- Smash Balloon is the most popular social media feeds plugin for WordPress. This year, our team launched the much-requested TikTok feeds plugin which is also part of our all-access bundle.
- SeedProd is a popular drag & drop WordPress page builder. This year our team added 300+ pre-made website kits & templates. Aside from that, we added deep integrations with WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads, so you can create custom eCommerce websites with no-code. See the full 2023 review by our team.
All our product teams have been doing great work, and it’s nearly impossible for me to summarize everything here, so I highly recommend that you check out our WordPress plugins. Your support means a lot to us, and this is what keeps us going.
Acquisitions and Investments
This year, we did some really great acquisitions and investments. Here are the new products that joined WPBeginner family.
Duplicator is a leading WordPress backup and migration plugin. We have been recommending the free version on WPBeginner for years, so when the opportunity presented itself, I jumped on it right away. Our team has added tons of new features too. I highly recommend you to check it out.
Thrive Themes offers a suite of WordPress marketing plugins including landing pages, A/B testing, lead generation, quizzes, online courses, and more. A lot of marketing agencies absolutely love our products (see the full story).
Envira Gallery is popular WordPress gallery plugin that I helped create in 2014. I’m glad to welcome it back to the Awesome Motive family. If you’re a photographer, you’d love Envira (see the full story).
HeroThemes is the maker of the best WordPress customer support plugins including Heroic knowledge base and Heroic Inbox plugin. HeroicKB is something that I have recommended on WPBeginner for a long time, and I’m glad to welcome it to the WPBeginner growth fund (see full story).
Seahawk Media is a premier WordPress services company that offer a wide range of WordPress services, like WordPress development, design, maintenance, migration, support, and white-label services. I invested in Seahawk Media as part of the WPBeginner growth fund because a lot of WPBeginner community members have been asking us for this. I shared the full background story here.
Aside from the above, we also acquired WP101, WC Vendors, Imagely, MemberMouse, Wishlist Member, and several more that I am not yet ready to share.
Want us to acquire or invest in your business? Learn more about the WPBeginner Growth fund where I invest in WordPress and SaaS companies.
With that said, let’s look at 2023’s best WordPress tutorials on WPBeginner.
January
SEO Title vs H1 Post Title in WordPress: What’s the Difference? – In this beginner’s guide, we explained the difference between the SEO Title tag and the H1 heading in a post or page title. We also showed examples of how to use them effectively to maximize SEO and improve the user experience.
How to Prevent Fraud and Fake Orders in WooCommerce – Fraudulent and fake orders can cause severe losses for online stores. This tutorial showed how to prevent spam and block fake orders in WooCommerce effectively.
9 Best Google Optimize Alternatives (Free and Paid) – Google retired their Google Optimize tool that allowed website owners to run experiments like A/B testing. In this article, we showcased 9 Google Optimize alternatives that you can use.
How to Write Content Using AI Content Generator in WordPress – As AI technologies like ChatGPT and DALL-E made news, many users wanted to know how to use them to write articles. In this guide, we showed how to use AI content generators to produce content.
How to Create a WordPress Form with Payment Options (Easy Way) – Many users only need to sell a handful of products or services, and using a shopping cart like WooCommerce is overkill for that purpose. In this tutorial, we taught how to create a WordPress form with payment options and accept online payments without a shopping cart.
February
34 Unique Things You Didn’t Know About All in One SEO (Pro Tips) – All in One SEO is the most comprehensive SEO toolkit for WordPress. In this article, we highlighted some powerful, unique features of the plugin that many beginners may not be using yet.
How to Stop WordPress From Overwriting .htaccess File – WordPress core and some plugins may occasionally need to edit and add their settings to the .htaccess file. However, this becomes problematic if you have custom settings and don’t want them to disappear. In this tutorial, we showed how to prevent WordPress from overwriting the .htaccess file for your website.
13 Common WordPress Block Editor Problems and How to Fix Them – Many WordPress users spend a lot of time creating content using the block editor. In this article, we discuss common issues with the block editor and share easy ways to fix them.
Research: The Truth Behind Make Money Online Videos on YouTube and TikTok – Our research team analyzed 344 videos from YouTube and TikTok influencers posting about making money online. Read the complete report to find out the real truth behind those make money online videos.
How to Add Multilingual Search in WordPress (2 Ways) – If you run a multilingual website or eCommerce store, then adding multilingual search can boost user engagement on your website. In this tutorial, we showed two ways to add multilingual search to WordPress.
March
Ultimate WordPress Migration Guide for Beginners (Step by Step) – Many small businesses and bloggers may want to switch from a closed platform to WordPress or from one WordPress host to another. We put together the ultimate WordPress migration guide, which walks you through WordPress migrations without losing your data.
54 Best ChatGPT Prompts for Bloggers, Marketers, and Social Media – ChatGPT and other AI tools are only as useful as your prompts (instructions). To show how to write better prompts for AI, we compiled a comprehensive list of the most useful ChatGPT prompts for bloggers, marketers, and social media experts.
Nextiva vs. RingCentral vs. Ooma: Which is Better? (Compared) – Wondering which business phone service to choose? We compared the top business phone companies, Nextiva, RingCentral, and Ooma, to help you find the right solution for your business.
Internal Linking for SEO: The Ultimate Guide of Best Practices – Internal linking is crucial for good search rankings. In this guide, we shared the best practices and practical tips to create and maintain internal links across your website.
Should You Start a Blog or a YouTube Channel? (Beginner’s Guide) – Starting a blog or a YouTube channel are both great ways to publish content online, but which one should you choose? In this guide, we compared both platforms and shared our practical tips to use them to your advantage.
April
Why Is WordPress So Hard (And How to Make It Easier) – One of the common complaints about WordPress is that it is complicated for beginners. In this article, we explained why it feels difficult and how you can quickly make it easier.
Introducing Broken Link Checker – Never Have Dead Links On Your WordPress Site Again – In April, we announced the release of a new broken link checker plugin. It enables website owners to easily track and fix broken links on their website.
How to Start a Successful YouTube Channel for Your Business – Starting a YouTube channel is a popular online business idea. We made a step-by-step walkthrough for beginners to easily start a successful YouTube channel for their businesses.
13-Point WordPress SEO Checklist for Beginners – Many of our users asked us if we can highlight the most important SEO steps that they should take. In this tutorial, we shared our tried and tested WordPress SEO checklist that any user can apply to their website.
WPForms vs. Gravity Forms vs. Formidable Forms: Which is Best? – In this article, we compared WPForms, Gravity Forms, and Formidable Forms. We analyzed their ease of use, customization options, add-ons, and integrations so that you can choose the best WordPress form builder for your website.
May
In May, we launched three free tools for WPBeginner users:
The following are some of the best articles from the same month:
How to Choose a Target Audience for Blogs (+ Examples) – Picking a target audience allows you to create better content that resonates with your users. This helps you get more conversions and sales. In this article, we showed you how to choose your target audience with practical examples.
How to Fix WordPress Redirecting to Old Domain After Migration – This is a common redirection issue users face when migrating to a new domain name. In this tutorial, we explained what causes it and how to fix WordPress redirecting to the old domain after migrating your website.
How to Create a Digital Product Marketplace in WordPress – Want to create a marketplace where other digital creators can sell their products? In this step-by-step guide, we showed how to make a digital product marketplace in WordPress.
June
In June, we launched these free tools for WPBeginner users:
- Keyword Density Checker – Helps you find the most optimized keywords on any content to fix over-optimization and boost rankings.
- Keyword Generator Tool – Makes keyword research easy by showing you 300+ keyword ideas people are searching for about your topic in Google.
- Email Signature Generator – Create your professional-looking email signature in a few minutes by choosing a template with your details and style.
What is Content Decay? (And How to Fix It) – Content decay is the decline in organic traffic and search rankings over time. Unless you update your content, you will continue to lose rankings and traffic. In this article, we explained content decay and how to monitor and fix it.
How to Edit WooCommerce Pages (No Coding Required) – WooCommerce creates several pages to display storefront, product pages, cart, and checkout. Small improvements to these pages can result in higher sales and less cart abandonment for your store. In this article, we showed how to edit WooCommerce pages without any coding skills.
How to Backup Your WordPress Site (4 Easy Ways) – Creating a backup is compulsory to protect your website data against security threats and human errors. You can easily restore a saved site version in case anything goes wrong. In this tutorial, we showed four ways to back up your WordPress site easily.
How to Write a Great Blog Post (Structure + Examples) – You can write a compelling and helpful blog post, but without the right structure, only a few people may read it. In this article, we explained how to write a great blog post with proper structure and examples.
July
How to Sell Videos Online With WordPress (Step by Step) – Selling videos with WordPress is easy and gives you more control over your content and earnings. You’ll be able to sell the same video files countless times. In this tutorial, we showed you how to sell videos online with WordPress easily.
How to Do a UX Audit of Your WordPress Site – User experience (UX) is an important factor in the success of a website. A good user experience can lead to more conversions and sales, while a poor UX costs money. In this guide, we showed how to do a proper UX audit of your WordPress site.
12 Best ChatGPT Alternatives for Bloggers / Marketers – AI-powered tools like ChatGPT can give you a competitive advantage by boosting productivity, generating ideas, and automating workflows. In this article, we shared the best ChatGPT alternatives to help you use more artificial intelligence in your daily tasks.
5 Best Monthly Web Hosting Plans (Starts at $4.95/mo.) – Some of our users asked us to recommend the best hosting plans where they can pay month-to-month instead of annually. In this article, we shared our top picks of the best monthly web hosting plans.
August
7 Best Yoast SEO Alternatives for WordPress – Yoast SEO is one of the most popular WordPress SEO plugins, but there are newer solutions that are innovating faster and are up-to-date with the latest SEO trends. In this article, we showcased the best Yoast SEO alternatives for WordPress that you can try.
How to Understand WordPress Website Visitors Intent – Understanding user intent helps you create more helpful content and a better user experience. In this article, we shared tips to understand WordPress website visitors’ intent.
Is WordPress Dying? The State of WordPress – Have you seen claims and rumors that WordPress is dying or about to be replaced by a newer website builder or software? In this article, we shared the state of WordPress to show you that there’s absolutely no truth to the rumors that WordPress is dying.
How to Use AI for SEO in WordPress (12 Tools) – Wondering how artificial intelligence can help you with SEO? In this article, we shared the best tools that let you use AI for WordPress SEO.
Introducing a New Chrome Extension by All in One SEO – Have you ever wished for an easy way to quickly get a full SEO audit of any page? All in One SEO’s free Google Chrome extension helps you do just that. In this article, we showed how to use All in One SEO’s Chrome Extension to quickly perform an SEO audit of any page in your browser.
September
How to Find and Fix Broken Links in WordPress (Step by Step) – Broken links create a bad user experience, a loss in search rankings, and can cost you money. In this article, we showed how to easily track and fix broken links in WordPress easily.
The Future of WordPress: What to Expect (Our Predictions) – Over the years, WordPress has continued to grow and evolve to meet the changing needs of website owners. But what can we expect in the future? In this article, we talked about the future of WordPress and what you can expect.
How to Optimize the Customer Journey for WooCommerce Store – By optimizing the WooCommerce customer journey, you can increase conversion rates, improve customer satisfaction, and boost profits. In this article, we shared how to optimize the customer journey for your WooCommerce store from beginning to end.
WordPress Career Options – How to Make a Living With WordPress – Want to make a living using WordPress? In this article, we shared several career options that let you make a living using WordPress.
Creator Economy Statistics That Will Blow You Away – From full-time content creators to hobbyists, the creator economy industry has grown a lot over the years. Our research team compiled creator economy statistics that will surprise you.
October
How to Do a SEO Content Gap Analysis (Beginner’s Guide) – If you are struggling to find good topics to blog about or want to boost your existing posts to the top, then a content gap analysis is a surefire way to steal competitor traffic. In this article, we outlined the steps to perform an SEO content gap analysis so you can gain an edge over your competitors’ sites.
What Is Google Knowledge Panel + How to Claim It With WordPress – Google often displays informational panels called Knowledge Panels about people, organizations, and products. In this article, we explained Google Knowledge Panels and how you can claim one with WordPress.
How to Determine the Ideal Size of a Web Server for Your Website – The size of a web server depends on different components and resources. More popular websites will need a larger web server, but lower-traffic websites can get by with a smaller one. In this article, we showed how to determine the size of a web server best suited to your website.
How Much Is My Website Worth? (REAL Value) – Buying and selling websites is a massive industry. Knowing your website’s value can help you feel good about its progress and stay motivated to keep growing it. In this article, we talked about how to calculate your website’s worth.
How to Quickly Generate 100+ Blog Post Ideas (3 Methods) – Many bloggers struggle to find blog post ideas to keep their audience engaged. In this guide, we shared quick and easy ways to generate 100+ blog post ideas.
November
60+ Affiliate Marketing Statistics You Need to Know – The affiliate marketing industry is how many content creators make their living. For this article, our research team compiled affiliate marketing statistics that may surprise you.
A Complete Beginner’s Guide to WordPress Full Site Editing – Full Site Editing has changed how users can build their websites using WordPress. In this article, we showed how to use the WordPress Full Site Editor.
How to Stress Test a WordPress Website – Stress testing a WordPress website will show how your website will perform in different situations. This way, you can ensure fast performance and resolve any issues. In this article, we showed how to stress test a WordPress website easily.
Beginner’s Guide to WordPress Email Marketing Automation – Email marketing automation allows you to save time by automating tasks, creating drip emails, and using tools to grow your email list. In this beginner’s guide, we walked you through WordPress email marketing automation with tips, tricks, and tools that you can use.
How to Monitor Google Algorithm Updates in WordPress – Google algorithm updates are changes made by Google to its search engine ranking algorithm. These updates can significantly impact your website’s visibility in search engines and its organic traffic. In this article, we explained how to monitor Google algorithm updates in WordPress.
December
9 Best Credit Card Processing Plugins for WordPress (Compared) – Credit card processing plugins are the best way to accept online payments on your WordPress site. In this article, we compared the best credit card processing plugins and show you how to pick the right one for your business.
How to Grow Pricing Page Conversions by 30% Today (9 Ways) – In this guest post, Thomas Griffin, co-founder of OptinMonster, shared his no-nonsense list of the best tips for how to grow your pricing page conversions by at least 30%.
How to Create a Wholesale Order Form in WordPress (3 Ways) – A wholesale form lets buyers purchase in bulk and customize the products to fit their needs. In this article, we discussed how to create a wholesale order form in WordPress so customers can buy your products in bulk faster.
How to Get Website Design Feedback in WordPress (Step by Step) – Website design feedback is vital for improving the user experience for your visitors. In this guide, we shared how to get feedback on your WordPress website design using a survey widget.
These were some of the best WordPress tutorials on WPBeginner in 2023. We hope that you found them helpful.
We want to thank all WPBeginner users who visited our website, offered feedback, left comments, and shared our content with others. We truly appreciate you.
We look forward to adding even more helpful WordPress tutorials in 2024. Have a Happy New Year.
If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
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The Ultimate eCommerce Launch Checklist for WordPress
Starting a new online store can feel intimidating, especially if you’ve never done it before. There are a lot of things to keep track of, from choosing the right eCommerce software to promoting your products.
However, following an eCommerce launch checklist ensures that you don’t miss any crucial steps that could impact your store’s success. This list can help you stay organized, prevent errors, and boost efficiency.
In this article, we will share the ultimate eCommerce launch checklist for WordPress.
Why Use an eCommerce Launch Checklist for Your New Online Store?
An eCommerce checklist allows you to check your online store’s security, pages, checkout options, SEO, and other features without forgetting anything before you launch it.
It acts as a safety net, catching any potential errors or snags that you may have overlooked while preparing your website for launch.
Plus, it keeps you on track and helps you avoid any delays. This physical or digital product launch checklist allows you to prioritize tasks based on importance and deadlines.
If you are working with a team, it also ensures that everyone stays on the same page and tasks are divided effectively. Other than that, it can also be used to evaluate your launch and identify areas for improvement.
Having said that, you are now ready to follow the ultimate eCommerce launch checklist to prepare your store for success. Here is a breakdown of the steps we will cover in this guide:
1. Choose a Website Builder and a Hosting Plan
To start an online store, you will first need to select a website builder. We recommend WordPress because it is the best website builder on the market with over 43% of all sites using it.
It is free, flexible, has several customization options, and is super scalable for businesses of all sizes. This makes it the ideal choice for your eCommerce store.
Note: Keep in mind that we are talking about WordPress.org, which is an open source platform. There is also WordPress.com, which is a self-hosted software. You can view our comparison on WordPress.org vs. WordPress.com to see the difference.
Now even though WordPress is free, you will still need to purchase a hosting plan and domain name for it. Hosting is where your website stores all its data while a domain is your store’s name on the internet, like www.shoppingonline.com.
Expert Tip: If you are just starting your store, then you can use our WPBeginner Free Business Name Generator to come up with your company name.
If you plan to sell physical products, then we recommend Bluehost WooCommerce hosting. This is a WordPress-recommended company that also offers a free domain name, SSL certificate, and pre-installed WooCommerce.
Plus Bluehost offers a huge discount to WPBeginner readers. To take advantage of this offer, just click the button below.
However, if you want to sell digital products, then SiteGround’s managed hosting for Easy Digital Downloads is the better option.
It comes with a free SSL certificate, EDD pre-installed, all the optimization features, and a huge 81% discount, making it a great choice.
To get this discount offer, just click the button below.
Once you purchase hosting and set up a domain name, WordPress will automatically be installed for you. You can now head to your dashboard to start creating your store.
For more details, see our guide on how to make a WordPress website.
2. Choose the Right eCommerce Platform
The next step in creating and launching an eCommerce store is to select a platform that allows you to build a store without any coding.
For this, we recommend WooCommerce because it is the best eCommerce plugin on the market and is completely free.
The plugin allows you to easily add products, integrates with numerous payment gateways, and supports multiple currencies and languages, making it a great choice for creating your store. For details, you can see our guide on WooCommerce made simple.
However, if you plan to sell digital products on your eCommerce platform, then we recommend Easy Digital Downloads instead.
It allows you to sell eBooks, music, PDFs, and any other digital products you want. Plus, the plugin is beginner-friendly, integrates with a lot of different payment gateways, has in-depth reporting, and connects with email marketing solutions.
For details, you can see our tutorial on how to sell digital downloads on WordPress.
Note: If you have created a store that sells digital goods, then the following list will still work for you as a digital product launch checklist.
3. Create and Check All the Pages for Your Store
After you have added your products to your store, it’s time to create some pages on your website. We recommend starting with the home page and making it attractive because it will be customers’ introduction to your website.
You should add a CTA (Call To Action) on this page to direct users to where you want them. Additionally, you should create a navigation menu so users can browse through your store easily.
For example, this is the homepage for WPForms, a popular WordPress form builder. As you can see, it has a prominent CTA button that directs users to the online store for the plugin software.
For details on how to do this for your online store, see our tutorial on how to create a custom home page in WordPress.
Bonus Tip: If it feels like too much work to create custom pages for your store, then you can opt for WPBeginner’s Website Design services instead. Our team can create a beautiful and functional eCommerce website tailored to your specific needs, complete with a seamless checkout process and optimized for conversions.
Depending on which eCommerce plugin you are using, it should have already created a checkout page, products page, and cart page for your online store.
You can customize these pages using SeedProd, which is the best page builder on the market. It fully supports the WooCommerce integration and also has special WooCommerce blocks that you can add to any page you want.
The plugin also offers numerous premade templates and a drag-and-drop builder, making the process super easy.
For more information, see our beginner’s guide on how to edit WooCommerce pages.
4. Create a Seamless Checkout Process
Next, you need to create a seamless checkout process for your store. This will improve conversion rates, reduce cart abandonment, and boost your brand’s image.
To do this, you must integrate your online store with popular and reliable payment gateways like Stripe and PayPal. Customers usually trust these options, and they provide secure transactions, making them a great choice.
Plus, these gateways easily connect with WooCommerce. All you would have to do is install the plugin for these gateways and visit the WooCommerce » Settings » Payments page.
Here, you can toggle the switches to enable different gateways and then add your account details to complete the process. For instructions, see our tutorial on how to accept payments with Stripe in WordPress.
After configuring the gateways, you can add an express checkout button to offer a seamless experience to customers. This button allows users to go directly to the payment page without having to fill in any details.
For information, see our step-by-step tutorial on how to add express checkout buttons in WooCommerce.
If you need some more tips, then you can see our beginner’s guide on how to customize your WooCommerce checkout page.
5. Add Social Proof and FOMO
Now that your store has been set up, adding some social proof before launching it is important. This proof will show visitors that other customers have trusted your store and had a good experience with it.
Plus, it will develop FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) which can boost your sales. One way you can do this is by adding testimonials and customer reviews to your store.
If your customers have left reviews on platforms like Google, Yelp, or Facebook, then you can also showcase these feeds on your site with the Smash Balloon Reviews Feed Plugin.
It comes with a visual editor and makes the process of connecting these platforms with WordPress super easy.
For instructions, see our step-by-step guide on how to show your Google, Facebook, and Yelp reviews in WordPress.
Popups and optins are other great options for building FOMO and social proof.
You can use OptinMonster to display popups with customer reviews and limited-time offers/sales to encourage customers to take action and purchase.
For more details, see our guide on how to increase WooCommerce sales.
Another excellent way to build FOMO amongst customers is to use TrustPulse, which is the best social proof plugin on the market.
It tracks your store activity, such as purchases, signups, and downloads, and then displays notifications in real time that highlight these actions to visitors.
For detailed information, check out our guide on using FOMO on your WordPress site to increase conversions.
6. Add a Contact Form
You need to add a contact form to your online store so that customers can reach out if anything goes wrong, like reporting inappropriate behavior or having issues processing their payments.
For this, you can opt for WPForms, which is the best contact form plugin on the market. It has a beginner-friendly drag-and-drop builder, 1800+ premade form templates, and complete spam protection.
Upon activation, you can simply use the plugin’s ‘Simple Contact Form’ template and add it to any page you like using the WPForms block.
For details, see our tutorial on how to add a contact form in WordPress.
Keep in mind that this is a good solution if you are just starting your store, but as your website grows, a contact form won’t be sufficient to provide all customer support.
Add Other Tools To Contact Support
When you outgrow a contact form as the only way that customers can reach you, we recommend using a business phone service.
We believe Nextiva is the best business phone service for your site. We actually use Nextiva for our business, and you can read more about it in our complete Nextiva review.
It will allow customers to contact you over phone calls and you can also set up an auto attendant if you want.
Plus, you can use Nextiva to add live chat, online faxing, surveys, CRM, analytics, and more.
If your store grows rapidly, then we recommend picking a customer service tool like Groove, which will allow you to manage all your customer data in one place. We use Groove across a few of our brands, which you can learn about in our complete Groove review.
You can also create a knowledge base, use AI to create smart responses, and set up automated workflows.
For more information, see our top picks for the best customer service software.
7. Optimize Your Store for Search Engines
Before launching your store, you must optimize it for search engines so that it will rank high in search results and gets more traffic and customers.
This is where All in One SEO (AIOSEO) comes in. It is the best WordPress SEO plugin that allows you to optimize your store in just a few minutes.
The plugin has a broken link checker, schema generator, XML sitemaps, on-page SEO checklist, keyword tracker, image SEO, and so much more. For more details, you can see our AIOSEO review.
Plus, AIOSEO offers a GTIN, ISBN, and MPN schema that allows your individual products to rank in search results.
You can also write product SEO titles and descriptions, optimize slugs, enable breadcrumbs, and add alt text for product images.
For detailed instructions, see our ultimate WooCommerce SEO guide.
8. Set Up Email Marketing
Before opening your store, you must choose an email marketing service and set up your account on it. This is an important step of your physical or digital product launch checklist because it allows you to start building an email list as soon as your store goes live.
You can then send cart abandonment, welcome, birthday, or discount offer emails to customers to bring them back to your website and earn their loyalty.
For your online store, we recommend using Constant Contact because it is the best email marketing software for small businesses.
It allows you to add signup forms and comes with automation tools, email segmenting, split testing features, drip campaigns, and a visual builder for workflows.
The tool also offers easy tracking and reporting, built-in social media sharing tools, a free image library, Facebook ads integration, and amazing customer support.
For details, you can see our guide on how to connect Constant Contact with WordPress.
However, if you plan to consistently send automated emails for order confirmations, abandoned carts, and invoices, then FunnelKit Automations is a better choice.
It is the best automation marketing plugin for WooCommerce that comes with a visual funnel builder, premade email automation templates, A/B testing, and more.
For complete details, see our tutorial on how to send automated emails in WordPress.
9. Set Up Google Analytics
Another crucial step to making your store customer-ready is installing Google Analytics. This will allow you to track your store’s performance and give you real-time insights into how users interact with your website.
You can then use this data to improve your marketing strategy and drive more sales.
To make using Google Analytics super easy, you can use MonsterInsights, which is hands-down the best analytics solution for WordPress.
It easily integrates with WooCommece and lets you track product performance, shopping cart abandonment rates, and checkout behavior. You can easily identify products with high abandonment rates and take steps to improve those product pages.
For more information, see our step-by-step guide on how to set up WooCommerce conversion tracking.
10. Create a Backup of Your eCommerce Store
Once you have added all the features to your online store and feel that it’s ready for launch, we recommend first creating a backup.
This will allow you to safeguard your data against security threats and let you recover it in case of data loss due to malware or hackers.
For this, you can use Duplicator, which is the best WordPress backup plugin. It has features like scheduled backups, recovery points, cloud storage integration, migration tools, and more.
With this plugin, you can create a backup right from your WordPress dashboard in just a few minutes.
For step-by-step instructions, see our tutorial on how to back up your WordPress site.
11. Secure Your Online Store
Once you have followed all the steps in our eCommerce launch checklist, your store is ready to go live. However, you can still take some extra steps to secure your online store from malware or hackers.
To do this, you can use Cloudflare, which the best security solution for WordPress. It comes with a powerful firewall to filter out bad traffic, prevents DDOS attacks, and has a browser integrity check to block hackers.
Plus, it has an amazing CDN (Content Delivery Network) that improves your page load time by caching static content across multiple servers worldwide.
Note: We use Cloudflare at WPBeginner to protect our site from hackers and malware. Overall, we have had an amazing experience with the tool and have even observed improved page load times since we started using it.
Cloudflare also lets you optimize your images for reduced bandwidth, add page rules, manage SSL certificates, perform email routing, use fast DNS services, and identify and block malicious bots.
However, if you have a small business or blog, then Cloudflare may not be the best option. In that case, you can pick Sucuri, which is a popular firewall plugin that comes with a free plan.
For more tips, see our ultimate WordPress security guide.
Keep in mind that once you implement these security measures, you will still need to monitor your site regularly for threats or malware, which can be time-consuming and a bit annoying.
That is why we recommend WPBeginner’s Website Maintenance Service. Our team of experts will provide 24/7 maintenance and support to your website.
We will consistently update WordPress core, themes, and plugins, monitor uptime, remove malware, create routine cloud backups, prevent slow-loading page times, and even give you detailed maintenance reports.
Plus, we offer affordable pricing, making us an ideal choice for small businesses. For details, see our WPBeginner Pro Services page.
Frequently Asked Questions About Launching an eCommerce Store
Here are some questions that are frequently asked by our readers about starting an eCommerce website.
Is WordPress good for eCommerce?
WordPress.org is an excellent platform for your eCommerce store because it is open-source, free, scalable, and beginner-friendly.
It is used by 43% of the sites on the internet, has a massive community, and gives you complete freedom to build an online store according to your liking. To learn more, you can see our guide on whether WordPress is good for eCommerce.
Do I need any coding knowledge to launch a WordPress eCommerce store?
You do not need any coding knowledge to start an online store. All you have to do is select an eCommerce plugin and configure its settings to launch your store in just a few minutes. Plus, you can use a drag-and-drop page builder like SeedProd to design your store without coding.
How much does it cost to launch a WordPress eCommerce store?
Your eCommerce store costs can add up as you choose a hosting provider ($5-$25/month), domain name ($10-$15/yr), and eCommerce plugin (free-paid) for your store.
In our opinion, costs will start at about $100 to build a basic online store, with costs adding up as your store grows.
Related Guides to Help You Build an eCommerce Store
If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
WORDPRESS
John Kostak of Web Dev USA – WordPress.com News
John Kostak has been building websites for longer than most social media networks have even been around. So splashy features don’t interest him much—he’s far more into performance, reliability, and compatibility. Which is why he and his company, Web Development USA, have been using WordPress.com from the start.
In this fun Q&A, John shares more about his WordPress journey, what matters most to him as a developer, and a few of his favorite sites (in spite of the fact that it was like making him pick his favorite child). Note: The interview has been edited for clarity and length.
If John’s love for WordPress.com has you reconsidering your current hosting environment, you can learn more about our specs and get started at WordPress.com/hosting.
Jeremy: How long have you been using WordPress and WordPress.com?
John: I have been building websites for about 15 or 16 years and started in a corporate environment for a large company. We never had an internal digital team and we basically created our own digital agency within this big corporate company. And that was pretty innovative back then.
Then out of that, I spun off and started Web Development USA. That began in 2015, and so next year will be our 10th year, which is crazy to think about. But it went quickly because we really do enjoy this. And we look for people who find this to be a passion, as we do.
Jeremy: Have you been using WordPress.com the entire time?
John: Yes we have. We started doing some testing with SiteGround and Elementor hosting, but we still like WordPress.com the best. You know you can go through a McDonald’s three miles away or 10,000 miles away on the other side of the planet and your lunch is going to be reasonably what you expect. That’s what WordPress.com feels like with its consistency and the familiarity of the UI and getting around.
Jeremy: What do you like most about WordPress.com? Is it about ease of use on your side as a builder? Convenience for the customer? Both?
John: Resiliency. With Jetpack at the core and all the updates that it does, we just don’t have that much of a risk of things exploding, especially when we bring contractors in and out. We can always fall back to a previous state, and we have an exact record of it. We can get into PHP code. We can get into the very, very back end if we want. We can really be dangerous if we want, without being too afraid of it.
Overall, it is certainly the all-around performance, security, and cadence that you use for backing up sites.
Jeremy: What are some of your favorite features when building sites on WordPress? Do you have go-to themes, blocks, plugins, etc.?
John: Well, it’s changed over the years. We used to use standard old-school wireframe and theme templates that were very basic. And then we went into more “custom designer” mode, I would say, with templates and flashy designs. We graduated from Walmart t-shirts to Gucci t-shirts. And, you know, we enjoyed that for a while.
Now we’re going back to robust wireframes and doing more from scratch. What’s more important now is really the entire stack, including performance and compatibility. You know, we just don’t have time to troubleshoot when we have some whizzy feature on the site. We don’t have time to go in and look for why the thing is down. So, we are sort of simplifying certain things and then standardizing on a certain stack.
Jeremy: What excites you about the future of WordPress.com? Are there any new features you’re especially excited to try out and use?
John: Honestly, we just don’t have time to get into a lot of that. We don’t look much to experimental features or anything like that. We’re trusting that by the time the feature or tool makes its way into being a standard of WordPress, it will be tried and true. We’re not looking for early adopter types of things anymore.
The reality is that our value add is more about custom coding for integrations—maybe for a particular reservation system that has to shake hands and stay for a while on the site before it goes out to a third-party point of sale. It takes some custom coding there. That’s where our focus has really been—managed services and then a lot more programming. We’ve been onboarding more programmers in the last 18 months than we did the first eight years of the company.
Jeremy: Do you have a few favorite client sites that you can share?
John: Well, Jeremy, it’s like asking you who’s your favorite child.
Jeremy: Depending on the week, I can give you a pretty good answer. 😊
John: Yeah, that’s a good point! Sure, I have a few:
Get started at WordPress.com today
Even though WordPress.com provides the freedom and tools to create stunningly beautiful and innovative websites, that’s not why developers choose us. Folks like John Kostak rely on WordPress.com because we have the most performant, secure, and compatible infrastructure out there. If you made it this far, you already know that you don’t have to take our word for it.
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Analysing Features, Pricing, and User Experience
When I started building my website with WordPress, I stumbled upon Elementor’s plugin. This powerful website builder, known for its drag-and-drop interface, has been my go-to tool, thanks to its user-friendly interface and wide array of design options.
Since then, Elementor decided to take things up a notch by expanding into the hosting space.
Elementor Hosting is a hosting service tailor-made for WordPress users, seamlessly integrated with Elementor’s page builder and WooCommerce. With Elementor hosting, you get a streamlined experience from site creation to publication, all within the Elementor platform.
This article will dive into Elementor’s hosting service, examining its features, pricing, and overall value, providing an in-depth Elementor Hosting review.
What is Elementor Hosting
Elementor Hosting is a managed web hosting service provided by Elementor, the industry-leading WordPress website builder.
I’ve found that Elementor Hosting is designed to seamlessly merge web hosting services with the advanced capabilities of the Elementor page builder. This unique integration creates an all-in-one platform that empowers you with everything you might need for website creation, hosting, and management.
In a single package, you gain access to the Elementor Pro website builder, valued at $99 per year, alongside the freedom to install preferred plugins.
Keep reading this full hands-on Elementor Hosting review to decide if this is the right option for you.
Who is Elementor Hosting for?
Elementor Hosting is designed for users who want to create, manage, and host WordPress websites using the Elementor website builder.
Here’s a closer look at who might find Elementor Hosting particularly beneficial:
- Web developers and designers: Elementor is a great choice for people who regularly build websites for clients and appreciate its versatility and extensive design capabilities.
- Small- and medium-sized businesses: Ideal for entrepreneurs looking to establish or enhance their online presence with a polished web design without shelling out hefty design fees.
- Bloggers and content creators: Elementor Hosting is suitable for individuals seeking a user-friendly platform that enables them to concentrate on content creation.
- E-commerce store owners: Elementor Hosting comes with WooCommerce, which is great for people with an online store.
- Marketing and SEO professionals: Perfect for marketing professionals requiring quickly editable and optimized web assets.
Core Features of Elementor Hosting
Elementor Hosting is tailored to offer a seamless experience for users who wish to design, manage, and host websites easily. You get everything under one roof — editor, theme, and hosting.
Before we get into how you can easily build a website with Elementor Hosting, let’s have a look at the features.
Below are the core features that make Elementor Hosting stand out.
Page Builder
Elementor is the #1 Page Builder plugin for WordPress, and it comes free of cost with Elementor Hosting. You get all the following features of Elementor Page Builder to build your WordPress website:
- Drag-and-Drop Editor: Elementor’s website builder is renowned for its user-friendly drag-and-drop interface, allowing users to build websites without any coding knowledge.
- Responsive Design: Every design or element you create will be responsive, ensuring your site looks great on all devices.
- Live Editing: See the changes you make in real-time, offering a true what-you-see-is-what-you-get experience.
Pre-Designed Templates
When building a website with Elementor Page Builder, you can choose from an empty canvas, wireframe designs, or a design from a large library of all-inclusive website templates.
- Extensive Template Library: Access to a vast library of pre-designed templates suited for various industries and purposes.
- Blocks and Sections: Apart from full-page templates, Elementor also offers blocks and sections to quickly build custom pages.
- Template Import/Export: Easily import templates from other projects or export them for use in different websites.
Customization Options
With Page Builder, you get a comprehensive collection of widgets and global settings to add different functionalities to your web pages, such as sliders, buttons, and forms.
- Widgets: A wide range of widgets are available to add functionality to your pages, such as buttons, headings, sliders, and more.
- Theme Builder: Gain control over your website’s theme, allowing you to design headers, footers, single posts, and archive pages.
- Global Settings: Customize and maintain a consistent design across your website with global settings for colors, fonts, and other styling options
Performance and Security
- Optimized for Speed: Elementor Hosting is optimized for performance, ensuring fast loading times for your website.
- Secure Hosting: Implementing the latest security measures to protect your website from online threats.
Integrations with Other Tools
- WordPress Ecosystem: Seamless integration with the vast array of WordPress plugins and themes, expanding the functionality of your website.
- Marketing Tools: Integration with popular marketing tools and platforms, such as MailChimp, HubSpot, and ConvertKit, to enhance your marketing efforts.
- eCommerce: Full compatibility with WooCommerce, allowing you to build and manage an online store directly within your website.
Elementor Hosting Dashboard
Elementor hosting has an easy-to-navigate dashboard where you can manage your site(s), teams, and subscriptions. You can choose which websites you’re hosting with Elementor Hosting and which ones you’re hosting somewhere else. Accessing the site’s dashboard gives you access to:
- Manage Domains: Simplifies custom domain setup with an intuitive process. Initially assigns a temporary staging domain.
- Email Account: Easily set up email sending post-domain connection. Partnered with Zoho Mail, Google Workspace, and Microsoft 365 for custom business emails.
- Backups: Access automatic daily backups and initiate manual backups for data security.
- Advanced: Provides tools like staging sites, phpMyAdmin, and SFTP details for advanced management. Creating staging sites is effortless with supported plans.
Onboarding Experience with Elementor Hosting
Starting my journey with Elementor Hosting was a breeze, thanks to its seamless onboarding process. From signing up to getting my website up and running, the platform guided me every step of the way, ensuring a smooth and hassle-free experience.
Here are the steps that you can also follow to set up your WordPress website with Elementor Hosting:
Step 1: Sign Up
- Plan Selection: Choose the hosting plan that best fits your needs. Elementor Hosting offers various plans based on the size and requirements of your website.
Step 2: Website Setup
- Domain Configuration: You can either register a new domain through Elementor or connect an existing domain to your Elementor hosting account.
- WordPress Installation: Elementor Hosting automatically installs WordPress for you, eliminating the need for manual setup.
Step 3: Elementor Plugin and Theme Installation
- Automatic Installation: The Elementor plugin and Hello Elementor theme are automatically installed on your WordPress site. This ensures you have the essential tools to start designing your website immediately.
- Activation: Log in to your WordPress dashboard, where you’ll find the Elementor plugin and theme already activated.
Step 4: Template Selection and Customization
- Template Library Access: Upon entering the Elementor editor, you’ll have access to a wide range of pre-designed templates. Choose one that fits your website’s purpose.
- Customization: Utilize the drag-and-drop editor to customize your chosen template. You can change text, images, layout, and more to match your brand. Here, I have chosen the interior design agency template from Elementor.
Step 5: Website Launch
- Preview and Test: Before going live, preview your site and test all functionalities to ensure everything works as expected. With Elementor’s responsive design, you can check how every element looks across all devices.
- Publish: Once you’re satisfied with your website, hit the publish button.
Congratulations, your website is now live!
Plans and Pricing
Elementor offers different tiers of hosting plans tailored to various needs, from personal blogs to business websites.
Basic Plan
- Price: $9.99/month (discounted from $14.99)
- Features: Includes Elementor Pro, 10 GB storage, 25K monthly visits, and 30 GB/mo bandwidth.
Business Plan
- Price: $19.99/month (discounted from $24.99)
- Features: Everything in Basic plus more storage and bandwidth for higher traffic sites.
Grow Plan
- Price: $49.99/month (discounted from $59.99)
- Features: Includes all Business plan features with increased storage, bandwidth, and monthly visitor limits to support growing websites.
Scale Plan
- Price: $299.99/month (discounted from $349.99)
- Features: Includes all Grow plan features with expanded resources, advanced performance optimization, and priority support.
Educational resources
Elementor offers a wealth of educational resources designed to help users learn, grow, and excel in web creation. These resources cater to a wide range of audiences, from beginners to advanced users, covering various aspects of using Elementor and web design in general.
Below is an overview of the key educational resources provided by Elementor.
1. Elementor Academy
The Elementor Academy is a comprehensive learning hub filled with courses and tutorials aimed at enhancing your web creation skills. Whether you’re looking to understand the basics of using Elementor or delve into advanced design techniques, the academy has something for everyone.
2. Help Center
The Help Center is your go-to resource for detailed articles and guides on troubleshooting, FAQs, and step-by-step instructions on using Elementor features. It’s a valuable resource for solving specific issues you might encounter while working with Elementor.
3. Elementor Blog
The Elementor Blog is an excellent source of inspiration, tips, and the latest trends in web design and marketing. It features articles written by web design professionals and Elementor experts on everything from cloning your websites to new features and the latest releases.
Customer Feedback and Reviews
Per user reviews, while Elementor Hosting shines, there are complaints about its support lacking efficacy.
Nonetheless, Elementor Hosting is praised by individuals building personal websites and agency owners alike.
Check out the positive Elementor Hosting reviews received on Trustpilot, and you’ll be instantly convinced.
Final thoughts
Overall, I think Elementor Hosting is a great choice that will work well for various types of websites that web designers, business owners, bloggers, e-commerce entrepreneurs, or simply someone with a passion for web design are trying to build.
It simplifies the entire website-building process by eliminating the need to purchase hosting separately. At the same time, you also get great pricing that comes included with Elementor Pro at no extra cost. Furthermore, the performance and speed optimizations tailored for WordPress and Elementor ensure that websites hosted on this platform look great and deliver an exceptional user experience.
In a world where being online has become crucial, Elementor Hosting can help users create their web designs with ease, style, and comfort.
Keep reading the article at WP Mayor. The article was originally written by Osheen Jain on 2024-04-01 07:00:00.
The article was hand-picked and curated for you by the Editorial Team of WP Archives.
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