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Cashfree payment gateway pricing, charges, features, and faqs

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Cashfree payment gateway pricing, charges, features, and faqs

Ecommerce is booming in India, and so are Digital payments, isn’t it?

Despite the pandemic, or maybe, because of it, more eCommerce stores are popping up.

Whatever the situation, the growing eCommerce industry needs an efficient payment system. With the Increasing digital payment trends, the payment gateway solution has quickly become a crucial tool in the Indian market.

But with so many payment gateways available, you’ve probably come across Cashfree.
The question is, what makes Cashfree different from other payment gateways? Let’s start with some basics first.

What is Cashfree payment Gateway?

Founded in 2015 by Akash Sinha and Reeju Dutta as a payment gateway, the founders decided to make it a dedicated bulk payout solution for businesses in India later in mid-2016.

With 3 lakhs+ merchants connected with the Cashfree payments solution and 40 billion+ U.S. Dollars processed annually, it is one of India’s most trusted payment gateways.

But what makes it popular is offering the lowest TDR in India.

Cashfree payment gateway is a user-friendly Indian payment gateway and API payment platform that offers a wide range of features and services that make it an attractive option for businesses. It provides solutions for online payments and cash-on-delivery payments designed for companies based in India.

It is developer friendly and can integrate with any website and other website-building platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, Wix, WordPress, and more.

In addition, international payment support helps businesses to extend their reach to customers abroad by supporting 30+ foreign currencies.

This article shows cashfree payment gateway reviews on the pricing, charges, features, and FAQs. Buckle up; it is going to be an in-depth read!

Which payment options does the Cashfree payment gateway support?

In a fast-paced and modern world, businesses need to be able to accept payments in multiple ways.

Access to multiple payment modes benefits both the merchant and the buyer because it provides flexibility and convenience.

For the merchant, it allows them to accept payments in the most convenient form for the buyer. On the other hand, it allows customers to pay in the most convenient form. This flexibility and convenience are why access to multiple payment modes is so beneficial.

This gives customers the convenience they crave and helps businesses tap into new markets. It helps increase customer satisfaction, boost sales, help run payments smoothly, and increase the rate of successful business transactions.

Cashfree offers 120+ payment options for customers in India and abroad, allowing transactions in 30+ currencies. The payment modes include Credit and Debit cards, Net Banking (65+ Indian Banks), Paytm, and other wallets, UPI via BHIM, Google pay, EMI options, and Buy Now Pay Later.

In addition, it allows businesses to collect payments for subscriptions via links or API, UPI Autopay, and E-mandate making it a convenient option for Indians across the country.

The upper limit transaction for the Cashfree payment gateway is 1 lakh INR which can be modified in the dashboard under ‘Payment Methods.’

Cashfree payment gateway features

Cashfree Payment Gateway is aleading online payment service offering multiple features for customers and merchants. Some of the important features include the following-

  1. Accepting Payments using International Cards
    Accepting payment using International cards allows businesses to expand their reach to a global audience. It also helps build customer trust, as they know they can use their preferred payment method.

    Additionally, it can help to increase conversion rates, as customers are more likely to complete a purchase if they can pay with their preferred method.

    Cashfree payment gateway allows accepting payments through International cards using Visa, Mastercard, Paypal, Paytm, Diners Club, and American Express.

  2. Multi-Currency Support
    The payment gateways provide customers with a seamless and secure checkout process. Regarding cross-border sales, payment gateways play a key role in helping merchants process online transactions with efficiency and good user experience.

    Merchants selling across the globe need to choose the payment gateway carefully. The multicurrency feature allows the merchant to accept and make payments through an online portal with currency flexibility.

    Cashfree payment gateway allows international transactions in 30+ currencies, including USD, GBP, EUR, AED, CAD, and many more.

  3. Recurring Billing Solutions
    Recurring billing is the automatic, regular billing process that automates the payment collecting process once customers signups for a subscription service, like SaaS products or an eCommerce service.

    It allows merchants to draw funds from their customer’s accounts regularly for their purchases and services they receive regularly. The amount is transferred from the customer’s account to the merchant’s account, and they are issued an invoice for the same. It ensures an ongoing long-term relationship between customer and merchant instead of a one-time purchase.

    Cashfree payment gateway allows Subscription-based payments using cards (Visa, Mastercard), E-mandate, UPI Autopay, and physical NACH.

  4. Settlement Period
    Payment gateways typically have a settlement period of between 1-3 business days. However, this can vary depending on the gateway provider and the country where the payment was made.
    The settlement period is important because it ensures that all transactions are processed securely and accurately. It also allows merchants to protect themselves from fraudulent activity by giving them time to verify that the payments they receive are legitimate.
    Cashfree payment gateway has a settlement period of T+2 days.

    In addition, it offers an Instant Settlement Cycle of 15 minutes, On-demand Instant settlement, and Same-day settlement options to reconcile all your payments, even on bank holidays, instantly.

  5. Customer Support
    Payment gateways should be designed with robust customer support to ensure that customers can access the assistance they need quickly and easily.
    This could include a customer service line, a chatbot, an FAQ section, or any other support that makes it easy for customers to get the answers they need.
    Additionally, payment gateways should have knowledgeable customer service representatives that can provide personalized assistance and troubleshooting for customers. By providing excellent customer support, payment gateways can ensure that customers have a smooth and pleasant experience when using their services.
    Cashfree payment gateway offers online customer care through the merchant dashboard. It allows customers to submit tickets for any issues, real-time online chat service, an email, and a dedicated relationship manager to solve queries.
    The premium services offer dedicated account managers, priority business support with an assured response time of 30 minutes, and 20% faster resolution to dispute management. Add a few lines around readymade plugins for shopping websites, easy integration as a part of features.

Cashfree payment gateway pricing and charges

Cashfree offers competitive pricing and charges for their payment gateways, with a zero setup fee, minimal transaction fees, and no additional maintenance or hidden fees. It also offers the lowest TDR.

Cashfree payment gateway charges offer premium services with an Annual Maintenance charge of Rs. 4,999/- per year.

Here is a list of Cashfree payment gateway pricing and charges-

  • Transaction fees of 1.90% for Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, ICICI, AmazonPay, Airtel Money, Jio Money, Phonepe, 70+ Net Banking
  • Transaction fees of 0% for UPI and RuPay.
  • Transaction fees of 1.5% for Debit Card EMI – HDFC
  • Transaction fees of 2.5% + TDR for Credit Card EMI – HDFC, Kotak, ICICI, SBI, Bank of Baroda, Standard Chartered, Axis, and others.
  • Transaction fees of 1.9% for Cardless EMI- ICICI bank, Kotak bank, IDFC First bank, HDFC, Federal bank, Zest Money, and KreditBee.
  • Transaction fees of 2.2% for the Pay later option – lazy pay, OlaMoney postpaid, ePayLater, HDFC, Kotak, Simpl, Freecharge PayLater, Zest Money pay later.
  • Transaction fees of 3.5% + Rs.7 for International Cards- Visa, Mastercard.
  • Transaction fees of 2.95% for Diners Club and American Express.
  • Let us compare the pricing of Top payment gateways in India.

    Payment Gateways Cashfree Razorpay Paytm PayU InstaMojo
    (Free Version)
    PayPal
    Annual
    Maintenance
    Charge
    Zero Zero Zero Zero Zero
    Debit Cards 1.9% 2% 0.90% 2% 5% + Rs. 3 Zero
    Credit Cards 1.9% 2% 1.99% 2% 5% + Rs.3
    International
    Credit Cards
    3.5% + Rs. 7 3% 2.99% 3% Available
    on
    Request
    4.4% +
    USD 0.30 +
    Fixed Fee
    American
    Express and
    Diners Club
    2.95% 3% 2.99% 3% Available
    on
    Request
    4.4% +
    USD 0.30 +
    Fixed Fee
    Pay later 2.2% 2%

    Cashfree payment gateway offers customized pricing for customers with high volumes or microtransactions. Please contact their sales department for more information on customized pricing and if it is right for you.

    Cashfree payment gateway integration options

    Online payment gateway aims to help eCommerce companies smoothly accept digital payments from their customers.

    Payment gateways should strive to provide easy integration so businesses can quickly and easily set up their payment system. Integration should be user-friendly and include extensive documentation and support to integrate with popular eCommerce platforms like WooCommerce, Shopify, Magento, WordPress, and more.

    In addition, the payment gateway system should not botch up the website’s UX with a slow payment process.

    Cashfree payment gateway offers easy and seamless multiple integration APIs for website integration, mobile SDK integration, and predefined plugins for some major eCommerce platforms like Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce, Opencart, WHMCS, and PrestaShop.

    FAQs

    • Does Cashfree accept international payments?
      Yes, the Cashfree payment gateway accepts International payments using credit cards, debit cards, and other options with transactional fees of 3.5% + Rs.7 per transaction.
    • How does Cashfree process settlements?
      The Cashfree payment gateway has a standard settlement period of T+2 days, where T is the date of the transaction. But it also offers various settlement options like Instant settlement, same-day settlement, and On-demand instant settlement.
    • How much does Cashfree cost?
      Cashfree payment gateway transaction charge depends upon the payment mode of your customer. Check out the pricing page for more information.
    • Is a Cashfree payment gateway free?
      The Cashfree payment gateway is a free payment gateway that has zero maintenance and setup charges. But it also provides premium support services at an Annual Maintenance Cost of Rs. 4,999 per year.
    • How does cashfree payout work?
      Cashfree payment gateway works seamlessly and efficiently to process merchant’s payments. Here are the steps involved-
      1. The customer enters the card details on the merchant’s site. Payment details are encrypted and tokenized by the payment gateway.
      2. The payment gateway forwards the information to the Acquiring bank, and the acquiring bank forwards the information to the card networks.
      3. The issuing bank authorizes the payment, checks fund availability, and responds positively to the card network (by checking the fund availability).
      4. The card company sends the message to the Acquiring bank and forwards the payment status to the merchant.
      5. As soon as the payment has been approved, the Acquiring bank requests funds from the Issuing bank. Upon receiving the funds, the payment aggregator settles them with the merchant.
    • How to contact cashfree customer care?
      Cashfree payment gateway offers different ways to contact customer care to get help. It allows merchants to contact them from the dashboard, use a real-time live chat option, create a support ticket, and send it by email. If you have premium support, you also get a dedicated relations manager to solve the queries.
    • What documents do I need to submit to get a payment gateway?
      There are different documents needed depending upon the nature of your firm. For example, if you have proprietorship firm documents required are-
      1. Business Address Proof
      2. Cheque or Bank Account Statement
      3. Business registration Proof
      4. The Income Tax Return File
      5. IRDA License
      6. Permission from Local Government Authority
      7. Business PAN
      8. Business Owner PAN.

    To check full details, visit here.

    • 1678559969 306 Cashfree payment gateway pricing charges features and faqs

      Posts are written by the top management Team of Devathon – Modern & Affordable Software development for startups



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The Ultimate eCommerce Launch Checklist for WordPress

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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.

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.

Bluehost WooCommerce HostingBluehost WooCommerce Hosting

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.

SiteGround Managed EDD HostingSiteGround Managed EDD Hosting

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.

WooCommerceWooCommerce

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.

Easy Digital Downloads WebsiteEasy Digital Downloads Website

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.

WPForms' homepageWPForms' homepage

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.

Editing shop page for your WooCommerce themeEditing shop page for your WooCommerce theme

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.

Add Stripe payment gatewayAdd Stripe payment gateway

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.

Express checkout buttons previewExpress checkout buttons preview

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.

Preview for testimonialsPreview for testimonials

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.

Facebook reviews, embedded on a WordPress websiteFacebook reviews, embedded on a WordPress website

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.

OptinMonster's countdown timer on a live websiteOptinMonster's countdown timer on a live website

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.

Fomo notification previewFomo notification preview

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.

WPForms' homepageWPForms' homepage

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.

Add the WPForms block for the online order formAdd the WPForms block for the online order form

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.

Nextiva's homepageNextiva's homepage

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.

GrooveHQGrooveHQ

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.

All in One SEOAll in One SEO

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.

Add the ISBN, GTIN, or MPN and click Update Schema buttonAdd the ISBN, GTIN, or MPN and click Update Schema button

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.

Constant Contact WebsiteConstant Contact Website

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.

Is FunnelKit Automations the right marketing automation plugin for you?Is FunnelKit Automations the right marketing automation plugin for you?

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.

Ecommerce overview report in MonsterInsightsEcommerce overview report in MonsterInsights

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.

Is Duplicator the right backup and migration plugin for you?Is Duplicator the right backup and migration plugin for you?

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.

CloudflareCloudflare

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.

WPBeginner Pro Maintenance ServicesWPBeginner Pro Maintenance Services

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.

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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John Kostak of Web Dev USA – WordPress.com News

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John Kostak of Web Dev USA – WordPress.com News

“We can really be dangerous if we want, without being too afraid of it.”

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:

TuckMusic.com

appalachian-air.com

kdmconsults.com

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. 

Learn more about our top-notch hosting and get started: 


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Analysing Features, Pricing, and User Experience

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Elementor Hosting Review: 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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Bloggers and content creators: Elementor Hosting is suitable for individuals seeking a user-friendly platform that enables them to concentrate on content creation.
  4. E-commerce store owners: Elementor Hosting comes with WooCommerce, which is great for people with an online store.
  5. 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

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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

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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

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  • 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

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  • 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

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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

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  • 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.
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  • Activation: Log in to your WordPress dashboard, where you’ll find the Elementor plugin and theme already activated.
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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.
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  • 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.
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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

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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.

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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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