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Do you plan to start an online store? Are you struggling to make a decision regarding which platform to choose, WooCommerce or Shopify? Then, my friend, this article is just what you need.

In the current scenario, two of the key players in e-commerce are Shopify and WooCommerce. Both of these platforms are good, and there are areas where one excels over the other. Yet, the million-dollar question is which platform is the right one for you.

So, in this blog, we will be helping you answer that question by comparing both of these platforms based on various aspects.

 Cost:

If you are serious about doing business, then the first factor to consider for your business growth is cost.

Since both WooCommerce and Shopify are two similar platforms following different principles, both of these platforms vary quite a lot in terms of cost.

Cost of using Shopify:

The basic plan for Shopify starts at around $29 per month. You have the option to upgrade to the Shopify plan for roughly $79, or you can choose the Advanced Shopify option for $299 a month.

The price includes features such as domain, SSL, and web hosting. Sadly, this price doesn’t include third-party plugins and add-ins, for which you will have to pay extra. In addition, if you desire to use third-party payment gateways, you will be charged a flat fee of 2% per transaction.

Cost of using WooCommerce:

WooCommerce is an e-commerce plugin that is typically used in WordPress sites. It is a free-for-all plugin that doesn’t charge you even a single penny for using it.

There is a catch, though, while using WooCommerce is absolutely free, it doesn’t include domain, web hosting, and SSL. So you have to get them on your own.

Typically, it cost around $15 for a domain, $70 for SSL, and somewhere around $8 for hosting, which is not cheap. Especially for starters, whose primary concern is finding ways to cut costs.

If you also have a similar concern, then don’t worry. There are several hosting companies which provide WordPress related hosting service for a low and affordable price. So, you can just choose one of those options that suit you best.

Since WooCommerce is a free plugin, you can find both paid and free add on and plugins available for use.

Easy to use:

For an online platform, ease of use is critical. For example, you can have the cheapest and best plugin globally. Still, if the user is unable to use them, the plugin will be worthless.

Therefore, you must also be wondering which is easier to use and which platform is suitable for you. So, let’s look into both platforms to help you determine which platform is the one for you.

Ease of using Shopify:

Shopify is a fully hosted platform; therefore, users do not need to install, update or manage the software required to keep things going. Instead, Shopify’s team members take care of the issues related to security, performance, combability issues, and backup.

Furthermore, Shopify comes with a drag and drop interface, enabling even first-time users to easily use and customize their site based on their performance.

However, there is a downside to all these customizations and features that you will have to compromise with control. You are just limited to the design and development tools that Shopify provides and cannot use the tools of your preference.

Ease of using WooCommerce:

WooCommerce, unlike Shopify it is all about control. You can add plugins, add-in, and development tools of your choice. There are literally thousands of plugins, add-ins, and tools to choose from.

Also, you don’t need to worry about using these choices as each of them usually comes with documentation that gives you step-by-step instructions to use them. This helps you make your website based on your liking and preference. And among all these plugins, which consist of drag and drop features. You can always find a plugin of your taste. Finding it is a bit of a hassle, though.

Of course, with all these controls, some compromises need to be made in terms of management. For example, WooCommerce requires hands-on management of your overall website.

Support

Even if you are just a beginner, you will be able to use both WooCommerce and Shopify. But you may often require support and help while using these platforms. So, it is necessary to know the amount of support each of these platforms provides its user.

WooCommerce Support

WooCommerce is based on the WordPress platform and therefore has tons of community members providing support for solving its problems.

You have the option to choose from hundreds of plugins and add-ons. There are supports for SEO, payment gateway, plugin integration, and basically any feature you can think of.

There is also the flexibility to make your own plugins that suits your need by hiring a developer as they are readily available.

 

Moreover, due to the large amount of support for WooCommerce, you can even find local not-so-popular commercial services already available in WooCommerce. This feature sets it apart from its competition as you can hardly find any other platform with a similar market presence.

There is a downside to it, though, that is support. Since all the support is usually provided by the developers who are volunteers. Dedicated support for it is not typically available. It may sometimes take days to get help if you are using standalone free WooCommerce services.

Shopify support:

The Shopify platform for e-commerce provides full support, including hosting, SSL, domain, and many more. In addition, it has hands-on documentation, chats support, and phone support available as well.

Due to its paid nature, users can enjoy dedicated support for plugins and add-ons integration as well.

Sadly, though, the plugins and add-ons for it are limited and not as many as WooCommerce. At the same time, bugs in its functionality may take more time to fix due to the limited number of people working to fix it.

Dropshipping

The ability to purchase a product from other vendors instead of keeping it is known as down shipping.

If you are new to online business, you probably are working on a tight budget. In such a scenario, keeping the product in stock is practically impossible.

So, your best alternative is to use dropshipping. Many of you may be confused on which platform to choose, WooCommerce or Shopify but worry not, for we will be going through each of them.

Dropshipping in Shopify:

Shopify does provide a user with drop shipping ability along with various features for it. Regretfully though, depending upon your chosen vendor, there might be cases where you will have to individually place an order to them.

 

 

Shopify does provide you with support with many vendors like AliExpress, Oberlo, Printify, and many more. However, compared to the variety of options WooCommerce offers, it is very much lacking.

Dropshipping in WooCommerce

WooCommerce provides you with extensions and add-ons that make order fulfillment a breeze. Furthermore, due to its heritage of being a WordPress plugin, it supports almost all the major vendors in the world.

Therefore, users rarely have to place orders to different vendors individually. For this reason, WooCommerce is one of the most popular choices among drop shipping businesses.

Which platform should I use?

 To conclude, we can say that both WooCommerce and Shopify platforms are among the best, simple, and bang for the buck e-commerce platform that money can provide you. And depending upon the scenario and your needs, one platform can be better than the other.

So, here is our advice: if you plan to start a business in as low budget as possible and do not mind few compromises for the future. Then, go ahead and use Shopify. But, at the same time, if you do not want to compromise performance, support, and business expansion. For such a scenario, WooCommerce will be the best platform for you. However, keep in mind that it may require putting in some extra effort.

But like we said earlier, it is upon you to choose which platform is the best because you are the one using these platforms at the end of the day. Therefore, based on your experience, you may find one platform better over the other or may come to like both. It is totally up to you to decide.

Do you have the skills required to make killer content for a blog, but lack of information preventing you from taking the next step of monetizing your blog.

Then this is the right article for you because, in this article, we will discuss the most basic way to monetize your blog:

Using Google AdSense:

AdSense is this generation’s hotcake. Everyone is using them, and it is the best method to earn money.

AdSense gives you the great flexibility to make money based on the number of visitors.

Wondering how to do it well, it is simple. You can apply to google for AdSense. After reviewing your blog, Google will provide you with pay-per-click product advertisements, which you can keep on your blogging site and earn money.

Sadly, there is a bummer as google AdSense has a strict policy for AdSense. So, here is our suggestion to you make sure you correctly follow all the guidelines. This will ensure that you will pass the requirement needed to use Google AdSense for your blog.

Affiliate link:

Another quite popular method for earning money from your blog is using the affiliate link. Of course, the word ‘Affiliate link’ may sound quite tricky and confusing. Still, in reality, using Adsense is a walk in the park.

To simply put it affiliate link refers to promoting someone else’s product on your blogging site. You get money when someone visiting your site buys the product you sponsor. The money you get is based on the agreement you make with the product owner.

There are tons of companies that offer an affiliate program. Some of the more popular programs include Amazon, Commission Junction, and ClickBank.

After reading this far, you must be impatient to use an affiliate link, right? But hold your horses’ partner because there are things you need to consider before using them.

Since affiliate links are based on promoting a product, we recommend you thoroughly check the product before recommending them, or else you will lose visitors.

They also have stringent rules and regulations that you must follow to be eligible to use affiliate links. But with a bit of consideration, we are sure you can do it.

Sponsored Post:

One of the best methods we recommend to monetize your blog and earn from it is using sponsored posts. All you need to do is develop content featuring a product you have used and post it.

If you are already a well-known blogger, then the path ahead is clear for you. In fact, the companies will themselves approach you asking you to promote their product. However, if you are just a beginner, you got some work to do.

Don’t worry, though. We are here to help. To ensure that you land a deal for a sponsored product, you need a solid game plan.

Make sure you make a lovely proposal and present them to the company you want to make a sponsored post. With good content and a little bit of effort, you are sure to land a deal.

The best part about sponsored posts is that it is up to you to decide the rate you want to get paid. And, based on the agreement you make with companies, you will know how much you will earn.

Promoting your own product:

Another way to earn money from your blog is by promoting your own content. You may be thinking that it sounds silly, doesn’t it, as who wouldn’t promote their own content, right?

This is where you are wrong. Often bloggers hesitate to promote their own product, which leads to losing a large chunk of money that they could have earned effortlessly.

Similarly, if you have a good number of viewers, then promoting your own product can help. But, again, it will be easier for you to earn as you already have a loyal number of followers who would most likely buy your product.

However, there is a catch to using this method as it can prove to be a double-edged sword if considerations are not made. In fact, if your audience doesn’t like your product, you will lose more than just customers, as your loyal fanbase will take a hit.

You will also need to make sure that the credibility of your blog doesn’t get affected while making claims for your own product.

At the same time, you will need to put on a lot more effort for this method than others.

Asking for donations:

If you are a blogger who only blogs for content and doesn’t like all the previous methods mentioned in the article, this option is the right one for you. Often, there are blogs which post informative content which include a comparison between product.

AdSense, affiliate product, or sponsored content may contradict your own blogs content in such a case. Therefore asking for a donation is the best method for you. These days, asking for viewers to become your patron and donate is an everyday norm.

Also, this method allows you complete freedom of representing your opinions in your blog without worrying about any percussions.

Ironically though, using this method can create mistrust in your viewers if you depend on patrons who have ties to famous companies.

Viewers tend to think that your content is biased as you are being supported by people affiliated with a company.

Writing a review:

There is also a method similar to sponsored posts for making money which is writing a review.

You can review products or services by using them for a certain period and write a review about them. It is one of the easiest ways to make money from your blogging skills.

But this method limits a blogger’s freedom as often there are terms and conditions by the product owner that force you to only write about a specific aspect of the product you view.

Also, writing reviews about a product tends to decrease a blogger’s credibility as viewers consider content creators who write reviewers as biased.

If you have reached this far in the document, then give yourself a pat on the back because you now have the knowledge required to take the first step toward monetizing your blog. So, what are you waiting for? Why not start monetizing your blog today.

The word ‘Blogging’ has become quite the fashion statement these days. If you use the internet, then without a doubt you have heard this word, and you have probably thought of becoming a blogger. But, among the thousands of people who get into blogging, only a few hundred make it. Have you ever thought about why only a few people succeed in creating successful blogs and genuinely connecting with their audience? Well, it simply boils down to one thing that is blogging habit.

There’s a famous saying, “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going”. While it is true that initially, you start to blog with some sort of motivation or aspiration. But, over time, that motivation dies, and without proper habit, you will not be able to succeed in blogging.

Worried yet? Don’t fret. We have come up with this article to enlighten you and give you the push required for forming the proper habit for blogging.

So, let’s get started.

Finding the right motivation

The world of content creation requires you to put up a gruesome amount of valuable time in content creation. And, let’s state the obvious there are chances that your blog won’t have any traffic at all. In a time like that, you will often wonder, “Is it even worth it?”.

Similarly, there will be days where you will have to write about topics and contents you don’t even like. Scenarios like these will change you both mentally and physically. You are likely to suffer from a lack of motivation.

In a time like this, you need to develop a habit of not getting discouraged and finding something that motivates you to keep going. Our suggestion is to think about your future perspective and end goal to help you keep pushing forward.

Developing habit of analysis

To be a successful blogger, you need to develop analytical skills. This means that you need to analyze the subject matter you write to ensure what kind of response it will bring from your viewer.

Beginner bloggers often do not analyze the response of their blogs and create and write content related to the field they like. This cause viewer to lose interest towards the blogger.

And bloggers complain that their blog didn’t work even when they gave so much effort, while in actuality, it was their lack of analysis that caused the problem in the first place.

So, it is necessary to develop a habit of checking your blog’s traffic to see which content bloggers liked, the topic of the content, and how the content was written. And write and create new content accordingly.

You must do so because your viewers will demand every minute they spend reading your blog to be fruitful and entertaining.

Developing socializing habits

Bloggers are usually introverts and do not usually like socializing with others. It is not much of an issue in their public life but for blogging, being social is a must. So you see, to create a successful blog, you need to socialize with your viewers and understand their needs and aspiration.

Without doing so, creating a good blog is like climbing a mountain with your hand tied behind your back. Meaning it’s literally impossible to do so.

At the same time, it is necessary to be active and promote your blog on social media, website, and other social platforms to increase your traffic.

Therefore, developing social skills and socializing habits is necessary if you want to be a successful blogger.

Reserving time and making commitments

Another critical task you must perform to become a successful blogger is time management. You assign a certain amount of time every day to write blogs regardless of whether you post them.

This improves your writing significantly and gives your blog extra something to make your viewers come back for more.

The next step is to have achievable aspiration and committing to it. Unfortunately, many bloggers have started with unrealistic ambitions and commitments, ultimately failing miserably.

Suppose you also do not want to end up the same. In that case, we suggest you start with some small topic whose knowledge you already have and gradually move on to more significant ones.

This habit will not just save you from lots problem but at the same time help you grow and promotes your trustworthiness.

Develop a habit of writing

You may not know it, but the best blog often comes from content that is never planned. So, it is essential to realize that it is crucial to keep writing to develop a good blog.

The practice of writing enables you to communicate better. It develops a habit that will help you post a blog daily.

And, you never when you will be hit by a stroke of brilliance enabling you to create a blog that connects with your audience and pushes your blog to the next level.

It is essential to develop a habit of writing as it is a stepping stone toward creating the perfect blogging habit you desire.

Besides, even if everything else fails, creating a habit of writing never hurts because, at the very least, it improves your communication skill which is always a plus point.

Joining a bloggers community

Suppose you are truly serious about blogging and want to develop a habit of blogging every day. In that case, the best option will be to join the blogger’s community.

The blogger’s community has thousands of bloggers sharing their ideas and experience, and nobody can help you better than them. The communities are pretty friendly, and you can always find the right community which suits your interest if you do a little bit of digging.

Some of the more famous blogging communities include blog engage, BizSugar, Kingeed, Triberr, Dosplash, GrowthHackers, Blokube, and Medium. But, of course, there are many more, and one of these communities will surely suit your interest.

So, What’s The Next Step

Now that you have all the information required to improve your blogging skill and develop your blogging habit, the only thing left is implementing them. While it may be hard for a couple of weeks, but with some persistence, you will eventually succeed. So, let loose, champ; the world of blogging awaits you.

Sampression Lite has a meta charset and meta viewport by default. With the help of the following instructions, you can easily add meta tags to your webpage.

Copy and paste the codes mentioned below to your theme’s function.php file.

/**
* Adding additional meta tags on the header
*/
add_action( ‘sampression_meta’, ‘my_sampression_add_meta’, 15 );

function my_sampression_add_meta() {
?>
<!– Meta Description  –>
<meta name=”description” content=”This is my custom meta description.”>
<?php
}

Note: The modifications made on functions.php will be overwritten if you update the theme to a new version. Unless you make a child theme, please note down the changes you have made on functions.php before you update.

OR

Follow these steps:

– Log in to WordPress Admin
– Go to Appearance › Theme Options
– Click on Advanced Tab.
– Paste the code mentioned below in the “Custom code to insert into Header” field:

<meta name=”description” content=”This is my custom meta description.”>