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When you run a WooCommerce store, you need to keep in mind multiple aspects. It is not just about attracting customers and selling a product, instead, it comprises of a plethora of things. From managing and tracking inventory, to measure the performance of the website, aligning your website to map SEO standards and pitching marketing mails, hosting an online business encompasses all.
It seems a lot on a plate, right? With so many things to keep track of, mistakes are bound to happen. No matter how meticulously you design the site, at times, things go out of control and that’s when you skip a task or miss doing something.
Now, you don’t have to review your website and look for a gap. To ease your job, we have articulated the twelve most common mistakes, the majority of the WooCommerce owners commit. Also, we have crafted a solution for each.
So, stop deducing and get along with us in the journey of uncovering mistakes to avoid while running an online WooCommerce store.
Also Read: How Scalable is WooCommerce?
Common Mistakes WooCommerce Owner Makes and Their Solutions
1. Working On An Older Version Of WooCommerce
The time when you just created the website, everything was new, updated and of the latest release. Since then, WooCommerce is at it is, running the version that was new then, and might have turned obsolete now. Apparently, WooCommerce releases a new version every six months and if your website is running on the older version, you would be deprived of plugin support.
Solution: One way to keep your WooCommerce site aligned with the latest version is to install the newest version of WooCommerce and then test your store. Once the test has been completed and successfully passed, you can deploy the same in the product environment. It is evidently an excellent practice to stay updated.
2. Outdated Plugins
As much as using an older version of WooCommerce deteriorates the efficiency of the store, outdated plugins expose your WooCommerce site to hackers, turning them vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Another fatality of using outdated plugins is that some of the plugins are vendor-provided. Considering that you haven’t updated your plugin, even after repeated warnings from the vendor, your website might come to halt.
Solution: The solution for this is the same as the one mentioned above. Test your store on the latest version of the plugin and if the test passes, you can load the same in the real-time environment.
3. Absence of Google Analytics
Irrespective of who you are or what kind of business your WooCommerce website hosts, tracking and analyzing your website performance in Google rankings is a must. If you aren’t keeping an eye on the site traffic, the conversion rate or the bounce rate, odds are your business isn’t making the perfect deal. Without a doubt, your website is generating an enormous amount of data and not using this is a fool’s act.
Solution: The best way to analyze your website trends and performance is by updating WooCommerce Google Analytics Plugins. Once you integrate the plugin, you will have a 360° view of everything happening within your website.
Also Read: How to Customize WooCommerce with Child Theme
4. Ignoring System Status Report
System configurations tend to change and as a WooCommerce website owner, you need to keep everything fine. With WooCommerce comes a system status report feature that provides regular reports of various activities of the website. Important topics comprise of PHP version, version of plugin, web server version, availability of core functions, and active themes. WooCommerce website owners tend to neglect these reports and that’s where the problem starts.
Solution: Every time you see a red notification appearing on the top of the page, it’s time that you give a thought about the report and undertake measures to retract the effects.
5. Irrelevant Selling Location
Setting the location of selling is an important task. Often, it might happen that you are so overwhelmed with the orders placed over the website that you forget to check the location of the product delivery. What’s bad? It is a place you haven’t even heard of and you have no idea as to how to ship products to the same. This might seem like a small mistake but you are about to compromise on the trust and this might cost you high.
Solution: You should disable the delivery for the locations, in which, you are not operating. Use a plugin that lets you do so. Additionally, you may perform local SEO of your WooCommerce store, targeting the locations you’re selling in. It will increase your visibility for your business location. Also, you may create location-specific service pages to attract more buyers/clients who reside in your target location(s).
6. Restricting Users To Buying Process
When you have had the ease to engage a user, lure him/her to make a purchase, why miss the opportunity of inviting them to your mailing list? This is not just a missed chance but a blunder committed from your part. Email marketing is one of the best ways to attract users, let alone retain them.
Solution: Embed an email integration plugin or use the WooCommerce custom product addons to embed input fields, asking for the email address of the visitor.
Also Read: Enhance Buying Experience from Customers Using WooCommerce Product Addons
7. Absence of Branded emails
Just sending an email won’t work. You need to maintain consistency in the branding of your products or the website across all the emails pitched to the customer. Email design is as important as the content of the same. In case, the appearance of the e-mail isn’t appealing enough to increase the click-through rates, it is as good as not having one.
Solution: Here again, you can alter the settings of the default email form that comes along with the WooCommerce store. To make the most out of emails, you can embed WooCommerce email customizer and optimize the email settings on the go.
8. Poor Checkout Process
You might have added enough information about a product on the product page, the user is far happier and is all set to make a purchase. The product has been added in cart and he is on the way to checkout.
Hang on!
Why is your checkout page so clumsy and unattractive? Let me tell you, though checkout is the final phase of shopping, it is an important one. One that fails to keep the buying interest of users intact and seems unreliable would doom the buyer to leave the page, quitting the idea of buying the product.
Solution: Do not commit the mistake of taking everything for granted. Always be ready to assist your customers and hence, integrating the WooCommerce checkout field editor plugin would help you design and customize the checkout pages UX. Not only can you optimize the front end of the page but also have the flexibility to add more fields depending upon your requirements.
9. Absence of SSL Certificate
Website security is one of the most important things and a mistake you ought not to commit. You might be restricted in budget and so planned to avoid buying of the SSL certificate. But let me tell you, this is something you cannot afford to cut money from. An unsecured website is vulnerable to cyber-attacks and software hacks. The fact that your website holds critical information, relating to the details of your customer, exposing the site to hackers would be fatal.
Solution: Without giving a second thought, purchase an SSL certificate for your website.
10. No USP
A unique selling proposition or USP is one thing that triggers your site visitors to turn customers and initiate a purchase. A simple product description wouldn’t be enough to attract them and convince them to connect with your WooCommerce website. Not having a USP seems an unimportant mistake rather than a deliberate one, but the backdrop of this is huge.
Solution: Redesign the product page and make sure that the product in the picture has a compelling USP, and different from your competitors.
Also Read: Why Choose WooCommerce for Your eCommerce Store?
11. Absence of Well-customized Product Pages/Options
Not giving your customers enough freedom to customize the product page or simply confining the page design to fewer things refrain users from making a purchase. An excellent page is key to attracting customers. Where one that has several add-ons makes it better in view, pages that cannot be customized tend to be basic with minimal attraction.
Solution: Use the WooCommerce Product Options plugin to customize the product page, embed text fields, color picker, and image selector features to better describe the product and accelerate the possibility of selling the product. Apparently, there are more than 22 fields that help you choose the condition and customize your page, in a few clicks.
12. Keeping Your Website Live When You Are Redesigning It
At times, it might so happen that you need to change or modify your website. But keeping your site live even when the site is not fully functional is a major mistake and increases the bounce rate of the site. Here is a website redesign checklist that will be helpful for you.
Solution: The best way to avoid this is to put your website under maintenance while you are rebuilding it.
Bonus Point: Not asking for customer notes, while selling customizable items, is so wrong!
Personalized services are the best way to win over your customers. So, if you are selling products, such as gifts, cakes, food items or anything similar, always let your customers add notes or suggestions for your online shop. Basically, any product that could be customized or modified for your buyers’ should let the customers add requests relevant to the purchase.
Solution: Add an extra field for customer notes using the WooCommerce Product Addons plugin. It’ll increase the customer satisfaction rate.
The Final Word
Undeniably WooCommerce is an excellent platform to host an online store, but only when you’ll utilize it wisely. If not done right, it would doom your website to failure. So, make sure you do not commit the above-mentioned WooCommerce-related mistakes.
Acowebs are developers of WooCommerce Discount Rules that will help you personalize your stores. It supports the additional option with feature-rich add-ons which are woocommerce product addons, that are lightweight and fast. You can easily update your store with these add-ons and enjoy a hassle-free experience, check out the best options for additional woocommerce custom product options.
