When setting up an online store and deciding which platform to use to build the online store, I recommend going with a separate store such as Shopify instead of a WordPress store with a plugin for the following reasons:
- Support – Shopify provides 24/7 support if you run into any issues managing your website. This is especially useful if you do not have a coding background or are new to the world of website management in general.
- Website Load Time – Shopify has on their website that they take pride in having a fast website load time and they work continuously to improve it. With a WordPress website, you may not have control over this. Load time is very important for online stores because if your website takes too long to load, you may lose potential sales.
- SSL certificate – This is important for any website. A website without an SSL certificate could be flagged as an “insecure site” by Google. Shopify includes an SSL certificate and you won’t have to research those like you would have to if you choose a WordPress plugin website.
- Hosting – Shopify provides the hosting for the website so that you don’t have to seek out a separate host service for the website. It’s all included in the package.
- PCI-DSS compliance – This is very important for any online store. When it comes to payment and customer information security, you will want to make sure you have everything in place when building an online store. If payment and customer information are not secure, your customers may not be comfortable and might not purchase anything from your website. Shopify comes with all this in the package and you won’t have to worry about this if you go with Shopify.