Just a few years ago, the idea of trying to build a website on top of WordPress would have been laughable. Yet today, there is no shortage of developers who will gladly sell you a theme that does just that. Or, maybe you’re like me and want to build your own?
The real question is whether or not it’s possible to build a WordPress eCommerce theme with all the features that are expected these days using WordPress alone; especially if speed and performance are important considerations. The answer may surprise you!
High-Performance WordPress
High performance has become more important than ever before, what with mobile browsing continuing its rise in popularity (especially in emerging markets), increased security threats, ad-blockers starting to make their presence felt, IPv4 addresses running out, and an increased number of devices in circulation (with the Internet of Things in full swing).
For example, Google recently unveiled its Accelerated Mobile Pages project which will allow developers to create “lightning-fast” web pages . WordPress is one of the platforms that will support this new technology, but it’s up to theme and plugin developers to implement it.
WordPress Is Good At WordPress has always been an excellent choice for blogs; partly because you can easily install WordPress using nothing more than a browser (no need to fiddle with FTP clients or similar software). WordPress’ out-of-the-box (OOB) functionality didn’t aim much higher than blogging, though. Compared to other CMSs, WordPress was slow and more difficult to work with; especially when dealing with data storage.
WordPress’ growth in popularity has come about partially through its success as a blogging platform, but also because of how easy it is for almost anyone (even absolute beginners) to install WordPress and start creating a website. WordPress users can make use of one-click installations, WordPress-specific hosting, built-in search engine optimization (SEO) features, and they also have access to more than 54,000 WordPress plugins and close to 2000 themes.
WordPress’ core functionality has evolved over the years as well: Gone are the days when WordPress was just for blogs – these days it’s not that unusual for developers to start talking about WordPress as a full-stack platform. All that means is that you can build all kinds of websites using WordPress; from basic brochure sites to online stores and even web applications.
Developers who specialize in WordPress now provide services such as custom plugin development, theme design/development, and WordPress migration/consulting. In some cases, WordPress can even be used to power entire businesses.
Building An E-Commerce Store With WordPress
The e-commerce space is highly competitive and there are plenty of WordPress themes that are aimed squarely at those looking to start an online store. While it’s not possible to cover every single feature and function that’s expected in an e-commerce store, here are some essential features that you’re likely to find in most stores:
-Product catalog with search and filters
-Cart and checkout process
-Shipping rates
-Tax rates
-Customer account area with order history, tracking information, etc.
Picking the Right Theme for the Job When it comes to WordPress themes, there’s no shortage of choice. And, as you might expect, this also includes a good number of e-commerce themes.
Finding the right WordPress theme for the job is important. Not only do you need a theme that’s well coded and optimized for performance, but it should also be feature-rich and have all the functionality that you need to run your store successfully.
There are a few things to keep in mind when choosing a WordPress eCommerce theme:
-The theme’s code quality – check out the reviews and ratings to get an idea of how well coded the theme is. Poorly coded themes can slow down your website and even cause errors.
-The features included – make sure the theme includes all the features you need, such as product catalogs, checkout processes, shipping rates, etc.
-The design – the theme’s design is important too. It needs to be in line with your branding and help to promote your products/services.
-Responsiveness – make sure the theme is responsive so that it looks good on all devices.
-Ease of use – you’ll want a theme that’s easy to use, so you can set it up and start selling quickly.
Testing WordPress Themes for Speed and Performance
Even if a WordPress eCommerce theme includes all the features you need and has a great design, it’s no good if it’s slow and bloated. This is where testing comes in: You need to know how well the WordPress theme performs in terms of speed and performance. You can do this by checking out WordPress Theme Unit Test.
Each WordPress theme is tested on a range of criteria such as:
-Theme size
-Time to first byte (TTFB)
-Speed index
-DOMContentLoaded time
-Requests
Not every WordPress theme will be tested, though most popular themes should be included. Just search for your WordPress theme and you’ll see the results