With eCommerce sales predicted to be $485.3 billion by the end of 2021, it is extremely important to have a high-functioning eCommerce site. As of 2019, WooCommerce had nearly 5 million installations in the United States alone and has steadily increased to become a leading eCommerce platform. Connecting the dots, it is easy to see why using WooCommerce for your WordPress website commerce needs is important. This article discusses what WooCommerce development is, the tasks associated with this work, and why you should outsource your WooCommerce development to a qualified company.
What is WooCommerce Development?
WooCommerce Development is a subsect of general website development. However, as website development focuses on the general landscape of websites, WooCommerce development focuses on this open-sourced plugin platform for eCommerce business needs. WooCommerce is specific to online merchants who use WordPress for their website needs. If you are curious about other eCommerce platforms like WIX or Shopify, check out our article discussing the pros and cons of the different options here.
What Tasks Warrant a WooCommerce Developer?
Once you have decided to use WooCommerce for your eCommerce needs, you need to figure out the tasks required to complete this eCommerce development. Here are the common duties that need to be done for your WooCommerce development:
Optimizing traffic to your site
A developer is responsible for ensuring that lines of code are functional for your site. However, they also must make sure that the code is working in your favor, generating as much business as possible. Here are specific ways that they can work with you and designers to optimize your WooCommerce plugin:
- Superb user experience – lead to products within 3 clicks of entering the site
- Clear categorization of products
- User-friendly checkout process
- Cart abandonment automation – connecting to a database like MySQL
- SEO friendly – while not a developer’s role within the site, they should be familiar with Search Engine Optimization (SEO), in general so the site is built for success.
Developing WordPress Themes
WooCommerce is a specific plugin used only on WordPress websites. As a result, your developer will have to work with your existing WordPress site or create it from scratch. To do this, they will need to design or develop the functionality through WordPress themes. WordPress has templated themes on its site, but you may want a custom WooCommerce experience, which means that your connection to WooCommerce will be customized. As a result, your developer will need to make this connection and modifications.
Payment Gateway Integration
Your business likely works with a payment gateway system like QuickBooks, Square, or PayPal. Your WooCommerce developer will need to ensure that the codes they create within the plugin and WordPress also correctly connect to your payment system so that there is an easy flow of money to your business.
Updating Performance
Because you are using WooCommerce for eCommerce needs, you need to ensure that it is constantly functioning. Any lapse in code or connection could cost you customers and money. A developer will need to regularly scan the plugin for performance issues, ensuring the site runs quickly.
What Other Tools Should WooCommerce Developers Be Skilled In?
In addition to the tasks that will likely be laid out on the contract and/or job description for your WooCommerce developer, they should also be skilled in the following:
- Code languages like CSS, HTML, JavaScript, and PHP
- Converting Photoshop (PSD) to XHTML files for theme use
- Installing security fixes and resolving system bugs
- Implementing front-end changes
- Basic design skills
Should I Hire an Agency, a Freelancer, or Handle WooCommerce Development In-House?
Do these tasks sound like a lot or complicated to do? Well, then that probably means that you should hire someone in-house or outsource a dedicated team to complete this work for you. Below, we’ve broken down the positives and negatives of either hiring in-house WooCommerce developers or contracting out development teams.
Positives and Negatives of In-House
As with any in-house position, you have more control over the hire and work. You will have the ability to oversee the whole hiring process, onboarding process and monitor the work of the staffer so that it is aligned with your business’s goals and culture. Additionally, WooCommerce is an easy platform to use, unlike other eCommerce options. Even for WooCommerce website development novices or those who are not technically minded, the user interface for WooCommerce is easy to navigate. Also, since it is open-sourced and not proprietary, there is no licensing software, making it easy to learn the software and stay updated through an international development community without a high price tag to do so.
However, while you have control over the person’s work, the process of hiring, onboarding, and overseeing their production can be quite time-consuming and costly. WooCommerce may be an easy and cheap plugin to use, but it still requires time to update, and stay abreast of industry trends especially if you decide to do it yourself. Finally, hiring a WooCommerce developer is a very specific skill. Unless you have a large eCommerce site, then having a full-time staff member isn’t necessary; and in that case, you would likely use a different plugin or service as WooCommerce is for small to medium-sized sites.
Positives and Negatives of Freelancers
While WooCommerce is easy to use, it does require a WordPress website to connect to. This means that if you or your staff are not familiar with WordPress, it will take extra time and work to become familiar with the platform. Hiring a freelancer means that you can find the right person or company who understands your type of business, WordPress theme, and business culture. Overall, it is much cheaper to outsource your development needs because you are not spending time recruiting, onboarding, and overseeing their work. And as we know, time is money, especially for a small business or start-up owner. Another benefit of hiring a freelancer is that if it does not work out, you can find someone else more easily than having to hire a new internal staff member.
On the flip side, when you hire an outsider to complete your WooCommerce development work, you cannot control their work. While they are beholden to the contract, they will have other customers which means that their work is more flexible than if you had hired someone in-house. It also means that the cyber security and proprietary risk is slightly higher than if you hired in-house.
Why You Should Hire a WooCommerce Development Company
If you are a small business owner, you are already used to being a jack of all trades to get the job done and increase sales. While WooCommerce is a relatively easy plugin for WordPress sites, it still requires someone to take time to understand, and that doesn’t include the work that goes into connecting to your WordPress site and payment gateway system. If you are a startup, hiring a skilled WooCommerce developer is an easy solution to increasing your revenue.
Hiring a WooCommerce Development Company
WooCommerce is a specific online retail plugin, requiring specific skill sets and experiences. So, finding the perfect person is its own process different from other development hiring experiences.
How Much Does It Cost to Hire a WooCommerce Development Company?
There are two changes usually associated with WooCommerce Development: The cost of the plugin itself and the work provided by the WooCommerce developer.
As an open-source platform, WooCommerce only charges for the domain and hosting. This charge can be as little $3.95 per month or as high as $5,000. There may be additional costs associated with WordPress, should you have any paid software on the site. While unlikely, there may be charges associated with your payment gateway solution, as well.
Your WooCommerce developer may charge an hourly rate or by the project. For a small project, the developer will likely pay per hour while a larger project will be a flat rate with caveats for hourly work as needed. WooCommerce freelancer rates range between $20-$125 per hour. This range depends on where the developer is located (e.g., India vs. USA), experience, and how in-demand they are.
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How to Find a Reputable WooCommerce Development Provider
Finding a developer that fits your culture, your needs, and your required skill set can be daunting; especially for a specific eCommerce plugin like WooCommerce. To make it simple, we have a detailed list of experienced WooCommerce providers.
When looking through the list of options, consider their cost, portfolio, and reviews. For example, when looking at the cost of the developer, look at the location of their offices. This will likely tell you if they are more costly or not if they haven’t listed their rates in your search. It is important to see reviews and portfolios so that you have proof of their experience and how it relates to you.
Additional Aspects to Consider Before Hiring a WooCommerce Development Company
When hiring your developer, it is good to be prepared with a full RFP that includes project scope, budget, requirements, and timeline. When you begin interviewing developers, consider and ask these questions:
- How many years of experience do you have in eCommerce?
- What are examples of WooCommerce projects you have recently completed?
- Can you perform data migration and API integration?
- Do you see any issues or ways to optimize my current eCommerce site?
- Are you a full-stack developer?
- Do you have experience with WooCommerce theme development?
Post-Hiring Expectations
Once you have found the right WooCommerce developer and your contract is ready, you can expect a few things once the work gets started:
- Reconfirm understanding of project requirements
- Conversations around business goals, objectives, and deliverables
- Initial work gathering information and data on any potential existing eCommerce website and any communication platforms you use
- Conducting an application audit to recognize content gaps and technical opportunities
- Follow the project management model established in the project management proposal
- Regular reports on successes and opportunities including how user-testing is going for the site.
Do you have any questions about hiring the best WooCommerce Development Company? Check out our picks for the top companies in the United States and Canada for further information.