The Benefits of Using Managed WordPress for Your Online Store

In the past couple of years, eCommerce has become one of the fastest-growing sectors in the global economy. After 2020’s digital shift, eCommerce spending grew by 80%. And while that boost is bound to drop, “20% of that boost is here to stay”, according to the Adobe Digital Economy Index.



As the sector grew, it became increasingly competitive, and user expectations shifted. Speed and personalization used to be nice to have, but now they’re absolute musts.



Your online store’s performance has never been so important. And the tools you use to build it can either facilitate optimization or make it an uphill battle.



In this post, we’ll dive into:



Why You Should Use WordPress for Your Online Store What is Managed WordPress? The Benefits of Using Managed WordPress The Limitations of Managed WordPress



Why You Should Run Your Online Store on WordPress



WordPress is the web’s most used Content Management System (CMS). It started as a blogging platform, but thanks to its flexibility, open-source status, and vibrant community, it has become a reliable tool to build almost any type of website. 



WooCommerce is the go-to plugin to build online stores on WordPress. Over 5 million online stores run on WooCommerce, and it’s used by 4,500 out of the 100,000 most popular sites in the world.



So, what makes WooCommerce such a competitive tool? And, how does it work?



WooCommerce isn’t a platform in itself, and it’s a plugin that can be added to your WordPress installation to expand its functionalities.



WooCommerce comes with many benefits. For starters, once you’ve installed WooCommerce, you’ll be able to access it from WordPress’ intuitive dashboard . No need to figure out new interfaces. You can simplify your site management workflow by running your online store and the rest of your site on the same platform.



WooCommerce supports PayPal out of the box . But it can also be integrated with many different payment gateways . This can be extremely useful if you plan to expand your store to other countries, where different payment methods are preferred.



When you choose WooCommerce, you get to enjoy WordPress’ flexibility and ease of use when managing your store. You’ll be able to fully customize your website’s look and feel, creating an experience that suits your users’ preferences and your brand identity.



On the other hand, WooCommerce doesn’t charge sales commissions, and it’s free . So, when you move your site to WordPress and WooCommerce, you reduce the fixed costs of running your online store, and you’ll just have to pay for hosting and cover your payment processor’s transaction fees.



Now that we’ve taken a look at why you should run your online store on WordPress and WooCommerce, we’re ready to dive into the benefits of using Managed WordPress. But first, what is Managed WordPress?



What is Managed WordPress?



Managed WordPress is a type of WordPress hosting plan. On Managed WordPress, your website’s maintenance tasks , such as updates and backups, are fully automated .



Best-of-class Managed WordPress comes with some extra features, translating into a clear competitive advantage for your site. The best managed WordPress hosting:



Assigns server resources to your site in a flexible way, so you can properly support traffic spikes . Comes with access to a global CDN , making your site fast for international users. Offers an SSL certificate , so your site is considered secure by browsers and financial services. Provides you with a staging website to experiment without affecting your users’ experience .



In the next section, we’ll dive a little deeper into the benefits of using Managed WordPress for your online store.



The Benefits of Using Managed WordPress for Your Online Store



The core benefits of managed WordPress are pretty much the same for all websites. Speed, security, and high uptime are always good. But, how do they impact online stores specifically?







A Fast Website = More Conversions



A slow buying experience frustrates users and lowers your conversion rate. It can cause users to leave your site and go to your competitors’. Additionally, site speed can hinder your SEO strategy. Slow websites are less likely to appear among the first search results, as speed is one of Google’s strongest ranking factors.



But don’t worry, site speed isn’t set in stone. You can always optimize your site so it runs more efficiently. And the results are worth it.



According to Google , a 0.1-second improvement in mobile speed can raise your conversion rate by 8,4%.



The three most common factors behind slow WordPress websites are:



A limited hosting plan Non-optimized plugins & themes Outdated plugins & themes



Managed WordPress offers you more server resources than the average shared hosting plan, and it automatically keeps your site updated. By choosing Managed WordPress, you’re significantly reducing the chances of having a slow site.



Set the Stage for Personalization



Personalization is widely considered a key competitive advantage for online retailers. According to McKinsey :



“Personalization can even be called a ‘hygiene factor’: customers take it for granted, but if a retailer gets it wrong, customers may depart for a competitor.”



Personalizing the user experience may sound like something only large sites can afford. At first sight, it can seem time-consuming and technically complex. But it doesn’t have to be the case.



Small details go a long way. “Remembering” your user’s recently viewed items and displaying them on your site is a small, inexpensive, but impactful way to personalize your customer experience. And you can get it done on WooCommerce.



Of course, there’s more to personalization than this type of component. The best personalization ideas are born from listening to your users. Heatmaps and A/B testing tools can help you understand the impact of your personalization efforts and adjust accordingly.



You shouldn’t add complex A/B testing plugins and tracking scripts to an outdated website that’s running on minimal server resources. Luckily, that’s not a problem you’ll have on Managed WordPress. By keeping your site updated and fast, Managed WordPress sets the stage for most optimization and personalization tools.



Constant Optimization, Made Easy



Staging websites allow you to test changes without applying them to the live version of your site. You can experiment with new ways to improve your user experience risk-free on these platforms.



As if the speed and reliability of managed WordPress weren’t enough, the best plans usually come with staging sites.







Build Trust



Combined with high site speed, a beautiful design, and tons of social proof, an SSL certificate helps you communicate to your users that your website is trustworthy.



SSL certificates have two key benefits:



They prove that your platform is legitimate Help encrypt users’ connections, shielding them from malicious attacks.



The best managed WordPress hosting plans include an SSL certificate.



The Resources You Need to Grow



Your store can be both small and international. Offering a great user experience to international visitors isn’t just important for industry-leading platforms. It could be the key to growing your company.



Managed WordPress prevents some growing pains that are common among online businesses by delivering your website’s heaviest assets through a global CDN and providing you with extra server resources whenever you need them.



Less Time Managing Your Site, More Time Growing Your Business



As we’ve already discussed, the defining feature of managed WordPress is that it automates website backups and updates. 



By automating your website’s maintenance, this type of hosting plan saves money and time. You can now invest money and time in other aspects of your business.



The Limitations of Managed WordPress



Managed WordPress is probably the best option to host your WordPress site. But that doesn’t mean that it works for everyone.



Managed WordPress hosting plans only support WordPress sites. This can be a limiting factor if, for instance, you want to run your Help Center on a different platform.



Especially if you’ll be sending transactional and marketing emails, you can’t do without a custom email domain. But custom email domains are not included in your managed WordPress plan.



Another factor you should consider is that Managed WordPress plans are usually more expensive than shared hosting plans.



However, the performance difference is worth it. Managed WordPress sites are faster, more secure, and more scalable than sites running on shared hosting. And it may not be accurate to compare Managed WordPress and shared hosting. Managed WordPress automates tasks that you’d otherwise have to delegate to a team of web experts. So it’d be fairer to compare the costs of Managed WordPress to the costs of hiring a team of experts to keep your site healthy.



Managed WordPress Hosting for Small Businesses



Are you looking for the best managed WordPress hosting for your small business? At HostPapa, we’re a leader in hosting services for growing companies and entrepreneurs. We run on cutting-edge infrastructure and offer you the 24/7 support you need to succeed.



Grow your company and website with confidence. Managed WordPress provides peace of mind with premium performance and security, without the usual WordPress maintenance. 



Managed WordPress comes with the following features and more:



Full-page caching (over 200 locations worldwide) Automated backups and updates  One-click staging website One-click restore and recovery Website Security Suite Website Application Firewall WAF/CDN analytics and reporting 24/7 expert WordPress support




Get Managed WordPress!




Are you already a HostPapa customer? Contact us today to get a 1 month free trial of Managed WordPress!




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