Choosing The Right Website: Web Hosting, Ecommerce Platform Reviews & More

Shopify vs. Squarespace – they are two of the most well-known brands in the online store / website builder industry. I’ve written a Shopify review here and Squarespace review here. But how do they compare directly to each other?

Skip to the Conclusion & Next Steps

First, a bit of background. Over the past few years, online store software costs have plummeted, and the technology to get a website from idea to reality has blossomed.

Whether you’re using a text editor and uploading to the Amazon cloud, hosting your own site powered by WordPress + WooCommerce or using a drag and drop website builder, there’s never been an easier time to create an online store. It’s no longer 2002 where every store owner had to know PHP, HTML, CSS and a bit of Javascript.

All-inclusive eCommerce builders have been particularly interesting. Companies like Squarespace, Weebly, Wix, Shopify, and BigCommerce – not to mention platforms like Etsy, eBay, and Amazon – have brought eCommerce to everyone regardless of their coding skills.

On the wide spectrum of eCommerce store building solutions, they all live on the end that is all-inclusive and provides everything you need to get started and grow your website.[Continue Reading]

Shopify and Volusion are two of the most well-known “hosted” eCommerce platforms on the Internet.

Ecommerce options exist on a spectrum of convenience and control. Both Shopify and Volusion are right in the middle of the spectrum because they bundle all the technical parts of an online store – hosting, speed, security, inventory, shopping cart and payment processing – and bundle it into a single monthly price. This contrasts with solutions like WordPress + Woocommerce where you buy, operate, and maintain each piece of the store but also have true 100% control over your website.

But like a self-hosted eCommerce website, Shopify and Volusion also bundle as part of your website on your domain where you have full control of products, pricing, and customer experience. So unlike running a store on Etsy, eBay or Amazon – you control the build, design, and content of your store.

Even though this part of the spectrum has plenty of tradeoffs – services like Shopify and Volusion are an excellent option for many store owners. So the question becomes – Shopify vs. Volusion?

I’ve reviewed Shopify here and Volusion here. I’ve used both as a customer and as a consultant to customers of both.

They are both excellent companies with an excellent product. And like all my other eCommerce and hosting reviews, there is no such thing as an absolute “best” – there’s only the best option for you based on your situation, goals, and resources.

Here’s how Shopify compares to Volusion across 6 different variables that most customers look at – and what you should consider with Shopify vs. Volusion.

Skip to the conclusion here.

Aside – I built a Buzzfeed style quiz for eCommerce platforms that grades the factors with your goals. You can check out the quiz here.[Continue Reading]

Shopify vs. Wix – they are two of the most well-known online store builders. I’ve written a Shopify review here and Wix review here. But how do they compare directly to each other?

Skip to the Conclusion & Next Steps

First, a bit of background. Over the past few years, online store costs have plummeted, and the technology to get a website from idea to reality has blossomed. Whether you’re using a text editor and uploading to the Amazon cloud, hosting your own site powered by WordPress + WooCommerce or using a drag and drop online store builder, there’s never been an easier time to create an online store.

All-inclusive ecommerce builders have been particularly interesting. Companies like Squarespace, Weebly, Wix, Shopify, and BigCommerce – not to mention platforms like Etsy, eBay, and Amazon – have brought ecommerce to everyone regardless of their coding skills.

On the wide spectrum of ecommerce store building solutions, they all live on the end that is all-inclusive and provides everything you need to get started and grow your website.

That is in contrast to solutions where you buy, install, and manage all the “pieces” of your website separately. That’s not a good or bad thing. But it is something to be aware of when you’re choosing one of them as a solution since it affects your website both long and short term.

In the long-term, it affects your versatility, functionality, and, of course, your brand. In the short term, it can certainly add/take away a lot of headaches. That said, just like choosing a physical house or office, there is no such thing as an absolute “best” or “top” choice. There’s only the right choice relative to your goals, experience, and circumstances.

Using an online store builder is like leasing and customizing an apartment in a really classy development instead of buying and owning your own house. You’re still in control of decor, cleaning, and everything living-wise – but you leave the construction, plumbing, security, and infrastructure to the property owner. That point is key because there’s usually a direct tradeoff between convenience and control.

Shopify, Wix, and other options like BigCommerce and Weebly as a group compete with options like WordPress (which provides the free software to build a website that you own & control – see my WordPress setup guide here) all the way to options like typing actual HTML code into a text file.

The last preface I’ll mention is that Wix is an all-around website builder with ecommerce capability.

Shopify, in contrast, is strictly an ecommerce platform. This focus puts Wix behind as an advanced tool and Shopify behind as a super-easy-to-use tool. With their respective free trials, you can quickly see the differences.

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Make sense? Awesome – let’s dive into the comparison.

Side note – if you want this comparison in a BuzzFeed-style quiz, you can take my online store builder quiz here…

You can also look at my posts on –

• Shopify vs. Etsy
• Shopify vs. WordPress / WooCommerce
• Wix vs. WordPress

Otherwise, we’ll look specifically at pricing, onboarding/user experience, design features, technical features, ecommerce features, marketing features, and customer support.[Continue Reading]

Shopify and WooCommerce + WordPress are two of the most well-known online store platforms. But if you’re considering Shopify vs. WooCommerce + WordPress, how do you decide which one is the best fit for you and your project?

I’ve been able to consult with clients who use both Shopify and WooCommerce as well as running my own stores with both Shopify and WooCommerce. They are both excellent platforms with a full suite of options to run a successful store.

However, they are both very different, and different businesses will certainly do better with one or the other.

Skip to the Conclusion & Next Steps

I’ve written extensively on both, including a Shopify review, a WooCommerce setup guide, and a roundup of WooCommerce themes. But in this comparison, I’ll look at the core definitions of WooCommerce and Shopify, some of the differences in the areas of largest consideration for ecommerce owners, and how to use them together.

And lastly, in Next Steps, I’ll outline which one is likely a better fit for different types of eCommerce store owners.

Try Shopify for Free for 14 Days

See my WooCommerce Setup Tutorial

Let’s dive into this comparison of Shopify vs. WooCommerce & WordPress.[Continue Reading]

If you are building an online store, Shopify and Etsy are two of the biggest brands that you’ll encounter. But a frequent question that I get is – Shopify or Etsy? What’s the difference and how do I choose what to start with?

The core difference is fairly straightforward.

Etsy is a marketplace for handmade, vintage and artisanal products (here’s my guide to setting up Etsy).

Shopify is a hosted ecommerce platform. An ecommerce platform allows you to set up and run an online store on your own domain while they take care of the technical parts & customer support (here’s my Shopify review).

In other words, Etsy is a marketplace where you can have an account. Shopify is software that sets up a storefront for you.

If they had physical world equivalents, Etsy would be a local farmer’s market where you could set up a stall.

Shopify would be a shopping center owner letting you build out your own store at your own address.

But that still doesn’t tackle the question behind the question – so let’s look at the biggest differences & considerations so you can decide between Shopify or Etsy (or both!).

Skip to the Conclusion & Next Steps

These differences will highlight Shopify vs. Etsy specifically – but they can also be applied to any alternative to Shopify, whether it’s WooCommerce, BigCommerce or others.

Keep in mind that these are all differences/considerations – they are not pros & cons. Everything has a tradeoff that might be a good or bad thing for you depending on your goals, resources and priorities.[Continue Reading]