Before creating their own online store, many businessmen are faced with the question of which engine is better to choose – Opencart or WordPress. Both systems are open-source CMS and offer a wide range of features thanks to numerous plugins. While Opencart is more focused on e-commerce (development of online stores), WordPress is a universal platform. But often both systems are suitable for the project and we offer to understand the features, advantages and disadvantages of each of them.
Main features
To begin with, let’s take a look at the functions that Opencart has. Immediately after its launch, you get an online store with examples of product cards – then you need to replenish the catalog with your products. The basic functionality includes:
- a large set of SKU filters;
- multiple payment and shipping methods;
- user account and order management;
- blocks with discounts and promotions, recommended products, hits and new products;
- Integration with various well-known marketplaces.
WordPress is suitable for building a variety of websites, but it does have WooCommerce – the most sought-after eCommerce plugin on WordPress. It is located in the built-in catalog of extensions and is freely available. After installing the plugin, an additional block appears in the admin panel, which contains tools for developing an online store. Considering what is better to choose – Opencart or WordPress, it is worth highlighting the key features of the second resource:
- development of a product catalog with different categories and subcategories;
- receiving orders and processing them;
- personal account for buyers;
- tools for collecting and processing analytical information;
- connection of different types of payment;
- various built-in marketing tools: discounts, sales, bonuses, sections with the most popular/recommended products, etc.;
The main difference is that WordPress is also suitable for creating other websites – it is more flexible and versatile. In general, the basic functions of both CMSs are similar, and the differences can be seen by taking a closer look at the usability and other characteristics of the platforms.
Usability
The first factor to consider when choosing WordPress or Opencart is the simplicity and convenience of creating a website. WordPress is considered to be the easiest platform for website development, so it is the clear leader here. Even beginners will be able to use the CMS. The platform allows you to add the necessary extensions from the administrative panel, and the availability of training materials allows you to quickly understand the functionality.
OpenCart is also quite easy to use, as it takes a few minutes to install the engine on most hosts. You can download the necessary plugins via FTP access. The admin panel is quite clear, and there is also a knowledge base, which makes it easier to understand the platform’s capabilities.
WordPress wins in ease of management, but its competitor also has an important advantage: it’s ready to go right out of the box.
SEO promotion
An equally important factor when choosing to make an online store on WordPress or Opencart is the possibilities in SEO promotion. The position of the resource in search engines depends on this. OpenCart has only a few initial features for SEO:
- encryption of traffic using an SSL certificate;
- GZIP compression to improve the loading speed of web pages;
- title, description, and basic meta tags.
- Other tools can only be obtained after downloading special plugins. They can be either free or paid (mostly complex solutions are offered for purchase).
Without additional extensions, the possibilities of SEO promotion on WordPress are very limited. But once you install the plugins (All In One SEO Pack or Yoast SEO), you’ll have access to the features you need. Among them:
- Add meta tags for pages, categories, and product cards.
- Snippet preview.
- Modify robots.txt and .htaccess files using the built-in editor.
- Manage the resource map.
- Add canonical URLs for pages.
- When you buy the paid version of Yoast SEO, you can set redirects between pages.
With the help of both platforms, it is possible to achieve the same results in SEO optimization.
Conclusions: Which CMS Is Better to Choose?
If you already have a website on WordPress, then if you need an online store, definitely give preference to this platform. All you have to do is download WooCommerce and get access to all the features you need. But when building a store from scratch, the choice isn’t so obvious.
For an online store with a large number of products (5-50 thousand items), Opencart is better suited. It’s more efficient at dealing with filters and other capabilities, while WordPress may have performance issues.
If you need to get an online store with a wide range of functionality and a competent interface, please contact our company. The SHAFEM web studio will develop a website on Opencart or WordPress in a short time and at a bargain price. We have extensive experience working with both sites, so we will select the best one for the needs of your business and guarantee a high-quality result.
