If you’re looking to start an online store, you’ve probably heard of WooCommerce and Etsy. Both platforms are popular choices for e-commerce businesses, but which one is right for you? In this article, we’ll compare and contrast the two platforms so that you can make an informed decision about which one is best for your business.

Why WooCommerce

We’re sure you already know this, but WooCommerce is the most popular WordPress e-commerce tool that comes in the form of a plugin.

Once installed on your site it lets you turn your website into an online store. It’s free to use, and there are tons of themes and plugins available to help you customize it.

WooCommerce Costs

WooCommerce is essentially just a free plugin, but the backend that’s needed to run it, WordPress, can be costly depending on your WordPress website development status. Costs such as hosting, security, and a theme are probably going to be the main ones unless you are paying for the site to be developed then that would cost the most.

WooCommerce is a great choice for businesses that want COMPLETE control over their e-commerce website and either have the knowledge, time, or developer budget to take on the task of building and maintaining the site.

WooCommerce for SEO

Since WooCommerce is a plugin that lives on your WordPress website, all the SEO benefits of having a WordPress site will apply to your e-commerce store as well. This includes things like proper use of titles, descriptions, and keywords, as well as schema markup.

WooCommerce Themes

There are thousands of WooCommerce themes available on the internet, and most of them are free. You can find themes that fit any type of business, and you can also customize them to match your brand.

WooCommerce Plugins

There are also thousands of WooCommerce plugins available, and again, most of them are free. This gives you tons of options for adding features and functionality to your store.

Why Etsy

Etsy is a marketplace for handmade and vintage items. It’s free to list items on Etsy, and there are millions of products available for sale. Etsy is a great choice for businesses that want to sell unique or one-of-a-kind products.

If you’re looking for a platform that’s simple and easy to use, Etsy is a great option. It’s also perfect for businesses that don’t want to deal with the hassle of setting up their own e-commerce website.

Etsy Costs

Etsy is free to use, but there are fees for certain services, like listing products and processing payments. These fees can add up, so it’s important to factor them into your business plan.

Etsy charges you a listing fee every time you list an item for sale. They also charge you this fee when you sell an item and then the new item, of the same listing, is set to be active on your shop. Thinking of it as a digital restocking fee. This applies if you have 1 item in stock or 99. The listing fee is currently only $0.20 USD, so it’s not a big deal, but if you have 100’s or 1000’s of items listed on your store and most of them are not being sold it might eat up some of your profits.

You can read more about their fees here.

Etsy for SEO

Since Etsy is a marketplace, it doesn’t have as much control over its own search engine rankings as WooCommerce does. However, there are still some things you can do to improve your Etsy SEO.

In 2020, Etsy had over 39.4 million active Etsy buyers worldwide and they have their own SEO features that can help your items rank. The platform wants your items to sell, because they make money off of it, simple as that. They also have a really cool Etsy Ads feature where they run ads on their platform for the listings you choose and you only pay when they get clicked or purchased. It’s super easy to use and can be very beneficial for your store’s SEO and profits.

Etsy integrates with a lot of dropshipping companies out there so you don’t even have to hold any physical stock to have a store!

So, which platform is right for you? That depends on your specific needs and budget. If you want complete control over your e-commerce website and have the knowledge or resources to take on that task, WooCommerce is a great choice. If you’re looking for something quick and easy that pretty much runs itself then Etsy might be a better starting point.

Let us know in the comments which you prefer and why, or do you use both?

P.S. Read our comparison on Shopify and Woocommerce here.