For a local independent business, WordPress not only provides a solution for a fully featured website and blog but also provides a great eCommerce platform too.
An eShop built with WordPress
In order to quickly turn around an online store which provided all the features you would expect with the ease of administration provided by WordPress, I used the WPFlexiShop plugin. This allows products to be created and managed as a custom post type, leaving the regular posts structure to operate as a blog alongside it.
It also provides great tools for managing orders, customising email templates and tracking sales. The client can even play around with the colour scheme to experiment with different looks to discover what best represents their clear artistic goals.
SEO Strength
One of the main benefits of WordPress over other eCommerce platforms out there targeted specifically at small traders is that it is built around strong SEO practices and can be extended to give administrators even more control over URL structure, page titles and descriptions and image management. With the eCommerce store rolled out so quickly more development time can be spent customising the templates and plugins to make sure the client’s products are promoted to users and search engines as effectively as possible.
Social Integration
Not only does the site include social integration with Facebook but mailing lists and share functionality allows Bang on Vintage to push a promotional campaign across several platforms. I have trained the client on how best to write copy to maximise page ranking and offered tips on how to improve their other social channels too.
