Here at MyWork, we love WooCommerce (recently rebranded as Woo). It’s a solid eCommerce platform that can work for any kind of business.
One of Woo’s biggest strengths is that its standard functionality can be greatly enhanced and customised via plugins. But how to know which plugins are right for you and your website?
A website which has the wrong plugins for your needs can put you in one of these scenarios:
- There’s too many plugins! The site is bloated and the site speed is suffering.
- There’s that one plugin where you’re not quite sure what it does… but you’re too scared to switch it off. Maybe it’s important.
- New updates and versions are constantly coming out, but you hold your breath every time you press ‘update’.
- Or the most frustrating situation- where you paid good money for a plugin, but it doesn’t even do what you thought it would!
You might be wondering how to find the best plugins for your website, and avoid the ones that might cause issues.
To help out, I’ve narrowed down my current top 5 plugins below, with bonus helpful use cases and alternative options. These are the Woo plugins I recommend to clients constantly.
Advanced Woo Search
Why I like it: Improves search functionality for customers – users can see product results as they type into the search bar.
Use case: Our client https://waltersimport.com/ has over 800 products on their website, so a convenient search bar in the header makes it easier for customers to find what they need quickly.
Don’t like this plugin? Here’s another great option: https://wordpress.org/plugins/add-search-to-menu/
Yoast Duplicate Post
Why I like it: Saves time creating new products (and pages, and posts).
Use case: When we built the new website for https://renewsolutions.com.au/ we needed to add around 50 products to the shop. Rather than clicking “Add New” and having to start from scratch every time, the handy “Duplicate” button meant we could start with a draft product, and focus on editing important fields like the variations and prices.
Don’t like this plugin? Here’s another great option: https://wordpress.org/plugins/add-search-to-menu/
FacetWP
Why I like it: Product filters that can’t be spooked
Use case: Our client https://collinstools.com.au/ have a massive product range, so they need a filter plugin which loads quickly and doesn’t get overwhelmed. Other filter plugins can often load slowly and even freeze, but FacetWP allows customers to quickly filter by brand or category so they can get their product quote ASAP!
Don’t like this plugin? Here’s another great option: https://wordpress.org/plugins/woocommerce-ajax-filters/
WP Sheets
Why I like it: Saves time editing products and categories
Use case: Are you an Excel power user? Why edit products one by one if you can work with them in a CSV? Our contact at https://furniturecourt.com.au/ likes to get hands-on when editing his products, and this plugin has been a game changer when it comes to making bulk updates.
Don’t like this plugin? Here’s another great option: https://yithemes.com/themes/plugins/yith-woocommerce-bulk-product-editing/
Gift Cards
Why I like it: You all know what a gift card is, right? Yes, Woo should include this functionality as part of the online shop out of the box, but they don’t. Yes, it’s worth paying for.
Use case: https://simplybeans.com.au/product/gift-card/ Loyal Simply Beans customers can send the gift of coffee to someone special, directly to their inbox. To keep things simple, the plugin lets new customers apply gift card codes right before placing an order.
Don’t like this plugin? Here’s another great option: https://woo.com/products/smart-coupons/
Hopefully this list has inspired you to see the many ways that plugins can improve the website experience for you and your customers!
If you have a specific feature requirement and aren’t sure where to start, or are experiencing issues with your existing plugins, reach out to MyWork and we’ll be happy to recommend a solution tailored to your needs 😊