FROM THIS EXPERT
Articles by this author
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8 minutesWhat to do before updating WordPress?
WordPress updates are essential for security, performance, and functionality, but they can also introduce conflicts or break existing features, and a failed update on a live site means lost revenue and downtime. The risk is largely preventable: the key is not avoiding updates but preparing for them. This guide covers the steps to take before…
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8 minutesIs it better to build a website from scratch or use WordPress?
For most business, content and commerce websites, WordPress is the better choice: it launches faster, costs less to build, and is easier to maintain and hand to a non-technical team. Building from scratch is the better choice for a narrower set of cases: bespoke products or applications with unusual performance, user-experience or integration demands that…
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9 minutesDoes WooCommerce use Stripe?
Yes, WooCommerce can use Stripe as one of its main payment gateway options. WooCommerce itself does not include Stripe by default, but it integrates with it through the official WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway plugin. This integration lets store owners accept credit cards, digital wallets, and other payment methods directly on their WooCommerce sites. Together, WooCommerce’s…
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10 minutesCan you build a complex website with WordPress?
Absolutely, you can build complex website with WordPress. What started as a simple blogging platform has evolved into a powerful content management system capable of handling enterprise-level applications, multi-site networks, and sophisticated web solutions. With proper planning, WordPress custom development, and the right technical approach, WordPress can power everything from large-scale e-commerce platforms to complex…
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7 minutesWhat database does WooCommerce use?
WooCommerce uses MySQL as its database, or MariaDB as a fully compatible equivalent, the same relational database that WordPress runs on. As a WordPress plugin, WooCommerce builds on the existing WordPress database and adds its own tables for products, orders, customers and settings. The one thing that has changed in recent versions, and matters most…
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8 minutesHow do I make WooCommerce look like Shopify?
The short answer: you can, but it is usually not what you want. Shopify stores do not convert better because they look different. They convert better because a set of checkout patterns ships enabled by default, and WooCommerce does not have them out of the box. Copying the appearance, meaning a centred logo, a sticky…
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9 minutesAlgolia. Modern alternative to WordPress search
WordPress’s built-in search works for a small site and struggles once the database grows, because it leans on SQL queries that were never designed for fast, relevant full-text search. The fix is a dedicated search engine. Algolia is the most polished hosted option, fast, developer-friendly, and now offering AI and semantic search, but it is…
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6 minutesWhat version of PHP is needed for WooCommerce?
WooCommerce officially recommends PHP 8.3 or higher. For most stores in 2026, PHP 8.4 is the best production choice, giving you strong performance and a mature plugin ecosystem, with PHP 8.3 a safe, well-supported alternative and PHP 8.5 the newest option. WooCommerce will still run on PHP 7.4 as a technical floor, but PHP 7.4,…
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8 minutesWhat is the difference between a static and dynamic website?
A static website serves pre-built files that look the same to every visitor until someone edits them. A dynamic website builds each page on request, pulling content from a database so it can change per user, per login, or in real time. Static wins on raw speed, security and cost; dynamic wins on functionality, personalisation…