From pages to practice: New WooCommerce books reviewed
Read our reviews of the latest WooCommerce book releases.
There are lots of ways to learn about WooCommerce - online courses, podcasts, blog articles, tutorials..... But don't forget about traditional books.
Learning WooCommerce from a book can work really well because it takes you through everything you need to know in a methodical way. That's very different from the more piecemeal approach you get from formats like blog posts, which tend to focus on a specific topic only. You can read a WooCommerce book from start to finish - either from your sun lounger on holiday 🏖️, or at your computer while you follow along and build your site 👨💻
Today I'm going to review 2 newly released books aimed at different types of WooCommerce users:
- Mastering WooCommerce - a print or eBook by Patrick Rauland.
- Marketer’s Guide to WooCommerce a free eBook by Filter Agency and Barn2 Plugins.
I'll give you an overview of what to expect from each book and what you will learn from it.
Book review 1: Mastering WooCommerce
Author: Patrick Rauland
Mastering WooCommerce claims to be aimed at both beginners and seasoned users looking to refine their skills. That's a tall order, but I believe that it achieves this. It does so by starting simple and then providing more advanced guidance and tips. That way, beginners can start from the beginning while advanced users can skim through and pick out the nuggets of information they don't already know.
A structured approach to WooCommerce mastery
The book starts by laying a strong foundation for setting up a WooCommerce store. It systematically guides readers through the essentials, ensuring that even those new to the platform can follow along. The step-by-step instructions on configuring WooCommerce, setting up payment gateways, and implementing shipping and tax options are clear and concise, making the initial setup process straightforward and manageable.
Detailed product management
One of the standout features of Mastering WooCommerce is its detailed exploration of product management. Rauland covers everything from configuring simple products to handling complex product data fields. The sections on inventory management and shipping are particularly useful, providing practical tips and best practices that can save store owners time and hassle.
The emphasis on understanding taxonomies and using SEO techniques to enhance product visibility underscores the importance of a well-optimized store.
Enhancing user experience
Improving user experience is a critical aspect of running a successful e-commerce site, and Rauland addresses this in detail. The book delves into various techniques to enhance the speed and performance of WooCommerce stores, including caching strategies and theme customization.
The advice on building an attractive and functional landing page is particularly valuable, offering actionable insights into how to effectively promote products and engage customers.
Advanced topics
For those looking to go beyond the basics, Mastering WooCommerce does not disappoint. Rauland explores advanced topics such as integrating POS systems, outsourcing fulfillment, and using external reporting services.
The book also covers the creation of custom WooCommerce plugins, providing a pathway for users to extend the functionality of their stores in unique ways. This section is particularly beneficial for developers and advanced users who want to tailor WooCommerce to meet specific business needs. Of course, beginners can skip this section and focus on the earlier chapters.
The verdict
Mastering WooCommerce is an invaluable resource for anyone looking to master WooCommerce. Whether you are setting up your first store or seeking to enhance an existing one, this book offers comprehensive coverage of all aspects of WooCommerce.
By the end of the book, you will have the knowledge and skills to run a complete WooCommerce store, customizing it to meet your specific needs on both the frontend and backend.
Book review 2: Marketer’s Guide to WooCommerce
Co-Authors: Filter Agency and Barn2 Plugins
I was excited when Filter invited me to co-author the new Marketer's Guide to WooCommerce eBook because helping people to make their online stores a success is one of my favorite topics 😀. We worked together to create a comprehensive guide covering all aspects of marketing a WooCommerce store.
Whether you’re a seasoned marketer or just starting out, this eBook provides essential insights to help you optimize your online store and drive success.
Structurally, it focusses on two key areas: optimizing your store from a marketing perspective; and driving traffic to your store.
Optimizing your store
The book includes a comprehensive range of tips on how to maximize conversions and average order value in your store. This includes:
- Helping customers to find products more easily.
- Choosing a store layout which effectively displays the type of products you sell, instead of sticking with the default layouts.
- Improving product pages.
- Boosting conversions by speeding up the ordering process.
- A/B testing to make evidence-based improvements and measure the results.
It talks about making the best use of the built-in WooCommerce settings, and recommends high quality plugins from a range of companies to add extra functionality.
A real-world case study from one of Filter's clients helps to bring the learnings together and show how everything comes together in practice.
Driving traffic to your store
The eBook recognises that there's no point having a well-optimized store if no one visits it! As a result, it also focusses heavily on strategies to market your store more widely and drive visitors to it. This includes:
- Optimizing your website and content for search engines (SEO).
- Off-page SEO factors such as link building.
- Social media marketing, including plugins that integrate WooCommerce with social platforms.
- Paid ads such as Google AdWords and social media ads.
- Multi-media advertising such as video/YouTube.
The verdict
Unlike 'Mastering WooCommerce' which I reviewed above, The Marketer's Guide to WooCommerce is mostly aimed at promoting an existing store. As a result, I recommend reading it after Mastering WooCommerce and referring to it regularly in order to grow your sales.
For a deeper dive, watch this episode of the UnFiltered podcast. In it, I chatted with Si Cooke from Filter and James Kemp from Woo about some of the key messages that you can learn from the book:
Where to get the WooCommerce books
If you like the sound of either (or both) of these new WooCommerce books, then you can get them from these links:
- Buy the printed or eBook version of Mastering WooCommerce from packt.
- Download The Marketer’s Guide to WooCommerce for free from the Filter website.
Happy reading 📚🛒