Backups — it’s a daunting word, isn’t it? Just hearing it probably makes you think of your valuable time wasted on a bunch of complicated, manual processes involving databases and FTP directories.

But all of this is a myth we’re happy to bust. The truth is this: thanks to modern plugins, it’s now fast and incredibly easy to make backups for WooCommerce — and restore them if the need arises.

You already know you need to be making backups of your store and its data. But what you might not know is how to create and manage those backups without giving yourself a headache.

Today we’re going to show you how. Read on to find out how you can get your store backed up for any situation with Jetpack, and how to properly use those backups in the event of an emergency.

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Updating WooCommerce, its extensions, and WordPress itself needn’t be a nerve-wracking experience. If you prepare well and follow best practice, you can avoid all “my product pages look weird” and “this plugin isn’t working right” experiences.

Today we’re going to show you four ways to better manage updates to your WooCommerce store to save you time, keep your store running smoothly, and give you confidence for the next time you see the phrase “an update is available” in your WordPress dashboard.

Let’s get started.

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Once you’ve made the decision to build a store with WooCommerce, you don’t want anything to slow you down.

If your store isn’t built with longevity in mind, however, you could run into trouble as time goes on. You might see product pages load slowly, extensions stop functioning, or even encounter serious issues like data loss or security breaches.

These are all issues that will ultimately lead to one thing: a decline in — or complete loss of  — paying customers.

To keep your WooCommerce store profitable, you need to build it with long-term stability, safety, and performance in mind. Let’s take a look at how you can build a WooCommerce store that will last for months, years, and beyond.

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With the release of WooCommerce 2.6 on the horizon, we imagine you’re all excited to explore the newest features available for running your online store. And a bit apprehensive, perhaps, to go through the update process once more.

The beauty of the open source world of WordPress development is that it allows virtually anyone to create virtually anything for this platform we call home. The downside is that it’s nearly impossible to predict what will happen when you put any given combination of those thousands upon thousands of creations in different environments under different circumstances.

We pride ourselves on thoroughly testing WooCommerce and its extensions, but the unfortunate reality is this: conflicts still happen. That’s why we recommend being prepared in advance for releases and major updates, so in the event of an issue, you can roll right back.

“But how do you get prepared?” We’re so happy you asked. Here’s how to efficiently set up backups and testing for your WooCommerce store so you’re ready for anything.

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When you have an idea for an online store — especially if it feels like a killer, never-been-done-before, “I’ve got to do this right now” type of idea — there’s definitely some temptation to set things up as quickly as possible.

The reality of selling online, however, is that the best stores take time, effort, and plenty of technical preparation to set up. In fact, if you rush too much, you’re likely to miss one of the six most crucial technical aspects that go into any eCommerce website. The results could either hurt you immediately… or catch up with you in a few months, right when you can least afford it.

Today, we’re going to cover the six most important technical factors eCommerce newbies should cover before they add even a single product to their new store. From site software to security to payment gateways, here they are — plus how you can decide which provider or software is the best fit for you and your own unique situation.

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