Allison Rivers | Torque All the Word that's fit to Press Wed, 15 Dec 2021 19:25:32 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.1 3 Quick and Easy Steps to Building a Multilingual WordPress Website https://torquemag.io/2021/11/3-quick-and-easy-steps-to-building-a-multilingual-wordpress-website/ https://torquemag.io/2021/11/3-quick-and-easy-steps-to-building-a-multilingual-wordpress-website/#comments Thu, 04 Nov 2021 16:43:22 +0000 https://torquemag.io/?p=91863 Want to build a multilingual website but not sure where to start? Worried it will take too much time, be too expensive, or too complicated? These are common myths. Building a multilingual WordPress website can actually be straightforward and simple. And as well as being relatively inexpensive to set up, translating your website will typically result in a bigger audience share and more engagement or sales for your business. Why it’s important to have a multilingual website There are various reasons why it’s important to have a multilingual website. Let’s dive into them. Reaching an international audience  If you want […]

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Want to build a multilingual website but not sure where to start? Worried it will take too much time, be too expensive, or too complicated?

These are common myths. Building a multilingual WordPress website can actually be straightforward and simple. And as well as being relatively inexpensive to set up, translating your website will typically result in a bigger audience share and more engagement or sales for your business.

Why it’s important to have a multilingual website

There are various reasons why it’s important to have a multilingual website. Let’s dive into them.

Reaching an international audience 

If you want your website to be available to a global audience, it’ll need to cater to a variety of languages. If people visit your website but aren’t able to view it in their native language, either their experience will suffer or they’ll be put off altogether.

Improving your conversion rates

From surveying 2,430 web consumers across eight countries, Common Sense Advisory found that over 70% of interviewees said they would be more likely to buy a product with information in their own language. More than 55% said that obtaining information in their own language is more important than price.

Enhancing your SEO

SEO is integral for finding new customers and boosting your domain’s authority. By targeting your specific audiences, you’re expanding your reach and improving your chances of ranking in a whole bunch of other regions across the globe.

Hire an Agency to Build Your International Website or Do it Yourself?

You may think that you need to hire an agency if you want to make a WordPress website and turn it multilingual. It is an option, but building it yourself is also possible – and often, the most affordable and flexible choice.

You can take full ownership of building your multilingual website and not have to worry about expensive agency fees. There are many solutions available that make the process as hassle-free and easy to understand as possible. 

Below, we’ll explore 3 steps to building a multilingual WordPress website on your own. 

1. Find a Good Hosting Company 

If you’re looking into how to build a multilingual WordPress site, you may already be set up with a domain and hosting company.

In case you haven’t arranged these steps, there are a number of considerations when deciding what will work best for you. At the same time, there are some qualities in hosting that you’ll want to make sure you receive, regardless of the type of website you want to build and how quickly you plan to grow:

WordPress specific: Make sure the host you choose is compatible with WordPress. Most are, considering WordPress powers over 42% of all the websites on the Internet.

Scalable: If you’re planning on growing your website and can expect to see a steady increase in incoming traffic, then choosing a hosting provider that can flexibly grow with your demand is vital.

Secure: The last thing any growing or thriving business needs is to be hacked or put at risk by sub-standard security measures. As well as looking for high-security, try to determine whether the provider you choose is adaptable to change and prepared for increased threats.

Great support: Even developers get stuck sometimes. Although building and maintaining a website as a novice is much easier than it was five–ten years ago, you’ll still need the support of professionals now and again.

Here’s a handy guide with further information on what to look for and a breakdown of some of the top-rated hosting companies.

2. Select a Website Builder Package That Does It All

One of the main reasons it’s a lot simpler to build all kinds of websites nowadays is due to the advent of visual website builders and page builders. There’s no need to worry about scary acronyms like HTML, CSS, JSON, or AJAX. These dynamic site builders allow you to design pages by simply dragging and dropping pre-designed widgets into place to create your ideal design. In most cases, you’re also able to choose from a great selection of templates to help you get started.

Popular website/page builders include Divi, Beaver Builder, Elementor and Avada Website Builder.

For this guide, we’ve chosen Elementor, not least because of its immense versatility, ease of use, and impressive range of features and add-ons. Plus, it’s undoubtedly a popular choice, with over five million users. And, its free version has all you need to build a well-designed multilingual WordPress website.

Start by Installing a Theme

Elementor provides its own Hello theme that is built for optimal speed and performance. It’s the perfect WordPress starter theme – minimal styling, maximum design freedom.

Designing Your Site With Elementor

Once you’ve installed your theme, it’s time to start thinking about designing your site.

You can do a lot with the free version of Elementor. First, there’s the drag-and-drop page builder for designing all your pages, posts, and other types of content. You can also design your own page templates and save them conveniently to re-use.

A variety of different elements, as well as a whole library of templates and blocks, are available. As well as all the standard options such as text, images, and headings, you can also access elements such as Google Maps, image carousels, social media icons, and much more.

For more guidance on designing your website with Elementor, there are detailed instructions and walkthroughs.

Elementor’s New Kits Library

The free version of Elementor features everything you need to design an attractive website, but if you want to try out even more features and functionality, Elementor’s Kits Library provides you with a whole new big box of tricks. Released in July 2021, it allows you to import entire kits or multiple template components simultaneously. There’s a limited version available with the free version of Elementor, so it doesn’t cost anything.

And If You Want to Go Pro…

As well as the comprehensive set of features available in the free version, if you choose Elementor Pro (available from $4.50/ Month), you’ll have access to a range of additional benefits. These include 300+ Pro templates and blocks, custom fonts and Adobe TypeKit, contact and subscription forms, and integrations with a variety of top plugins and software – such as ActiveCampaign and HubSpot.

3. Choose a Multilingual Plugin That Can Translate Your Site in Minutes

There are various plugins that specialize in making websites multilingual. Popular options include TranslatePress, WPML, and Polylang.

All of these plugins have their merits; ranging from the ability to translate directly from the front-end, live previews, and automatic translation options, to translation management systems, connection to third-party translation service providers, and WooCommerce support.

There are free multilingual plugin options (such as the base version of Polylang) that provide you with simple functionality. For more advanced features and support, paid versions of multilingual plugins provide all of the advancements, conveniences, and expert support needed to create and maintain a professional multilingual website.

WPML

For this final step of building a multilingual WordPress site, we’ll go with WPML due to its completeness, extensive compatibility with other plugins and themes, and the fact it can translate your site in minutes. This is made possible with WPML’s new “Translate Everything” mode, which is available with the Multilingual CMS version of WPML for just $99. 

Translate Everything” will automatically translate your content into secondary languages as you publish or edit it. It works on a credit-system, with enough credits included in the purchase of WPML to translate most small-to-medium-sized sites. Any additional credits can be purchased in a one-off bundle, or through a Pay As You Go system. 

When you install WPML, complete the setup wizard and while doing so, choose to “Translate Everything”. This feature will then automatically translate your site’s main content in the background (it only takes a few minutes).

And it’s as easy as that! Your multilingual WordPress site is ready to hit audiences worldwide.

Note: Translate Everything covers all of your main content – posts, pages, custom post types, custom fields, taxonomies, WooCommerce products, and more. If you want to translate smaller texts like strings, menus, widgets, and form fields, you’ll need to do so by using WPML’s String Translation feature. The good news is, this workflow is also a simple and streamlined process.

Summary

Despite what you may have heard, building a multilingual WordPress website doesn’t have to be complicated – not when you choose the right tools for the job.

And the best part? You can do it all yourself! There’s no need to hire an agency or specialist to do the work for you.

A reliable, robust hosting package; an intuitive website theme and builder; and a comprehensive multilingual plugin with all the documentation and support you could wish for… Just three, simple, yet powerful steps you need to take for building a brilliant multilingual WordPress website.

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What is WordPress 5.8’s Query Loop Block? https://torquemag.io/2021/07/what-is-wordpress-5-8s-query-loop-block/ https://torquemag.io/2021/07/what-is-wordpress-5-8s-query-loop-block/#comments Fri, 09 Jul 2021 15:52:30 +0000 https://torquemag.io/?p=91343 WordPress 5.8, anticipated to be released in July, takes the next step towards Full Site Editing. This release includes the Query Loop and Page List blocks, which introduce the concept of displaying content dynamically and allow you to build dynamic layouts using new WordPress core blocks. WordPress’s plan for Full Site Editing is to eventually allow users to build all parts of their sites without any PHP using blocks. This includes full control over your page, single post, archive, and 404 templates, as well as areas formerly controlled by themes, such as headers, footers, and sidebars. It will make the […]

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WordPress 5.8, anticipated to be released in July, takes the next step towards Full Site Editing. This release includes the Query Loop and Page List blocks, which introduce the concept of displaying content dynamically and allow you to build dynamic layouts using new WordPress core blocks.

WordPress’s plan for Full Site Editing is to eventually allow users to build all parts of their sites without any PHP using blocks. This includes full control over your page, single post, archive, and 404 templates, as well as areas formerly controlled by themes, such as headers, footers, and sidebars. It will make the WordPress admin function more like theme or page builders.

The Full Site Editing roadmap is still vague with many future release dates still listed as “To Be Confirmed,” but WordPress 5.8 provides a glimpse of the new Full Site Editing experience with several features that are paving the way:

  • Collections of block layouts called Patterns, plus a growing Pattern Directory
  • Block-based widget editor
  • Block-based template editor for landing pages
  • New blocks for displaying theme information like your logo and site tagline (to use in templates)
  • New blocks for displaying dynamic content (to use with the new Query Loop block)

What is the Query Loop Block (and Page List Block)?

The most unfamiliar feature in WordPress 5.8 for many users is the Query Loop block.

The Query Loop block allows you to display dynamic lists of posts, pages, or custom post types from elsewhere on your site. Best of all, you can do it without the custom PHP coding that was previously required.

Because the lists you create are dynamic, they update automatically as you add, edit, or remove content from your site.

Uses for the Query Loop Block

Here are some things you can do with the Query Loop block:

Show recent posts on your homepage

Example of recent posts

Show posts with same category or tag

Show content from custom post types such as testimonials or portfolio items on your homepage

An example of testimonials

The Posts List block is simply an alias of the Query Loop block (if you add a Posts List block, you’ll actually see the Query Loop block on your page), so they share the same functionality.

WordPress 5.8 also includes another similar block called Latest Posts. This block only lists posts and includes a handful of preset options you can turn on or off. This means it’s missing some of the other options and flexibility you get with the Query Loop or Page List blocks.

How to Use the Query Loop Block

To use the Query Loop block, simply add the block to the page or post where you want the list to appear. The Query Loop block includes 6 pre-configured layouts to choose from.

You can page through the layout options or see them in a grid view when you first insert the block.

An example of layouts with 5.8

Or, you can Start blank and build a custom list using the variety of new dynamic blocks included in WordPress 5.8: Post Featured Image, Post Title, Post Content, Post Date, Post Excerpt, Post Categories, Post Tags.

An example of block options with 5.8

In the sidebar, choose which content you want to display. You can choose to display pages, posts, or custom post types.

A look at display settings in 5.8

The Query Loop block settings include ways to further customize what gets displayed. You can also choose how to order the items in your list, add filters to only show certain items, and choose to include or exclude sticky posts.

In the block toolbar, there are more settings. 

For instance, you can choose how many items to display per page. This feature, paired with the new Pagination block, breaks up a very long list into several sections and allows you to emphasize only the most recent or relevant items.

Similarly, if you only want to show the first few items, you can specify the maximum number to show, which limits the overall number that appears in the list.

Another option is to offset your list. This skips over the specified number of items and only displays list items after that. This is especially useful if you have a layout that displays a featured article elsewhere on the page and you don’t want to repeat it in your list.

In the following screenshot, we have a custom layout with a Query Loop block set to a max limit of 1 to show the most recent article as a larger, featured article. In a column on the right, we have another Query Loop block offset by 1 to list the later articles.

With WordPress 5.8, you can only use the Query Loop block in a post or page body. Eventually with Full Site Editing, you’ll be able to use it in single post templates and other templates like archives.

Limitations of Query Loop Block in WordPress 5.8

While all these features are an exciting step towards Full Site Editing, it’s still very basic and names and features are still in development. This may mean the Query Loop block is not entirely usable depending on what your site needs.

Styling Options

With WordPress 5.8, the styling options of the Query Loop and related dynamic blocks are limited to basic typography and color customizations.

Anything more advanced, such as changing the margins or padding, adding borders or box shadows, and adjusting letter spacing, just isn’t possible in the current version.

Filtering Options

Filters allow you to only display list items that meet certain criteria, for instance, posts that are part of the same category or tag. With WordPress 5.8, you can only filter by category, tag, keyword, or author.

For instance, if you have custom taxonomies set up on your site, you won’t be able to filter by those values. As a result, you’re not able to take full advantage of your site’s custom structures, and you’re limited to only displaying content in standard fields.

Block Options

The seven new blocks for displaying dynamic content are a nice start, but limiting the dynamic functionality to only seven blocks misses some other key blocks that could benefit from dynamic functionality.

One notable oversight is the Button block. Without dynamic functionality, you’re stuck with static calls to action since you can’t create buttons that dynamically link to the correct page. Instead, you have to add the correct URL to each button individually.

Advanced Options

Because WordPress 5.8 is the first introduction of the Query Loop block, it’s missing out on a lot of advanced features that already come standard in other dynamic content plugins. Things like:

  • Displaying content from custom fields or post relationships
  • Adding front-end filters and custom search fields
  • Displaying content as carousels, maps, masonry layouts, etc.

Plugins with Advanced Query Loop Functionality

If you’re excited about the possibilities of displaying content dynamically without coding but disappointed by the limitations of the Query Loop block, there are other options available. This is a feature that other plugins have been perfecting for a long time.

The following plugins combine the dynamic content functionality with the more advanced features that WordPress 5.8 is missing. Plus, all of these plugins are already compatible with Gutenberg and the Block Editor.

Toolset is a powerful suite of plugins that includes the View Block. This block is responsible for dynamically displaying any type of content – posts, pages, custom post types, standard and custom taxonomies, and content from post relationships – in completely custom layouts with front-end search and filter functionalities. Toolset’s dynamic content capabilities also integrate with WordPress core blocks and other block plugins to supercharge your entire block library.

If you only need to display posts, PostX – Gutenberg Blocks for Post Grid offers an abundance of layouts, including sliders, grids, carousels, and more. This makes it great for magazine, news, and blog sites. You can also build archives, display custom taxonomies, add pagination, and build advanced queries.

JetEngine by Crocoblock started as a way to add dynamic functionality to Elementor, and it now works great with Gutenberg, too. Display custom post types, taxonomies, custom fields, and post relationships using a variety of layouts: grid, slider, map, calendar, or even mix and match. With their Dynamic Widgets, you can display images, links, meta, and more.

Leave Your Feedback

You can try the new Query Loop block and other new features in the WordPress 5.8 Release Candidate. Leave a comment below and let us know if you’ve tried any of the alternatives listed in this article and how they compare with what WordPress has planned.

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Why WordPress Agencies Are Embracing Gutenberg https://torquemag.io/2021/05/why-wordpress-agencies-are-embracing-gutenberg/ https://torquemag.io/2021/05/why-wordpress-agencies-are-embracing-gutenberg/#comments Fri, 28 May 2021 14:48:00 +0000 https://torquemag.io/?p=91107 Now that the WordPress Gutenberg editor has become a viable option for building sites, agencies are starting to transition from page builders to get back to “plain WordPress.” We spoke with 15 agencies to understand the shift. After two years on the market, Gutenberg is overcoming its rough start and reputation as a half-baked product. Now, it’s proving itself as a solid foundation for building WordPress sites, and agencies are starting to notice. Who we interviewed Fifteen agencies reached out to help us understand what led them to transition from page builders to the Gutenberg block editor. All of the […]

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Now that the WordPress Gutenberg editor has become a viable option for building sites, agencies are starting to transition from page builders to get back to “plain WordPress.” We spoke with 15 agencies to understand the shift.

After two years on the market, Gutenberg is overcoming its rough start and reputation as a half-baked product. Now, it’s proving itself as a solid foundation for building WordPress sites, and agencies are starting to notice.

Who we interviewed

Fifteen agencies reached out to help us understand what led them to transition from page builders to the Gutenberg block editor.

All of the agencies we interviewed have been building WordPress sites for many years (even decades) and range in size from 1-60 employees. They work in a variety of industries such as non-profit, cybersecurity, real estate, hospitality, retail, publishing, and more and have experience building eCommerce sites, directories, membership sites, learning management systems, and everything in between.

All of the interviewees used to use Elementor, Beaver Builder, Visual Composer, Muffin Builder and Divi but now use Gutenberg to build their sites, usually partnered with the Gutenberg-based plugin Toolset.

The challenges agencies have with page builders

For many years, agencies have relied on the drag-and-drop functionality and styling options that come with page builders. So why did the agencies we interviewed abandon them?

Speed and performance

It’s true, page builders make it easy to create beautiful designs, but often that comes at the expense of site performance. With Google’s announcement that they will be making site performance a bigger SEO ranking factor starting this June, this is more important than ever.

It’s no secret that page builders add extra, often unnecessary code to your site, but what may be surprising is how much this can actually slow your site. In a recent article, author Kyle Van Deusen saw his Google’s PageSpeed Insights score increase from 46 to 94 by switching from one popular page builder to Gutenberg.

Our interviewees reported improvements in page and site speed, leaner pages, and less of a need for so many plugins which has resulted in better SEO rankings and faster sites.

Christophe Keppens, who creates sites using Kadence Blocks or Toolset (including dynam-IT) is pleased with the performance of the sites he builds with Gutenberg:

Dependency on 3rd party code

Because page builders are such a core part of building a site, any issue with a page builder can create huge problems. Some agencies cited issues like these as wake-up calls to reduce their reliance on 3rd party solutions.

“After taking over a few sites that were using different page builders, spending a lot of time to sort out the mess, I was very suspicious of anything that was not clean WordPress,” says Stina Deurell, who created the site Deep Adaptation Guidance using GeneratePress theme and Toolset.

Christophe Keppens adds, “As many others, I also had some issues [after a page builder’s] release. That’s when I decided I wanted to eliminate the dependency on 3rd parties as much as possible. At the same time, I discovered Kadence Theme and Kadence Blocks. Also 3rd party, but much closer to the WordPress core system. So, I tried rebuilding one of my sites and it went rather well.”

Steep learning curves with clients

If clients want to edit their content or take over the maintenance of their site, it can be difficult for them to learn a whole new interface on top of learning how to use WordPress. With Gutenberg, however, they only need to learn one.

Joe Watts created a site for non-profit organization Cawaco using Genesis Framework theme, Genesis Blocks, and Toolset. “Gutenberg started making sense to me when I looked into how much easier it was for clients to use. They like pages that are pages—where they can edit the page and actually make changes to it…[Clients are] much happier. They feel like it has given them some additional controls over their websites.”

John Fleming used Blocksy theme, Stackable Blocks, and Toolset to create a site for author Lily Morton:

Difficult to create a dynamic site

Though page builders are starting to add some dynamic capabilities, some require other plugins, add-on solutions, or custom programming to create fully dynamic sites. Only Toolset and Crocoblock allow you to both create custom content like fields and taxonomies and display them dynamically across your site.

Dawson Barber of Total Local Online Marketing (built with Astra and Toolset) is one interviewee who has found it quicker to build dynamic sites with Gutenberg:

Dragan who built the site TreeRay with WoodMart and Toolset says, “By using Gutenberg to build my sites, I solved the custom coding problem – instead of using custom code, I just add a block and then focus on my content.”

Toolset even adds dynamic functionality to other 3rd party block plugins, which John Fleming says “is a game changer for us.”

How using Gutenberg works for agencies and their clients

All of the agencies reported that clients are just as happy with their sites built with Gutenberg, and they feel that they have more control and understanding of their sites.

This can be especially useful if you only want to deliver a project, not maintain it. This is the case for Marijke Metz who built Metz Design using GeneratePress and Toolset.

“All of our clients are really happy with their Gutenberg-based sites,” adds Dawson Barber, “particularly those that want to occasionally update some content on their own (they didn’t like the editing experience with frontend page builders).”

Stina Deurell similarly shares, “Depending on [the client’s] computer maturity they range from liking the look of [the site], to love to be able to make a new View themselves.”

The remaining pain points in Gutenberg and how agencies deal with them

Gutenberg still has some areas of improvement. In our interviews, agencies reported some similar issues they struggle with when working with Gutenberg. Overall, they reported these issues as being more annoyances than stoppers.

  • They want default styling per site for blocks and images.
  • Abundance of available blocks through different plugins is overwhelming – hoping for the ability to turn off blocks clients won’t use.
  • Working with global and reusable blocks is not intuitive yet.
  • They want more animation options.
  • It’s difficult to create designs that differ from the theme’s default styling.

Joe Watts and Marijke Metz both struggle with Gutenberg giving clients too many options:

  • Joe says, “The wonderful and vast number of blocks is both a blessing and a curse. It can be overwhelming to clients when they are presented with dozens and dozens of options for each block. Turning off the blocks you know your clients won’t need, will help them love Gutenberg even more. There are some I never use. There are some I use a lot.” 
  • Marijka also adds, “[Clients] are easily overflowed with all the possibilities and don’t know where to look to solve their problem.”

Dragan found solutions to his problems with Toolset: “The challenges that still remain with Gutenberg are creating designs that differ from my theme’s default styling, i.e. having full control over styles to design templates for custom post types and archive pages. To overcome these challenges I use Toolset plugins (Blocks, Types, Forms and Access) to add custom post types to my sites and display them as I choose.”

Agencies have found a better site-building solution with Gutenberg

Overall, the agencies we spoke to were very happy with their switch to Gutenberg and the added possibilities and functionality Toolset adds. 

Geoff Smith, who built the coupon site Blippr using GeneratePress and Toolset says, “Other blocks are limited in what they can do, but using Toolset custom post types and dynamic blocks I was able to build a pretty complex site that has a lot of different content being pulled in and updated on a regular basis. I think [building a site with blocks] is one of the only ways to build larger sites on WordPress, otherwise you are going to be doing custom development (have fun with that!). Toolset has made it easy for us to do things in days that would have taken us weeks before.”

“[Gutenberg is] now our first choice for building WordPress websites, so much so that, even though we’d redone our agency website [to switch from one page builder to another] in the last year, we decided to rebuild our agency website from scratch using Gutenberg and Toolset. We’re extremely pleased with our agency website rebuild,” says Dawson Barber. “All in all, we’re really happy that we embraced Gutenberg and look forward to new features from Gutenberg as well as the Toolset team.”

What is your experience with Gutenberg?

Would you make the switch from page builders to Gutenberg, or have you already? What’s your number one concern about moving to Gutenberg? Let us know in the comments!

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3 Gutenberg Block Plugins for WooCommerce Stores https://torquemag.io/2021/04/3-gutenberg-block-plugins-for-woocommerce-stores/ Fri, 16 Apr 2021 15:13:00 +0000 https://torquemag.io/?p=90844 Building an online store with the Gutenberg Block Editor allows you to build a streamlined, functional shopping experience without dealing with tricky programming or bulky page builder plugins. Instead, a simple block plugin can help you customize your product pages and site styling. Here are three block plugins specially designed for WooCommerce stores. Why use Gutenberg to build your online store? Simplicity – Gutenberg is built into WordPress. This means you don’t have to learn how to use another page builder interface, and you don’t have to worry about compatibility issues with WordPress. Site Speed – Because you don’t need […]

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Building an online store with the Gutenberg Block Editor allows you to build a streamlined, functional shopping experience without dealing with tricky programming or bulky page builder plugins. Instead, a simple block plugin can help you customize your product pages and site styling. Here are three block plugins specially designed for WooCommerce stores.

Why use Gutenberg to build your online store?

  • Simplicity – Gutenberg is built into WordPress. This means you don’t have to learn how to use another page builder interface, and you don’t have to worry about compatibility issues with WordPress.
  • Site Speed – Because you don’t need to run a page builder plugin, your site will stay lighter and faster.
  • SEO – Your site’s speed is more important than ever, since Google will soon include this metric when determining your search engine result page ranking.

Using blocks to build your store

Gutenberg uses a block editor to build your store’s posts and pages, and you can expand your block library and add customization options by installing extra block plugins. Sure, you can use standard WordPress blocks like headings and paragraphs, but you probably also need to display ratings and reviews, lists of products, filtering by category or price, and much more.

A block plugin that specializes in WooCommerce can help you customize your eCommerce store and add important functionality. But which one should you choose? Let’s look at three great options for different store types.

WooCommerce Core BlocksProductX – Gutenberg WooCommerce BlocksToolset’s WooCommerce Blocks
PriceFreeFreePaid
BenefitGetting a basic store set up quicklyExpanding a store’s colors and fonts and adding basic layout alternativesCreating a fully custom store with an abundance of advanced styling and functionality options
LimitationLimited to default styling and functionalityFocused on styling – doesn’t add much functionalityYou build everything from scratch, so it’s not as quick as using default templates and features.

WooCommerce’s Core Blocks

A shop page built with WooCommerce’s core blocks

Displaying a list of products using WooCommerce’s core blocks

Who should use it? People who need just the basics and want to set up a store fast.

What to install: Core WooCommerce plugin

What it does and how it works: 

WooCommerce gives you a ton of functionality in your site’s admin to help you manage your products, inventory, and payments. When it comes to displaying your products on your site’s front-end, however, WooCommerce offers only basic options. If you want to display your products in a grid, and are happy with the standard layouts and styling options, WooCommerce is all you need to get your store up and running quickly.

Its 19 basic blocks cover three main functionalities, and you can display any of this information in just a couple of clicks.

  • Display a list of products – these blocks use a grid format for displaying your products according to different criteria (e.g. by category, by attribute, top rated).
  • Help customers find your products – this includes a simple keyword search, a list of product categories, and the ability to highlight a specific category.
  • Display reviews – either all reviews, by category, or by product.

The downside is the styling options for these blocks are extremely limited. For instance, you can’t customize the fonts, buttons, or the layout of content within the block (aside from turning fields on or off). If you’re not happy with the default or you want to make your store stand out, you might need to extend your block options with a more customizable plugin.

WooCommerce core plugin does not allow you to create custom single-product templates, archives, or a custom shop page.

WooCommerce also offers a separate plugin called WooCommerce Blocks with some extra blocks. This plugin is a way for WooCommerce developers to test ideas and experiment with blocks they might eventually add to the core plugin. It’s great for adding even more blocks to your lineup, but beware that they are not stable versions and may not always work seamlessly.

ProductX – Gutenberg WooCommerce Blocks

A shop page built with ProductX – Gutenberg WooCommerce Blocks

Displaying a list of products using ProductX – Gutenberg WooCommerce Blocks

Who should use it? People who are looking to extend the basic WooCommerce block options with more styling and customization options.

What to install: ProductX – Gutenberg WooCommerce Blocks 

What it does and how it works: 

If you’re looking for some more control over your styling options, ProductX – Gutenberg WooCommerce Blocks includes:

  • More layout options – product carousel, a variety of preset grid layouts, and an advanced post query builder for choosing which products to display.
  • Advanced styling controls – choose your colors, margins, fonts, even hover effects.
  • 3 different starter design templates – build a functional homepage or landing page quickly.

While this plugin makes it easier to style your site according to your own branding, it remains pretty basic in functionality. This means it’s quick to get started, but some features, like front-end filtering, aren’t particularly powerful.

You also can’t add custom fields and custom information to your lists of products, and it doesn’t let you customize the appearance of single-product pages and product archives.

Toolset

A shop archive page built with Toolset

Displaying a list of products using Toolset’s WooCommerce Blocks

Who should use it? People who want a completely custom site in both styling and functionality. Toolset is also great for people who want to customize only certain aspects of their store, such as a single product page. 

What to install: Toolset Types, Toolset Blocks, Toolset WooCommerce Blocks, which are all part of the Toolset package

What it does and how it works: 

Toolset proves that you can build advanced, custom WooCommerce stores without any coding.

It’s a suite of plugins that includes its own set of blocks for WooCommerce, including an Add to Cart button, Product Tabs, and Related Products, but it also includes much more.

With Toolset, you can:

You’ll notice that Toolset is the only paid plugin on our list. That’s because Toolset is an entire suite of plugins designed to not only provide added WooCommerce functionality, but also help you build and customize an entire site.

Here are some other things you can also do with Toolset:

Display your store locations or any other type of posts on a map
Allow vendors to submit their own products to your site using front-end forms
Add robust and powerful product search optionsConnect your products with other post types (like connecting the accessories you sell with a post type for Outfits)

…and all without any programming!

Bonus:

There are three more things that make Toolset stand out amongst other plugins:

  1. Because Toolset doesn’t rely on any WooCommerce standard templates or functionalities, you can easily create pages to sell other types of products, like digital products, access to webinars, tiers of service packages, and more.
  2. With Toolset, you can customize your site to make sense for what you’re selling. For instance, if you’re not selling a catalog of items, expedite the checkout process by skipping the cart and going directly to the payment screen.
  3. Toolset provides complete, free Training Courses about creating advanced custom sites, including WooCommerce stores.

Choosing the right plugins for your WooCommerce shop

WooCommerce core’s included blocks give you a great way to get a store set up quickly with some basic features and styling. If you’re looking for any additional customization options, however, you’ll need to consider adding another block plugin.

ProductX – Gutenberg WooCommerce Blocks gives you some extra styling options, templates, and layouts, but it doesn’t add much in the way of functionality.

If you’re looking for granular control over styling and robust functionality, Toolset gives you the flexibility and features to craft a store that’s uniquely yours.

The post 3 Gutenberg Block Plugins for WooCommerce Stores appeared first on Torque.

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