WooCommerce is a powerful, open source eCommerce plugin for WordPress. Designed with small to large online merchants in mind. It quickly became popular due to it’s simplicity to install and customize. When using WooCommerce, your possibilities will be endless. 

Issues with WooCommerce 

As with all WordPress plugins, issues can arise from time to time. This article aims to help with some common WooCommerce issues and how to fix them.

Below are some known errors sometimes associated with WooCommerce:

Why is my WooCommerce Store Slow?

Ecommerce stores usually have an extensive database, which results in the performance being slow. Fast loading is essential. For instance, if the Amazon.com website were slow, the company could lose a significant amount of sales.

How to Fix the Issue?

A website that loads fast has more page views, and it ensures the clients are engaged. Your conversion rate will also improve. The main issue is not necessarily the web hosting provider. 

If you have purchased a cheap web hosting plan as you launch your eCommerce store, such an option will suffice. However, with time, you will have to opt for a better option when there is an increase in traffic. Although the premium versions are expensive, they are worth it, and you will realize that the returns are reasonable compared to when you were using the cheap web hosting plans.

Themes & Plugins Conflicts

What are the conflicts associated with plugins and themes? As you add a plugin to your website, it helps to improve the functionality of your website. Each plugin adds some codes to your website; however, there is a compatibility issue resulting in WooCommerce issues.

How to Fix the Issue?

WooCommerce is self-sufficient. As plugins and themes are designed, such factors have been considered. In this case, it is advisable to learn more about the origin of the issue. 

Theme Conflict

Go to the appearance tab then themes. You will then set and activate the default theme and check again to ensure the problem is not recurring.

If the problem is no longer there, it means the theme was the main issue. You can liaise with the theme provider, and they can help to solve the issue.

Plugin Conflict

If the issue does not fade away, it means that one of the plugins has brought about the problem.

How do you fix the plugin issue?

Go to the plugins and check the installed plugins. You will then deactivate all the plugins that are not present in the WooCommerce extension.

If the issue disappears, it means one of the plugins has brought about the issue. You will have to conduct some research to determine which specific plugin is the culprit. Activate the plugins one by one, and at the end of it all, you will come across the plugin that brings about this issue. You will then get rid of the plugin. There are instances whereby you may be using an outdated plugin.

Cache Issues

Cache is a software or hardware component which stores data in a manner that will be used later upon request. The cache ensures that the websites can load faster. 

As per the explanation above, the cache is helpful. The question that now arises, how does cache affect the speed of your website?

The cache can be stored locally on the user’s browser. If there are no login pages in the cache system, the reset password process page for the clients won’t load. The users cannot reset their passwords, which means they will come across requests showcasing login errors. The caching plugin ensures that the loading speed of your website has improved. If it has not been set correctly, your WooCommerce store will experience some significant issues.

How to Fix the Issue?

Similar issues occur as you make some significant changes to your website, and you may forget to clear the cache. Before you can set up your WooCommerce store again, you should try out the WordPress caching plugins.

Download the Missing Links from the Completed Order Emails

You should send a link to users using their email after their digital purchase is complete. There are instances whereby the download links will be redirected and thereby not reach the intended recipient.

Such issues won’t settle well with your client base, and your customer satisfaction and purchase rate will be affected. If you are selling digital products, you will have to solve this issue first; these issues mainly arise because the SQL table may be missing.

After fixing some SQL tables to your database and activating the WooCommerce, you will notice that when the prefix is 64 characters or longer, some issues will arise. It would help if you looked at the maximum length of each identifier.

How to Fix the Issue?

The only solution to this problem is to change the name of the SQL log table. You can perform this task with the help of a plugin. 

• Manually, you can use tools such as phpMyAdmin if you want to reduce and rename the prefix.
• The value of the prefix should be upgraded in wp-config.php. WooCommerce should be deactivated and reactivated. 

WooCommerce will generate the SQL tables that were missing.

Email Notification Errors

Such issues usually occur after a client has completed their purchase. At times, even the store administrators typically don’t receive the email notifications.

The clients expect some emails regarding the tracking and confirmation orders. In case of a refund or an exchange, the clients will also receive emails. In addition, you are supposed to send the emails from your end to ensure you are building trust and ensuring client satisfaction.

How to Fix the Issue?

Adhere to the following tips:

Check the Email Setup

As you navigate through the email settings, you should check these two options:

• Email sender options
• Individual notification emails

Check Whether the Emails are Going to the Spam Folder

There is a likelihood that your emails are going to the spam folder. The hosting provider can assist in such instances. It is advisable to approach them if you are experiencing such issues.

Image Size Compatibility

For your WooCommerce store to succeed, you should ensure that the images present are of high quality. The quality of the images matters if you are showcasing galleries to your prospective clients. People cannot purchase products that they have not seen. The eCommerce store’s main disadvantage is that the clients cannot see the products you are offering. The only thing they can check is the present images. 

Regardless of whether the explanation issue is sufficient or not, the important factors to consider include building trust and ensuring customer satisfaction.

How to Fix the Blurry Images Issue

• Download images that are of the right size. 
• The images should be appropriately compressed.
• The WooCommerce should be updated to the latest version.

Checkout Problems

The payment gateway configuration should be checked. There are instances whereby the TLS certificate for the online store has not been configured well. Your site cannot also work without the TLS or SSL certificate. Ensure that you have gotten each one of these certificates. 

How to Fix the Issue?

HTTPS Error Pages

This error appears when the SSL certificate has an issue. The hosting provider can help to solve the problem.

The Non-Secure Links Should be Identified

There are instances when you get non-secure content warnings when you link directly to a stylesheet or an image instead of HTTPS or HTTP.

Session Conflicting on Numerous Sites on a Similar Domain

The conflicting issue arises when many websites are being hosted on one domain.

How to Fix the Issue?

Add the following code to the wp-config.php file.

if ( ! session_id() ) {

 session_name( ‘PHPSESSID_1’ );

}

Configuration Issues

When the WooCommerce store fails to receive a response from a server, it will showcase an error. Such issues also arise because of the internal server.

404 Server Error

                                                      Images Source: acodez.in

This error appears for broken or unreal links. The permalink settings should be edited to solve the issue.

How to Fix the Issue

Log in to the admin dashboard.

Go to settings, then permalinks. You will check the post name and save the changes. Your search engine indexing will then snap, and the external links from your website will be deleted. To fix this issue further, you can set up 301 redirects, which can be done using the 301 redirects plugin.

About the author:

Rithesh Raghavan is the Director at Acowebs, an online store for eCommerce plugins. Having a rich experience of 15+ years in Digital Marketing, Rithesh loves to write up his thoughts on the latest trends and developments in the world of IT and software development.