If you’ve read our WordPress monitoring article, then you already know what goes into keeping a WordPress site up, running, and healthy.
WooCommerce adds cart, checkout, and payment functions to WordPress. Monitor those functions alongside the site’s availability and performance.
Smooth Add to Cart Functionality
Technically there’s a step before this, but we’re going to assume that your products are, in fact, visible in your store. That is the bare minimum.
Check that “Add to Cart” works across all product pages, including its compatibility with your theme and plugins.
AJAX handles updates after a customer clicks “Add to Cart”. Test that functionality every time you update a plugin, theme, or WordPress itself.
Additionally, you can use tools like Google Analytics to monitor Add to Cart events closely. This helps us figure out where users might be dropping off during the purchasing process.
Also check cart persistence. Customers’ selected items should remain in the cart when they navigate away or refresh the page.
Optimizing the Checkout Process
Test checkout form fields and their input validation when you test “Add to Cart” after updates. Confirm that customers can submit the form successfully.
While you’re at it, make sure that shipping methods update dynamically based on a users’ address to guarantee accurate deliveries. In other words, check the form for all of its functionality. Coupons, the works.
Check Checkout Loading Times
Monitor checkout loading times as well as functionality. The checkout page is uncached, so include it in your performance checks.
So, the only optimization there is perhaps some Core Web Vitals frontend optimization with some CDN integration for the assets on that page (or the entire site for that matter).
The rest of the performance optimization is done on server level (picking the right host with a ridiculous low TTFB) combined with building a smart, lean and mean website with performance in mind while building it.
Test Payment Gateways
Test each payment integration, including Credit Card, Paypal, or Apple Pay, in sandbox accounts and live environments. Confirm that transactions complete correctly.
Check the store’s SSL Certificates for errors that could interrupt payment. Scanfully’s Certificate Monitoring alerts you to certificate issues so you can investigate.
Heavy Focus on Server Health
As mentioned above, from the moment someone adds something to their cart, your entire WordPress/WooCommerce site is uncached for your potential customers. This doesn’t mean you can’t optimize frontend output, but this does mean that you’re relying a lot more heavily on raw performance.
That includes both the site’s implementation and the server running it.
Enhancing Server and Database Optimization
Server and database performance directly affects your site’s speed and ability to handle traffic. Make sure your server is properly configured for WooCommerce, possibly by using a specialized Managed WordPress/WooCommerce Hosting provider.
Regularly optimizing your MySQL or MariaDB databases will help with rapid data retrieval. Consider using object caching solutions like Redis with Object Cache Pro to store complex queries and frequently accessed objects.
Review the caching configuration in tools such as NitroPack or WP Rocket.
Use Scanfully to monitor your site’s performance and health.
Backing Up & Disaster Recovery
Set up automatic backups and test restoration regularly. Confirm that the data you need can be recovered.
A note on the frequency of backups. Now, with most WordPress sites, running a backup once or twice a day is more than enough. With WooCommerce sites, though, we recommend making at least hourly backups on the database side of things. Full backups are usually less of a concern, but if your content is highly fluctual during the day, then increasing the frequency for a full site backup is very much recommended.
Check more than whether a backup file was created. Verify that it contains the expected data, opens correctly, and can restore the site.
SEO and Conversions
Stores that rely on search traffic also need to monitor product visibility and customer behavior.
Boosting SEO and Schema Markup
To help customers find your products more easily, focus on SEO optimization. Use plugins like Yoast SEO or AIOSEO to optimize product pages and other content.
Implementing schema markup helps search engines understand your content better, improving visibility and attracting more clicks.
Tools like Ahrefs or Semrush are great examples of tools that help you monitor for these types of technical SEO items.
Tracking Customer Behavior and Sales
Even when the cart, checkout, and payment gateway work, analytics may reveal places where customers abandon a purchase.
Use tracking tools to gather data on how users interact with your site. Monitor metrics like bounce rates, conversion rates, and session durations to continually refine and optimize performance.
Generating sales and revenue reports gives a clear picture of your store’s performance, allowing you to adjust marketing strategies accordingly. Keeping a close watch on inventory levels prevents overselling, and setting up notifications for low stock further streamlines management.
We recommend Metorik for this monitoring. We wouldn’t run a WooCommerce store without it.
Be sure to also check out our article about WordPress monitoring.
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