1Which design-ready themes should you start with?
Choose a lightweight WooCommerce-compatible theme like Astra, Blocksy, or Kadence. These support Gutenberg Site Editor and Elementor. Import a starter template that matches your niche, then tailor typography, color palette, and header/footer layouts.
Avoid multi-purpose themes that load 40+ scripts; performance tanks.
2How do you create custom layouts?
Use the Site Editor or Elementor to build page templates. For Elementor, create a shop archive template and product template, then assign them globally. Add sections for hero, featured products, testimonials, and CTA strips. Use containers for consistent spacing.
Set global styles once so updates propagate across all pages.
3How do you optimize media and assets?
Convert images to WebP, use short video clips via MP4/WebM, and lazy-load below-the-fold sections. Enable a CDN (Cloudflare, Bunny.net) and caching plugin. Minimize CSS/JS via your performance plugin. Test LCP, CLS, and FID in PageSpeed Insights.
Keep hero images under 200KB and avoid full-screen autoplay videos.
4How do you manage performance with heavy plugins?
Install only necessary plugins, monitor server resources, and use query monitoring tools (Query Monitor, New Relic) to find bottlenecks. Move heavy marketing scripts (chat, tracking) to Google Tag Manager with load rules so they fire after user interaction when possible.
Set up uptime + performance monitoring (Better Uptime) to catch slowdowns before customers do.
5What 2025 updates should you enable?
Use WooCommerce Blocks cart/checkout, WooCommerce High-Performance Order Storage (HPOS), and the new product editor. These features improve speed and scalability. Enable them via WooCommerce → Settings → Advanced → Features.
Test HPOS compatibility with plugins before enabling on live.