Start Your Own WordPress eCommerce Website
WordPress is the most popular Content Management System extensively employed as an effective blogging platform and using it to create a Wordpress eCommerce Website is really effective.
The flexibility and robustness of this platform have extended its usability to build eCommerce websites besides being used for blogging.
Most of the people are tired of their monotonous 9 to 5 job and look forward to having their own business or turn into an entrepreneur.
The e-commerce website is among the most profitable businesses to run as online shopping is becoming a fad among people these days.
It is a misconception that you need a lot of resources to set up an eCommerce website.
However, with an amazing CMS like WordPress, you can establish your eCommerce website without much investment and complicated steps.
Steps To Start Your Own WordPress eCommerce Website :
Here are the top steps you need to follow about how you can start your own WordPress eCommerce website.
#1 Buy A Domain Name And Webhosting
Domain name and web hosting are the two main things required for creating an eCommerce website.
Domain name refers to the catchy address of your website while web hosting means the remote computer storing your website.
Your website host displays the website to the visitors. Among all the web hosting platforms, Bluehost is quite renowned among the masses.
#2 Install WordPress
Once you are done with the domain name and web hosting, you should install WordPress on the hosting account.
Sounds geeky, right? Well, you only need to go to the user panel and then select the icon named “Install WordPress”. It is that simple.
Just follow the instructions you get on the screen and you are through.
#3 Get WooCommerce Plugin
After you install WordPress, your wordpress eCommerce website should get added with WooCommerce Plugin from the list of WordPress plugins. After you are done with the installation of WooCommerce Plugin, Activate the plugin to launch the setup wizard.
Subsequently, you can get all the necessary store pages namely:
- Shop: To display your products
- Cart: To edit the order before the customer checks out
- Checkout: To help the buyer choose the shipping or delivery method and complete the payment
- My Account: To allow the registered buyers to manage their past or current orders and order details like delivery address
Next, you should set up the locale of your eCommerce store.
This step lets you specify the location of your store, the currency, the weight that will be used for the products, and unit to be used to specify product dimensions.
Then after, you should select whether you will be shipping physical goods to your customers. WooCommerce will pre-set the pending details pertaining to shipping based on this information.
The best part of WooCommerce is its transparent tax module.
You can determine the rate of tax as per the location of the store that you mentioned.
E-commerce business owners who are going to charge sales tax only need to select the checkbox that will lead you to some more questions.
Fill it accordingly and then click on Continue.
In the next step, choose a payment method that would allow you to accept online payments. It is recommended to add PayPal.
WooCommerce plugin also allows you to choose other payment options.
Once you provide all the related information, you will be directed to a confirmation screen that implies the completion of basic site setup.
#4 Start Adding Your Products
A website can be called an eCommerce store only after you add the products you want to sell.
For this, go to ‘Products’ from your dashboard and select ‘Add Product’.
This will give you a conventional WordPress content editing screen.
You will have to specify the Product name, Product description, and additional information like inventory, shipping, recommended products, etc.
Add a short description of the products, product category, product tags, and product images.
Click the ‘Publish’ button after you add all the information asked for.
Image via: Woocommerce.com
#5 Select A Suitable Theme
After you have added all the products to your wordpress eCommerce website store, select a theme for the online store.
If you do not have any products in your database, individual pages will not be displayed the way you want them to.
As a result, you would not be able to see how your store looks like.
WooCommerce is compatible with any WordPress theme by default. This allows you to use the same theme that you have already chosen.
You can even opt for exclusive WooCommerce-optimized themes. These themes enhance the look of all WooCommerce elements.
The official WooCommerce theme that is likely to operate up to the mark is known as Storefront. Many eCommerce businesses also select the themes from ThemeForest.
#6 Enhance Functionality Of The Store
Your wordpress eCommerce website store should not be cluttered and capture the prospective buyer’s attention instantly.
Make sure you keep the storefront free from distractions and unnecessary tabs. Mobile responsiveness is a must as most of your customers are accessing your website on mobile devices.
Keep the menus clear and easy to understand. It is advisable that you highlight your contact information at the footer of every page so that anyone can reach out to you to resolve any concerns.
#7 Install SSL Certificate
HTTPS is a must for the security of your website.
For your wordpress eCommerce Website, Install an SSL Certificate for the encryption of the information exchanged between the browser and server and keep the customer’s financial information secure.
You can obtain an SSL Certificate at cheap rates from an authentic Certificate Authority.
If you are just starting your business, this is one of the most important factors to consider as it boosts your search engine ranking too.
You will get more conversions as buyers will be able to trust you more.
Wrapping Up
For anyone who is willing to start an eCommerce business, a wordpress eCommerce Website is of utmost importance.
WordPress and WooCommerce have made this a cakewalk with their simple to understand execution.
Just a few steps, plugins and extensions, and some funds- that is all you need to build your eCommerce website through WordPress.
Leave your comments via the comment section.
Awesome article.
Wordpress has become so powerful that you can run any kind of website on this CMS.
yes its true. Majority of the websites in the world seems to be run by wordpress.