Want to develop a brand and sell your items online?
You don’t need to know how to code from scratch to build a strong and adaptable eCommerce website with WordPress. This article will show you how to make an eCommerce website with WordPress from start to end, whether you operate a small business, are starting a new one, or are a creative entrepreneur.
Why Should You Use WordPress for Your Online Store?
WordPress is the go-to choice for many people for building their online store. While doing research, we found the top five reasons why this happened.
Reason 1: It’s an Open Source Technology.
The first and foremost reason is that it’s free to use. So any small business owner can buy a domain and hosting. Then, develop an online store and start selling without any extra expenses.
Reason 2: You Can Change It a Lot with Thousands of Themes and Plugins.
With WordPress, you can design a website as vibrant as your business soul or keep it plain to eliminate the extra drama. There is no limit on the customization of the website’s look. Additionally, you can enhance your site with plugins for SEO, payment gateways, marketing tools, shipping calculations, and more.
Reason 3: Architecture That is Good for SEO
Introduced in the 1990s, SEO is not a secret to anyone. It is the core pillar of web-based business growth. So, the platform that provides clean code, easy SEO optimization features, and mobile-friendly theme is a profitable choice. That’s why people choose WordPress because it not only optimizes websites for search engine ranking but simplifies the process of optimizing for future changes.
Reason 4: Support from a Large Community
WordPress has one of the biggest communities on the internet, with millions of users and developers. That means you can find solutions to practically any query on forums, blogs, or tutorials.
Reason 5: It Can Grow with Your Business
No matter if you are selling 10 products or 10,000. With WordPress you can start from any level and take it to the next level without any huge investments.
These are the top five reasons that WordPress with WooCommerce is a win-win for eCommerce website development. Now, let’s move forward to see how to create an eCommerce website with this tool.
Also Read: Top Benefits of Choosing WordPress for Website Development
Complete Guide to Creating an eCommerce Website with WordPress
To run a website, the most important thing you need is the competitive businessman spirit. If you have that, then just follow this comprehensive guide of the WooCommerce eCommerce website-building process from scratch.
Pick a Domain Name and a Hosting Service
Before creating a website, you need to define your business niche and buy hosting plus a domain name for your business.
A domain name is the identity of your business, and hosting is a place where your website’s information will be saved. Remember to choose hosting from a reputed hosting provider. Thus, you are able to create a secure and high-performing website.
Also Read: The Importance of Choosing the Right Domain Name for Your Business
Set up WordPress
Most hosting companies will automatically install WordPress for you once you’ve set it up.
- Access your hosting dashboard
- Select the “Install WordPress” option
- Choose a name for your website, an email address for the admin, and a password.
Set Up and Install the WooCommerce Plugin
The finest plugin for turning your WordPress site into an online store is WooCommerce.
- Go to Plugins and then Add New. Look for WooCommerce.
- Click the Install button, and then the Activate button.
Use the WooCommerce Setup Wizard to set up:
- Location and currency of the store
- Ways to pay (PayPal, Stripe, COD, etc.)
- Shipping areas and costs
- Tax options
Also Read: Maximize Earnings with Amazon Affiliate WordPress Plugin(AAWP)
Pick an Ecommerce Theme That Works for You
Themes determine how your shop appears. Choose a theme that works with WooCommerce and is responsive. Astra, OceanWP, and Shopfront (by WooCommerce) are some of the most popular themes.
Go to Appearance > Themes > Add New to install your theme. Then click Activate.
Bonus Tip: Use the Elementor plugin to change the look of your pages by dragging and dropping.
Put Your Products in
Let’s add your items now that your store is ready. Click on Products and then Add New.
Add:
- Name of the product, description, and price
- Tags and Categories for the Product Image
- Status of the inventory Shipping information
You may also make items that are grouped, variable, or digital.
After adding all the details, press “Publish” to make it live.
Set Up Important Pages
WooCommerce makes important pages on its own:
- Store: Shows all of your items
- Basket: Look at the products you choose
- Check out: Finalizes purchases
- My Account: For information about your user account
Check that things are operating by going to WooCommerce > Settings > Advanced.
Also Read: How to Hire an eCommerce Web Developer?
Set Up the Ways to Pay and Ship
Only the payment and shipping features can make your eCommerce business. You need to set it up neatly. In WooCommerce, you have to first go to the settings option, then set up payment, shipment, and tax details.
Install the Plugins that are Necessary for eCommerce Success
The next task is to add potential plugins in your WordPress website. Plugins like SEO, forms, email marketing, Analytics, review and rating, etc., will improve the website performance.
Change the Design of your Website
To do this, go to Appearance > Customise or use a page builder like Elementor:
- Put in your brand colours and logo.
- Make the homepage and product pages look good.
- Make the footer and navigation menus better
- Include buttons that tell people what to do.
Check Out Your eCommerce Site Before it Goes Live
Test the flow of the overall buying process of your eCommerce store including Add to cart, then checkout, then pay.
- Look at email alerts.
- See your site on a tablet or phone.
- Check the page speed, links and forms
- Use tools like Google PageSpeed and GTmetrix Insights to make things run better.
Start your Online Store
Check everything again and then hit the “Launch” button! To attract more visitors, share the URL on social media, via email, and in other channels.
By following these simple steps, you’ll seamlessly launch your eCommerce brand. You can also take help from a professional WordPress web development company if you want to design a unique brand design with other add-on features. That would give you extra support to make your website launch to post-launch maintenance a piece of cake.
To know more, here are some top FAQs for you.
Also Read: Top Measurement-Based Pricing Plugins for WooCommerce Variable Products
FAQs
Coding knowledge is required for building a WordPress website?
No, as WordPress has drag-and-drop features you don’t need to code knowledge. That allows you to edit your website, like adding emojis in your picture.
Which WordPress plugin is best for online stores?
WooCommerce is the top eCommerce plugin in WordPress. It is free and handy like WordPress.
Can you add payment gateways like PayPal or Stripe to WordPress?
Absolutely, you can easily add any kind of payment channel. All these payment gateways are safe and easy to set up with WooCommerce to add multiple payment options to your customers.
Is it possible to make a marketplace with multiple vendors using WordPress?
Yes, for sure. Many WordPress plugins are available for creating a multiple vendor marketplace with WordPress.
How can I add shipping choices to my WordPress online store?
You can go to the settings section in the WooCommerce plugin. There you will find all the e-commerce features like shipping, taxes, and payment setup options.
Also Read: 11 Ecommerce Tips to Reduce Your Website’s Exit Rate
Last Thoughts
Creating an eCommerce website with WordPress is actually fun. You get so many looks without paying for it. And plugins to add the features to your website from the WordPress library. Now it’s your time to recall your creativity and design your store with WordPress, then integrate top eCommerce features with WooCommerce. This is actually super easy for non-techie business owners.
However, if you are still not confident in creating your WordPress eCommerce store for any reason, it could be a lack of time or desire to get a unique design. A prominent WordPress development company is ready to fill this group with their decades of industry experience.
