The Ultimate Guide on How to Create an Ecommerce Website Using Wordpress From Setup to Sales

Are you looking to start an ecommerce business but don't know where to begin? WordPress is a popular and powerful platform that can help you create a professional and effective online store. In this post, we'll walk you through the steps to create an ecommerce website using WordPress, from choosing the right hosting provider to installing and configuring the WooCommerce plugin. Whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting out, you'll find valuable tips and insights to help you build a successful online store. So let's get started and turn your ecommerce dreams into reality!

To get started on your post, let's first outline the steps involved in creating an ecommerce website using WordPress. Here's a rough outline to get us started:

1. Choose a domain name and hosting provider
2. Install WordPress and choose an ecommerce plugin
3. Configure your ecommerce plugin and set up your store
4. Choose a theme and customize your website
5. Add products and set up payment and shipping options
6. Test your website and launch your store

Great! Let's start with step 1: choosing a domain name and hosting provider.

When it comes to choosing a domain name, it's important to choose something that is memorable, easy to spell, and relevant to your business. You can register a domain name through a domain registrar such as GoDaddy or Namecheap.

For hosting, there are many options available, but we recommend choosing a hosting provider that specializes in WordPress hosting, such as Bluehost or SiteGround. These providers offer optimized hosting environments that are specifically designed to work well with WordPress.

Once you have your domain name and hosting provider set up, you can move on to step 2: installing WordPress and choosing an ecommerce plugin.

To install WordPress, you can follow the instructions provided by your hosting provider. Once WordPress is installed, you can choose an ecommerce plugin such as WooCommerce or Easy Digital Downloads. These plugins offer a variety of features to help you set up and manage your online store.

In step 3, you'll configure your ecommerce plugin and set up your store. This involves setting up payment and shipping options, configuring tax settings, and adding product categories and tags.

Step 4 involves choosing a theme and customizing your website. There are many free and premium WordPress themes available that are specifically designed for ecommerce websites. You can choose a theme that fits your brand and customize it to match your preferences.

In step 5, you'll add products to your store and set up payment and shipping options. This involves creating product pages, setting prices, and configuring payment and shipping options.

Finally, in step 6, you'll test your website and launch your store. This involves testing your website to make sure everything is working properly, and then launching your store to the public.

WordPress may seem like a blogger’s platform, but nothing can be further from the truth. WordPress is an extremely versatile software. Themes and plugins help you change the way your site looks and functions with just a few mouse clicks. So, yes, it is entirely possible to build an online store in WordPress. In fact, millions of online stores are built on WordPress!

To begin, you’d need to have your own domain name and your own web hosting plan. Your domain name is your store’s name. It can be something like YourAwesomeStore.com or BuyMyProductNow.com. Domain names cost around $10-$15 per year. However, you can get it for free with some web hosting companies. 

For web hosting, you can choose to start with the basic plan just to see how things work. However, once your store starts gaining popularity and thousands of people visit your site every month, then you will need to upgrade to a more advanced hosting plan. Also, check if your web host offers a free SSL certificate for your plan. You’ll need this so you can accept payments on your website. 

Once you’ve purchased your domain name and web hosting, you can then install WordPress on your site. Some commercial web hosts feature 1-click WordPress install in their control panel or cPanel, so you may want to inquire about this with your web host. 

With WordPress installed, you can proceed to download the WooCommerce plugin. The setup wizard will walk you through the basic store setup such as your store location, currency, payment methods, shipping and tax, etc. Once that’s done, you can start adding products to your online store. 

WooCommerce has a lot of features. For one, you can sell both physical and digital products on your site. You can accept online payments, bank transfers, even cash on delivery payments. You can define all aspects of your online business. So, it’s really not surprising that WooCommerce is the most popular eCommerce plugin on WordPress.org.

To change your store’s appearance, there are plenty of WooCommerce-compatible themes to choose from. The free Storefront theme looks great on WooCommerce sites, but if you want to make your site stand out, then consider buying a premium WooCommerce theme. With a well-designed and eye-catching storefront, more people will be willing to stay on your site and check out your products.  

Other ecommerce Plugin Options:

While WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads are popular ecommerce plugin options for WordPress, there are several other options available as well. Here are a few other ecommerce plugins you may want to consider:

1. Shopify: While not a WordPress plugin, Shopify is a popular ecommerce platform that integrates with WordPress. It offers a variety of features to help you set up and manage your online store, including payment processing, shipping options, and inventory management.
2. BigCommerce: BigCommerce is another popular ecommerce platform that integrates with WordPress. It offers a variety of features to help you set up and manage your online store, including payment processing, shipping options, and inventory management.
3. WP eCommerce: WP eCommerce is a free ecommerce plugin for WordPress that offers a variety of features to help you set up and manage your online store. It includes support for multiple payment gateways, shipping options, and tax settings.
4. Ecwid: Ecwid is a popular ecommerce plugin for WordPress that offers a variety of features to help you set up and manage your online store. It includes support for multiple payment gateways, shipping options, and tax settings.
5. Cart66: Cart66 is a premium ecommerce plugin for WordPress that offers a variety of features to help you set up and manage your online store. It includes support for multiple payment gateways, shipping options, and tax settings.
6. MarketPress: MarketPress is a free ecommerce plugin for WordPress that offers a variety of features to help you set up and manage your online store. It includes support for multiple payment gateways, shipping options, and tax settings.
7. Jigoshop: Jigoshop is a free ecommerce plugin for WordPress that offers a variety of features to help you set up and manage your online store. It includes support for multiple payment gateways, shipping options, and tax settings.
8. WP EasyCart: WP EasyCart is a premium ecommerce plugin for WordPress that offers a variety of features to help you set up and manage your online store. It includes support for multiple payment gateways, shipping options, and tax settings.

I hope this information helps you choose the right ecommerce plugin for your needs!

Setting Up WooCommerce

Here are the steps you'll need to follow:

1. Install WooCommerce: The first step is to install the WooCommerce plugin on your WordPress site. You can do this by going to the Plugins section of your WordPress dashboard and searching for "WooCommerce." Once you find the plugin, click "Install" and then "Activate."
2. Set up your store: Once you've installed WooCommerce, you'll need to set up your store. This includes adding your store's name, address, and other basic information. You can do this by going to the WooCommerce section of your WordPress dashboard and clicking on "Settings."
3. Add products: The next step is to add products to your store. You can do this by going to the Products section of your WordPress dashboard and clicking on "Add New." From there, you can add product details such as the name, description, price, and images.
4. Set up payment and shipping: Once you've added your products, you'll need to set up payment and shipping options. WooCommerce supports a variety of payment gateways, including PayPal, Stripe, and Authorize.net. You can also set up shipping options based on your store's location and the location of your customers.
5. Customize your store: Finally, you can customize your store's design and layout to match your brand. WooCommerce offers a variety of customization options, including themes and plugins.

I hope this helps you get started with setting up WooCommerce!

Creating Important Store Pages

Creating important store pages is an essential part of setting up your online store. Here are some of the most important pages you'll want to create:

1. Home page: Your home page is the first page that visitors will see when they come to your store. It should provide an overview of your store and highlight your most popular products or promotions.
2. About us page: Your about us page should provide information about your store, including your mission, history, and team members. This page can help build trust with your customers and make them feel more connected to your brand.
3. Contact us page: Your contact us page should provide information on how customers can get in touch with you, including your email address, phone number, and physical address. You may also want to include a contact form to make it easy for customers to reach out to you.
4. Product pages: Your product pages should provide detailed information about each of your products, including images, descriptions, and pricing. You may also want to include customer reviews and ratings to help build trust with your customers.
5. Cart and checkout pages: Your cart and checkout pages should make it easy for customers to complete their purchases. This includes providing a clear and simple checkout process, as well as multiple payment and shipping options.

By creating these important store pages, you can help build trust with your customers and make it easy for them to find the information they need to make a purchase.

Setting Up Your Locale

Setting up your locale is an important step in ensuring that your online store is accessible to customers in your target market. Here are the steps you'll need to follow:

1. Go to the WooCommerce settings: The first step is to go to the WooCommerce section of your WordPress dashboard and click on "Settings."
2. Click on the "General" tab: Once you're in the WooCommerce settings, click on the "General" tab.
3. Choose your locale: Under the "General" tab, you'll see a section called "Locale." This is where you can choose the language and location settings for your store. You can choose your language, currency, and units of measurement based on your target market.
4. Save your changes: Once you've chosen your locale settings, be sure to click the "Save Changes" button at the bottom of the page to save your changes.

By setting up your locale, you can ensure that your online store is accessible and user-friendly for customers in your target market.

Going through WooCommerce’s Sales Tax Module

To ensure that you're charging the correct sales tax for your online store, it's important to check the main tax box and go through the entire sales tax module. This will help you understand the tax rates based on your store location and ensure that you're in compliance with all applicable tax laws.

Once you've gone through the sales tax module and selected the appropriate tax rates, be sure to select "Continue" to save your changes.

Choose a Payment Method

We recommend PayPal as a reliable and secure payment option, but you can also choose from other payment methods like Stripe, COD, and bank transfer payments, among other options.

Once you've selected your preferred payment method, be sure to click "Continue" to save your changes.

We believe that providing multiple payment options is important for the success of your online business.