If you want to build an online store but looking for the easiest way to get it up and running, then look no further than WordPress and WooCommerce.
With WordPress, one of the most popular CMS platforms around, you can easily set up and manage an online store from start to finish.
It's very easy to start an online store, there are many templates out there that will enable you to start an eCommerce website with WordPress. Alternatively, if you would like to create a website from scratch, it is not too difficult either.
WordPress makes it easy to set up an online store with no prior coding knowledge. You’ll be ready to offer your customers the shopping experience they deserve.
This step-by-step guide will walk you through how to set up your first WordPress eCommerce website, what tools you’ll need, and much more.
So, let’s dive in…
What You’ll Need To Build An Online Store?
You can set up an eCommerce website or build an online store with WordPress quickly and easily.
You just need a domain name, a web hosting account, and a WordPress theme to build your online store.
WooCommerce plugin is one of the most popular eCommerce solutions for building an online store with WordPress.
A. Domain & Hosting
One of the most important things you'll need to build an online store is a domain and hosting for your site.
When starting an eCommerce website, it's important to create a domain that reflects what you sell and have enough storage space for your products.
A good web host provides you storage and will keep your data safe from hackers, provide fast load times, stay updated with the latest technologies, and give you technical support when you need it.
Find one that is reliable but not too expensive because your goal is to make a profit!
There are a few recommended Web Hosting companies that you can start with:
1. Hostinger
2. Bluehost
3. HostGator
4. Dreamhost
B. WordPress And WordPress Theme
Instead of starting from scratch and hiring a web developer, go for an easier option and build an online store with WordPress.
All you have to do is pick out a popular WordPress theme that is designed specifically for retailers and let the custom fields do the work for you.
Say goodbye to paying someone else and hello to flexibility as you can manage your content.
The first step is to find a company selling WordPress themes made especially for online stores.
The best example is Brainstorm Force LLC which offers an ASTRA theme (Free) and ASTRA PRO (Paid Plugin).
We recommend it because the ASTRA theme comes with many pre-made designs so all you have to do is plug in your information such as name, address, logo, etc., customize colors and fonts, and upload any products, images, or videos and you are done.
There's also unlimited design customization which makes it easy to build an eCommerce website that fits your brand identity while keeping things cost-effective.
C. WooCommerce
The WooCommerce plugin is an amazing way to start and build an online store. The one thing you should know before creating a website to sell products online is that setting up a WordPress site can be a little bit complicated.
There are many plugins that allow you to add things like forms and payment gateways, but WooCommerce is still one of the best options.
This eCommerce plugin for your website is incredibly user-friendly and has helped thousands of people create their own stores in minutes.
Plus, it works with all major eCommerce platforms like Shopify, so if you're looking for other options there's always WooCommerce.
How to Install WordPress?
After you purchase web hosting from a provider, the next thing you need to do is to install and set up WordPress on your hosting server.
You can ask your hosting prover to do that for you, and if you want to install and set up it by yourself, you can easily do that using the “Softaculous Apps Installer” tool in your web hosting CPanel account.
Softaculous Apps Installer is an amazing and very simple tool that allows you to install WordPress without dealing with databases, user accounts, and user permissions.
It simplifies the whole WordPress cPanel installation so even beginners can set up WordPress within seconds.
Now that you have an idea about Softaculous Apps Installer, follow the steps below to install WordPress.
A. Login to your CPanel account.
You will get the CPanel link, username, and password in your email once you purchase the web hosting plan. Alternatively, you can access CPanel after logging in to your web hosting account.
B. Go to Softaculous Apps Installer section > click WordPress.
C. On the next page under the install tab > click Install Now.
D. Next, you will see all the tabs/sections where you have to enter the details and make settings such as:
- Website URL
- Website Name
- Website Description
- Website Admin Username
- Website Admin Password
- Website Admin Email
- Select Language
- Select Theme
E. Once you are done, with all the settings above > click the Install button at the bottom of the page.
It will take a few seconds and voila, you are done, and the WordPress is successfully installed.
How To Install the ASTRA Theme In WordPress?
To install the Astra Theme, follow the easy steps below:
1. On your WordPress dashboard > Go to > Appearance > Themes > Click “Add New”.
2. In the search bar > type “Astra”.
3. Next > click “Install” > then click “Activate”.
A. Using The Astra Theme Starter Templates
It should be a simple process to build an online store for selling products.
People often need more than just basic web design skills to build an eCommerce website.
However, there are many starter templates that help make the process of building an online shop simple.
Astra provides starter templates that can be downloaded and installed easily.
They come in a variety of styles, like minimalist or traditional that can complement your store's look and they're mobile-friendly too!
Moreover, use the Astra tools to customize each page of your store; just input text or upload pictures and add them to any part of the template that you want. The options are endless.
Here are a few examples of Starter Templates that you should take a look at:
B. If You Want To Start From Scratch
If you don't want to use the starter templates and want to start from scratch then you can follow this detailed guide as an alternative method.
Installing WooCommerce And Necessary Plugins
Next, you have to install WooCommerce and other necessary plugins for your online eCommerce store.
How To Install WooCommerce Plugin?
WooCommerce is an eCommerce plugin that works seamlessly with WordPress websites. To install the WooCommerce plugin, follow the easy steps below:
1. On your WordPress dashboard > Go to > Plugins > Click “Add New”.
2. In the search bar > type “WooCommerce”.
3. Next click “Install Now” > then click “Activate”.
Other Necessary Plugins To Install
Other necessary plugins that you should install for a smooth and best WordPress experience to build an online store are as follows:
1. Rank Math
2. WP Super Cache
3. WPForms
4. MonsterInsights
5. Smush Image Compression and Optimization
Setting Up Your Online Store
Once you are done with the above steps now it's time to set up more necessary things in the WooCommerce plugin in order to operate your store smoothly.
General Settings In WooCommerce
First of all, adjust the General Settings in the plugin:
1. Shipping
Before you build an online store and sell your products, you'll need to set up Shipping information.
If you don't, there's a chance customers won't be able to see all of the necessary info that they need, in order to make their purchase decision.
Thankfully, setting up your shipping is actually pretty easy to do with the WooCommerce plugin.
Just follow the video tutorial below on how to set up shipping with WooCommerce when you start an eCommerce website.
2. Taxes
The next step is to set up the “Tax Settings” when you build an online store.
Depending on where you live, or where your store ships will determine what type of tax to set.
Generally, there are two types of taxes that apply to eCommerce stores:
- Value Added Tax (VAT) and Sales Tax. VAT is mostly used in Europe and applies only if your company has a physical location in that country or if your business resides there.
- Sales tax on the other hand is required everywhere; therefore, you need to include it as a cost before customers buy from you.
To set up “Tax Settings”, follow the video tutorial below:
3. Payments
When you build an online store, there are many ways to process a payment for your products, but the most common payment option is through Stripe.
WooCommerce makes it easier than ever to create an online store that accepts major credit cards like Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover as well as PayPal.
After installation of WooCommerce, you can set up as many payment gateways as needed within minutes using its easy-to-use dashboard.
To set up payment on your online store with WordPress and WooCommerce plugins, follow the guided tour below:
4. Adding Products
When you build an online store it provides an avenue for you to showcase your products and sell them across the world, to anyone who's interested.
As we're going through this tutorial on how to start an online shop using WordPress, will now take you through the process of creating and adding products to your site with WooCommerce.
Just follow the detailed video tutorial below:
5. Testing Your Online Store
Watch the detailed video tutorial on how to “Test Your Online Store” once it is built and launched.
Promoting Your Online Store
Now that you have build an online store and done setting up everything, now finally it's time to promote your store and spread the word about it.
1. SEO
Once you have built an online store with WordPress and it's up and running, use search engine optimization (SEO) techniques so that potential customers can find your site when they search using their preferred search engine.
One way to do this is by using On-Page SEO and putting in metadata such as titles, descriptions, and keywords so that you rank higher on SERPs.
Rank Math is the best plugin out there that can help you with the perfect On-Page SEO.
2. Content Marketing
To promote our online store with the goal of attracting customers and generating more sales you need a blog and promote the products with content marketing.
It is important that the products you promote you should write articles or blog posts about them for better conversions.
Following are a few ideas that you can use in your content marketing:
- Write about the product specifications, pros, cons, and other details.
- Make listicle articles such as Best 10, Top 5, etc. For example, in our case: 10 Best Web Hosting Services, 7 Best WordPress Themes, etc.
- Make comparison articles and compare one product with another.
- Create Reviews of the products or your personal experience (if you have used the product). Even you can mention other customer feedback and testimonials in order to make your content more effective.
3. Email Marketing
The best way to start promoting your online store is by signing up for email marketing services like Systeme.io, Constant Contact, Active Campaign, or MooSend which will allow you to reach people who already have an interest in what you have to offer.
Email marketing is an inexpensive and straightforward way of getting your name out there, but remember that it won't do much good if you don't have anything worth selling.
Moreover, you must add an email subscribe box/button or badge or should use plugins like OptinMonster to create popups and add them to your eCommerce store to capture the emails and build the email list.
4. Social Media Marketing
Although not a one-time process, social media marketing is essential to the success of any new business.
It is the easiest way to connect with your customers and ensure they know about the latest products and promotions.
Start by setting up an account on Facebook and Twitter.
The more time you spend promoting your store, the better chance you have of getting customers in-store or online.
Once you have a customer base, start looking for other opportunities for promotion on sites like Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
Don't forget that there are free blogging platforms like Medium where it's possible to reach people that are interested in similar things.
5. PPC Advertising
Using PPC Advertising can be a powerful and fastest way to quickly generate traffic and sales for your store.
It also helps position your brand for success as you're starting out and lets you scale in a cost-effective manner to get more customers.
The key to using PPC is ensuring that the quality of your ad, keywords, and landing page are all well-optimized.
Here are some tips to help get you started:
- Make sure your ads are as high quality as possible with an eye on keyword relevancy.
- Good quality ads will encourage click-throughs while bad ones will just discourage clicks.
- Experiment with different ads until you find one that resonates well with both search engines and potential customers.
Build An Online Store In WordPress – Conclusion
That's it! Hope this step-by-step guide has been helpful through the process of how to build an online store and some of the benefits associated with running an eCommerce website on WordPress.
Now that you have created an online store and set up everything, you are now ready to go.
You have learned how to create a website, what tools to use, how to set up payment and shipping, as well as how to publish it in order to make it live to your audience, and how to promote it.
It is recommended to choose a design based on your target market or choose a popular, customizable theme such as ASTRA PRO.
Simply install the WooCommerce plugin for WordPress and follow the instructions to create categories and pages, and add products, taxonomies, tags, and fields.
Your online store with WordPress will be a success if you take the time to explore your options and put a little creativity into it. If you follow these above simple steps, you will be able to build an online store in less than one hour.
