How to build an eCommerce Website on WordPress?
Chances are, if you’re reading this guide, you are designing your eCommerce site or have been asked to design an eCommerce site by your client. We are aware that designing and creating an eCommerce website for clients who have recently ventured into an online business can be quite daunting especially when they have a lot of requirements concerning customizations and optimizations. From functionality and appearance to navigation and coding integrity, a lot is needed to give your clients an eye-catching and user-friendly eCommerce website. And Wait! Your task doesn’t just end here as a designer/developer. You have the task to make sure your client is happy, and he can be happy only when he sees his customers coming back to the site without digressing! Ah, now that’s a lot of pressure on you! However, if you are going to create the eCommerce site on WordPress you don’t have to worry a lot, as WordPress is a flexible platform that provides you complete control over what your website does and how it should appear. So, if WordPress is your platform, you’re already a winner! Now, let’s get back to creating and designing a user-friendly website that gives your clients some loyal brand advocates. But before that let’s zero in on why building website on WordPress is a good idea for someone who needs a lot of customizations.
Why WordPress?
WordPress is significantly beneficial when you are building an e-commerce site owing to the plenty of pre-made themes available to design an online storefront. WordPress also comes with many plugins that help in adding complete functionality to the eCommerce site, starting from the product display to the shopping cart and checkout process. And one of the strong reasons to opt for WordPress is its flexibility. The platform provides complete control over how your website should appear and what it does. Besides, you can decide to include any other pages-like blogs and forums if needed in the later stages. Since WordPress is free to install, deploy and upgrade, it trims down the development costs and deployment time.
And you know what’s the icing on the cake? You can make use of the WordPress platform and avail these features without paying any ongoing fees! Though WordPress is free to use, you have to pay a monthly charge for hosting your website and the domain registrar. Plugins and readily available themes are just one-time purchases.
Now, let’s focus on building an eCommerce site on WordPress.
Just remember everything that we are going to do now is all DIY-able (No coding skills required)
Step1: Pick your domain name and hosting provider
The very first step of setting up a site is finding a domain name. A domain name is like your address for the eCommerce website. It is the name that you usually enter in the address bar of the browser to visit a particular website. (youreCommercestore.com) . You need to pay a specific amount to buy a domain name. Make sure you do some brainstorming before finalizing a domain name that users can perceive easily. Next, you will require a hosting provider-It is a service that hosts websites on the Internet. A hosting provider’s primary function is to load websites faster and avoid periods of downtime. You have the flexibility to opt for a shared or dedicated host. The shared host keeps your website on the same server as several other websites but offers less control over your website with lower storage and bandwidth availability. However, a dedicated host offers your website an entire server for your use (exclusively for your use) with extensive control, large storage and a wide degree of bandwidth. Now a dedicated host is more expensive than a shared host. And, it’s up to you how you want to pick your host, keeping in mind your budget.
After deciding on your domain name and host, it’s time to install WordPress, and you can go about it in two ways. And, both are easy!
One-click Install
In a one-click install, you need to register your domain name and get your WordPress site hosted from the same provider. PHP 7, MySQL v5.6+ or MariaDB v10.0+, and HTTPS are recommended by WordPress. This is best for people who are first-time users of WordPress.
Manual Install
This option is recommended for professional web developers and web designers along with advanced users. Here, you just need to set up a server manually and install the WordPress platform on your server, then configure it. You’ll need to have an FTP client, database setup via cPanel or phpMyAdmin, and then get access to your web server. You can read more about it here: https://wordpress.org/support/article/how-to-install-wordpress/
Some of the hosting providers recommended by WordPress are Pressable, BlueHost, Dreamhost, Flywheel, and SiteGround. These hosting providers will enable easier installation of WordPress.
Step2: Pick an eCommerce plugin.
Now, what sets the difference between a WordPress eCommerce website and a standard non-eCommerce WordPress website? It’s the products that can be sold directly from the site. To add this functionality to the eCommerce website, you need to install an eCommerce plugin. WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads, WP eCommerce are some of the free and paid plugins recommended by WordPress that can help you build and organize product pages, and offer a shopping cart and checkout process.
Step3: Install your eCommerce plugin.
By now you have picked your eCommerce plugin for your site, and once you have done that, it’s time for you to install your eCommerce plugin through WordPress backend. For example, if you have chosen the “ WooCommerce” theme by WooThemes, follow these simple steps.
1.First login to your WordPress dashboard
2.Next, go the sidebar and click on the “plugins section” and hit “ADD NEW”
3.Then, in the search bar type in “WooCommerce” and press Enter
4.The last step is to click “INSTALL NOW” on WooCommerce by WooThemes.
5.You can also opt for free plugins by WordPress and add it to your site.
Step4: Pick and install a theme that suits your eCommerce site
WordPress comes with some free out-of-the-box themes that can give your website a great look. The good thing about WordPress themes is that you can install them without any hassle and can also change/customize them if need be. These themes are not going to alter the contents of your site but only change the look and feel of the website. In case you’ve chosen a theme that’s readily available with WordPress then the only task you need to do is to install the theme. Here’s how you do it-
- Go to Appearance → Themes from your WordPress dashboard and then hit “Add New.”
2. Next, type the name of the theme that you want to install. To enable the theme on your site, click on the “Activate” button that will appear in place of the “Install” button.
Step5: Build product pages and create products
Now that you have your theme and the plugin in place, it’s time to add products and their respective product pages. For every product make sure you have the following headlines and features.
Product name
Cost
Image
Product Description
Go into the WordPress admin panel and enter these categories and features. Next, select “Products” on the sidebar and click on “ ADD PRODUCT”. Follow the same procedure for the rest of the attributes.
There are a few things that you should remember before adding products and categories
Create catchy and quirky product descriptions without simply copying the description from the product’s manufacturer. Limit the description to 150–250 words.
Your product needs to be always named in the title bar while adding a product to the online store. You might want to take the help of SEO tools to figure out the best possible title for your product. Also, place your product under the right category and tag to give easier browsing experience to your customers.
Pick high-quality images for your products to bring more customers.
Step: 6 Choose a payment gateway
The last step of every shopping process lies in the payment, be it offline or online. And WordPress will help you build your payment gateway effectively. After opting for the checkout option from your site, the shopper is redirected to the payment gateway’s website, where they enter financial information. An online payment gateway authenticates the payment between the shoppers and your eCommerce website. Payment gateway integration in your eCommerce site depends on the needs of your client’s business. Would he/she require any customization or would a simple hosted gateway suffice? If your business is new, simple and easy integration could be the most effective option. However, to effectively use the features of payment gateways, you’ll need to obtain an SSL( Secure Sockets Layer) certificate. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), now also known as Transport Layer Security (TLS), is a protocol that ensures a safe and secure transfer of information over the Internet through the use of cryptographic ways.
Getting an SSL certificate can be done via a domain name registrar or hosting provider. This is usually an option that can be picked during the registration process, but it can also be purchased after obtaining the host with a minimal fee.
There are two things that you should remember before integrating a payment gateway to your eCommerce site.
eCommerce compatibility
Not all payment gateways support eCommerce plugins. Make sure your payment gateway of choice is present in the list of extensions of your eCommerce plugin.
Mobile compatibility
These days mobile acts as the powerhouse of every online transaction. Shoppers must have the flexibility to purchase and pay for items from your store even if they’re using their smartphones. Pick a payment gateway that not only enables transactions over mobile but also offers an optimized mobile experience with an impressive UI.
Winding-up
Congratulations! You are now in a position to build your own or your client’s online store on WordPress-one of the biggest web platforms on the Web. This WordPress eCommerce how-to guide has taught you how to choose your hosting provider, decide what plugin to use, install your plugin of choice, add your selling product, and set up a payment gateway for your site (keeping security in mind). Feel free to continue to customize and improve your website as per your needs! Good luck:)
References: https://wordpress.org/support/article/how-to-install-wordpress/
https://torquemag.io/2017/02/create-ecommerce-website-in-wordpress/
