How to Create an Ecommerce Website with WordPress

Learning how to create an ecommerce website with WordPress is a simpler task than you may imagine. With an intuitive interface, this platform makes it easy to build your own online store from scratch without having to be an expert in design or coding.

It's the perfect opportunity to take your business plan out of the paper and begin selling online. If you already have a physical store, enabling people to buy your products or services through the internet can be the perfect strategy to increase sales. 

Building your website and ecommerce allows you to reach customers from all over the world, expanding your target audience. Check out the article to learn step-by-step how to build your online store with no hustle. 

Create a Domain Name#

One of the first steps how to create an ecommerce website with WordPress is to choose and register your domain name. It will work as your store's online address, it's how people will get to your website. 

A domain name must be aligned with your brand's identity. To choose your ecommerce name consider using the same name of your brand or a keyword related to the products or services you sell. A tip is to write down the names you come up with, then check if they are available. 

Try to avoid names that are hard to spell, too long, or have too many numbers, and try not to use special characters either. This way it becomes easier for people to remember your domain address. 

Still considering that when choosing the suffix of your website, one of the most used is  ".com". It's short and your target audience and you prevent your target audience from forgetting your website address.  

Choose Your Hosting Provider#

Before starting to set up your website with WordPress, you need to select your hosting provider. It is responsible for keeping your website available so people from all around the world can access it. 

Some of the most popular web hosting providers are Bluehost, Pressable, Hostgator, and GoDaddy. There are multiple types of web hosting with different ranges of prices. It's up to you to choose the one that suits your business needs better. 

Cloud Hosting#

With cloud hosting, your WordPress ecommerce will be hosted on a virtual server instead of a physical one. You won't use a centralized server, but a network created by multiple machines. This diminishes the chances of having problems with your page because if one server fails you will have others to back the website up. 

Shared Hosting#

When you opt for shared hosting, you will share a physical server with more than one website. This option helps to reduce the costs of web hosting and it's commonly used for small businesses.

VPS Hosting#

If you opt for  Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting, you will still share the server with several websites. However, it will be a smaller number of websites, which gives you more storage space, but it is more affordable than dedicated hosting

Dedicated Hosting#

With dedicated hosting, you will have an entire server only to store your website. This alternative is recommended for websites that need big storage space, and for people who are looking to have more control and self-management options regarding web hosting.

Regardless of the web hosting provider you choose, pay attention if it offers WordPress hosting service since this is the platform that you are going to use. 

Install WordPress#

You have two options to install WordPress, depending on the web hosting provider you choose. Some of them already offer the option to make the one-click installation, which sets up everything you need. 

However, if you don't have this option, the WordPress manual installation is simple and it just takes a few steps. You can follow the WordPress instructions to help you through the installation process. 

Set Up WordPress Ecommerce#

Using WordPress Ecommerce to build your online store has become even easier, now that WordPress offers its own e-commerce solution. With the WordPress Entrepreneur, you will count on a full range of eCommerce options, from one-click payment buttons to a fully customizable online store.

You can start taking payments with just a few clicks by adding the PayPal button on your pages or enabling credit and debit card payments. Enjoy the staging site feature to test if your online store functions properly before making it live.

WordPress also allows you to install different plugins, including SEO and marketing tools, to enhance your online store performance and help you achieve the expected results.

Choose Your Website Theme#

It's time to think about the design of your online store. Unless you are someone who wants to develop all the details of your pages from scratch, in case you have coding experience, selecting a pre-built theme from WordPress is a great option because the pages are already structured.

WordPress offers several theme options. You can choose the theme that suits better your website style and customize the design by changing the color palette, adding features like a search bar, and including images, and text. 

Remember that the layout of all the pages must be aligned with your brand's identity. Another important aspect is usability, analyze if your target audience can easily navigate through your website and complete a purchase.  To select the theme, you have to:

1. Access the WordPress dashboard;
2. Go to "Appearance", then click on "Themes";
3. Click on "Add new", and choose the theme that suits better your ecommerce type;
4. After choosing the theme, click on "Download it", and "Activate";

Add Your Products #

After you have personalized the website theme, it's time to add the products you will sell online. To do that, enter your WordPress dashboard, go to "Products", and click on "Add new". Then, you will have to provide the information about your product.  

You will need to write the product title and a short description of the product. Remember to insert all the important information about it, including the benefits that can help to convince the customer to buy it. Select the price and other details, and add the product photos. 

When it comes to images, it's essential to publish high-quality photos that show the products as close as possible to reality. You can add more than one photo to show the product from different angles, and highlight some important features. 

Launch Your Website#

Once you have created an ecommerce website with WordPress with all the features, pages, and design you desired, review everything. Check if there are no misspelled words, if the buttons work properly, and if the products were added correctly.

Then, go to "Settings", select "Privacy", and choose the option "Public". This way your website will become available on the internet, and everyone will be able to visit. Keep updating the content of your ecommerce, and check the key performance indicators regularly to identify how you can improve and expand your business.

Promote Your Ecommerce Website #

Now that you have learned how to create an ecommerce website with WordPress, you can build your own online store. But, to have a successful ecommerce website, it's fundamental to plan marketing strategies to conquer visibility and drive your target audience's attention to your brand. 

Study your target audience, create social media profiles on the platform that your leads and customers use. Enjoy those spaces to promote your products and services and redirect them to your website.