Start an eCommerce Website with WordPress

eCommerce websites are growing rapidly as more people shop online. According to recent data, global eCommerce sales continue to surge year over year. The online retail market shows no signs of slowing down. More entrepreneurs are launching digital stores every day.

WordPress powers over 43% of all websites worldwide. It provides one of the best platforms for selling products online. WooCommerce runs on WordPress and powers millions of online stores. Multiple plugins are available to set up your WordPress eCommerce store.

Starting an online store might seem overwhelming at first. But WordPress makes it surprisingly simple and affordable. You don’t need coding skills or a huge budget. This guide walks you through every step of the process. From installation to your first sale, we’ve got you covered. You’ll learn exactly how to build a professional eCommerce website.

Key Takeaways

• Start your WordPress eCommerce store using WooCommerce easily
• Find the best WordPress themes and plugins for stores
• Optimize product pages to boost sales and conversions
• Add payment gateways and essential WooCommerce extensions securely
• Manage inventory, variations, and digital products efficiently
• Choose fast, secure WordPress hosting for eCommerce success

What Can You Do with a WordPress eCommerce website?

WordPress is easy to use. It is the number one Content Management System (CMS) in the world. WordPress provides one of the best e-commerce platforms for selling your products online. Multiple plugins are available to set up your online WordPress eCommerce store. This powerful WordPress eCommerce solution enables you to sell online with minimal technical knowledge.

Things You Need for a WordPress eCommerce Website?

To start an eCommerce website with WordPress, you need two essential things. You need a domain name and a hosting service.

Domain name: A domain name is your unique address on the web. It is the name of your e-commerce shop or website, which people can access online by typing in a web browser.

Hosting service: You need to sign up for a hosting service. A hosting service will provide you with access to a web server. You can upload your WordPress files to this server. A web server is the home of your website. Consider WordPress hosting eCommerce plans that offer optimized performance for online stores.

7 Simple Steps to Start an eCommerce Website

Install WordPress

You need to install WordPress after purchasing a domain and hosting service. You can install WordPress through an auto-installer from your cPanel. You can also manually upload WordPress files. Download and unzip them from the WordPress repository.

You can upload your WordPress files to your web server’s public_html directory. Use an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) program like FileZilla to do this. You should use the FTP account information provided by your hosting company. Use this information to access the FTP software application. Many eCommerce managed WordPress website services include automated WordPress installation for convenience.

Choose, Install, and Customize a Theme

After you have installed WordPress on your web server, you need to take the next step. Choose, install, and customize a WordPress theme of your choice.

Select a theme that is WooCommerce-friendly. You should consider selecting the WordPress theme that meets your design, functionalities, features, and other requirements. Consider functionalities, features, and other needs. Browse WordPress eCommerce themes to find one that aligns with your brand.

Install and Configure WooCommerce

Now you need to install and configure the WooCommerce plugin. The WooCommerce plugin is the number one eCommerce plugin for WordPress. You can install the WooCommerce plugin by logging into your WordPress admin dashboard.

Navigate to the plugins tab and click it. There you will find an option to add new plugins. This comprehensive WooCommerce setup guide will help you launch your WordPress store successfully.

After you have installed the WooCommerce plugin, you need to configure it. Set up the currency, payments, and shipping information. You also need to set up a cart page, a shop page. You’ll need a checkout page and account pages, too. Choose a reliable payment gateway that supports multiple online payment methods for customers.

Choose, Install, and Configure Additional Plugins

You will also need to choose, install, and configure additional plugins. Consider recommended plugins for WooCommerce as well. Some additional plugins you might need include Yoast SEO. Use it for optimizing your website content for SEO.

Use the Contact Form 7 plugin for setting up a contact form. You may need different page builder plugins, like Elementor page builder. The additional plugins you might need depend on the different features you want for your website. Explore essential WooCommerce plugins and WooCommerce extensions to enhance your store’s functionality.

Add New Products with WooCommerce

You can add new products with WooCommerce through your WordPress admin dashboard. Click on the products section from your WordPress admin dashboard. You also need to create new product categories. Add a product description and provide product-related information, including inventory, shipping, and pricing details.

This includes inventory, shipping, and pricing information. Use product variations to offer different sizes, colors, or options. Implement proper inventory management systems to track stock levels. This helps avoid overselling issues.

Add Relevant Content to Your Pages

You will need to check if any information is missing on any of your pages. Fill them up with relevant content like proper texts, images, and videos. Focus on product pages optimization to improve conversion rates and customer experience.

Publish your website

After you have completed all of the steps above, it is now time to publish. Publish your website by clicking the publish button. Click it on all of your pages and posts. Your WordPress shop is now ready to accept orders from customers worldwide.

Recommended Hosting – WPMU DEV

WPMU DEV’s business model is geared towards helping WordPress developers. They help developers grow their business quickly and more profitably.

They offer ultrafast, fully managed, virtually dedicated hosting. This premium white label WordPress hosting is highly reliable. It can be purchased separately or bundled with their membership plans. A team of hosting and WordPress experts backs it. 24/7 live chat support is available for anything hosting or WordPress-related.

Hosting starts from just $1.32/month with annual billing. The entry-level Quantum plan is $4/month regular price. Bronze plan starts at $3.96/month with a discount or $12/month regular.

WPMU DEV users also have access to The HUB. The HUB is a control center. It lets you manage unlimited WordPress sites from a single location.

Additionally, the hosting is completely white labeled for reselling. This includes a client Hub and support for Stripe payments. It also offers custom client invoicing tools with “0” fees for members. Domain reselling, templates, and more are included. All yearly plans come with a free .com domain and Pro Email.

Features:

WPMU DEV offers many features, which include:

• Servers are configured for performance. They deliver fully optimized, fully compartmentalized, and super-fast hosting. They include built-in security, performance, SEO, and backups. Site monitoring tools keep everything running smoothly.
• Developer-friendly features, including one-click staging and self-healing architecture. SFTP/SSH, phpMyAdmin, WP-CLI, Git, Composer, and NPM are included. No read/write IOP file limits. NewRelic and Blackfire Support, Reset WP are available.
• Every site gets its own VPS and unique IP address. Free SSL is included. Free Wildcard SSL is automatically included for Multisite subdomains. Sites get virtually dedicated resources like a Static Site cache. Object Cache and Web Application Firewall are included, plus CDN.
• 30 data center locations worldwide and a 119-point CDN for global coverage.
• Regular updates and automated daily backups.
• Includes the latest technologies like NGINX, PHP 8.1, and HTTP/2.
• Free done-for-you migration and DIY migration tools. Bring multiple sites and get up to one year of free hosting.
• 24/7 live chat, expert customer support, and comprehensive documentation. Forums and WordPress tutorials are available.
• Fully integrated premium plugins for improved security and performance. SEO and marketing tools are included.
• The Hub site management tool.

Pros:

• Speed/Performance ( Static Site cache + Object Cache + SMUSH & Hummingbird CDN)
• Dedicated server resources and various server locations
• 24/7 expert Live Chat support
• Hosting buyouts
• Unlimited Free migrations
• Time-saving templates and preset configs for setting up new sites quickly.
• Powerful server nightly backups
• One-click staging
• File Manager
• DNS Manager
• Free SSL certificates
• Free Emails
• Multisite support
• Bundled premium plugins
• The Hub site management tool.
• Complete white label reseller hosting with invoices, subscriptions, and client billing.

Cons:

• 24/7 support does not include phone support.
• Only 1 website allowed per plan.

Plans Available:

WPMU DEV offers 14 managed WordPress hosting plans.

Plans start from just $1.32/month with annual billing (Quantum plan).

The regular Quantum plan costs $4/month without discount. Quantum is perfect for basic sites and works with any theme or page builder.

Popular plans include Bronze at $12/month, Silver at $30/month, and Gold at $60/month. Enterprise-level hosting ranges from Platinum at $120/month to Titanium at $500/month.

All plans include unlimited visitors, free SSL, and daily backups. Yearly plans include a free .com domain and Pro Email.

Customer Support:

WPMU DEV offers live chat support for all hosting questions. WordPress-related questions are answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They do not offer phone support. Their customer service is super-responsive and active via support tickets.

Chat channels and forums are also available. Additionally, WPMU DEV provides excellent documentation. Comprehensive WordPress tutorials are free on their blog.

Pricing:

Support Genix

Support Genix is the perfect tool for businesses that need to keep track of tickets and customer issues. With a range of built-in features, Support Genix makes it easy to assign and route tickets and track and monitor them in real time. 

Additionally, the Envato integration automatically generates tickets from your Envato purchases, making it easy to keep all your customer issues in one place. Support Genix is the perfect tool for businesses that need to streamline their ticket management.

Features 

• Unlimited Tickets
• Unlimited Agents
• Transfer Ticket
• Knowledgebase
• Elite Licenser
• Email Notification

Pros & Cons

PROS:

• SupportGenix makes managing your support tickets simple and quick.
• It gives customers a place to submit tickets and makes it easier for you to monitor and address those tickets.

CONS:

• SupportGenix is a WordPress support ticket plugin that can only be used with WordPress. This plugin won’t be helpful to you if you don’t utilize WordPress.
• A couple of its features are exclusive to the premium version. You must upgrade to the premium version of this plugin if you want to enjoy all of its features.

Who is the tool for

It’s perfect for —

• eCommerce shops
• Digital agencies
• Digital service providers

Pricing

Free: Free to use

Premium Plans:  Support Genix have 3 pricing plans for the premium version– 

• Personal for 1 Website – $59/ Year
• Developer for 5 Websites- $99/ Year
• Agency for 100 Websites-$149/ Year

Frequently Asked Questions

Watch the Video About Starting an eCommerce Website with WordPress

To Wrap Up

If you’re looking for an eCommerce platform that will make setting up your online store easy, WordPress is a great option as it has one of the best eCommerce platforms named “WooCommerce”.

Powered by WordPress, you can be sure that WooCommerce will be reliable and customizable. And there are plenty of extensions and plugins to help you add the features you need to your store. So if you’re ready to start selling online, give WooCommerce a try.