Did You Know!
The Keyword “ WordPress ” gets 2.8 million Google searches every month.
- WordPress runs more than a quarter of the entire Internet.
- WordPress powers 14.7% of the leading 100 websites in the world.
- WordPress holds a whopping share of 50-60% of the Global CMS (Content Management System) market.
There is a more good reason for this – it’s open-source and easy to use. Adding on, it is a flexible platform that provides you complete access over your website and how it looks. On top of your storefront, you can add a forum, blog, and customize the page as you want.
So, if you are interested in starting an online store, but are sitting on the fence as in “how”, I have created and curated a step-by-step guide on how to develop your e-commerce online store with WordPress.
Before commencing with the insights from leading software development company, let’s have a look at what is making people take a dim view in the same verticals.
- How do I setup an e-commerce store on WordPress?
- Can you create an online store with WordPress?
Nevertheless, here is a quick overview to help you in every stage of the process and then will have a deep dive:
- Sign-up for web hosting
- Pick a hosting plan and an appropriate niche
- Get an enticing domain name for your store
- Complete the hosting registration process
- Include WooCommerce Plugin during the hosting account setup
- Log in and put your first product out.
#Step 1: Invest In Personal Passion To Fuel The Niche Selection
Counting onto every successful entrepreneur I have crossed path upholds to the fact that “Passion” is the secret ingredient to the exclusive lifestyle they enjoy.
However, creating an e-commerce online store requires a lot of passion – to be precise, years of effort before you can pay yourself a handsome salary.
To decide on a product that folds over your personal zeal.
- Evaluate your past shopping habits. What made you purchase the product and which one excites you the most.
b) Illustrate the different products and their categories. Take up some ideas from your neighborhood store.
c) Do you want to leave an impact on people’s lives?
d) How can you turn your hobbies into monetizing options with the online store?
Remember – The more specific the niche, the more you will be able to let your passion be radiant through online and offline.
#Step 2: Go For A Catchy Domain Name
Domain Name is the best way for customers reach on your website. Probably, if they hear about you somewhere, it turns a little difficult to remember your name. Whereas, it’s easy for Google to use your domain and identify what your website is all about.
Here is the guide to help you pick the right domain name:
a) Go for keyword research. The domains that include these keywords prove as a boon to accomplish ranking on Google.
b) Keep it short. This approach minimizes the mistype by customers.
c) Protect your domain extensions like – .net, .com to keep the shadow characters at bay.
d) Wear a cold shoulder to the words with multiple spelling, as in like – one and won. They sound the same over the conversation.
e) Avoid hyphenated domain names. Chances are customers who forget about the hyphen.
f) Put it into easy words. If a tiny tot can’t say it, change it!
#Step 3: Pin Down Your Business Plan
Planning to start an online store with WordPress?
It seems a daunting task at first. But, reckon on the best software development company and sketch down a comprehensive business plan for your company laying out how exactly you envisage it.
- Select the products you want to sell.
- Acquire inventory
- Create the website
- Market the website
- Expand your market share and the list goes on.
#Step 4: Remember To Include “WooCommerce” Plugin
WordPress lays the firm foundation of your website. And, adding “Woocommerce” reinvent your site in an e-commerce powerhouse with the base pack free of value. That is, without paid plugins you can implement the exquisite elements of e-commerce design on all your targeted pages.
Don’t worry! Installing an e-commerce plugin and listing your first product for sale is not at all complicated.
- Select a host for your website that proffers a package designed for WordPress. Pay focus on security and performance scale and if you are not able to find them, it’s the right time to move ahead.
b) Download and install the WooCommerce WordPress plugin. Answer the questionnaire in the setup wizard to bring your site up and run in less than 5 minutes.
c) Select, install, and customize the WordPress theme that is compatible with WooCommerce.
d) Click on the product tab in your WordPress admin center and add your first product for sale.
#Step 5: Elect A WooCommerce Friendly Theme
Theme is the focalpoint of your website design and helps in deciding the feel of your website. Therefore, finding the right theme that allures browser to turn buyers is worth walking the extra mile.
Storefront – The Official Theme For WooCommerce
It the official WooCommerce theme. Its sole purpose is to work optimially with platforms and provide you with the best presentation and alluring design choices. It is basically free, but comes along with paid add-ons and customization features.
The only downside is – “Originality”. While using it, you are making your store look like many other online store running on the same theme.
Applause! As far by now you have selected a host, installed WordPress and the plugin also. Now is the time to debunk the real potential of your e-commerce store with some additional plugins. Find the below attached plugins that are personally my favorite.
- shopIsle
- Yoast SEO
- Freshdesk
#Step 6: Content & SEO Are The Spellbind
The famous dialogue from Filed of Dreams “ If You Build It, They Will Come ” was an excellent piece. But, if they were talking in consideration to e-commerce, the phrase would have changed to “If you write a lot, SEO friendly content, they will come”.
All you need to search is the motivated customers which are ready to make a buying decision at your online store.
Find below the right approach to use SEO friendly content to score new customers.
- Scrutinize the keywords from your business plan and funnel them into a tool like Ahrefs to have an in-depth understanding of the keywords that trigger the product ads.
- Do some additional research work, to find appropriate keywords for each category and product in respect to your site.
- Be a little picky while selecting your focus keywords. Try to select the top 10 choices.
- Opt for blogging option. It teaches customers about how to use products and focus on things that are helpful. Even, you can take the complex answers, chunk them into simple and easy to understand forms, that has a long way to go.
- Be sure, every page on your website has:
- Url slugs
- Meta titles
- Image all tags
- Meta descriptions
- And, content that is easy to read.
f) Be in the lookout for bloggers who do product review and giveaway your things.
#Step 7: Boom Traffic With Facebook Ads
While shopping for a service or a product, who do you trust?
The possibility is, you will ask your friends for what they have purchased and whether they love it or not.
“Social Selling” is the hot word to cash-in on a shopper's instinct to trust their near and dear ones. Advertising your brand on leading social platforms like Facebook, Instagram or promoting a social portal ad for a particular page of your website is a great way to imbibe your brand into customer’s newsfeed.
So, make sure to create Facebook ads to keep your targeted customer engaged with your products. And, as you move ahead to post your blog, do share the links with an enticing Facebook post to help drive the traffic.
Remember – Keep your list targeted
#Step 8: Last, But The Most Important “Payment Method”
Just in the same manner shopping has a final destination “Payment”, the same holds true for e-commerce online store also. Your E-commerce website requires a means of receiving payment from the customers. So, make sure to include a reliable payment option while discussing the project with your technology partner.
The most financial transaction takes place over trusted payment gateways, which are the services acting as the middleman between your customer and you.
Analysis Of Points While Choosing A Payment Getaways
- Value
Every payment getaways charge a certain percentage of amount on every single transaction. Have a look at the service charges for each payment getaway you are planning to opt for.
In some scenarios, a higher fee is acceptable for the best-in-class they provide.
- E-commerce Platform Compatibility
Keep in mind, not all payment getaways are braced by e-commerce plugin. For instance, the best offshore software development company make sure your payment getaway is included in the list of e-commerce plugins and proceed accordingly.
- Financial Data Input
Payment getaways follow two methods to get the data from the customer for financial transactions. First, is the hosted page and the other is integration.
The hosted page redirects the customer to the payment getaways where they fill their credentials after they checkout. This is a secure option but not matching your e-commerce store theme. Whereas, in integration, the customer put in their financial information in an array of fields directly on your website, which is further processed and sent to payment getaways.
- Mobile Friendly
In the present scenario, more and more online transactions are taking place over the mobile. It is vital to provide users with an option to make payments at the store even if they are using their mobile.
So, choose a payment getaway that not only supports mobile transactions but simultaneously has optimized mobile experience with alluring UI.
- Support & Security
Safety is the important , especially when it is about your information. In order to be sure, check the payment getaways has encryption, support for SSL certificates and everything else to do with safety considerations.
Make it a point to have efficient and timely support in your payment process that responds to the need timely.
In The End… I hope this blog proves a great help in walking you through every step of creating your own e-commerce online store on one of the biggest platforms in the digital space.
So, let’s have a quick revision:
- You have learned how to choose a hosting partner.
- Decide for the plugin.
- Install the plugin of your choice.
- Pay attention to SEO and marketing
- Lastly, install a trusted and compatible payment getaway.
But, if you still have some queries, hire E-commerce developer to have a fully-functional extensive e-commerce website that you can expand and improvise as per your business. After all, success is proportionate to effort.
