Online shopping has become extremely popular among people in recent times. This is mainly because of the immense development of technology over the last few years. E-Commerce platforms provide a huge variety of features to the customers. As a result, total E-Commerce sales have increased drastically. WooCommerce has got a big role to play behind the development of E-Commerce platforms.
What is WooCommerce?
WooCommerce is one of the most popular platforms for creating e-Commerce websites. Today, over 25% of The E-Commerce websites are built using WooCommerce. Woocommerce is an extremely powerful open-source platform which is mainly used for designing E-commerce websites. It is an E-Commerce plugin which is used for shopping websites. Now we are going to discuss how we can use WooCommerce to build an online store for yourself.
How will you set up your WooCommerce store?
Managing a WooCommerce store is quite a difficult task. It involves a lot of coding. You will also have to follow a lot of complicated steps to bring about any kind of customizations to your website. So here we will see how exactly you are going to use WooCommerce to set up your store most easily and simply:
Step 1: Choose your hosting solution:
If you are looking forward to building a WooCommerce website, then you need to purchase a hosting solution. This is where you will be able to store all the data on your website. Choosing the best hosting provider is of extreme importance because it will benefit your store to a great extent. You have a huge variety of options to choose from. However, the most recommended ones are SiteGround and Bluehost. Bluehost is one of the best hosting solutions available to us. It is not only cheap but will also help you to drive a lot of traffic towards your website. Bluehost provides you with a shared hosting plan at a nominal rate. You will also be provided with a free domain name. Other than that, it also includes the one-click installation feature, SSL certificate, FTP, and many more.
Step 2: Download WordPress:
The next thing that you need to do is download WordPress on your website. Word: Press provides you with the one-click installation feature using which you will be able to install WordPress with just a few clicks of the mouse. The steps to create a new WordPress page has been mentioned below:
- Login to your Bluehost account and go to My Sites.
- Click on Create Sites. Here you will have to enter your website name and your tagline.
- Choose your directory and domain name.
- Click on login to WordPress.
If you want to install WordPress manually then the steps are as follows:
- Download the package from WordPress.org and unzip it.
- Develop a database for WordPress.
- Find the wp-config-sample.php file and rename it to wp-config.php.
- You will now be able to edit your file and include all the database information. This step is optional and you will be able to skip it if you want to.
- Next, you will have to upload the WordPress files to the required location.
- Run your installation script by navigating to another URL from a web browser.
Step 3: Install the WooCommerce plugin:
Now that you have already designed your website, you need to install the WooCommerce plugin. There are several ways by which you can do so but here we have mentioned the easiest way for you:
- Go to the Add New option and from the search bar type WooCommerce. You will be able to see the plugin on your first option.
- Click on Install Now.
- Activate your plugin once the installation process is complete.
Once you have activated the plugin, you will be redirected to the WooCommerce setup wizard where you will have to enter some important information to configure your online store:
- Fill in your store details. Here you will have to provide the location of your store. This information is really important as it would determine your shipping and tax configuration.
- Select your industry. Now you need to select the type of industry that your story revolves around.
- Select the product. here, you will have to mention the product that you would like to sell on your WooCommerce store. This may include either physical or downloadable products.
- Fill in your business details. You will have to provide useful information regarding your business. This is important as your choice will have a huge impact on your user experience.
- Choose your theme. Now you need to select a particular theme. This is of extreme importance as your theme will determine how your store will appear before your customers. You need to look for something which is both quirky and interesting. You will be able to change your theme later. Thousands of WordPress themes are available in the market. So, you need to choose your theme wisely.
Step 4: Configure your WooCommerce Settings:
Now that your store is all set, you will have to configure some other settings so that it runs smoothly. You need to go to the website dashboard and click on WooCommerce. Navigate to the Settings option. Several tabs will appear. You can hover over the tabs and make the necessary changes to the settings. Few important options include Product, Tax, Shipping, Payments, Emails, Integration, and many more.
Step 5: Add products to the store:
Once your store is completely set, you will have to add your product so that you can launch your business. Navigate to the Products option and click on Add New from the dashboard. Now you need to include a product name and a description. This description should provide users with all the important information that they are looking for. You can also add categories and images to the products.
Conclusion:
So, this is how you can set up your WooCommerce store and get your business running. You may also get the WooCommerce migration service and get everything done more smoothly. If you are still in need of anything, we are there to help you out.