How to Build an Ecommerce Website: Step-By-Step Guide 2023

But once your site is ready, share it with your friends, family, colleagues, and anyone interested in your work. Afterward, you can strategize a plan for growing your website and taking your business to the next level. It’s worth mentioning that the Product Data section is a very important part of the product page and you need to modify it carefully. Read this help doc to understand how to set up your product data. When the setup wizard closes, you will be taken to your WordPress dashboard. From the dashboard, go to WooCommerce → Settings and proceed to configure all the settings pages according to your needs.

The credit here goes to Wix’s 900+ templates (easily the most on the market right now) and the liberty it offers to use any payment solution of your choice. That’s right, it doesn’t tie you down with its native payment solutions or compel you to opt for a high-end plan to take advantage of PayPal benefits. You can also build your online store using dedicated eCommerce platforms such as BigCommerce. It is an intuitive SaaS solution that offers everything you need to build an ecommerce website and sell online. Starting an e-commerce business is a big endeavor, but it’s less complicated than you might expect.

Set up Your Ecommerce Website

If your products are expensive, you might want to help your customers finance the purchase. That’s why Square accepts AfterPay — a buy-now-pay-later service that lets your customers pay in four interest-free installments while you get paid right away. This is ideal for businesses that can’t afford to have outstanding payments yet want their customers to have an EMI-like option.

• Giving a customer clear paths to your products leads to a higher conversion rate.
• Here’s a list of some of the best WooCommerce plugins for your eCommerce website.
• But using a theme or template is much easier than starting from a blank screen.
• The more information you can convey through images with multiple angles and closeups, the better your customers will understand your products.
• Although we don’t recommend this for mass orders, you can use this feature to personalize the bill for your VIP customers.
• This enables users to share the products they want with their friends with only a few clicks.

A business plan is a roadmap that helps bring your ideas and thoughts together. It’s vital in determining what to prioritize and how to effectively reach potential customers. A business plan also highlights your company’s mission statement to show investors and employees the core values of your brand. With Shopify, for instance, your business will pay a transaction fee of up to 2%. No matter which route you take, you’ll want to confirm that your chosen ecommerce platform (discussed in the next step) doesn’t offer a free domain name. Some platforms will cover the cost of purchasing your domain — if they do, you’ll want to take advantage of that offer.

Come up with a good business name

We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team. Get started with a domain name that identifies your website to customers. It’s also important to avoid close similarities to existing domain names, which can result in lost traffic and lost revenue. Of course, your online store needs products that consumers want to buy.

Renewing a 1-year plan costs $9.99 per month, whereas a 4-year term renews at $7.99. Once you have selected a plan, you’ll be asked to select how long you want to sign up for. This means that there’s already a vast customer base that’s willing to buy your stuff.

Personalize Your Ecommerce Website

While the steps will vary depending on which platform you’re using, typically the steps will more or less involve the following. To process payments for your how to create a custom e-commerce website online store, you’re going to need employer identification number (EIN). To get an EIN, you need to register your online store as a business in your state.

If you have a broad offering, you may want to separate the page into categories, such as by color, design, or product type. You may want to allow customers to sort or filter by price, new arrivals, or rating. For an e-commerce business, your website is a virtual storefront for your customers. Just like a store you’d visit in real life, your e-commerce website should reflect the tone and voice of your brand. From product pages to implementing payment gateways to automated tax calculations, WooCommerce is a true lifesaver for ecommerce sellers.

What is the difference between an e-commerce platform and e-commerce hosting?

The process of registering your business will vary from state to state, so it’s best to refer to your state’s Secretary of State for more detailed information on the process. Alternatively, you can always use a business registration service such as LegalZoom or ZenBusiness. There is no particular timescale for setting up an eCommerce site. If you sell goods and services, it sure makes sense to have an online presence in this day and age. An eCommerce website helps find new customers, generate leads or sales, and enhance brand credibility.

If you have a WordPress website or blog already, you can also turn your existing WordPress site into an online store. Let’s discuss some of these options to build your eCommerce store. Bluehost and HostGator are two of the most trusted web hosting providers in the market.

Step 6: Pick a Theme for Your Ecommerce Website

Easy Digital Downloads is a great alternative to WooCommerce if you plan to focus solely on digital products. If you need access to shipping tools, you may be better off looking elsewhere. https://www.globalcloudteam.com/ Krishi is an experienced B2B and B2C content writer who reviews and compares different software to help both individuals and businesses find the right programs for their needs.

You can use it for everything from setting up contact and signup forms to creating payment forms. That puts you in more of a managerial role instead of running your own ecommerce operation. Dokan is unique among free ecommerce plugins for WordPress in that you can use it to set up a multi-vendor marketplace. That means you can use Dokan to create an eBay clone where vendors can set up accounts and publish items for sale. However, Wix is a no-brainer when it comes to picking the best of the lot.

Step 5. Create Product Listings

WooCommerce is an excellent option for ecommerce because it’s a free WordPress plugin. Since WordPress is an open-source platform, you’ll have endless options for customization and functionality. Other ecommerce platforms on the market may be a bit more limiting in terms of what you can customize and what third-party tools you can integrate with. But with WooCommerce, you can add shopping cart functionality to any WordPress website with a single plugin installation.