How to build a WordPress e-commerce website: An ultimate guide

WordPress-Powered eCommerce Website Development:

The rise of eCommerce in India is growing leaps and bounds and it is projected to generate $100 billion online revenue by 2020. It shows that there are a plethora of opportunities to succeed in this business. “Setting up an online store is not easy”, it has become myth after the inception of WordPress. Now, setting up an eCommerce website is not rocket science.

WordPress, an impeccable platform can equip any online store with its full-featured e-commerce functionalities. That is why there is a rapid stride for WordPress website development for eCommerce.

First things first.

Why WordPress for e-commerce?

We have plenty of platforms out there to establish an e-commerce site. Then, why WordPress? Because it is a king of content management systems and a stellar platform with the outstanding features mentioned below.

Hassle-free Installation and Maintenance:

This open platform is easy and quick to install and update its versions. And the WordPress eCommerce website development and maintenance can be effectively handled without any assistance if you have coding knowledge.

Scalability:

WordPress allows online stores to be scaled up by handling a huge e-commerce site’s data and scaled out by increasing the capacity of multi-stores. It allows eCommerce entrepreneurs their sites run on different servers and is powerful enough to handle any amount of traffic.

Flexible and customizable:

You can incorporate third-party tools and easily migrate to and from the WordPress website. You can have full control over your site and customize it as per your preferences.

Accessibility to its code allows customization to the pre-made themes and designs. All the WordPress themes can be edited and customized according to the business requirements.

Secure and robust:

Security is essential for online stores than other businesses as it holds large volumes of data. The regular updates in the versions and features of this CMS allow us to cover security patches. You are availed with in-built security plugins too.

SEO-friendly CMS:

This free and open-source platform’s functionality can be extended based on business requirements. If you know coding skills, you can update your site and troubleshoot the issues if any.

E-commerce themes and plugins availability:

WordPress has a plethora of themes and plugins that are suited for any size of web stores from catalog display to shopping cart to check out. These themes and plugins can be customizable based on business needs.

Marketing tools and Cross-promotions:

It is the most advantageous feature of WordPress eCommerce sites that can boost ROI. You can add a blog that contains useful shopping ideas, your products’ information etcetera to your eCommerce site and generate revenue through it. You can make cross-promotions through WordPress site by connecting it to other marketing channels.

What not there?

Let us dive into the setup process at a glance. Here is an ultimate guide to the WordPress eCommerce website.

1. Purchase the domain name and hosting:

Set up your online store now by purchasing a domain name (with your business name) from domain purchasing sites such as GoDaddy, BigRock, etc. It is better to purchase the domain on offers on Cyber Mondays, Black Fridays, etc. so that your domain can be charged less.

For hosting, you can reach hosting providers such as Hostgator, Bluehost, InMotion, etc. However, it is better to tie-up with an eCommerce website development company because they can handle your site effectively. These are 3 types to host your domain name safe and secure.

1. Shared Hosting:

All first websites opt for this. However, if you choose this type of hosting, then your site needed to share the memory, CPU, disc space along with other websites. It is cost-effective but lags in speed and performance based on the number of sites it is associated with. It is best useful for small sites with low traffic and all the maintenance is taken care of by the hosting provider on behalf of you.

2. Virtual Private Server (VPS):

In this type, servers are partitioned into virtualized environments and all the websites are allotted different spaces on the same server. That means all sites will have dedicated resources and have more control over their sites. It is better than shared hosting in terms of performance and expensive too.

3. Dedicated server:

As the name implies, every website is allocated to a dedicated server. Site owners can have complete control over all the resources and maintenance. It is fast in performance and expensive.

4. Cloud hosting:

It is the new trend that is spreading its wings throughout the business’s span. This advanced storage platform based on cloud computing technology allows you to utilize resources uninterruptedly because this hosting is a string of servers. You can use another server if your server goes down. It is reliable and cost-effective. You are charged based on the amount of resource usage.

Choose wisely what is best for your small or large store in terms of speed, reliability, and performance.

2. Install WordPress:

It is very easy and quick to install WordPress online through one-click (with WordPress hosting) or manual install.

3. Select WordPress theme:

Online stores can set up any theme of their choice for their website. A shopkeeper is a popular theme for e-commerce.

4. Download WordPress Plugin:

As mentioned earlier, online stores can set up any plugin based on the size of their store for their website. WooCommerce, WP eCommerce, Easy digital downloads, Ecwid eCommerce shopping cart are the popular eCommerce plugins.

WooCommerce: It is with a rich feature set that is suitable for selling physical, digital, and affiliate products. It supports multiple payment gateways and can be highly customizable. It allows you to have complete control over the site and to add extensions like AI features to the web store.

5. Create Pages:

Create as many pages as the number of your products. Provide necessary descriptions along with high-quality images.

6. Do the necessary settings:

Almost done. Now update the content regularly and manage everything on your own.

Your eCommerce website is ready and you can make it live.

It is as simple as that.

Make haste to reach out to the best WordPress website development company to cut through the noise and stand out enough to attract the online shoppers and reap abundant benefits.

Conclusion:

To sum up, as WordPress website development offers a wide range of options that supports eCommerce, it is better to opt for your online store. Follow the detailed guide mentioned above and get a good ROI.