Promoting merchandise on-line is likely one of the finest methods to monetize an internet site. Whether or not you need to begin a brand new ecommerce web site from scratch or add buying cart performance to an current web site, there may be loads of cash to be made on this area.

WooCommerce makes it straightforward to show any WordPress web site into an ecommerce store. With a easy plugin set up, you’ll be able to convert your weblog or private web site into an internet retailer with out having emigrate your web site to a brand new platform.

Top5webhost’s Favourite Instruments for Setting Up an Ecommerce Website

Under you’ll discover our Golden Eggs—our prime really helpful ecommerce platforms that you should use as an alternative choice to WooCommerce.

Bluehost gives best-in-class internet hosting with a guided on-line retailer builder and tons of built-in options. Create a WooCommerce-powered on-line retailer at this time with Bluehost.

Shopify is an all-in-one ecommerce platform and web site builder that’s feature-packed and helps any kind of on-line retailer. Begin your three-day free trial at this time.

Wix is an easy drag-and-drop web site builder that’s good for rookies and has over 500+ ecommerce templates to select from. Get began without spending a dime—no bank card required.

Extra High Ecommerce Platforms

Our workforce right here at Top5webhost has spent numerous hours testing, researching, and reviewing greater than 20+ completely different ecommerce platforms. After evaluating the usability, options, pricing, and actual evaluations from clients, we narrowed our record right down to 12 ecommerce platforms that we are able to advocate with confidence. Try our in-depth evaluations and shopping for information to be taught extra about the perfect ecommerce platforms in the marketplace at this time. 

Step 1 – Get Began With WooCommerce

WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin, and because of this it is advisable to have an energetic WordPress account to get began with WooCommerce.

To make clear, WooCommerce can’t be used on every other CMS, web site builder, or ecommerce platform. It’s strictly for WordPress. This makes it a wonderful possibility for current WordPress websites that need to add buying cart performance to their web site—with out having emigrate platforms.

With that mentioned, you’ll be able to nonetheless get began with WooCommerce should you’re beginning a brand new web site from scratch. You’ll simply must create your WordPress account within the course of as nicely, which may be accomplished on the identical time.

The plugin is used to energy over 3.4 million on-line shops worldwide, together with 27% of the highest a million ecommerce websites. 

As an open-source platform, all your retailer info, buyer knowledge, and order particulars nonetheless belong to you. The plugin has built-in advertising options, intensive cost processing choices, and permits for full no-code customization. 

It’s free to put in in your WordPress web site, and any further WooCommerce subscriptions you select are backed by a 30-day money-back assure. 

Step 2 – Set up the Plugin

When you’ve signed up for WooCommerce, you’ll be able to set up the plugin instantly out of your WordPress dashboard. Simply navigate to the Plugins tab on the left facet of your display. Seek for WooCommerce and click on the Set up Now button,

After the set up is full, you’ll must activate the plugin to proceed. As soon as activated, you’ll mechanically be introduced by the Setup Wizard.

The Setup Wizard is the best option to arrange WooCommerce, because it walks you thru every little thing that must be executed step-by-step. 

Step 3 – Add Your Retailer Particulars

The primary a part of the Setup Wizard includes primary details about your enterprise. You’ll want to finish a type that features your organization’s bodily deal with alongside along with your electronic mail deal with to proceed.

From there, WooCommerce will ask you for extra details about your business. Choices embrace:

• Vogue, attire, and equipment,
• Well being and sweetness
• Electronics and computer systems
• Food and drinks
• Residence, furnishings, and backyard,
• CBD and different hemp-based merchandise
• Schooling and studying

If you happen to don’t see your business on the record, no drawback. Merely choose the Different possibility and sort in an business that finest describes your enterprise. 

You’ll additionally want to tell apart what forms of merchandise you’ll be itemizing in your WooCommerce web site. It’s free to make use of WooCommerce for bodily merchandise, downloads, and subscriptions. However memberships, bookings, bundles, and customizable merchandise carry a month-to-month subscription charge.

WooCommerce will ask for just a little extra details about your enterprise, together with what number of merchandise you’re planning to record, if and the place you’re at the moment promoting merchandise, and your present annual income. 

Step 4 – Configure Extra Options

WooCommerce comes pre-configured with a handful of free extensions. You’ll be able to add or take away them at any time. However the Setup Wizard will immediate you to pick them now, which makes life simpler for you later.

Right here’s an summary of these optionally available add-ons and what they do:

• WooCommerce Funds — A totally built-in cost answer. You should utilize it to gather and course of funds on-line, handle your income, and observe money circulate instantly out of your WordPress dashboard.
• WooCommerce Delivery — Arrange label printing for DHL and USPS instantly out of your WooCommerce dashboard. There are built-in transport reductions with this function as nicely.
• WooCommerce Tax — Mechanically calculate gross sales tax for every order in the course of the checkout course of. This helps state, metropolis, county, and different native taxes.
• Jetpack — A WordPress safety and backup plugin that protects your retailer’s knowledge and buyer info. It’s nice for including an additional layer of safety to WooCommerce.
• MailPoet — Arrange electronic mail advertising with automation, promotional drips, and different helpful electronic mail options straight out of your on-line retailer. 
• Google Listings and Advertisements — Arrange and show product ads by Google platforms, like YouTube, Gmail, Google search outcomes, and extra. 

None of those free add-ons is a requirement. However they do make issues helpful, as you’ll ultimately must have an answer for almost every little thing on this record.

For instance, you’ll must course of funds in your retailer to operate, and it’s essential to calculate correct taxes to stay compliant. You’ll be able to most likely skip the MailPoet add-on, as there are many different nice electronic mail advertising instruments on the market that combine easily with WordPress and WooCommerce. If you happen to’re going to print labels by yourself, you’ll be able to simply combine ShipStation or related instruments with WooCommerce should you don’t need to use WooCommerce Delivery. 

The Jetpack extension is good to have since safety should be a prime precedence for each ecommerce web site. 

Step 5 – Select Your Theme

By default, WooCommerce will work with any WordPress theme. So if you have already got a WordPress web site up and operating, your current theme will likely be appropriate along with your new ecommerce plugin.

With that mentioned, you must strongly take into account altering your theme to an possibility that’s constructed for promoting on-line and optimized for conversions. 

Merely put, the perfect theme for a weblog or content material web site seemingly gained’t be the best choice for an ecommerce retailer. The best way customers behave on these websites is totally completely different. So when you make the shift to promoting on-line, it is advisable to regulate your theme and design accordingly. 

There are greater than 50 completely different WooCommerce themes to select from. You’ll see a mixture of free and paid choices. 

To get a greater really feel for a theme, you’ll be able to at all times have a look at a dwell demo. Then you’ll be able to click on round and discover to see if the theme matches the client expertise you need in your web site. 

Narrowing down your theme selections is way simpler if you choose a class that matches your retailer kind. Examples embrace:

• Arts and crafts
• Bookings and lodging
• Audio and digital
• Flowers, presents, and collectibles
• Food and drinks
• Well being and sweetness
• Pets and pet care
• Sports activities and recreation
• Toys and video games
• Residence and furnishings
• Electronics and software program

Most paid themes begin for lower than $50 in your first yr, then renew for round $80 for every year after that. Theme subscriptions by WooCommerce embrace one yr of updates, help, and a 30-day money-back assure. 

Step 6 – Choose Your Fee Processor

Fee processing is a key a part of any on-line retailer, and WooCommerce is not any completely different. Your ecommerce web site can’t function with out this step, so it’s essential that you just take your time and don’t rush by it.

For these of you who have already got an current enterprise with a retail presence, there’s a superb likelihood you’re already arrange with a cost processing answer. If you happen to fall into this class, attain out to your processor and see in the event that they’re appropriate with WooCommerce.

You too can seek for your processor’s cost gateway instantly by WooCommerce to see if it’s out there. 

If you happen to don’t have already got a cost processor and also you’re ranging from scratch, utilizing WooCommerce Funds is an easy and simple answer.

The cool half about WooCommerce funds is that it’s additionally appropriate with in-person gross sales. So should you plan to ultimately increase from on-line promoting to in-person retail, you’ll be able to nonetheless use WooCommerce funds from a cellular app and card reader. 

Along with accepting all main credit score and debit playing cards, WooCommerce funds additionally work with different cost strategies like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and different digital wallets. 

Step 7 – Set Up Delivery

Subsequent, it is advisable to determine the way you’re going to get your merchandise into the fingers of shoppers. Whereas there are dozens of choices to think about, all of those strategies typically fall into certainly one of two buckets—ship issues your self or arrange dropshipping.

If you happen to’re going to ship merchandise by yourself, you want a option to print labels when a brand new order is available in. The WooCommerce Delivery extension permits you to do that from the consolation of your personal dwelling or workplace with ease.

This bypasses the necessity so that you can undergo a third-party achievement device. These options usually require a number of handbook entry, which isn’t solely time-consuming however can be error-prone. 

WooCommerce transport provides you entry to unique charges on USPS and DHL—serving to you save as much as 67% on transport prices. 

If you wish to allow dropshipping, that’s positive too. You simply must just remember to have a device that may automate achievement notifications to relay order info to your provider. There are many plugins and extensions to help this workflow. 

Step 8 – Set Up Taxes

Most ecommerce companies must cost gross sales tax. However this generally is a problem as you’re promoting to clients in numerous states, areas, cities, and doubtlessly completely different international locations. 

Relatively than having to manually calculate the taxation for every order, you should use WooCommerce extensions to automate this course of for you. That is by far the best option to calculate taxes and make sure you’re compliant with all governing companies in your space. 

WooCommerce Tax and Avalara will seemingly be the perfect choices for many of you. 

WooCommerce Tax is powered by Jetpack, so that you’ll want to put in and allow the Jetpack extension as nicely if you wish to go that route. That is superb for brand new ecommerce shops which can be simply getting began with WooCommerce, and it’s 100% free to make use of. 

For these of you who plan on promoting merchandise internationally, you’ll want a tax answer that’s a bit extra superior. That’s the place Avalara comes into play. 

Avalara helps cross-border tax calculations and multi-economic nexus compliance. It even helps you calculate and report taxes on worldwide returns. 

Step 9 – Add Merchandise to Your Catalog and Begin Promoting

The one factor left to do now’s import merchandise. For smaller shops with only a handful of merchandise, you’ll be able to add objects to your catalog manually. 

Simply navigate to the Merchandise tab on the left facet of your WordPress dashboard and choose the Add New button. 

Alternatively, you’ll be able to click on Import and add a CSV file with all your product particulars to import merchandise in bulk. 

Instance parameters that it is advisable to embrace along with your product particulars embrace:

• Product identify
• Attributes
• ID
• SKU
• Sort
• Measurement
• Variables
• Photographs

You too can configure the best way your stock ranges are tracked for every product. 

As soon as the merchandise have been added to your web site, it’s time so that you can begin promoting. You’ll be able to formally promote your merchandise and begin driving visitors to your on-line retailer.