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WordPress is an open-source online content management system (CMS) built on PHP and MySQL. It has more than 28 million active installations, with its most popular use cases for blogging platforms like WordPress.com or self-hosted instances of WordPress running ecommerce plugins such as WooCommerce. With the incredible amount of power that comes with being able to sell anything online, it’s no wonder that there are so many networks selling different products on the platform every day!
Setting up a domain, selecting the appropriate eCommerce plugin, listing goods to sell, and handling orders and shipping are all steps in learning how to sell on WordPress. Then, using plugins and marketing tools, expand your WordPress eCommerce company. To get your WordPress shop up and running, expect to invest several hundred dollars on hosting and plugins upfront.
1. Decide on a domain name and web hosting.
You must first select a domain name (such as YourBusiness.com) and website hosting before you can begin selling on a WordPress website. Your company website will be hosted on your website host, which is also where you will buy the domain name. Bluehost is one of the most popular WordPress hosting choices, particularly for eCommerce projects.
When selecting a domain name and WordPress hosting, keep the following in mind:
- Use a.com domain name rather than a.net domain name, since the latter may seem low-quality.
- For a simple setup, choose a server that supports 1-click installation (such as Bluehost).
- Choose a host who will grow with you. You may avoid the bother of transferring hosts later on by anticipating your future requirements.
- Choose your name with consideration. You may change your domain name later, but learning how to redirect traffic to your new name might be challenging.
2. Set up WordPress and a shopping cart plugin.
The next step is to install WordPress once you’ve obtained your domain and WordPress hosting. Log in to your hosting provider and create a new WordPress site if you use a service like Bluehost that offers 1-click installation. Click “Add a website” under the Marketplace option in Bluehost, for example. Then type in your site’s name and choose the domain you already own. That’s it—WordPress is now installed.
Log in to your Bluehost dashboard and select “Add Website” under the “Marketplace” option on the side menu to install WordPress on your domain. Bluehost is the source of this information.
If you don’t have a 1-click installation option with your hosting provider, you’ll need to download WordPress (from WordPress.org, not WordPress.com) and install the bundle on your site.
Choose a shopping cart plugin and install it.
Now that you have WordPress installed on your site, you can use a shopping cart plugin to provide ecommerce capabilities. On your WordPress site, shopping cart plugins may display items for sale, take orders, calculate taxes and shipping costs, and interact with consumers.
The kind of WordPress ecommerce plugin you’ll require is determined by the goods you’ll be selling and how you’ll be selling them. As long as you have the appropriate ecommerce plugin, you may sell digital downloads from blog articles, have a shop full of goods that ship, and even manage online subscriptions.
The following are the top five WordPress plugins for selling:
- WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin that allows you to sell your products (Best Overall) With over 5 million active installs, WooCommerce is the most popular WordPress ecommerce solution. It offers a comprehensive online shop or store area for companies. WooCommerce is also open-source, free to use, and comes with a slew of payment processing, shipping, and other connections.
- Easy Digital Downloads: For digital products such as e-books, music, and courses, this is the best option. To get started, it’s free, but with further extensions, the cost rises to $499 each year.
- Ecwid is the most user-friendly shopping cart plugin on the market. This open-source shopping cart software offers free and premium options that let you sell on various websites, social media platforms, and in-store.
3. Decide on a theme
The entire appearance and functionality of your small business website is determined by the WordPress theme or template you choose. Many WordPress ecommerce plugins work with any WordPress theme, while others, like Storefront for WooCommerce, function and look best with a suitable theme.
Some WordPress eCommerce plugins, such as WooCommerce, have their own themes, making it simple to set up a new shop. Alternatively, ThemeForest, the biggest store for WordPress themes, has a wide variety of eCommerce plugin-compatible themes.
Divi by Elegant Themes is a popular theme that works with most shopping cart plugins. Divi isn’t free, but it provides limitless customization options through a drag-and-drop builder and CSS control. As a result, regardless of your programming abilities, it’s ideal for companies seeking a visually appealing eCommerce shop.
Storefront is a free WordPress theme from WooCommerce that you can simply update and modify with plugins.
4. Configure payment processing and save preferences
Set up the back-end processes, such as payment processing, shipping, and sales tax settings, after installing a theme and customizing the look of your website. Many states additionally demand particular rules and procedures for customer service, privacy, and delivery.
Choosing a Payment Service Provider
Your store’s online payments are processed through online payment providers. Merchant accounts and all-in-one payment processors are examples of payment services. The payment processor you should choose is determined by the requirements of your company.
Here are some of your online payment options:
- All-in-one payment processors, such as PayPal and Stripe, integrate a payment gateway with processing into a single service. Most companies choose them because they are a simple and safe method to start selling goods in a WordPress store, and they are compatible with most shopping cart plugins.
- If you currently have a credit card processor or handle more than $10,000 in payments per month, a conventional merchant services account and payment gateway may provide you with better rates.
Tip: Regardless of how you take credit cards, you must ensure that your company is PCI compliant, which includes completing the yearly self-assessment questionnaire and certification of compliance.
Configure Payment Options
You’ll set up payment methods in the eCommerce plugin settings after you’ve chosen a payment provider. Most payment methods require the use of a “key” or “token,” which establishes a link between your business and the merchant processor. In the payment settings, the plugin provides places for you to input this information, and you’ll receive these keys, or tokens, from your supplier. Before going live, you may test payments by activating the test, or “sandbox” mode in your provider’s settings.
Including Alternative Payment Methods
Adding additional user-friendly alternatives, in addition to conventional credit and debit card payments, may boost your online store’s conversion rate:
- PayPal: According to PayPal research, sites that offer PayPal Express Checkout have a 47 percent greater conversion rate. Many customers have already set up a PayPal account. Aside from being a one-click checkout, many customers consider PayPal to be a more secure payment method than putting in credit card information.
- eWallet checkouts: These one-click checkout alternatives, such as Apple Pay and Google Pay, allow consumers to make purchases without having to enter their credit card information or delivery addresses. Most online payment processors, such as Stripe and Square, provide eWallet payment alternatives.
- Payment plans: Payment plans enable consumers to pay for products over time, which results in larger average orders and better conversion rates. Other plugins, like Splitit, allow merchants to collect the entire transaction money upfront. WooCommerce includes a Deposits plugin for building bespoke plans.
5. Create policies for shipping
The next step is to set up shipping functionality once payment has been processed. Under general settings or order management, there should be a tab or option for “shipping” in your ecommerce plugin. The ideal delivery option is determined by your specific company requirements as well as what your competitors are doing.
In most cases, shipping costs are applied to purchases in one of three ways:
- Flat-fee shipping: The same shipping cost is applied to all orders, or it may be added per item.
- Shipping prices are calculated using a table depending on the total order amount. Using table rates, free shipping may simply be applied to purchases above a specific amount.
- Actual or real-time shipping rates: UPS, FedEx, and USPS rates are used to compute shipping prices in real-time.
Shipping Costs & Promotions
Charging consumers the real shipping costs may harm sales if you’re in a competitive market and sending big or heavy goods. Shipping is costly, and many consumers have no clue how much it will cost them. If your profit margin can cover the shipping expenses, flat-fee or table-based prices are the most customer-friendly option. Charging real rates, on the other hand, maybe a lucrative option if you offer rare, one-of-a-kind, or premium goods with minimal competition.
If you’re using WooCommerce, go to your WordPress dashboard, select “WooCommerce,” then “Settings,” and then the “Shipping” tab at the top to find your shipping options. WooCommerce is the source of this information.
6. Fill Out Product Information in Your WordPress Store
You’ll input your product information once you’ve finished setting up your WordPress shop. The product input screen in most shopping cart plugins includes basic fields. Product ID, stock-keeping unit (SKU), item name, price, product variables (such as color and size), description, and pictures are among the fields available.
Because product entering may take a long time, it’s a good idea to be organized before starting. Product information should be gathered in advance in a spreadsheet or Word document, and product pictures should be scaled, cropped, and arranged in files for simple upload.
When entering product data, there are a few things to bear in mind:
- Importing product data: If you need to add a large number of goods to your site, you may utilize an import function. Most WordPress shopping cart plugins include an import function that enables you to mass import product data from a comma-separated values (CSV) file created in most spreadsheet applications.
- Many shopping cart plugins offer optional product data columns, such as item weight and size for shipping and product counts for inventory management. These fields may or may not be necessary for your company. If you charge flat-rate shipping costs or provide free delivery, these fields are likely to be irrelevant. If you want to calculate shipping costs using actual or real-time shipping rates, you’ll need to fill in weight and dimension information.
- Inventory: Make sure that stock tracking is turned on so that your inventory counts are updated automatically when items sell. Automated stock monitoring aids in preventing out-of-stock goods from being sold and determining when to reorder or create new products.
If you’re using WooCommerce, go to WooCommerce in your WordPress dashboard, then Products, then click the “Import” button to import your inventory in bulk using a CSV file. WooCommerce is the source of this information.
Orders are processed and sent
The majority of WordPress ecommerce plugins gather and retain information about your customers’ orders. Order statuses such as “Processing,” “Completed,” and “Refunded” are readily visible. All orders that are marked “Processing” or “In Progress” must be completed.
The following steps are involved in completing an order:
- Print the invoice as well as the packing slip.
- Securely pack the goods in a box or padded envelope with padding.
- Set up order tracking or send a notification to the client that their purchase has arrived.
- Make a shipment label.
- Deliver the product
- Assign the status “Completed” to the order.
You may arrange orders by date and status in WooCommerce to quickly identify what needs to be addressed.
The eCommerce plugin and shipping solution you select will determine the specifics of how you handle this procedure. The majority of WordPress eCommerce plugins provide basic order management features. Installing a shipping plugin like ShipStation, which automates processes with auto-generated mailing labels, significant USPS discounts, tools to set up email alerts for consumers, and a customized tracking system, may make the process simpler.
8. Use Plugins to Expand Your Ecommerce Store
To develop an eCommerce business, you’ll need a multi-pronged marketing strategy that includes SEO techniques, email marketing, a social media presence, great customer service, and a responsive website.
With the assistance of free and low-cost plugins, create a multi-pronged marketing and growth strategy:
- Product search, wish lists, waitlists, and picture reviews are all tools that may help your consumers have a better buying experience. Many of these add-ons are available for one-time payments ranging from $29 to $129.
- Boost your site’s performance by using SEO plugins like Yoast to make it easier for consumers to discover your shop. Use plugins like WP Super Cache to cache static parts of your site for quicker loading times, and compress pictures to improve site speed.
- Use a Google Analytics plugin such as MonsterInsights to observe how consumers locate your eCommerce site, what they click on, and other useful information.
- Mailchimp is a free WooCommerce and WordPress plugin that allows you to create automated campaigns for abandoned carts, product suggestions, and post-purchase follow-ups.
- Add live chat plugins like LiveChat or Freshdesk to your website to engage consumers and offer quick service.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Any WordPress website needs meticulous attention to detail, as well as a desire to acquire some technical skills if you are new to WordPress. Some of the most commonly asked questions about selling on WordPress are included here.
What is the best way to test my WordPress site?
You may discover what is functioning effectively in your WordPress eCommerce shop and what needs to be changed by testing it. A/B split testing is used by business owners to do this. Split testing is divided into two parts: Test A and Test B.
Split testing compares the performance of a duplicate of your site with a single modification to the current version. Depending on your objective, you should retain the web version with the most hits, conversions, or traffic. Split testing works best when you test one modification at a time rather than many things at once so you know which one to make.
You don’t have to guess which items to test on your site as a business owner. Freshmarketer, for example, uses surveys, session recordings, and funnel analysis to decide which modifications should be made. Heat maps, which provide a summary of where visitors click and browse, are also used by Freshmarketer. Use this data to experiment with the positioning of call-to-action buttons and sign-up forms.
Depending on the amount of traffic your business receives, split testing should last one to two weeks. If your shop isn’t very busy, you may need to run it for much longer to obtain a more representative sample of data.
What is the best way to promote my WordPress eCommerce site?
Here are some marketing ideas for your WordPress store:
- Send newsletters: Collect email addresses from consumers and send out frequent newsletters with product updates, referral incentives, and blog post links.
- Create landing pages: When someone visits your WordPress site, you want them to arrive on a certain page. There are no other links or information on these sites; they are solely dedicated to the product or service you’re advertising.
- Establish an email list to keep your customers and prospective clients informed about new offers: One of the first things you should do is create an email list to keep your clients and potential clients informed about new products. While social media sites come and go, your email list is always there for you.
- Use social media to promote your goods and services, but don’t limit yourself to just that. Give your fans a behind-the-scenes peek so they know you’re not a computer robot.
- Hold competitions: Holding contests is one of the most effective methods to become viral. If you’re running a contest on social media, be sure you follow the platform’s rules—some don’t allow you to make people like or share your post.
What are the advantages of utilizing WordPress as an eCommerce platform?
Because its open-source software enables third parties to develop useful extensions and add-ons, WordPress is one of the most popular platforms for eCommerce sites.
What criteria do I use to choose goods to sell?
Start by deciding on your specialty, your passions, and whether you want to sell physical or digital goods. Then, using surveys, polls, or focus groups, assess consumer interest.
