Building an ecommerce site can seem like a daunting task, but with the right approach, it can be manageable. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you build your ecommerce site:
Select a domain name
Search and purchase your domain name
Choose a hosting provider
Your ecommerce site will need to be hosted on a server to be accessible to visitors. Choose a hosting provider that’s reliable and offers sufficient bandwidth and storage.
A sufficient server is based on how much traffic you plan to bring to your site.
Less Than 25000 visits per month
Free SSL
less than 100000 visits per month
Free SSL
Unlimited visits per month
Free SSL
Install your eCommerce platform
WooCommerce is a plugin for WordPress. WooCommerce has a wonderful walkthrough to get your storefront set up.
Choose a theme
Select a theme that suits your business and customize it to match your branding. You can also use services like we provide to have a theme made for you.
Get a Design Quote Right Now
Add products
Add products to your ecommerce site, including product descriptions, images, and prices.
Importing Products onto Your Site
Set up payment gateways
Choose the payment gateways that are best for you. There are many that can be set up by simply installing a plugin. WooCommerce Payment Gateways
Popular Options: PayPal, Stripe, Amazon Pay, Square
Configure shipping options
If you do digital products, this section will be a breeze. Items under a pound, I recommend setting up flat shipping and using USPS. They have the best rates when items can be shipped First-Class. The best plugin for items over 1 pound would be the UPS Live Rates Plugin. They will provide you customer with live shipping costs along with all of the available UPS shipping classes.
Optimize your site
A Caching Plugin is the number one way to improve your website’s performance. Read more about Caching and the plugins that are available.
Test your ecommerce site
Go into an incognito browser or log out of your site and go through the entire process that your customer will. Register, Add products to your cart, and even checkout. If you can easily make a purchase on your site, then you know others will be able to as well. Your test should verify that the following works properly:
Customer Side
- User Registration
- Product Selection and Add to Cart
- Checkout works including shipping and the payment gateway.
- Did you get an email receipt?
Store Manager Side
- Did the order email arrive in your inbox when the order was placed?
- Does the refund function work properly on your payment gateway?
Launch your ecommerce site
Once you’re confident that your ecommerce site is working correctly, launch it and start promoting it to your target audience.
Monitor and improve
Plugins like JetPack, Google Site Kit, and Yoast SEO, will help you monitor your traffic and Optimize your pages for the best SEO scores on search engines.
Final Thoughts
Building an ecommerce site takes time and effort, but by following these steps, you can create a professional, functional ecommerce site that meets the needs of your business and customers. I hope this step-by-step helps you build your own eCommerce site.
If you feel overwhelmed, its okay, we can help you get where you want to go. Contact us today and we will help you get your site ready.