So you want to build an Online Store from Scratch? Yes.
You need three things to start an online store:
1. A domain name idea
2. A web hosting account
3. Your undivided attention for 30 minutes. Really?
You can setup your own online store with WordPress in less than 30 minutes
and we’ll walk you through each step of the process. Okay!
Step 1: Setting up Your Online Store Platform
There are two popular eCommerce platforms that we recommend:
Shopify or WordPress + WooCommerce.
Ok let's go.
What do you want to use to setup your Online Store:
Shopify Or Wordpress with WooCommerce?
Step 1: Sign Up with Shopify
Visit Shopify.com. Use the signup form to create an account.
Enter the required details and click the ‘Create your store now’ button.
Done.
After you click Next, tell Shopify about yourself by specifying
how much you plan to sell and if you're already selling. Click on
the Enter My Store button when complete.
Ok I'm there.
You will also be asked if you have products and, if so,
what you aim to sell.‘What will you sell?’ section.
Once complete, click ‘I’m done’.
Yes done.
Step 2: Start Setting Up Your Online Shop
After you’ve signed up you’ll be directed straight to your store admin screen.
Now you are ready to start customizing your store, uploading products and
setting up payments and shipping. Ok.
Step 3: Choose a “Theme” or a “Layout”
Shopify has its own official theme store. These themes are
all guaranteed to have full support from the designers so you
know that your store is in good hands. I see.
1. Browse the Theme Store
Go to Online Store > Themes and on right side click on
Visit Theme Store button Ok then!
2. Check the functionality and reviews
Once you’ve found a theme you like, click on the theme’s sample image.
You’ll be given more information about the theme, such as whether
the theme is responsive/mobile ready among other features.Scroll down
to read some reviews about what other e-tailers using the theme think of it.
I've checked.
3. Preview the theme
To see the theme in action, click View Demo. You’ll see this
below the green ‘Preview Theme in your Store’ button. Ok.
4. Get the theme
Once you’ve found a theme you like, click the green button.
Click Publish as my Shop’s Theme.
Yes done.
Step 4: Edit Shopify Settings
On your admin screen, select ‘Themes’ from the left navigation menu.
At the top right corner of that box will be two buttons.
‘Customize’ button will take you to a page that controls
all the basic functionality of your store. Ok I got it.
Step 5: Add Your Products to The Store
Navigating the bar on the left select ‘Products’. Click on the blue ‘Add a product’ button on right side. Ok.
Use the following screen to add as much detail as needed about your products. Ok then!
Once everything is filled out always remember to click the ‘Save product’ button in the top and bottom right corners. Ok then!
Payment gateways
Simply walk through the steps to activate your payment processor.
This allows you to accept payments and put those payments in an account.
Done next?
Step 6: Get Your Online Shop “LIVE”
Before your site can go live you need to add a few more details about your company and how you plan to make deliveries and pay tax. I see.
Make sure you go thru all the details in settings page. Specially General, Taxes and Shipping Yes.
Step 7: Consider Buying a Domain Name
After you choose your template and design your website to your liking,
it's time to select a domain to make your site official and make it live.
Okay.
Go to the dashboard and click Online Store > Domains > Buy new Domain.
This asks you whether you want to transfer a domain or register a new one.
Choose the domain you like and walk through the steps to make the purchase.
You'll also need to specify which Shopify payment play you'd like to go with.
Ok I'm there.
Upon activation, you can then go to that particular domain and see your website. Hurray!
We help website owners, agency partners and freelancer partners setup and manage their online store.
If you’re looking for any help in this, we’ve got your back.
You can either
Choose Your Plan
Or
Schedule a call
to know more.
To setup your store, you need to have a domain name, web hosting, and a SSL certificate. Ok, then?
First thing you need to do is click on the green Get Started Now button. Ok.
On the next screen, select the plan that you need
(plus and choice plus are the most popular). Ok, done!
After that, you will be asked to enter the domain name for your website.
Ok I’ve selected.
Lastly, you will need to add your account information and
finalize the package info to complete the process. Ok.
On the below screen, you will see optional extras that you can purchase.
It’s entirely up to you whether or not you purchase these,
but we generally don’t recommend purchasing these.
You can always add them later on, if you decide that you need them. Alright!
Once completed, you will receive an email with details on
how to login to your web hosting control panel (cPanel).
This is where you manage everything from support, emails, among other things.
I got it.
Go ahead and login to your cPanel. You will be greeted with
a popup informing you that WordPress with WooCommerce is pre-installed on your website. Ok.
You just need to click on ‘Login to your site’ button,
and it will take you to your WordPress site’s dashboard.
Ok.
Congrats, you have finished setting up hosting and domain part.
The next step is to setup your WordPress site and then your online store.
Hurray!
Step 2. Setting up WordPress
When you first login to WordPress, you will see a welcome message.
You will be asked what kind of website you want to set up.
Ok.
Go ahead and click on ‘I don’t need help’ link.
Don’t worry we will walk you through all the necessary steps. Ok.
Closing the setup wizard will show your WordPress admin
dashboard which looks like this:
I see.
First, you need to visit Settings » General page to setup your WordPress site title and description.
Ok then?
On the Settings » General page, you need to change your
WordPress Address and Site Address to use https instead of http. Alright!
Don’t forget to scroll down to the bottom of the page and
click on the save changes button to store your settings. Ok.
Step 3. Setting up Your WooCommerce Store
Before you can start selling, there are a few things like
currency, payments, and shipping information that you need to set up. Ok.
You will be seeing a ‘Welcome to WooCommerce’ notification on your
WordPress admin pages. Go ahead and click on the ‘Run setup wizard’
button in the notification. Okay!
This will launch the WooCommerce setup wizard where
you need to click on the ‘Let’s go’ button to get started. Done.
WooCommerce needs few essential pages for cart, account, shop, and checkout.
You can click on the continue button to automatically create these pages.
Yes, done!
Now you will need to tell WooCommerce where your store
is located and which currency and unit measures to use. Ok.
After selecting your location and currency, click on
the continue button to move on. Ok then?
Next, you need to enter shipping and tax information.
WooCommerce can be used to sell both digital downloads
and physical goods that need shipping. Ok.
You need to check the box if you will be shipping goods,
or you can leave it unchecked if you will only be selling digital goods.
If you are not sure, then you can leave it unchecked.
You can always add tax information later from WooCommerce settings. Ok!
Next, you will be asked to choose a payment method for your online store.
By default, WooCommerce comes with support for PayPal, PayPal Standard, and Stripe payment gateways.
There are many other payment methods available for WooCommerce which you can install later if you need.
Ok.
Once you’re done, your WooCommerce online store is all setup.
You need to click on the ‘Return to WordPress dashboard’ link to
exit the setup wizard. Yayy!
After finishing the WooCommerce setup, you are now ready to
add products to your online store. Cool!
Step 4. Adding Products to Your Online Store
Let’s start with adding the first product to your online store.
You need to visit Products » Add New page to add a new product.
First, provide a title for your product and then some detailed description.
Alright!
On the right hand column, you will see the ‘Product Categories’ box. Click on
the ‘+Add New Product Category’ to create a category for this product.
This allows you and your customers to sort and browse products easily.
Ok I’m done!
Scroll down a little and you will notice the Product Data box.
This is where you will provide product related information like pricing, inventory, shipping etc.
Yes added.
Below product data box, you will see a box to add product short description.
This short description will be used when users are viewing multiple products on a page. Ok then!
Lastly, on your right hand column you will see boxes
to add a main product image and a product gallery. Ok I’ve added.
Once you are satisfied with all the product information you have added,
you can click on the Publish button to make it live on your website.
Repeat the process to add more products as needed. Ok.
Step 5. Select and Customize WordPress Theme
Your Bluehost hosting account automatically installs the Storefront theme for
your website. You will need to customize it to meet your needs.
Head over to Appearance » Customize page. This will launch theme customizer
where you can change different theme settings. I see.
If you don’t like the Storefront theme, then you can purchase the Divi Theme
This part is simple. Go to the Divi purchase page and go through the steps to buy this WordPress theme. Ok then?
Purchase and download the Divi theme. Upload the file to the backend
of your WordPress dashboard and activate it as your primary theme. This can be done by going to Appearance » Themes » Add New.
Yes got it.
