How to Start an Online Store With WordPress & WooCommerce

You need your own domain name ie. www.yourshop.com to set up online store. To host domain content and store data register and setup hosting account with bluehost.

Online store website must have SSL cetrificale, dont worry Bluehost provides SSL certificate for free.

After setting up hosting account Install WordPress on Your Bluehost Hosting Account. WordPress is 100 % free, most reliable and trusted content management software.

WooCommerce is extra plugin needs to be installed with WordPress. Woo commerce is also 100 % free. WooCommerce adds online shop, store features to the wordpress.

1. Go to Dashboard->Plugins->Add New
2. Search ‘woocommerce’
3. Click on Install Now button of Woocommerse search result.
4. After Installation done, click on Activate

After activating WooCommerce plugin it will automatically redirect to the primary setup process, if not go to the Dashboard->Woocommerce

In the setup it will ask for primary settings and configurations such as

• Your store name, address, type of products you are going to sell
• Payment options
• Shipping details
• Recommended plugins, such as MailChimp for email list
• Activation of JetPack plugin

See Screenshots In Following Video:

After the WooCommerce setup is completed It automatically creates following essential pages

• Store Homepage : It is the front landing page of your online store. You have to customize homepage. It can be done by using inbuilt pagebuilder or by customizing theme  Go to Appearance->Customize.  

• My Account: This page display customers account details.
• Shop: This is the link to your shop, on this page WooCommerce display your products. Customer can search, filter and buy products from there.
• Cart: This is the temporary virtual cart of products. Multiple products can be added at a time by customer. This page display the list of product added to cart.
• Checkout: Checkout is the for reviewing products in cart, their price, total bill. After checkout customer fills his address and makes payment.
• Blog : Store, news, offers and promotional articles can be posted in blog.

Your store theme must be attractive and eye-catching to convert visitors into the customers. Lots of free e-commerce themes are available.

1. Go to Dashboard Appearance->Themes->Add New Theme
2. Search store or e-commerce
3. Scroll through to check all available free and paid themes, for sure you can start with free theme. Choose whatever you like and the Click Install->Activate 

Most of theme needs extra plugins to work properly. After activating theme it asks to install required plugin.

Most of theme use page builder to create front page. In this demo site we installed AStore free theme and this theme requires Elementor Page Builder. 

If you want now or later you can purchase beautiful e-commerce themes from Themeforest

Your front page / home page is direct & returning customers landing page.

1. Go to Dashboard->Pages->All Pages
2. Click Edit of Front Page, click on edit with ……Pagebuilder ( here Edit with Elementor) to redesign home page with pagebuilder
3. Add Sections, Promotional Images, Offers , Action Calls using pagebuilder.

1. Go to Dashboard->Products->Add Product
2. Enter Title, Description, Price, Product Category and Product Image
3. Click Add Product/Publish

See your product list at Dashboard->Products->All Products

Go to the product link in browser to view how it looks from customers point. Check whether all functions of store working properly or not.

Promote your product at your own and others blog, write articles on problem which can be solved by your product.

Share those blog posts, products to social media, pinterest and your groups to drive traffic. Improve local and overall SEO of your store.

Keep your store improving by learning, don’t test too much . Focus on gaining customers trust, they will buy your product over and over again.

To drive quick traffic you can advertise with google Adsense. Many hosting provider gives free advertising offers to new customers. Such as Bluehost gives $150-$200 advertising offers from Google, Bing, and other leading sites to help grow your business 

See Full Video Tutorials at WooCommerce’s Video Guide