Step by Step Guide to making an E-Commerce Website
Do you want to start an E-Commerce website but have no idea where to start?
Well, you are at the right place.
We see many people starting online businesses around us and it isn’t that difficult for you too.
This guide covers all the steps you would require to start an E-Commerce website.
1.
What is an E-Commerce website?
An E-Commerce website is a platform where you can buy and sell either products, goods or services.
E-Commerce or electronic business is the buying and selling of services and products over an online medium.
The online medium becomes the electronic commerce website that facilitates the transaction of these goods by transferring information and funds online.
Types of E-Commerce Websites
Just like regular businesses, electronic businesses also have different categories and types.
These differ according to their different functions and goals.
B2B
B2B ecommerce refers to Buisness to Buisness.
As the name suggests, the transactions take place between businesses.
For instance, Business A sells flowers to business B which is an event management company.
B2C
B2C refers to Business to Consumer b2c.
Therefore, the transaction (online) takes place between a Business and a Consumer.
For example, you buy a dress from a clothing e-store.
C2C
C2C refers to Consumer to Consumer.
Certain online transactions happen between customers as well.
However, this transaction requires a third party, such as eBay.
For instance, if you want to sell your used phone on eBay and then another consumer buys it from there as well.
C2B
C2B refers to Consumer to Business.
This may seem strange but online transactions happen from consumers to businesses as well.
People offer either their products or services to businesses.
For example, businesses would approach social media influencers to review their products and give exposure to their audience while they charge for that.
2.
Best E-Commerce Website Builders
Now that you know what E-commerce and an E-commerce website are, let’s head to how you can make one.
In order to make one, you will require a platform i.e. a website builder to make your online store.
We discuss the best Electronic commerce website builders to make your online store below. Keep reading to find out.
Shopify
Shopify is probably the most popular website builder in terms of electronic commerce.
It is the solution for anyone wanting to build a high volume online store and not wanting any hassle.
You can buy the basic package at $29 per month and start selling immediately.
You have access to over 70 themes 3200 applications to apply to your store.
However, Shopify has limited payment options and access to all apps and premium themes can cost you enough.
Therefore, people prefer WordPress.
WordPress and WooCommerce
WordPress and WooComerce are open source platforms that account for 29 percent of all Electronic Commerce websites in the world.
You get enough flexibility with WordPress and WooCommerce that you can create and manage your site according to your needs.
You need to integrate WooCommerce with WordPress however, if you need additional functionality, you can also add plugins.
This combination is suited for both small and big online stores.
It is easy to use and you can sell all kinds of products and services including virtual or downloadable.
Moreover, it accepts different payment options and is customizable.
Furthermore, you are facilitated by lots of plugins and a community of developers and marketers with expertise in running these.
Wix
Wix is one of the easiest website builders for beginners.
But it is not limited to personal websites, it is also widely used to make online stores.
With an easy drag and drop feature, you can make your Electronic commerce store in a matter of minutes.
Wix’s Electronic commerce plan starts with a basic $23 per month plan.
This comes with features like unlimited bandwidth, tracking orders and inventory, free domain for one year, tracking and managing product pages and visitor app analytics.
Wix is beginner-friendly and it can be a good place to start your online business.
Other platforms you can use are BigCommerce and Magento.
10 percent of Electronic commerce websites on the internet use Magento.
BigCommerce is suited for large online stores and businesses that want to scale quickly and a need a functional high volume online store.
3.
Steps to make an E-Commerce Website
Now you have an understanding of the platforms and website builders that you can use to make your E-commerce store and start on your E-commerce Website development.
But maybe you are still confused about setting up your website.
Follow this guide step by step to get started on your E-commerce website today!
Make an E-commerce website using WordPress and WooCommerce
The combination of WordPress and WooCommerce is a favorite for many businesses.
That is why they make up to 29 percent of all Electronic Commerce websites on the internet.
Shopify and Magento follow occupy up to 19 and 10 percent of Electronic Commerce websites on the internet respectively.
Therefore, we will focus on WordPress and WooCommerce because it is flexible and customizable.
Don’t worry, it is easier than you think. All you need to do is to begin.
Step 1: Buy and choose a domain name
The very first step for making any website is choosing your domain name.
Your web address is very important because people recognize and remember your site by its name.
A good suggestion is to choose the domain name that relates to your niche so that people know what your website is about by only seeing the name.
You can check for the availability of your domain name at Nameboy.
Step 2: Get a web hosting
You need to store your data somewhere and web hosting fulfills that purpose.
Bluehost is one of the popular and affordable choices.
All you need to do is sign up and choose a pricing plan catered to your needs. Enter your domain name and you are done!
For an Electronic commerce store, you may want to choose a plus plan or a pro plan rather than a basic one.
Step 3: Set up your WordPress account
Web hosts like Bluehost offer 1-click Installation of WordPress.
Go to the control panel in Bluehost and select the WordPress icon and install.
Enter your domain name, admin password and username and you have created your WordPress site.
Step 4: Install WooCommerce Plugin on WordPress
Installing Plugins on your WordPress is very easy.
- Go to your WordPress Dashboard and look for Plugins.
- Choose, Add new and then search for WooCommerce.
- You will recognize the original and authentic WooCommerce by the number of its installations and ratings.
- Install Woocommerce and then activate it.
You will then set up the wizard and choose your pages.
These include,
-shop; where all your products and services will appear,
-the cart; where your customers can see their shopping cart and the products they have chosen,
-my account; where customers can see their previous orders and
-checkout; where customers enter their billing and shipping information.
After pages, you will be required to set up your store location and currency.
Moreover, you will also give product and shipping information like are you selling physical goods, will you charge tax what are your payment methods.
Once you are done with all these steps, you will have an empty Electronic Commerce website ready.
Step 5: Add products and customize site theme
Next, you can choose a theme of your choice that fits well with your website and install it.
You can get many free and paid themes to go for your website.
After you have chosen your theme and design, it is now time to add products.
Right under WooCommerce in your dashboard, you will find “Products”.
You will have to fill in the basic product information on that page.
Write:
- Product name or title
- Add the description
- Select its category and price
- Add the product tag and upload its image
Product tags help you organize the products database better and a category will help you compile all similar products in one place.
This also makes searching for products easier for your customers and they will not need dedicated customer service for help.
Moreover, you can also add additional pictures and short descriptions of your products if required.
Customize site layout
You can also customize your site layout of its store page and product page.
Go to Appearance then Customize in your site’s dashboard.
Select Product Catalog Options to change the site’s store page layout and Product options to change the product page’s layout.
You can incorporate these changes:
- Change the catalog view as a list or grid.
- Manage quick view options so that customers can see a product promptly while surfing
- Adjust the alignment of your products and content
- Set automatic notification for sale
- Adjust the sidebar position and gallery
- Adjust the settings of one product element like show and hide it or drag up and down
Moreover, you can always improve your site’s functionality with plugins that are suited to a website.
These include MailChimp, OptinMonster and Yoast SEO.
Making your own E-commerce website is not that tough.
Ecommerce businesses provide online shopping and online retaining for several customers.
These ecommerce platforms are usually small businesses with an ecommerce store.
They sell digital products and increase their online sales and retail sales through electronic commerce.
We have already laid down all the steps you will require to set up your online store on WordPress.
However, it is likely that you are still a little confused or are not that confident in setting your site, yourself.
We understand you, which is why we offer you E-Commerce Website development.
Our talented team can design and set up your website according to the industry standard and you will not have to worry about making it yourself.
Therefore, if you find this lucrative, check our services.