WooCommerce is a most popular e-commerce plugin today, helping you to develop a better online business. In this guide you will find the detailed steps revealing how to set-up WooCommerce on your WordPress site.
Reasons to have WooCommerce
Now, here is a brief why you need to set up WooCommerce in your WordPress site:
- Getting full control of your website.
- Avoiding the monthly transaction charge required for an integrated eCommerce theme such as Shopify or BigCOmmerce.
- Building up a common place where other developers can work on the same project.
- You can develop other parts of your website, which are not associated with eCommerce technology.
- Staying away from the complex transaction methods rather you are able to use easier ones like Amazon, Google Wallet or PayPal, which are completely safe.
- You can start this small and there is the opportunity to grow your business gradually coming out with good results.
So, you can become confident that using the WooCommerce in your WordPress site can be beneficial in real time.
Step by step guide
Here are mentioned the steps following which you can carry out the installation process successfully:
Step 1
- First, you need to go to your WordPress dashboard and choose Add New Plugin. Then you have to search for WooCommerce installing and activating WooCommerce using WooThemes. This is the best part of installation and you can get familiar with manifold themes from where you can choose the one you feel good.
- WooCommerce requires lots of pages for better functioning, but initially the shop page would be the one you should customize to begin the process. Next, set your location, units and currency that would help you to begin the shopping carrying out transactions successfully.
- If you are planning to charge sales tax or other shipping charges you need to fix the options accordingly, ensuring that the features work perfectly helping you to handle the system in your way.
- Now, you have to select the payment option and PayPal is the easiest and most common way that helps you to manage transaction safely. You can find other options also from where you can choose the ones you think would fit your website.
- Start exploring the original product page, ensuring that the URL structure is the perfect one along with a nice WordPress theme, which would give your website an especial look. Alongside, the theme should function in the right way coming out with desired outputs. And don’t forget the 3rd party plugin, which you may need to sync with a WooCommerce platform for a better functionality.
Step 2
- Next, you need to set up the online store using the ‘permanent links’ option. You can find a good number of ways to display your products from where you have to choose a suitable one that would suit the look of your website. Ensure that it’s a user-friendly one and buyers can browse without any difficulties.
- You also have to get a product archive displaying all the stuffs category wise. This would aid users to find them necessary one easily handling the system in a nice way. During the installation of WordPress make sure you have enabled the Permalinks option that would be useful to turn out with a better backdrop.
Step 3
- Choose a WordPress theme that’s a comprehensive one and would inspire users to shop from your online store. It should also be compatible with WooCommerce theme and thus the entire website would function without any difficulties. Themes are responsible controlling the design and outputs of your website and thus you should be careful while choosing the theme. So, it’s better to opt for a versatile theme, which would fit your website in all ways.
- You can choose the default WooCommerce theme that’s the Twenty-Twelve and can be customized installing a child theme. Or you can get a Woo Themes Theme, which is a premium one and sync in a nice way with WooCommerce. ThemeForest is another standard place where you can explore good quality themes.
- Else, you can opt for a theme framework such as Genesis by StudioPress that can a good option helping you to find some exclusive themes fulfilling all your specifications. Make sure, here you can easily alter the designs, customizing it in your way.
Step 4
- Now, you have to adjust general store settings, navigating to the WooCommerce link appearing the WordPress dashboard. Go to settings and from there enter the ‘general tab’. You can even find other ‘built-in’ styles for buttons, borders, etc. using which you can get the real control with better customization.
- Also, there is the option to enable LightBox along with a zoom-able window helping users to continue shopping peacefully. Users can thus analyze the product that helps them to understand it better before purchasing.
- You can even customize the matter of the email users would receive when they reset their password. This gives you a good safety and every user can get confident with a better shopping experience online.
Step 5
- After store setting you need to focus on the product page. Put the self explanatory product categories where you can directly add products. Also, take care of the product tags with general categorization option.
- Add good pictures in the product galleries giving it a nice look. This would even inspire buyers to find the right stuff according to their needs.
- Finally, set the main featured image making the product look more attractive with a detailed product description that would help users to make a right choice while shopping online.
Overall, this a brief guide and next you have hired an expert starting the development process, customizing your WordPress website incorporating the necessary features. Finally, you can get your website ready to the WooCommerce platform functioning perfectly helping you to get more buyers online.
