8 Easy Steps to Create an E-commerce Website

Create E-commerce Website: Today, the Digital place is flooded with unique and enchanting E-commerce websites. Why not? It has become a great partner for sellers to make money in less time.

Are you among such sellers who wish to build good revenue for their offline store? If yes, then this article is of use as we will help you Create an E-commerce Website with simple steps.

Earlier, it seemed so crucial just to have a thought of building a website. As it required developer skills and high-end coding knowledge to do so. But not now, the fast world has made it easier to design a website even as a beginner.

It is all because WordPress launched in the digital world. Since then, so many sellers are counting great revenue just by building simple E-commerce websites.

You can be one of them by keeping an eye on the below article where you will find easy steps to Create an E-commerce website.

Defining the Steps to Create an E-commerce Website

Step 1- Choosing a Content Management System,

Step 2- Purchase a hosting plan and get a domain name

Step 3- Choose an E-commerce platform

Step 4- Choose a perfect E-commerce theme

Step 5- Customize your website and build web pages

Step 6- Create Product Listings

Step 7- Setup Payments and shipping methods

Step 8- Test your website

Step 1- Choosing a Content Management System

• Previously, website designing was a crucial task, and using heavy code made users think twice about this.
• Fast forwarding to now, various content management systems made it possible for you. Now, beginners can even possess their online businesses with just a single click. The great foundation of using content management systems has lessened the effort so far. And the competition is everywhere, so you will find so many CMS on the website. Squarespace, Wix, WordPress, Shopify, and more such CMS platforms are currently ruling the market world.
• The whole call implies the user choosing the best that suits their website needs. While for this tutorial, we are going with the most popular yet professional WordPress platform.
• WordPress is a proven platform in today’s fast-moving world of E-commerce. Because of the user-friendly interface, users are more likely to build websites using WordPress. And so, we are using it for this article.

Step 2- Purchase a Hosting plan and get a domain name

The next step to reach the web design goal is to choose a web hosting plan. For this, you must go for a hosting provider which perfectly matches your website criteria.

Web hosting and domain name are the two vital supplements of the website. The web host is the ultimate controller of your website that stores the data on the server and gives access while requesting. While the domain is the addressing link for your website just like the “example.com”. Here the example is your company name.

Just like the CMS, you will find various options for the hosting provider as well. This might be a challenge for you to select a hosting provider. Some of them might fool you with the cheaper rates and fake promises but don’t get trapped.

You must know the factors when going for a hosting provider for your website:

• Go with a web host that provides an uptime guarantee for your website.
• Speed and optimization are vital factors to look into for a web hosting service.
• It should offer unlimited bandwidth for your website.
• Storage capacity should be enough to store an ample number of data for an E-commerce site.
• Then, comes the security factor a web hosting service must provide.
• Customer support should be an observed factor in choosing the best web host.

Now that you are known how to select the best web host, let me make it easier for you. We are using one of the best web hosting services called Bluehost which relies on all the above factors. Along with this, you get a free domain name for your E-commerce site. So, let us start with the steps to get Bluehost service:

• Drag your mouse to the Bluehost page and tap the Get Started button.
• This will help you reach the page where you have to select the appropriate plan for your website.
• It is recommended to go for a cheaper plan as you just starting with the website. Going with the cheaper rates is a smarter step to development. In the future, you can easily go with higher subscription plans.
• The basic plan starts at $2.95/month with enough storage, custom themes, and seamless support. And the best part is you get a free domain for a whole year.
• Now that you have picked your subscription plan, it’s time to choose a domain name for your E-commerce website.
• Tap the “Create a New Domain” button and you will be on the page to select the domains.
• While you will type the name of your online store, it will show you the best domains to use. You can choose from them or simply go for an existing one.
• This option is recommended if your store is already registered with a hosting service before. Simply tap the “Use a domain you own” and this will allow you to transfer the existing domain.
• With the chosen hosting plan, you are now ready to finalize the payments to get access to the hosting service.
• On the payments page, you need to confirm your plan and select the additional perks for your website. Once chosen, you will need to do the payment to get easy access.

Now you have your web hosting plan and the domain name. The next step is to install WordPress.

The good news is you don’t need to pay for any installation charges as it is completely free. You don’t even follow a couple of steps as it is a single-click installation service.

• Simply sign in to the Bluehost and this will provide all the login credentials in a mail. Once logged in, it will guide you with further installation processes.
• Or you can simply visit the Bluehost dashboard and tap the My Sites option. From there, you need to tap the Create Site option and it will immediately install WordPress.
• After installation, simply enter the name of your website, username, and password. And now you have your blank website ready.

Step 3- Choose an E-commerce Platform

• Getting your website ready from scratch seems time-consuming. And therefore, we recommend you go with an E-commerce platform that makes web design easier.
• These are E-commerce website builders that make web designing easier. With these, you design your dream website with no hassle.
• Again, you will find various website builders on the web to give immense features and ease of use. But you need to sum up all the requirements and then choose a suitable platform. A perfect website builder must have a good price, advanced features, and usability.
• You will find so many options on the web but let me tell you that Woocommerce is one of the best options. And this is what, we are going to use in this guide.
• Woocommerce is a professional plugin specially built for designing E-commerce websites. Those who already have a website can directly install the free Woocommerce plugin. As it is an open-source plugin that will help you convert an ordinary website into an online store. Also, it offers a wide range of built-in SEO tools, payment gateways, and shipping methods for your website.
• Since Woocommerce is free of cost, you can simply install it by visiting the plugins page.
• Tap the Add New button and search for the Woocommerce plugin.
• Once found, tap Install and then activate the plugin.
• You can now head with setting up the website.

Step 4- Choose an E-commerce Theme

After choosing the right hosting plan and the website builder, it’s now time to focus on the appearance of the website.

You have got your blank website ready, but you need to make it look appealing as well. For this, you need a theme that makes your website look lively and consistent.

Your subscription plan comes with a wide range of custom themes. You can choose from there or you can go for other third-party platforms to choose themes.

Also, you must decide whether to go for a free theme or a premium theme. Free themes require no cost charges while the premium themes will. They may vary in advanced features and functionality too. So, you must decide on your budget whether to head with a free theme or a premium theme.

It is recommended to go with a free theme if you are just starting with the web design. Further, you can move with the premium plans for upgradation.

But this is not over yet, you will again find some more confusion while selecting among a lot of free themes too. But the below selection criteria will help you find the right theme of your choice:

• The theme selection process begins with the requirements of your E-commerce website.
• The theme should contain clean and minimal designs.
• The theme should be easy to use and navigate as well. 
• The theme should be responsive enough to fit on all screens.
• Cross-browser and plugin compatibility should be a factor to notice.
• The theme must have seamless customer support.
• Ratings and reviews must be observed while going for a good theme.

Now that you have the vital factors to choose a theme for your E-commerce site, it is time to get the theme on your website. Theme installation is a very simple process you need to know the following:

• Firstly, reach the WordPress dashboard and tap the Appearance tab.
• Among various options, tap the Themes option and this will drop you to the next page. On the WordPress themes page, click the Add New Button on the top and this will take you to the Themes collection. Here, you can either select from the latest themes or simply search for your desired theme.
• Once the theme is found, simply tap the Install button under it.
• And lastly, click the Activate button to get it on your website.

Step 5- Customize your website and build web pages

Now that you have finished the basic part of your website, it’s time to focus on its appearance. Let us customize your E-commerce website.

Customizing the website is not a crucial task when you have everything just in minutes with WordPress.

The only thing you need to bother with is to customise the appearance of the website using new colours, layouts, and more. Also, you need vital pages that play a big role in delivering the brand image.

When you have your theme, it should have plenty of pre-made templates offering vital pages like the homepage, About us, and more. And you just need to add your things to make it look yours officially.

The good news is users don’t need to use any coding skills or developer knowledge to customize the website. Here’s how you can do easy customization:

• Simply reach the WordPress dashboard and tap the Appearance tab.
• Among the options, tap the Customizer option and you will be accessed to the live theme customizer.
• Here, you will find various options to add various elements like widgets, pages, menus, breadcrumbs, and more.
• And the pre-made templates only rely on which theme you have chosen. By default, a theme comes with pre-made templates that lessen your work. Once you have selected which elements to add, you can easily apply them by using the drag-and-drop feature.

Step 6- Create Product Listings

An E-commerce website remains worthless without a product listing. And when you have completed the customizing, you must now add products to your website.

This is where users will be able to find your products along with other vital information. And a product must be full of all the necessary information that can convince users to make a purchase. And here’s what you must include while adding products to your website:

• Product image and video.
• Product name and price.
• Product Description.
• Similar Products
• Client Reviews
• Wishlist and Cart features
• FAQ section

However, users will not purchase until they find the product appealing and the need to buy. As a store owner, you can encourage users to purchase by looking at some vital facts:

• Images and videos used in the products must be optimized well and load quickly.
• The product name should reflect the actual product.
• The product description must be short and compelling.
• You must encourage customers to share real images of the purchased products.

Step 7- Setup Payments and Shipping Methods

• The next step is to give a final and vital touch to your website by setting up the payments and shipping methods.
• Without this, a purchase will be incomplete. So, you must focus on setting secured payment gateways for your E-commerce store. Secured payment options ensure the best security of the client data encouraging them for future purchases. So, you must go for secured payment platforms on your website.
• Earlier, we have already installed one of the best E-commerce platforms named Woocommerce. Luckily, you don’t need to pursue any other platform to get payment methods. Woocommerce itself comes with secured and multiple payment methods. It simply requires adding relevant extensions to extend the website’s functionality.
• Not just a single payment method, but Woocommerce supports other third-party payment methods as well. It includes PayPal, Stripe, and other such payment methods to integrate.
• Similarly, you can add shipping extensions as well for integrating your store with shipping companies.

Step 8- Test Your Website

Ready to launch your website? But wait, have you tested your website and its functioning before launching? I know, you haven’t.

It is vital to test your website’s overall functionality and presence before sending it live. At this time, you will be able to make quick changes if needed. Or you will easily find errors and need to add necessary elements before launching. Don’t be confused because we are listing below the vital checks before the website:

• Test your website if any errors are there while loading the vital pages.
• Check for call-to-action buttons and conversions while processing payments and checkouts.
• Ensure that all the emails and registration messages are sent perfectly with the correct details.
• Check that the media files are properly optimized and product images are displayed properly.
• Also, you must test your website on various screen sizes to test mobile-friendliness.
• You must even check that the website working well on popular web browsers.
• Once you have tested your website properly, it’s time to announce the launch of your website on social platforms.

Conclusion

An E-commerce website is the only way to earn good money for your business. As you get engaged with online sources, your business network enlarges. And this is why, every business is taking smarter steps to design a website. You must be one of them visiting our content on how to Create an E-commerce website. I hope the above content has given enough information for you to build an E-commerce website.