Widely considered to be the best, WordPress is a fundamental tool providing e-commerce businesses with a complete package
Founded in the 1970s, e-commerce emerged as a simple way of
transferring funds through the internet in exchange for a product, used only by
a select number of people. The creation and subsequent popularity of this
evolved over time, and it opened the door for tech-savvy entrepreneurs looking
for a greater customer base.
By the early 2000’s, titans such as Amazon and eBay were
carving out their mark in history.By 2010, e-commerce was
a worldwide phenomenon, and almost every service took to adopting an online
storefront. This also led to the inception of digital marketing services, such
as search engine optimization, PPC ad campaigns, and email marketing as the Internet became the next best thing
for generating revenue.
Content management systems (CMS) were introduced to help
users manage the creation and modification of their digital content.
Today, one of the most commonly used CMS software is WordPress.
Requirements Of an eCommerce Website
Any eCommerce platform needs to be properly optimized in
order to rank in search engines, but building it correctly is the first hurdle.
Though the development of a fine-tuned e-commerce platform depends on many variables,
the following can be considered four essentials of an eCommerce website.
1.
Mobile Optimized
Structure
As revealed in a 2014 study,
over half of all sessions on e-commerce
sites were carried out via mobile. As of 2018, mobile phones generate 52.2% of all global internet traffic.
Also taking into consideration the rise in popularity of
tools such as voice
search and chatbots, mobile-friendly websites are mandatory for
online businesses.
Lucky for us, WordPress provides countless plug-ins to help
develop a mobile-friendly platform.
1.
Product
Listing Pages
Hopefully, your products are the main reason why people are
visiting your website. It’s where all the substance resides, so it’s no
surprise that product pages alone should feature
over 30 details.
Couple that with the fact that 38% of visitors will simply
leave your site if they don’t find it attractive, a well-planned product page
can not only increase the time spent on your site
but also serve as the determining factor in your sales funnel.
2.
An Optimized Cart and Checkout Page
Your e-commerce site
needs a checkout cart – a no-brainer,
right? Of course. However, did you know that so much more goes into an
effective cart than just the mere presence of one?
Twenty-eight percent of shopping carts are abandoned because
the process took too
long, and 37% of online shoppers call the quits because they’re requested
to create an account on the checkout page.
A strategic checkout page can be the difference between more
fuel for your bounce rate or a slightly higher conversion ratio.
1.
Actionable and
Informative Copy
Just how important is the content on your e-commerce site? For starters, 85% of online
shoppers believe that detailed product
information strongly influences their purchasing decision.
Whether it be a list of informative FAQs, your convenient
return policy, or persuasive calls to action, no e-commerce site is complete without a great copy – preferably optimized
for SEO.
What Makes WordPress an Ideal e-Commerce
Platform?
With 30.6%
of the top 10 million websites of April 2018 and over 60 a million websites using WordPress, it is the most widely used CMS in the
world. So, why are so many users flocking to it?
1.
Full Control over Your Website
WordPress will allow you full access to your website,
allowing you to use your own fonts, layouts, and
themes. WordPress will adjust your website accordingly and give you a template
that is better suited to your needs.
You can find new, free templates on marketplaces such as Envato and ThemeForest
where you can download to use on WordPress for your website.
2.
Useful
Plugins
WordPress also features a wide array of plugins, ready to be
downloaded with just one click. These plugins are designed to assist you in
your website-making endeavors, simplifying the process considerably. Some
useful e-commerce plugins include:
·
Woocommerce
This WordPress is an open
source platform that allows users to build a multi-language store,
opening up your website to customers all over the world.
·
Ecwid
Ecwid is an eCommerce
shopping cart plugin that can give your users an easy-to-use cart function on
your WordPress website.
·
Yoast SEO
A premium WordPress plugin, Yoast SEO handles the
technical optimization of your website and allows you to optimize your content
for search engines.
·
W3 Total Cache
Another
SEO and user-experience-enhancing plugin,W3 Total Cache
helps improve your website’s loading time band gives you more control over its
cache.
·
WPForms
One of your top priorities
should be to allow customers to contact you easily in case of any
problems. WPForms
helps you do this easily and efficiently.
Other prominent WordPress plugins include Jigoshop, MarketPress,
WP eCommerce, Cart66, Easy Digital Downloads, etc.
3.
Dedicated
Hosting Plans and One-Click Installation
WordPress is easy to install and even easier to work with.
The app has a free,
as well as a paid version. The paid, “personal” version is exactly what the name suggests, offering custom
domain names, personalized website themes and no WordPress advertising in the
final product. At only $4 a month, the quality you get in return is more than
worth it!
There are other pricing tiers as well, namely Premium and
Business, that boasts even more personalized content such as ad monetization,
analytic support, and personal storage
space, billing at $8 and $25 respectively.
4. Superior Developers’ Community
The developers’ the community of WordPress is unrivaled,
offering new designs, templates, and
assets every day. The available choices of WordPress plugins alone are enough to tell you how diverse the
developers are in terms of designing.
Setting
Up to an eCommerce Store on WordPress
Whether you’re
looking for a quick process to get your store up and running, or an in-depth
build of a perfectly optimized platform, WordPress is just as comprehensible
either way.
1.
Registering
A Domain
The first thing you need to
do is to register a domain. You
can do this using a number of hosting services out there, such as InMotion hosting, 1&1 IONOS, GoDaddy,
Bluehost, HostGator, etc.
In order to do so, go to a hosting site > Click on Get Started > Choose A Plan> Sign up
Here you will be able to
select an available domain name, fill in the necessary information, and select additional services. Once done,
you will get an email on your registered email address which will allow you to
log in to your domain.
2.
WordPress
installation
Next, you need to install
WordPress.
Popular Auto Installers, like the following, can help
automate the installation process:
You can also choose to use WordPress
on the web, which is a compact version of the app.
3.
Signing Up
Next, sign up to WordPress by either creating a new ID or
simply using your existing Gmail ID.
Those who already have a pre-existing WordPress account may
simply log in.
1.
Theme
Installation
Once you’ve logged in and submitted all required information,
WordPress will lead you to your Admin page – this is where the magic happens.
WordPress Admin will guide you through the process of picking
out a responsive theme tailored to the needs of your store.
While WordPress offers a wide selection of pre-made themes
for users to choose or buy from, it also allows users to upload their own themes.
a.
Click on
Appearance > Themes.
b.
Scroll down
to see all the preexisting themes and select a theme of your choosing
a.
To upload a theme
you made, click the Upload Theme button
b.
Go to your download folder or any other folder
where you have your new theme
c.
Click Upload
d.
Once done, select Install Now
e.
You’ll be taken
to a new page, where you can select Activate
to start using your theme.
1.
Setting Up & Using Plugins
If you’re using WordPress 2.7 or above, you can purchase,
download, and install plugins for your website directly from the Admin page. A
list of common and useful plugins has been listed above.
To install these plugins.
a)
Go to dashboard > plugins
b)
You will see a
list of all your plugins. Select the plugin you’d like to install and
use.
c)
Where it says Bulk Actions, drop down the menu and
click Install.
d)
Click Apply.
e)
Next, click Activate
from the same drop-down and click Apply again.
Your plugins are now ready for use. You just have to
a)
Go to your Dashboard
b)
Hover over Appearance
and click on Themes
c)
On this page,
there will be a tab that says “Install
*Plugin_Name* Pages” Click on that.
This will install default pages that the plugin contains.
For example, WooCommerce has Cart, My Account and Checkout pages associated
with it.
1.
Resizing
Images
The themes will have images that might be too big or small
for you. To reshape plugin images,
a)
Go to your plugin
tab, let’s say WooCommerce.
b)
Click on Settings
> Products > Display
c)
Here you can change the image sizes as per your
requirement. You should make sure that all your images have the same width, if
not length.
At this time you can upload custom images onto your site as
well. You can resize these images easily using Regenerate Thumbnails under the Tools tab.
2.
Creating
your Custom Website Layout
Once you are satisfied with your logo and other images, it’s
time to start setting your website’s layout—think of it like arranging the
furniture in your house.
To do so,
a)
Go to Dashboard
b)
Click on Pages
> Select Home Page
Here you will see several options, each of which you can
adjust according to your requirement.
- Backend Editor
- Frontend Editor
These will allow you to add elements, text blocks or
downloaded templates to style your homepage.
Clicking on the + sign
will allow you to edit
- Logo & Icons
- Layout
- Header
- Footer
- Style & Color
- Product Page
- Category Page
- Cart & Checkout
- Catalog Mode
- Blog
- Featured Items
- Backup and several other elements
1.
Creating
your Custom Website Logo
To make your own logo, you can use several plugins, one a prime example being LogoMakr.
a)
Install the plugin.
b)
You will then see a search bar on the top left corner.
c)
Search and choose a suitable image for your logo
a)
Insert the image in the white space, color, reshape, and resize it
as you wish.
b)
Click on the T on the left-hand side to add text to your logo.
c)
Resize
the text to be readable and fit perfectly with your logo
d)
When you’re happy with the logo, save it.
e)
You can download the logo once saved and insert
it into your theme.
Creating Homepage & Blog Page
To create a homepage or blog:
a)
Go to Dashboard
b)
Click on Pages
> Add New
c)
Title the new page Homepage or Blog
d)
Click Publish
The Pages tab on
your left can be used to cycle between your landing page and others.
At this point, you should start filling up your site with
blog posts, articles, infographics, videos or
any other form of media that you think might help increase traffic.
Yoast SEO is a very helpful tool in this regard, as it helps you determine how
SEO optimized your site is.
1.
Adding
Product Pages and Products
Now we get to what the website is really about. This is the most time-consuming part of building your
e-commerce website. First, add the
products to your website.
a)
Go to Dashboard
> Appearance > Products
b)
Click on Add
New
c)
A window will open where you need to add Title and Descriptions about your products.
d)
Add Product
Data Information, i.e., the price,
stock, etc.
e)
Add a Product
Short Description
f)
Add product categories
such as color, size, etc.
g)
Add Images
to the product gallery.
h)
Click Publish
Then you need to list
the products.
a)
Go to Dashboard
> Pages > Add New > Write page title as “Products"
b)
Head to the Page
Attributes section
c)
Select Default
Template and paste the following
code into its content.
[title text=""
style="center"]
[products ids="##" columns="6"]
[title text="" style="center"]
[products ids="##" columns="6"]
[title text="" style="center"]
[products ids="##" columns="6"]
[products ids="##" columns="6"]
[title text="" style="center"]
[products ids="##" columns="6"]
[title text="" style="center"]
[products ids="##" columns="6"]
1.
Setting
Up to the FAQ, Shipping & Returns and Terms & Condition Pages
Buying online is a gamble. Customers are unable to physically hold the product before purchase.
They cannot gauge the quality of the item, or whether it is worth the price
they are paying. Detailed descriptions and clear FAQs will help the customer
make their decision.
To set up the FAQs page
a)
Go to Dashboard
> Pages > Add New
b)
Title the page “FAQs.”
c)
Add relevant content.
d)
Go to the Shortcodes
button > Elements > Tabs/Accordions
> Accordion
e)
Add your question between the quotes in [accordion-item title=”Accordion Item 1
Title”]
f)
Add your answer where it says Accordion Item 1 Content Goes Here
g)
Do this for all your FAQs
h)
Add the last line of your code as [/accordion]
i)
Click Publish
To add a Shipping & Returns Page,
a)
Add a new page and title it Shipping & Returns Page
b)
Add relevant content
c)
Click Publish
Do the same for the Terms & Conditions Page.
1.
Setting
Up The Contact Us Page
At this point, it is a good idea also to set up the “Contact Us” page as well. Customers need to
know that they can communicate with you if, and when, needed.
a) Head to Dashboard
> Pages > Add New
b)
Then navigate to the Shortcode tab > ELEMENTS > MAP
c)
Add your latitude
and longitude in the sections of the shortcode. This is where you need to
place the contact us button
a)
Enter your content in the Enter map content area
b)
Now cut and paste all your content in the EXCERPT section under the content box.
1.
Testing
and Deployment
There are a lot of other
things you can add in a similar fashion, and once you reach a point where you are happy with the website you have set up, the final step is to
test and deploy your website. You can ask friends and family to access
the site and get their feedback on whether the site looks good, is user-friendly
and compelling enough to catch and keep their attention. Ask them if they had
any inconveniences while navigating your pages, or if there are any bugs that
you can sort out. Once checked, it’s time to deploy and reap the benefits of
all your hard work!
You can also hire a digital marketing agency to help you reach a bigger audience and
generate more revenue.
Conclusion
WordPress can be
an important tool for startups and new businesses looking to expand online.
However, some people find the process somewhat daunting and therefore aren’t
able to fully reap the benefits of their online presence. Others simply do not have the time to design and
maintain their website.
Whatever the
case may be, there is no denying how important and helpful an online presence
is in this day and age. If you are someone who wants
to expand their eCommerce but are too busy yourself, why not outsourceyour online ventures to the
experts and let us help you achieve your goals?
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