Do you want to start your own online store? We know that building an online store can be a terrifying thought especially when you are not a techy. Well, you’re not alone. After helping hundreds of users start their online store, we have decided to create the most comprehensive guide on how to build your online store with WordPress (step by step)
What Do You Need to Start an Online Store?
There had never been a better time to start an online business than today.
Anyone with a computer can get started within a matter of minutes and without acquiring any special skills.
The three things you need to start an online store are:
- A domain name idea (this will be the name of your online store i.e wpbeginner.com)
- A web hosting account (this is where your website lives on the internet)
- Your undivided attention for 30 minutes.
Yep, it is really that simple.
You can setup your own online store with WordPress in less than 30 minutes and we’ll walk you through each step of the process.
In this tutorial, we will cover:
- How to Register a Domain Name for Free
- How to Choose the Best Web Hosting
- How to Get a SSL Certificate for Free (required for accepting payments)
- How to Install WordPress
- How to Create a WooCommerce store
- How to Add Products in your Online Store
- How to Select and Customize Your Theme
- How to Extend Your Online Store with Plugins
- Learning to Learn WordPress & Grow Your Business
Ready? Let’s get started.
Video Tutorial
If you don’t like the video or need more instructions, then continue reading.
Step 1: Setting up Your Online Store Platform
The biggest mistake most users make is not choosing the right platform for their online store.
Thankfully you’re here, so you won’t be making that mistake.
There are two popular eCommerce platforms that we recommend: Shopify or WordPress + WooCommerce.
Shopify is a fully hosted eCommerce solution that starts at $29 / month. It’s a hassle-free solution where you just login and start selling. The downside to Shopify is that it gets quite expensive, and your payment options are limited unless you pay additional fees.
This is why most users choose WordPress + WooCommerce because of the flexibility it offers. It does require some setup, but it’s worth doing it for the long run. WooCommerce is the world’s largest eCommerce platform.
In this tutorial, we will walk you through how to setup an online store in WordPress using WooCommerce.
To setup your store, you need to have a domain name, web hosting, and a SSL certificate.
A domain name is your website’s address on the internet. It is what users will type in their browsers to reach your website (for example: google.com or wpbeginner.com).
Web hosting is where your website lives on the internet. It’s your website’s house on the internet. Every website on the internet needs web hosting.
SSL certificate adds a special security layer on your website, so you can accept sensitive information such as credit card numbers and other personal information. This is required for you to accept credit card payments on your website.
Normally a domain name costs around $14.99 / year, web hosting costs around $7.99 / month, and SSL certificate costs around $69.99 / year.
That’s a lot of startup cost.
Thankfully, Bluehost, an official WordPress and WooCommerce recommended hosting provider, has agreed to offer our users a free domain name, free SSL certificate, and a discount on web hosting.
Basically, you can get started for $12.95 / month.
→ Click here to Claim this Exclusive Bluehost offer ←
Bluehost is one of the oldest web hosting companies, started in 1996 (that’s before Google). They are also the largest brand name when it comes to WordPress hosting because they host millions of websites including our own.
NOTE: At WPBeginner we believe in transparency. If you sign up with Bluehost using our referral link, we will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you (in fact, you will save money and get a free domain). We would get this commission for recommending just about any WordPress hosting company, but we only recommend products that we use personally use and believe will add value to our readers.
Let’s go ahead and purchase your domain + hosting + SSL.
Open up Bluehost in a new window using this link and follow along.
First thing you need to do is click on the green Get Started Now button to get started.
On the next screen, select the plan that you need (starter and plus are the most popular).
After that, you will be asked to enter the domain name for your website.
Lastly, you will need to add your account information and finalize the package info to complete the process. On this screen, you will see optional extras that you can purchase.
It’s entirely up to you whether or not you purchase these, but we generally don’t recommend purchasing these. You can always add them later on, if you decide that you need them.
Once completed, you will receive an email with details on how to login to your web hosting control panel (cPanel). This is where you manage everything from support, emails, among other things.
Go ahead and login to your cPanel. You will be greeted with a popup informing you that WordPress with WooCommerce is pre-installed on your website.
You just need to click on ‘Login to your site’ button, and it will take you to your WordPress site’s dashboard.
Congrats, you have finished setting up hosting and domain part.
The next step is to setup your WordPress site and then your online store.
Step 2. Setting up WordPress
Bluehost has automatically installed WordPress and WooCommerce on your website.
When you first login to WordPress, you will see a welcome message. You will be asked what kind of website you want to set up.
Go ahead and click on ‘I don’t need help’ link. Don’t worry we will walk you through all the necessary steps.
Closing the setup wizard will show your WordPress admin dashboard which looks like this:
First, you need to visit Settings » General page to setup your WordPress site title and description.
Setting up HTTPS to Use SSL
Your WordPress hosting package came with a free SSL Certificate. This certificate is pre-installed for your domain name. However, your WordPress site needs to be configured, so it loads as https vs http.
On the Settings » General page, you need to change your WordPress Address and Site Address to use https instead of http.
Don’t forget to scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the save changes button to store your settings.
Your basic WordPress setup is complete. Now it is time to setup your online store.
Step 3. Setting up Your WooCommerce Store
Before you can start selling, there are a few things like currency, payments, and shipping information that you need to set up.
You will be seeing a ‘Welcome to WooCommerce’ notification on your WordPress admin pages. Go ahead and click on the ‘Run setup wizard’ button in the notification.
This will launch the WooCommerce setup wizard where you need to click on the ‘Let’s go’ button to get started.
WooCommerce needs few essential pages for cart, account, shop, and checkout. You can click on the continue button to automatically create these pages.
This will bring you to the next step.
Now you will need to tell WooCommerce where your store is located and which currency and unit measures to use.
After selecting your location and currency, click on the continue button to move on.
Next, you need to enter shipping and tax information.
WooCommerce can be used to sell both digital downloads and physical goods that need shipping.
You need to check the box if you will be shipping goods, or you can leave it unchecked if you will only be selling digital goods.
Next you need to answer the tax question. WooCommerce can help you automatically calculate and add taxes to your prices.
If you are not sure, then you can leave it unchecked. You can always add tax information later from WooCommerce settings.
Click on the continue button to move on.
Next, you will be asked to choose a payment method for your online store.
By default, WooCommerce comes with support for PayPal, PayPal Standard, and Stripe payment gateways. There are many other payment methods available for WooCommerce which you can install later if you need.
The easiest way to accept payment is using PayPal Standard.
Simply enter your PayPal email address and click on the continue button.
A lot of people including us, use both PayPal and Stripe. By using Stripe, you allow your users to enter their credit card information on the checkout page without having to leave your site and going to PayPal.
You can setup Stripe by following the instructions on the WooCommerce screen.
Once you’re done, your WooCommerce online store is all setup.
You need to click on the ‘Return to WordPress dashboard’ link to exit the setup wizard.
After finishing the WooCommerce setup, you are now ready to add products to your online store.
Step 4. Adding Products to Your Online Store
Let’s start with adding the first product to your online store.
You need to visit Products » Add New page to add a new product.
First, provide a title for your product and then some detailed description.
On the right hand column, you will see the ‘Product Categories’ box. Click on the ‘+Add New Product Category’ to create a category for this product. This allows you and your customers to sort and browse products easily.
Scroll down a little and you will notice the Product Data box. This is where you will provide product related information like pricing, inventory, shipping etc.
Below product data box, you will see a box to add product short description. This short description will be used when users are viewing multiple products on a page.
Lastly, on your right hand column you will see boxes to add a main product image and a product gallery.
Once you are satisfied with all the product information you have added, you can click on the Publish button to make it live on your website.
Repeat the process to add more products as needed.
Step 5. Select and Customize WordPress Theme
Themes control how your WordPress sites look to the users when they visit it. For a WooCommerce shop, they also control how your products are displayed.
There are thousands of paid and free WordPress themes available.
Your Bluehost hosting account, automatically installs the Storefront theme for your website. You will need to customize it to meet your needs.
Head over to Appearance » Customize page. This will launch theme customizer where you can change different theme settings.
If you don’t like the Storefront theme, then you can use another theme by visiting Appearance » Themes page.
If you need help selecting a theme, then please refer to our guide on 9 things you should consider when selecting a perfect WordPress theme.
Step 6. Extend Your Online Store With Plugins
Now that you have your online store ready, you probably want to get started with adding other usual elements on your website such as a contact form, about page, and more.
To further customize WordPress and add features like contact forms, galleries, sliders, etc, you need to use WordPress plugins.
WordPress plugins are apps that allow you to add new features to your website.
There are over 46,000 WordPress plugins available. At WPBeginner, we feature the best WordPress plugins to help you add the functionality that you need.
We have a step by step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
Here’s a list of 24 must have WordPress plugins for business websites and another one with 20+ best free WooCommerce plugins.
Often readers ask us which plugins do you use on your website. You can check out our Blueprint to see the list of plugins and tools that we use.
Learning WordPress to Grow Your Online Business
WordPress is incredibly powerful and WPBeginner is the largest free WordPress resource site for beginners.
At WPBeginner, our main goal is to provide cutting-edge helpful WordPress tutorials that are easy to understand even for non-techy WordPress website owners (see more about us).
- WPBeginner Dictionary – Your one stop to learn the commonly used WordPress terms and lingo.
- WPBeginner Videos – New to WordPress? Watch these 23 videos to master WordPress.
- WPBeginner Blog – The central place for all our WordPress tutorials.
You can also subscribe to WPBeginner’s YouTube Channel where we regularly share video tutorials to help you learn WordPress.
We also have a guide to show users how to make the most out of WPBeginner’s free resources.
Many of our users type their question in Google and just add wpbeginner at the end of it. This shows them related article from WPBeginner.
We hope that this tutorial helped you learn how to build an online store. You may also want to see these 19 actionable tips to drive traffic to your new WordPress site.
If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
I want to create a WordPress site that requires the user to first log in to Facebook or a Google account. This should redirect to a gateway that allows payment options that are mostly used in India. After which the user should be able to access the website as a premium customer. Please help.
Hi there, thank you for the BRILLIANT guide! not sure I could have done most of the things on my site without all your wonderful guides.
Small problem though, I changed my http to https it then loaded my page once the settings were saved and gave me an SSL protocol error, How do I resolve this?
Must admit it has made me pretty nervous because I have just paid for three years in advance with Bluehost
Thanks in advance for your help!
Hi Helen,
Please see our guide on how to How to Add SSL and HTTPS in WordPress.
Hi There, Why I have to upgrade to business plan to install plugings? I ca not install the woocommerce, asking to upgrade to business plan
Hi Ernesto,
You are probably using WordPress.com. Please see our guide on the difference between self hosted WordPress.org vs free WordPress.com blog.
I had a free wordpress.com website and upgraded so I can have an amazon store on my website. I don’t need the credit card and all the stuff you mentioned as the customers will be checking out on Amazon. I don’t see this discussed anywhere. Can I do that on WordPress? Do I have to have another webhosting such as Bluehost or another one?
Thanks so much,
Hi Robin,
You will be able to that with self-hosted WordPress.org site. Please see our guide on the difference between self hosted WordPress.org vs free WordPress.com blog.
Hi, I want to put a custom certificate on my WordPress website that can be automatically customized with a user’s name and a date, then upon payment be able to download it and print it. How can I do this? Are there current plugins/programs that would allow me to do this or is this something I would have to hire someone to program for me?
Hello,
Please, im having this error message when i try to start XAMPP. Kindly assist.
14:11:02 [Apache] Error: Apache shutdown unexpectedly.
14:11:02 [Apache] This may be due to a blocked port, missing dependencies,
14:11:02 [Apache] improper privileges, a crash, or a shutdown by another method.
14:11:02 [Apache] Press the Logs button to view error logs and check
14:11:02 [Apache] the Windows Event Viewer for more clues
14:11:02 [Apache] If you need more help, copy and post this
14:11:02 [Apache] entire log window on the forums
I purchased Domain and hosting through BlueHost – need simple online store for physical products and a blog. I cannot figure out how to set this up through WordPress; don’t see the Woo Commerce piece anywhere; none of the free themes work for an online store- big problem! Can I use your information without getting hosting through you – as I have domain and hosting already?
PS – this typeface is so pale I can’t read what I’ve typed.
Hi,
If WooCommerce is not pre-installed on your site, then you can install it yourself. WooCommerce is available as a WordPress plugin, so you can install it like you would install any other WordPress plugin. See our step by step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
Great post! Is there any information on Magento and how it would work and integrate with WordPress?
Hello WP Beginner. Would I need to pay a certain amount to use Stripe and PayPal on my WooCommerce WodPress site?
Hi Mosh,
There are free WooCommerce extensions available for both PayPal and Stripe. However, both payment gateways will deduct their fees from transactions, please review Stripe and PayPal fees and policies for more information.
Okay. Thanks.
Hello,
I am building an E commerce site for a client who is from the Caribbean. He sells clothing for a living and he needs a website to sell them from. He wants to sell to anyone anywhere in the world. How would I set up the shipping, handling, and other related features on woo-commerce? What are your recommendations, and how would I go about doing that?
Thanks,
-Siri
Thanks for the great article! It helped me take the final steps in getting my own store up and running. I was a little unsure about how best to use categories vs. tags, but a quick search of your site turned up this helpful piece (for anyone else wondering about this):
http://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/categories-vs-tags-seo-best-practices-which-one-is-better/
I would like to have a landing page on my WordPress site to sell my books through amazon as an amazon affiliate. I would also like to be able to offer discounts/coupons. Is Woocommerce the way to go for this? If not, what do you recommend?
Thankyou for this article!
I have searched through various websites and no-one seems to be able to give me an answer on how I create one product with multiple options which will alter the prices, I am hoping you will be able to help. I have a cake shop and for a three tier cake I would like the customer to be able to alter the flavours of each tier but this means the prices can change from the default price. I can change colours and such like but it doesn’t seem to allow me drop down boxes which affect price. Is there a way to set this up in woo commerce or a particular plug in?
Any help would be much appreciated as its driving me mad!
Hi Lindsey,
In the pricing section of the product page you can add variations and add variable pricing options.
Hi,
Thankyou for your reply.
I have done this in the past but this only allows me to have one product on the page, effectively I need to have three, as each tier of cake is its own product. This is what I am struggling with as I would like three separate products to have their own attributes. I don’t think this is currently available with woo commerce? Sorry if Im not making myself very clear.
Hi! Thank you for this, it is very helpful. I am looking around at themes and was wondering if I could choose any theme and then apply WooCommerce to it? Or should I be looking for something specific before choosing a theme? Thank you!
Hey Campbell,
You will be looking for WooCommerce ready themes. Please see our guide on how to select the perfect WordPress theme for your website.
Hi! Thanks for the article, very helpful. I am trying to find the best wordpress theme. Can I add WooCommerce to any theme? Or are there specific things I should be looking for when searching through themes? Thanks!
Thank you so much for taking the time to write this article. I’m in the process of opening up my first store and I’m not tech savvy AT ALL, but I did not want to use Shopify. This really helps!
Hey there!
Thank you so much for posting all of these informations! It was a detailed blog post!
Anyway I have a question, as most of my buyers are from Japan, they usually use VISA/MASTERCARD for payment instead of paypal.
Can I know how do I set it up?
You can use Stripe to accept credit card payments on your site.
thank you for this great tutorial , where can i find products to promote in such a website if i dont own any personal products ? affiliate or drop shipping which one convert better ?
I was following the directions on http://www.wpbeginner.com/wp-tutorials/how-to-start-an-online-store/ and it said to configure my domain for https changed it from http to https and clicked save. Now I cannot get to my dashboard and cannot log in. Tech support just told me to send and email to help @ wordpress.com. He does not know when or if they will get back to me. Can someone give me a path forward on this?
Happen to me too. Actually how long will it take to setup the SSL?. Been waiting for soo long yet nothing happen. Cannot open the website and “ERR_SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR” message appear. Please help. been following all the step from the above and got stuck here.
Hello,
I have the same issue. I tried to change the http to https and click save but I got an error message saying “This site can’t provide a secure connection”. Any suggestions of how to fix this?
Claire
Hi, I have booked a domain in GoDaddy, now I would like to build an online store site, will I get free SSL certification from Bluehost for my site
Hi,
Can you tell me how to start off if I already own my domain name? Can I switch it to Bluehost?
Thanks!
Hi Amy,
Yes you can. You will have to point your domain to Bluehost after you signup for hosting.
Hi Author, which address should I give on woo commerce plugin setup wizard, should I give my personal address or what if I don’t have shop. Can it be associated with affiliate marketing services like Amazon,flipkart.
Hello greetings from Kuwait.
I like everything bits of your information. Kindly tell me can I integrate ( sell ) a local currency like KWD ( Kuwaiti Dinar ).
Kindly reply at your earliest convenience.
Thank you
Hi SyedHasan,
You will have to check which payment providers are available and support your local currency. WooCommerce supports PayPal, Stripe, and many other payment gateways which are available in many countries and countries.
Hi..i
Great website. l was wondering if you customize websites? Your guides are very comprehensive, but
I’m still struggling to get my head around certain issues.
regards
Really good tips which I am working through. Unfortunately following instructions to add SSL certificate has now locked me out of my site. Any advice to get back in???
Hi Roz,
Please take a look at our guide on what to do when you are locked out of WordPress admin area.
Wish the developers of WordPress would consider setting up physical stores in The United States (just like the Apple Stores) so any small biz startup needing an Ecommerce site could by appointment, come to the store have a customized Ecommerce site built. This sure would create a “clear path” for WordPress to dominate Ecommerce, and to “operate in the black.” Those who wish to build their own Ecommerce sites, etc, can continue to do so if they wish. Personally, my wife & I own a small, licensed business in need of an Ecommerce site, but we shy away from Weebly, Wix, and other do-it-yourself ideas. We’ve been using Facebook for advertising up until now.
Hi Terell,
There are many small and large web design and development agencies with offices in most cities. You can call them to get an appointment. You can also find WordPress developers on many freelancing websites. However, both options will cost you more money.
In our experience, we have seen many small business owners starting out on their own with no technical skills. There is a small learning curve as you familiarize yourself with the platform. Most beginners go through this phase with the help of free resources like WPBeginner.
Facebook is a good platform, but it gives you limited control on who can see your ads. With WordPress, you get complete control on how you bring new users, and how you convert them into loyal customers.
Is there a reason I’m not seeing WooCommerce on by WordPress Dashboard? I followed the steps for set up through BlueHost. Thank you for your help!
Hi Ben,
You can go to Plugins page to see if you have WooCommerce installed. If you don’t, then you can install it. For more details, see our step by step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
I get no privileges when i try to create table in data base
Hi,
I should have started with this article! Earlier this month I purchased hosting (bluehost), registered my domain name, and installed WordPress. I purchased domain privacy, site backup, and site lock security. How do I add WooCommerce and the SSL certificate now? Do I need to start from scratch?
Hi Victoria,
You can upgrade your account without starting from scratch. Please contact BlueHost support, and they will be able to assist you better.
I cant see the woocommerce option when i installed wordpress in Wamp… Isnt it possible?
For Local Server (WAMP) you will have to install WooCommerce by visiting Plugins » Add New page. However, please note that it will not be an online store, it will be just a store on your local computer. You will not be able to sell anything untill you move your installation to a live server.
Another grand article from WPBeginner. Thanks to the gang.
Now if I could just find a supplier of some niche products …… ?
Thanks for this brilliant resource. I’m UK based and will only be selling online to people in the UK, would I be better of with hosting in the UK? I have heard that it is best to have your site hosted in the country you are trading in and that there are disadvantages in overseas hosting?
I’m a rockstar! I have set up VPS server through BlueHost. I have SSL on the site with eCommerce. I get how to add products that I am holding in inventory, but how do I take a data feed from a drop ship company and load it to my ecommerce site?
Thanks for the post.Now I get the best way to start my online store. i have one question how to setup payment gateway in my store?
Depends on which payment gateway you choose. By default WooCommerce comes with PayPal and Stripe support built in.