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When we have finally decided to , we start a process that we should not carry out blindly, but step by step and conscientiously.
The apparent ease of content management tools, such as WordPress, and e-commerce tools, such as WooCommerce, invite us to proceed with this task without a defined plan or strategy, which in the future, when the store is fully operational, may seal their growth.
On the other hand, creating an online store not only involves installing and configuring the e-commerce platform, but also making a series of decisions that, without being directly related to eCommerce, are essential to launch the online store, such as the domain name , the theme or the plugins that will be necessary.
If we do not decide correctly, in a hurry and without thinking carefully, not even the versatility of modern technological tools for content management and electronic commerce will be able to compensate for the negative impact of such decisions.
In this article, we are going to detail the complete process of installing and configuring a new online store, from the moment we have conceived the idea, until it is operational and available to future customers.
WooCommerce, the leading solution for eCommerce
When we want to create an e-commerce store, we have two main ways to have our website:
- An eCommerce service platform.
- As a service hosted on a web server with specialized eCommerce software, such as WooCommerce on .
In an e-commerce services platform, the management of the online store is mainly administrative, such as the product catalog, order tracking or customer service, with little freedom when configuring and defining the final functionality of the store. store.
The main advantage of this type of platform is that a large part of the configuration process is practically automatic, in which we only have to select what utility, service or feature we want in our store.
However, this advantage is also its main limitation: we can only use the features provided by the platform; If we want to include special services or personalized designs beyond what the platform offers in its template catalog, we will not be able to do so. In many cases, this may prevent our store from growing in the future.
On the other hand, in a web hosting service with WooCommerce we do not have this limitation: the versatility of WordPress, the content manager on which it is installed, allows us to add complements (“plugins”) with any imaginable functionality or service.
In addition, the only economic cost of using a web hosting service with WordPress and WooCommerce is that of the hosting provider, since both tools are free.
As we need more advanced services (such as themes or plugins), we may have to make a one-time payment, almost always, but it is up to us and only when we consider it advantageous for the operation of the online store or sales.
However, this greater freedom and power of action means that we must carry out various technical tasks to take care of both its administration and its security, in addition to the management of the online store (orders, catalogue, payment tracking, etc.).
In short, we find ourselves with the following dilemma:
- If we want a fast solution, but limited in terms of functionality and growth possibilities and with a monthly fee, we can opt for a platform like Shopify.
- Now, if we want a versatile, flexible and free solution, even if it requires a little extra effort to launch the online store, WordPress and WooCommerce undoubtedly offer one of the best solutions on the market.
Why use WooCommerce for our online store
In case we are not convinced why we should use WooCommerce for a new online store, here are the main reasons to choose it:
- Low cost. One of the best things about WooCommerce is that it’s free. We can create and launch a fully operational online store without having to pay anything at all.
When we need extra functions, most add-ons or plugins have a very reasonable price (from 25 euros).
- Product with multiple features. The versatility and flexibility of WooCommerce for product catalog management is possibly its strongest point.
Thus, with WooCommerce we can sell both physical and digital products and it allows product variations such as colors and sizes, digital downloads and even affiliate products, in addition to multiple configurable options for shipping and payment, as well as a very detailed reporting module.
- Friendly and robust environment. WooCommerce integrates seamlessly with virtually any WordPress theme (although it’s best to choose themes that are specifically designed for WooCommerce) and accommodates any size store, from the smallest to the largest.
- Plugin Systems. Being a very widespread platform, it has a large number of plugins, to cover almost any need that occurs to us for our online store, at a very low cost and even free.
In case you can’t find a plugin, WooCommerce also has its own API system for custom development.
What do we need to set up a new online store with WooCommerce?
Before “creating” and configuring the online store itself, we have to make a series of decisions, independent of the technology we use, and that will follow us during the operation of the online store.
Let’s see below, step by step, what we must do to create and configure a new online store with WooCommerce:
- from the online store.
- Choose a web hosting provider.
- Install WordPress.
- Install WooCommerce.
- Configure the basic information of WooCommerce.
- Add products to the WooCommerce catalog.
- Select and install a theme for WooCommerce.
- Choose and install additional plugins, if necessary.
Although the process may seem very long, in reality more time is dedicated to the analysis and investigation of some of its points, than to the tasks of administration, configuration and management of WooCommerce, as we will see.
Before we break down each point of this process, the following video takes a complete walkthrough of how to perform each of these steps, except choosing the domain name, which does not require any action on WordPress or WooCommerce.
1. Choice of the domain name of the online store
The domain name will determine the web address or URL that users will use to enter our online store. Choosing an unlucky domain name can confuse the user and even cause us to lose visits and sales.
For this reason, given that the web address of an online store will be permanent (although it can be changed, it has many negative implications and it is better to avoid them from the beginning), we must be very sure that we choose the most appropriate one for our business, with these recommendations:
- It should not be excessively long, so that it is easily remembered.
- Related to the main activity of the store or to our brand.
- Easy to transcribe, that does not need to be spelled to understand it.
- Expressions in Spanish, to avoid confusion, misunderstandings or errors.
The registration of the domain name should be done at least under the extensions “.es” and “.com”, the most used by far, to prevent someone from appropriating one or the other.
In general, when we hire the hosting service provider (next point), we can also register the domain name, all in the same operation.
2. Choose a web hosting provider
Web hosting provides us with the server where we will install WordPress and WooCommerce to configure our online store so that customers can access it through the Internet with their web address.
There are very “cheap” providers, even from one euro per month, but this low cost has, forgive the redundancy, a price:
- Limited bandwidth, which reduces the number of users that can access simultaneously without reducing the loading speed.
- Low server resources, such as memory, hard drive, or processor, which can also affect loading speed.
- Non-existent support service or with personnel or schedule restrictions, which can lengthen the time that our online store is out of service due to a technical problem.
These limitations, finally, can affect the organic positioning of the store, which will directly negatively affect our visits and, consequently, sales.
For this reason, we must opt for quality web hosting providers with a tradition of good service to their customers, such as , which, in addition, does not imply a high monthly outlay, from 6 or 7 euros per month:
Click on image to enlarge
For a price like this for a quality web hosting, it is better not to risk losing customers and sales due to a bad hosting service.
3. Install and configure WordPress
Once we have contracted the for our online store, the provider will provide us with all the necessary information to enter their control panel and start the configuration of our website.
The control panel can, and often does, vary from provider to provider, although most offer the same core services. The most common control panels are WePanel and, remotely, Plesk.
In the case of , we will use WePanel, with the following provision and services:
Click on image to enlarge
As we can see in the image above, WePanel includes an option to install WordPress and another to (which also installs WordPress).
We are going to choose to install and configure WordPress, and then see separately (in the next point) how the process of installing and configuring WooCommerce is.
When we press “Install WordPress”, the following screen appears:
Click on image to enlarge
We proceed to fill in the fields with the information requested, taking care to choose the secure version “https” and selecting the domain name that you have decided for the online store.
Once we press the “Install WordPress” button, we proceed with its installation and, when finished, the provider will inform us of the information necessary to access the administration and configuration area of the new website, with its web address, the name of the admin username and password.
4. Install WooCommerce
Now we must enter the administration area of our new website (“dashboard”), ending in “”, placed after your…
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