In WordPress, it is easy to create almost every website you need, included an e-shop as well. This is due to e-commerce plugins and the simplicity of using one. The best of these plugins in WordPress.org is WooCommerce by Automattic, an open-source e-commerce solution.
This plugin has more than 5 million active installations accompanied by great reviews. Also, currently, it supports 64 languages and the best is that it’s free. In WooCommerce, you can set up your store and audit your sales on physical or digital products.
Nowadays, that the covid-19 pandemic has affected our consumer habits, it is more than essential to move your business to the next level. Turning your website into an e-shop or create an online store from scratch is the solution for the current challenge.
WordPress is an excellent choice to develop an e-commerce website for the following reasons:
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- It is a free CMS
- Security is a priority
- There are many themes and plugins to choose for every concept
Before you start with WooCommerce
Security
WordPress high security level in combination with secure hosting can keep you safe with no much effort. Avoid picking just a random hosting. Make research on the available server hosting plans and make the right choice. For sure, it is not recommended to use shared hosting for your e-shop because it cannot provide high security.
Themes
Many premium WordPress themes are compatible with WooCommerce. They are responsible for how the product, product list and shopping cart pages look. Movedo theme offers full compatibility. Also, it comes with an online small store demo that you can use or get inspired.
Why WooCommerce?
WooCommerce can be installed and activated like any other plugin in a few seconds under Plugins > Add New. Then type the name in the search bar and install WooCommerce by Automattic.
Install WooCommerce
Greatives themes include WooCommerce plugin so, you will find it under Theme Plugins or Plugins. You just need to click Install and Activate.
Except that is the most popular e-commerce plugin, it offers more advantages. Let’s see them more briefly below.
Easy to use and add products
You will quickly find the way you can create or import your products and set up your store’s basic options under WooCommerce > Settings. Also, setting up product options and images can be finished in a few minutes.
Many payment methods
The plugin offers four different payment methods to fit all business requirements. The options are bank transfer, checks, cash on delivery and PayPal under Settings > Payments.
Many shipping options
You can set many different shipping options. First, add the shipping zone options under Settings > Shipping and then set how to calculate shipping.
Well documented
The plugin is also very well-documented. You can find tutorials, videos and docs here and here. Also, while many developers use it, you can find the most common answers on the net.
Analytics
Another useful service is analytics of your sales, income, product inventory and more. You can find it under the Analytics tab in your dashboard.
Extensions and add-ons
Last and maybe the most useful, there is a great variety of extensions and add-ons to extend the main plugin capabilities. You can find plugins for payment and shipping gateways, SEO, marketing and more. So, you can reach any business solution.
However, remember that first, you need to check all of these plugins for any compatibility issues with plugins, theme, WordPress version or server settings. Also, after updates, it is necessary to look over again for any unexpected conflict.
Conclusion
In these days of uncertainty, you should find different ways to support your business. Many companies have already created their e-commerce websites and you shouldn’t stay behind.
As we’ve seen, WordPress and WooCommerce union is an ideal match. For developers that know how to do it or those who try their first online store it is a safe solution.
Just remember to pick a premium theme that has all the necessary functionalities and modern design for your store. Take a look at Greatives multi-purpose themes and start your new project. Additionally, don’t forget to keep up with the updates of plugin, theme and WordPress. After updates, you should check again for any plugins and theme compatibility issues.
