Getting Started With WooCommerce

Entrepreneurs need to be aware of a number of factors when opening an online shop. Some of these, like creating products and designing a marketing strategy, can be difficult and time-consuming. WooCommerce makes it easy to add eCommerce functionality to WordPress sites.
We will show you how to set up WooCommerce and get your store online.

The WooCommerce Wizard is your guide

A wizard walks you through the basic steps of setting up WooCommerce. The wizard asks you questions about your industry and products in order to make recommendations that are specific to your needs. Extensions that allow you to add additional functionality such as marketing or unique products will be available.

The next step is to choose a theme that will control the layout and design of your website. This step is unnecessary if you have a WordPress website and your theme works with WooCommerce. If you are starting from scratch, choose the theme that best suits your brand and store. Storefront is a great choice. It’s easy to customize and it’s intuitive. Check out our guide on choosing a WooCommerce theme. You can always change themes later, so don’t be discouraged!

You can then enable WooCommerce Shipping or WooCommerce Tax. These extensions are completely optional and can be used to simplify your store’s life. WooCommerce Shipping allows you to get discounts on USPS shipping labels, and DHL shipping labels. You can also print labels right from your dashboard. WooCommerce Tax calculates sales tax automatically based on where you are located so that you don’t need to configure rates.

Finally, you will see a checklist for your store that can be used as a guideline to set up the rest. Clicking on an item in the list will take you to the relevant settings page. These can be skipped and you can come back later. Let’s take a look at each one separately.

Add products

Click on Add my Products in the wizard to have the option of adding products manually, importing a spreadsheet or migrating from another platform like Shopify or BigCommerce.

If you add a product manually by clicking the button, you will be taken to a blank product webpage. You can also go to Product – Add Product on the WooCommerce dashboard. You can then add product description, photo, pricing information, shipping details, and other information.

You may already be familiar with WordPress and notice that WooCommerce product pages look a bit different from traditional pages or posts. The main text box on a new WordPress page is not the place where you will put your product description. This very important piece of writing is located in the “short description” section further down the page.

The large text block at top can be used to describe the product in detail, such as its components or country of origin.

A product type is also required. There are many product types available, but the most popular are simple and varied. Simple products, such as a book, do not offer options or choices. Variable products offer customers the option of choosing from a variety of sizes and colors, such as a shirt in different sizes.

Set up payments

You can choose a payment gateway if you want to set up payments via the wizard. If you prefer to go to WooCommerce Settings – Payments, You can set up direct bank transfers, cash payments, and check payments. You can also set up a payment portal to allow customers to pay online.

Payment gateways securely accept credit card information from your customers, validate it, and then transfer the money to your bank account. There are many options available. The most popular gateways include Stripe and PayPal.

Install the WooCommerce Payments extension for a simple setup that you can rely on. In just a few steps, you can start, keep customers on the site during checkout, accept Apple Pay and manage all payments, refunds, and other details directly from your WooCommerce dashboard. You also get additional benefits such as instant deposits and payments made in multiple currencies.

Establish tax

Click Set up tax in WooCommerce’s wizard to set up taxes. You have the option to choose whether to price products with or without taxes, to select the address that you want to use for tax calculations, and to set your tax rates.

It’s important to research tax rates for your location and where you sell to. You might also want to consult a professional. You can also install WooCommerce tax to handle everything.

Personalize your store

Click Personalize my shop to quickly create a homepage and upload a logo. You can also set up a store notice that will be displayed on all pages of your website. These can be changed later, but don’t panic.

Get shipping set up

You can verify your store’s location from the setup wizard and determine shipping costs to your country or the rest of the globe. These settings will take care of the basic shipping settings. However, for more detailed setups, go to WooCommerce Settings – Shipping. You can also set up shipping zones, which are areas where products will be delivered. There are also options such as free shipping.

WooCommerce Shipping is a simple and quick way to set up your order, print labels quickly, and get discounts on shipping costs. WooCommerce Table rate shipping is available if you require more complex rules, such as pricing based on cart totals or weight.

Design and functionality beyond the wizard

After you have completed the steps of the setup wizard, everything is ready for your store. You may need to do a few other things depending on the products and business.
Add pages

You probably already have all the necessary pages created if you have a WordPress site. a homepage, about page, contact page, etc.). If your site is new, it’s important to set these up.

The theme you selected took care of most of the design work. You can modify it to suit your brand and store (see your documentation). With the drag-and drop WordPress editor, you can add visually appealing content to any page.
Add extensions

Extensions can be used in conjunction with WordPress plugins. Extensions are not necessary for every store. WooCommerce has all the basic functionality, but some extensions may be needed to add additional functionality.

We have already discussed extensions for different product types, such as subscriptions, memberships, shipping, payments, taxes, and so on. There are many great options available for marketing, store management, user experience, and even customer service. All extensions can be viewed in the WooCommerce Marketplace.

It is important to not get carried away. Too many plugins can slow down your website and clutter up your dashboard. Focus on those that improve the overall user experience.

Are you unsure where to begin? WooCommerce Essentials is a collection of extensions that are carefully selected to assist new store owners in launching their businesses. They are grouped according to their purpose (growth and security, customization, etc.). They are thoroughly vetted by WooCommerce and have been trusted.
Secure your store

You don’t want your store to be lost once it’s been set up. You only need to follow a few simple steps to protect everything, including customer data and order information.

Jetpack Security is a quick and easy way to protect your WooCommerce store. It includes everything you need, from backups, malware scans, to spam prevention. Jetpack Security offers free security tools like downtime monitoring and brute force attack prevention.
Join the WooCommerce Community

A community that is supportive and helpful is invaluable. We are biased but believe the WooCommerce Community to be the best. This is a great way to share your experiences and learn from other stores. It also allows you to connect with others who are going through the same thing. There are many great people out there who want to see you succeed.

This article should have answered all your questions on how to create a WooCommerce online store… Start your WooCommerce journey now.