Setting Up E-Commerce in WordPress

E-Commerce is how businesses sell products on their websites. To start selling products on your website, you need to set up e-commerce. This is done through plugins, which are optional software that extend your website’s capabilities. Here’s what to do:

First, install a new plugin. You can type in “e-commerce” in the keyword search function to look at all the plugin options. Once you choose and install one, make sure to click Activate.

There are several e-commerce plugins available, all of which differ depending on your needs.

Set Up WooCommerce

A common e-commerce plugin is called WooCommerce. Let’s go over the process for how to set up e-commerce through this plugin.

Once you install it, WooCommerce takes you to a new screen. It will ask for details about your business. (If you click out, don’t worry—it’ll now be available on the navigation sidebar.)

WooCommerce will set up your account after you follow its prompts.

You’ll be redirected to the WordPress Dashboard—now with new features on the navigation sidebar and the main dashboard page.

To set up your e-commerce to be ready to accept orders, you’ll need to:

1. Add Products for E-Commerce with WooCommerce

To sell products, you first have to add them to your online inventory. Here’s how:

• Click Products > Create Product.
• Insert your product name, product description, and product data.
• Add product image and gallery.
• Add product categories and tags.
• Hit Publish.

2. Set Up Payments for E-Commerce with WooCommerce

To receive money for the items you sell, you need to be able to charge your customers. To do this, you’ll need to:

• Click Payments.
• Click Finish Setting Up.

You will need to make an account if you haven’t already and provide your financial institution’s information so that money can be transferred. You do not have to pay to set up WooCommerce, though there are fees for new themes to showcase products and bank transaction fees.

WooCommerce has several other features, such as marketing analytics and customer reviews. You can also install additional plugins to add new features to your shop.

Note: WooCommerce is one option out of many e-commerce plugins. While it’s a popular and user-friendly option, make sure to look at all your options to choose what’s best for your business. For example, Easy Digital Downloads is a popular option for digital-based products.

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