WordPress is a blogging software as well as a framework for web development. It’s an open source software written in PHP. WordPress currently shares around 40% of all the open source software landscape.
WordPress is a software which manages all the content that people post on their websites. Either you start a blog about your passion or an Ecommerce website to sell your products online, WordPress is a place where you go. It is the world’s most popular open source content managing software. Creating a website on WordPress is easier than any other open source platform. It is a free open source content management system based on PHP and MySQL. WordPress was launched on 27th of March in 2003 and since then it has seen continuous improvement and development. According to a survey, there are over 172 million estimated websites which are using WordPress right now.
Why WordPress?
You must be wondering what makes wordpress so popular among users, we will tell you the reason behind its popularity.
- WordPress has loads of cool themes to choose from and it also has thousands of pulgins that add functionality to your site.
- It is easier to use than other open source softwares.
- It allows users to create any type of website and it can even be used by beginners.
- If you’re thinking of creating a website and discuss it with anyone, it is most likely of them to ask you to create a website on WordPress.
- Many big companies are using WordPress and its popularity is increasing with every passing day.
The popularity of WordPress speaks for itself. Let us see how to develop an Ecommerce store with WordPress.
1. Install WordPress
Of course, the first step is to install WordPress. First, you will have to purchase a hosting plan and the hosting company will provide you a link to your hosting account from where you can install WordPress.
Once you log in, search for a section labeled WordPress Install, one-time Installers or something similar. Click on the WordPress option and follow the instructions.
A screen will be loaded which will ask you to enter your site’s name and description, a username and password of your choice and also an e-mail address. Fill in all the necessary details and click the Install button.
Once WordPress is installed, you can log in to your WordPress dashboard and visit URL yoursitename.com/wp-admin, now replace it with your domain name. Then enter the username and password you created previously.
2. Catchy Domain Name
Your domain name is how customers will find about your website.
Here are some points to keep in mind while keeping your domain name
- Do keywords research. Domains which include these will have a better ranking at Google.
- Keep your domain name as short as possible as the lengthy name might be mistyped by customers.
- Secure all domains such as .com, .net etc to keep the copycats away.
- The Domain name should be meaningful and not childish or immature. As immature interpretations of the domain will not look good and eye-catching.
- The Domain name should be easy to pronounce. Even a toddler should be able to say it.
- You can take the help of a tool like DomainWheel to help you in finding an original and available domain name.
3. Install WooCommerce
Install WooCommerce and unable e-commerce functionality at your site.
WooCommerce is the best Ecommerce plugin for WordPress. With WooCommerce you can turn your site into a complete and fully functional Ecommerce website.
- After installing WooCommerce plugin, select a WordPress theme which is compatible with WooCommerce. Themes control the design and output of your functionality. You need to have a theme which can be designed, updated and give you the website that you visioned for. It has support and it is versatile as well but on top of all, it’s free!
- Now to add your first product, use the product tab in your WordPress Admin Center. It will guide you through the process, step by step. You can also hire dedicated WooCommerce developer.
WooCommerce has been launched by the same company which has launched WordPress.com and it supports WordPress.org foundation.
4. Note Down Your Business Plan
While creating an online store on WordPress, you need to note down your business plans first which lays out your vision for your business which includes which products to sell, acquiring inventory, creating and marketing of website, growing your market share, dealing with legal documents, handling taxes and other operating costs, managing Accounts etc.
As you note down your business plan, you will also come to know about where you are lacking and other problems and ideas that hadn’t occurred to you. These will help you focus more and in a more productive way.
5. Content and SEO Should be Precise.
In the case of an Ecommerce website, the more content you write, the more people will visit your website. If you write a lot in an SEO-friendly way, visitors will come. You need search engines to attract customers who are ready to make a buying decision on your online store. In order to do this, you need to write a lot of content.
You can use SEO-friendly content to attract new customers by using proper keywords for your business plan, do additional research to find appropriate keywords for each product. While choosing your first keywords, you must be selective and choose the keywords wisely, create blogs and articles that teach customers about how to use your products and write about other details about the products such as its features, it’s usage and other necessary information. Also ensure that every page of your site has appropriate page titles, meta descriptions, image description, URL, Alt tags and content that is easy to read and understand by users. Don’t write very complicated content as the readers might find it difficult to understand. Keep it precise and straight to the point.
6. Facebook and Instagram Ads
Facebook has always been a popular platform for advertising your business and letting people know about it. Advertising your brand’s Facebook page or products is an excellent way to let people know about your brand as they will see your ad on their newsfeed. A lot of people use Facebook everyday and as we use, we see a lot of Ads keep coming while you scroll through it and we even get influenced by those Ads and may think of buying those products. Same like that, people might get interested in your brand and products through ads and there is a good probability that they will visit your website through the ad.
Instagram has also become a platform for advertising lately. It even has business tools which let you advertise your products and charges you for the same. Your ad reaches a wider audience and more and more people can come to know about your brand, products or website.
Through social media advertising, as more people will come across the ad, they even share it with their friends and the views on the ad will increase respectively.
Advertising through Facebook and Instagram can grow the traffic on your website or store. As more and more people will visit, the traffic will increase.
Conclusion
If you are someone who wants to have your own website or your own online store, WordPress and WooCommerce is the preferred software for you. It is a time-consuming process but at the same time, possibilities are endless. If you follow the steps mentioned above, it will definitely give you positive results. Creating a website with WordPress isn’t an easy task but it’s also not rocket science. You need to keep in mind the points mentioned and work on it and your job will be done.