How to Set Up WooCommerce on Your WordPress Site (2018 Edition – For Beginners!)
So, you’re thinking of selling online? Excellent! WooCommerce, a powerful and free e-commerce plugin for WordPress, is a fantastic choice. Even though it’s not 2018 anymore, the core setup process remains largely the same. This guide will walk you through how to set up WooCommerce on your WordPress site, even if you’re a complete newbie. We’ll skip the overly technical jargon and focus on getting you selling ASAP.
Think of WooCommerce as adding a cash register, storefront, and shipping department to your existing WordPress website. You already have the location (your website); now you just need to furnish it!
Why WooCommerce?
Before we dive in, let’s briefly touch on why WooCommerce is such a popular option:
- It’s Free (Mostly): The core WooCommerce plugin is free. You might need to pay for premium themes or extensions for advanced features later on, but you can start selling without spending a dime.
- Highly Customizable: WooCommerce is incredibly flexible. You can sell anything from physical products like t-shirts and books to digital goods like ebooks and software.
- Extensive Ecosystem: There’s a massive library of plugins and themes specifically designed for WooCommerce. Need to integrate with Explore this article on How To Remove Free Woocommerce a specific payment gateway? Want to offer subscriptions? There’s likely a plugin for that!
- Backed by WordPress: You’re building on a solid, well-supported platform. WordPress powers a huge percentage of the web, so you’re in good hands.
- Simple Product: A standard, single product with no variations.
- Variable Product: A product with options like size, color, or material. This is where you’d create variations like “Small Blue T-Shirt” and “Large Red T-Shirt.”
- Place a test order. Go through the entire checkout process to make sure everything works smoothly.
- Check your email notifications. Do you receive order confirmations?
- Test your payment gateway. Make sure payments are processed correctly.
- Review your shipping calculations. Are the shipping costs accurate?
- Check your website on different devices. Is it responsive and easy to use on mobile phones and tablets?
- Social Media: Share your products on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.
- Email Marketing: Build an email list and send out newsletters with product updates and special offers.
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization): Optimize your product pages with relevant keywords to improve your search engine rankings.
- Paid Advertising: Consider running ads on Google or social media to reach a wider audience.
- Theme Compatibility: Some WordPress themes don’t play well with WooCommerce. If you’re having problems, try switching to a WooCommerce-compatible theme (like Storefront).
- Plugin Conflicts: Sometimes, other plugins can interfere with WooCommerce. Try disabling other plugins one by one to see if that resolves the issue.
- PHP Memory Limit: WooCommerce can be resource-intensive. If you’re getting errors related to memory limits, contact your hosting provider to increase your PHP memory limit.
Step 1: Make Sure WordPress is Ready
Before you even *think* about WooCommerce, you need a working WordPress site. If you don’t have one, you’ll need to:
1. Choose a Web Hosting Provider: Think of this as renting space on the internet. Bluehost, SiteGround, and DreamHost are popular choices that often offer WordPress-specific plans.
2. Register a Domain Name: This is your website’s address (e.g., myawesomestore.com).
3. Install WordPress: Most hosting providers offer a one-click WordPress installation. Look for it in your hosting account’s control panel.
Important: Choose a reputable hosting provider. If your website is slow or constantly goes down, you’ll lose customers.
Step 2: Install the WooCommerce Plugin
Now for the main event!
1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard. This is usually done by going to yourdomain.com/wp-admin.
2. Go to Plugins > Add New.
3. Search for “WooCommerce” in the search box.
4. Click “Install Now” next to the WooCommerce plugin (by Automattic).
5. Click “Activate” after it’s installed.
Step 3: Run the WooCommerce Setup Wizard
Activating WooCommerce triggers a setup wizard. Don’t skip this! It guides you through the essential settings.
1. Store Details: The wizard asks for your store address, country, and what kind of products you plan to sell. Be accurate; this affects taxes and shipping calculations.
2. Choose a Theme: The wizard might recommend themes. While you can use the free themes offered by the wizard to begin with, it’s best to use themes that have been coded to support WooCommerce.
3. Payment Gateways: This is crucial! How will you accept payments? PayPal and Stripe are popular options. Select the ones you want to use and follow the instructions Read more about How To Use Conditions On Woocommerce Custom Fields Plugin to connect them to your accounts. For example, connecting Stripe usually involves creating a Stripe account (if you don’t already have one) and entering your API keys into the WooCommerce settings.
4. Shipping: Set up your shipping zones and methods. Do you offer free shipping? Flat rate? Will you ship internationally?
Example: Let’s say you’re selling handmade jewelry. You might offer free shipping within your country and charge a flat rate for international orders.
Step 4: Configure WooCommerce Settings
The setup wizard gets you started, but you’ll need to fine-tune your settings.
1. Go to WooCommerce > Settings in your WordPress dashboard.
2. General Tab: Currency options, store location, selling locations.
3. Products Tab: Product image sizes, inventory management, product reviews. Enable inventory management if you want to track your stock levels.
4. Shipping Tab: Add shipping zones (e.g., “United States,” “Europe”), shipping methods (e.g., “Flat Rate,” “Free Shipping”), and shipping classes. Shipping classes are useful for grouping similar products with similar shipping costs.
5. Payments Tab: Configure your chosen payment gateways. Test your payment gateway after setting it up to make sure it’s working correctly!
6. Accounts & Privacy Tab: Configure customer account creation and privacy settings (GDPR compliance!).
7. Emails Tab: Customize the emails that WooCommerce sends to customers (order confirmations, shipping updates, etc.). Make sure these emails look professional and reflect your brand.
Step 5: Add Your First Product
Now for the fun part!
1. Go to Products > Add New in your WordPress dashboard.
2. Enter the Product Name (e.g., “Handmade Silver Necklace”).
3. Write a Detailed Description (be descriptive and use keywords!). Explain the materials, size, and any unique features. Think of this as your sales pitch.
4. Set the Product Image (a high-quality image is essential!).
5. Choose a Product Category (e.g., “Necklaces,” “Jewelry”). Categories help customers find your products.
6. Set the Product Price.
7. Choose the Product Type:
8. Publish the Product.
Example: If you’re selling a digital download (like an ebook), choose “Simple product,” set the price, and then mark the “Virtual” and “Downloadable” checkboxes. Upload the ebook file in the “Downloadable files” section.
Step 6: Test, Test, Test!
Before you launch your store to the public, thoroughly test everything:
Step 7: Promote Your Store
Once you’re confident that your WooCommerce store is working correctly, it’s time to start promoting it!
Troubleshooting Tips
Code Example: Adding Custom CSS
Here’s an example of how to add custom CSS to your WooCommerce store to change the button colors:
/* Change button background color */ .woocommerce #respond input#submit, .woocommerce a.button, .woocommerce button.button, .woocommerce input.button { background-color: #007bff; /* Example: Blue */ color: white; }
/* Change button hover background color */
.woocommerce #respond input#submit:hover,
.woocommerce a.button:hover,
Check out this post: How To Add Product Image In Woocommerce Programmatically
.woocommerce button.button:hover,
.woocommerce input.button:hover {
background-color: #0056b3; /* Darker blue on hover */
}
You can add this CSS to your theme’s `style.css` file (not recommended for updates) or, better yet, use a child theme or the WordPress Customizer (Appearance > Customize > Additional CSS).
Conclusion
Setting up WooCommerce might seem daunting at first, but by following these steps, you’ll be well on your way to building a successful online store. Remember to take your time, test everything thoroughly, and don’t be afraid to experiment. Good luck!
