Using WordPress for your Ecommerce site

WordPress has quietly risen through the ranks since its inception in 2003 to become one of the most widely used content management systems on the internet. It has carved a 60.8% share of the CMS market with over 500 sites built on it daily. With such a heavy presence in the industry WordPress is the choice for top brands like TechCrunch, CNN, BBC, Mashable, and Bata.

Some other players offering CMS solutions include WooCommerce, Magento, Shopify, Prestashop, Zencart, and VirtueMart. The CMS scene changes daily with new firms coming up often and market share distribution fluctuates. Nevertheless, in all these, WordPress, Magento, OpenCart, and WooCommerce take the lead.

WordPress: Your Best Bet?

You do not wish to take any bets on your business decisions but it does no harm to know where you stand with WordPress as your e-commerce website builder. WordPress has not always held that position at the top but these factors have contributed to its popularity with eCommerce business managers.

Costs Involved

With a need to keep overheads low for your business to net a reasonable profit margin, you should be conversant with the fees involved. WordPress is free and scalable. As open-source software, it remains unaffected by commercial restrictions imposed by eCommerce solutions’ vendors. WordPress will serve you best if your business runs a high volume of trades. Note though, that you have to subscribe for hosting. The hosting costs decrease with subsequent annual subscriptions.

User-friendly Software

Most users find WordPress an easy to use software. It does not require coding skills, which makes it easy to learn and install. Ecommerce store owners use it to manage and monitor sales, for product addition, and sales. It has a vast collection of self-help resources to get a user past any hurdles without necessarily outsourcing for assistance. If you need additional assistance, you can find help online through a support site like http://wpfixit.com/.

Launching Your Website

The following steps provide an outline on how to launch your eCommerce website while incorporating WordPress:

• Choose an appropriate domain name

This name should communicate the nature of your brand and it should be concise and memorable. You can choose a free one or buy from sites like NameCheap and GoDaddy.

• Subscribe for hosting

When subscribing to a server, beware that shared hosting puts your website at risk of hacking. Besides, if other users on the server engage in criminal activities, your website could be blacklisted and shut down alongside theirs by regulators.

Hosting services require constant updates and enhanced security solutions to avoid compromising your data and your clients’ information and accounts through hacking. An automated hosting provider will ease operations involving WordPress.

Consider investing in premium hosting services that offer dedicated plans and storage as your business grows. Secure eCommerce websites must meet the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) which comprises regulations that secure credit card information and transactions.

• Conduct WordPress installation

The installation process involves two alternatives. One is manual which involves downloading WordPress and uploading it to the hosting account. The other method requires one click to upload it through your hosting dashboard.

• Install a functionality plugin and configure it

Such a plugin like WooCommerce may be free but it requires payment for some extensions that offer you extra services for your website. The plugins bring your online store to life by displaying product pages, calculating taxes, offering shipping options, and the cart and checkout service.

• Select a theme

Choose an attractive design that you can demo for a while to get its feel. Fortunately, WordPress allows you to customize and edit your theme. A theme projects your company image so opt for curated professional looks and pick them from a trusted source to avoid hacking of your site.

• Upload products

If you have products you can add them to your site. Give them clear names, a price, and categorize them. Adding a product description and an image of the product makes your site user friendly for your visitors.

• Choose and install other relevant plugins

You can integrate other plugins such as Yoast SEO and Site Reviews to boost your visibility on search engines and to get feedback from users respectively.

• Upload optimized content that will boost conversions

Add relevant content following SEO guidelines

• Open your site to the public

Here you only need to change the privacy settings to ‘Public’ to make it accessible to shoppers.

Launching your business on a digital platform brings the exposure you yearn for it. WordPress offers you cost-effective options that make your website easy to use for you and your users. It also eases your business operations. Making your site PCI DSS compliant secures your data and your clients’ data and all financial transactions. This will uphold your website’s integrity and profitability for years.

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