Creating an online store on WordPress from scratch

The most popular CMS WordPress is suitable not only for information sites and blogs. Online stores work great on this engine if you supplement the platform with the right plugin.

WordPress Online Store Plugin

The store website must have specific functionality - the ability to design a product catalog, add cards with descriptions, customize the order form, install a system for electronic payment. To create an online store on WordPress , you need to use plugins - special add-ons to improve the work and expand the functionality of the site. They add all the necessary tools for convenient setup and normal operation of the store.

Most popular plugins:

• WooCommerce,


• Ecwid,


• WP Shop,


• UNIVERSAL.

WooCommerce is more popular for obvious reasons - it is the most practical, multifunctional and easily adaptable to any project. We will use it as an example of creating an online store. It adds all the necessary elements to the site: product cards, order forms, personal account, etc. The plugin has already been downloaded more than 5 million times, and not only because it is free.

WooCommerce: What is it?

This online store plugin for Wordpress provides the site with advanced functionality and all the necessary tools for online sales. Instead of creating a theme from scratch or using paid builders, just download the WordPress add-on and get a full-fledged online store.

Benefits of using WordPress with WooCommerce plugin:

• Easy to set up. You don't need to be a developer to create an online store. Any user can handle it without any special knowledge. You can do this with other CMS like Joomla! and OpenCart, but they are more difficult to work with and take longer to figure out.


• Free tool. Regardless of turnover and revenue, you won't have to pay for the site, while most of the analogues are paid.


• Reliability. WordPress shows well-coordinated work, other engines often require a lot of time for the same processes that take 5 minutes in WordPress.


• Convenience and multifunctionality. WordPress has thousands of free plugins that solve specific problems and work well with each other. In other CMS, you have to pay for expanded functionality.


• A large set of tools. WooCommerce adds to the site those functions that are necessary for an online store and adapts it to a specific project.

WooCommerce with woocommerce product table is easy to work with without knowledge of web development, everything can be done using visual customization elements. If you have experience and skills, you can change any part of the open source code. The plugin is compatible with other free extensions, it allows you to apply filters and optimization systems, set up different product categories, delivery and payment methods.

There are also some disadvantages to working with the plugin:

• It is necessary to configure it manually for all store functions to work correctly. It is easier to work with constructors, such as Shopify. In order not to deal with technical subtleties and settings, you can delegate this task to specialists.


• A standard plugin-based site is a template, a WooCommerce online store will not have an individual design. If external uniqueness is important, you will have to spend money.


• WooCommerce works only with WordPress CMS. It is not suitable for other engines.

How to Make an Online Store on WordPress

If there is no ready-made website for the store, you need to make one. Creating an online store on Wordpress begins with registering a virtual hosting. An important parameter is the size of the allocated disk space. If the store catalog contains several dozen product cards, it will not take up much space. For larger showcases for hundreds or thousands of units, you need to choose a tariff plan with a large amount of memory, at least 10 GB for the first time. The hosting must support the MySQL database management system and the PHP development language. You should choose a hosting tariff with access to the server control panel and the FTP protocol.