How to Create an Online Store Website, Easy and Effective

With the development of technology, many activities are done online, including buying and selling products. Eventually, many people start to wonder how to set up a website to sell products.

In fact, you don't need to hire a web developer to create your business website. This guide will take you through how to create online store websites easily and effectively. For further information, check out this article on how to create online store websites. 

How to Create Online Store Websites

You need to follow several steps on how to start an e-commerce business so that your prospective buyers can understand it easily. Here is how to create websites for an online store that you can learn.

1. Choosing a Domain and Web Hosting

The first step in creating an online store website is to choose a domain and web hosting for your website. Hosting is a place to create and store data on the website, while the domain is the name and address of the website. 

There are many domain and web hosting service providers that you can choose according to your criteria and needs. Keep in mind that when choosing a hosting, be sure to choose one that can be continuously updated as your business grows. 

Then, to choose a domain name, you need to consider several things, such as how attractive and representative the domain name is of your business. Also, make sure that the domain name you choose does not contain negative meanings. 

2. Installing WordPress

The next way how to create online store websites is to install WordPress, which is a type of Content Management System (CMS). 

Using WordPress is one way to create your online store website for free because this CMS offers free and paid service options according to the features offered. 

To install this CMS, you can follow these steps:

• Log in to cPanel via domainname/com/cpanel.
• Enter the credentials you have obtained from the hosting provider. 
• Open Softaculous App Installer, and select Install Now. 
• Select the domain to install.
• Select WordPress and Install Now. 
• Select Choose Domain in the Software Setup option. 
• Leave the In Directory section blank.
• Fill in the required data, such as the name and description of your online store. 
• Create a username and password to log in to the Dashboard. 
• Check the information again, then click Install. 

3. Customize Website Settings

The next way to create an online store website in WordPress is to customize the website settings. The steps to customize your website are as follows: 

• Enter the Dashboard, select the Settings menu, then select the General menu. 
• Type the store name in the Site Title.
• Enter a description of the store in the Tagline. 
• Click Save Changes.
• Once saved, you can go back to Settings, and then select Permalinks. 
• Change permalinks to Post Name type so that they can be customized with the title of the website post. 
• Click Save Changes.

4. Choosing a Store Website Theme

After filling in the information on the website, then you can set the display theme to make it more attractive. You can personalize your WordPress theme with free or paid themes. 

To change your theme, you can follow these steps: 

• On the Appearance menu, select Themes. 
• Select Add New Theme to add a new theme. 
• Search for the desired theme on the Themes page, then install it. 
• If it is already installed, click Activate. 

5. Installing Plugins for Online Stores

Installing plugins for online stores is the next way to create a website for online stores. Having an online store plugin like WooCommerce can make your website look like a marketplace. What's more, this plugin is free of charge. 

To install it, you can follow these steps: 

• Log in to the Dashboard. 
• Select the Plugins menu and Add New. 
• Search for WooCommerce, then select Install Now. 
• Once installed, click Activate. 

Once installed, you need to set it up to work properly. You can do this as follows:

• Select the WooCommerce plugin, then choose Settings on the Dashboard. 
• Set the Selling Location and Base Location on the General tab.
• To set the transaction currency, you can go to Currency Options. 
• To organize your store page, products, reviews, stock items, and other product-related things, select the Products tab.
• To enable postage calculation, set it on the Shipping tab. 
• To manage your customer account, you can select the Account & Privacy tab. 
• To set the number of emails that go to the admin, go to the Emails tab. 
• If everything is correct, click Save Changes.

6. Filling Product Content 

Once all the settings have been adjusted, you can start filling in content related to the 

products being sold. To add products, you can follow these steps: 

• Select Products on the Dashboard.
• Enter the product title and description. 
• Select Add New Category under Product Categories to add product categories. 
• To add prices, select the Product Data menu. 

7. Organizing the Product Page

The next way to create an online store website is to organize product pages so that users 

can use the website easily. Here are the steps to set up a product page in WordPress:

• Select Add New on the Pages tab in the Dashboard. 
• Enter the page title in Home in the Page Attributes section. 
• Click Publish. 
• Return to the Settings menu, select Reading, and then click A Static Page under Front Page Displays.
• Click Save Changes to save it. 

How to Create an Online Store Website with HTML

In addition to creating a website from WordPress, you can also create a website with HTML. 

Here is how to create online store websites with HTML:

• Choose an HTML editor, such as Visual Studio Code, Sublime Text, and others. 
• Create a basic HTML structure. 
• Adding website elements, such as headers, footers, products, etc. 
• Creating navigation.
• Create the main page.
• Create a product detail page.
• Create a shopping cart page. 

How to Create an Online Store Website with PHP and MySQL

After knowing how to create online store websites for free, through WordPress, and HTML, you also need to understand how to create it through PHP and MySQL. 

The following are the steps to create a website with PHP and MySQL.

• Install XAMPP or WAMP.
• Make sure the MySQL and Apache servers are running.
• Set up a code editor, such as Sublime Text, Visual Studio Code, and so on. 
• Create a database by logging into phpMyAdmin via a browser. 
• Create tables that are needed on the website, such as product tables, customers, orders, and so on. 
• Create web pages with HTML and CSS.
• Create the main file by setting up index.php, then add other files, such as header.php and footer.php.
• Create a product page in the pages folder.
• Create PHP programming to connect the database, display products, and enable the shopping cart feature. 
• Create a check-out and booking system.
• Include security on the website and test its performance. 
• Finally, your website is ready for launch.

Conclusion

That's all of the explanation of how to make a website to sell products. To conclude, understanding how to create online store websites and creating one for your business will surely help your customers make transactions. 

In addition to creating a website, you also need to utilize effective marketing strategies for websites, such as Search Engine Optimization (SEO). 

SEO will help make your website appear on the first page of search results so that prospective customers can find your business when typing what they need on a search engine. 

When it comes to SEO, you can entrust it to SEO Services by cmlabs. cmlabs can help you optimize content and websites, to increase online visibility in search engines. Share your business needs with our marketing team now!