One of the hardest parts of starting an eCommerce business is simply building a good website. Your website serves as the foundation for your online business, and without a good one you could soon find yourself struggling to attract or maintain customers. Luckily, there are plenty of tools out there that can help just about anyone create a great website in a short amount of time.
One such tool is WordPress. Thousands of people have used WordPress to create their eCommerce business because of the advantages it offers. If you’re thinking about doing the same, here is a quick guide on how to get the most out of it.
Choose the Right Hosting Provider
The first thing you’ll want to think about is which hosting provider to use. Your hosting provider is the one that will store all your files and data and make them accessible to the web. Choosing the wrong hosting provider could mean security concerns or a slow website, all for a high price. Take some time to look at the best WordPress hosting options that are out there, then decide which one works best for your needs and budget.
Find a Great WordPress Theme
Once you have your website set up, and WordPress installed, your next major decision is the Theme you’re going to use for your website. The Theme is essentially the template you’re going to use and it will determine the entire look and feel of your website. When deciding, you’ll want to get a Theme that was specifically designed to be used for eCommerce sites. Luckily, there are literally thousands of Themes available, so you should have no trouble finding one that works for you.
When deciding on Theme, there are two other things that you should keep in mind. First, make sure this Theme is optimized for mobile devices. More than ever people are using their mobile devices to access the Internet, so you’ll want your website to function properly on those devices. A website that isn’t ready for mobile devices is more likely to turn potential customers away, so make sure you have it.
The other thing you’ll want to think about is shopping cart integration. Since you’re an eCommerce business, this might mean you’re selling products online. If you want your customers to have the ability to add things to a cart then checkout, you need a Theme that can handle shopping cart integration. Most will be able to, especially if it was designed for eCommerce sites, but it’s still a good idea to check before you go too far down the road with it.
Start Marketing Your Website
Now that you have your website all set up and looking great, it’s time to start getting the word out about it. There are several ways that you can go about marketing your website using WordPress.
One of the first things you should do is optimize your website for search engines. This will make it easier for people to find your site through search engines, which should help to bring in new customers. It’s easy to optimize WordPress sites for search engines, just grab one of these plugins.
After that, start using social media. Create an account on some of the more popular social media sites – Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram – then start sharing your content. You can even get some WordPress plugins to automatically post your new content to your social channels or allow visitors to your site to share it on their own social accounts.
Finally, consider running an email marketing campaign. Ask visitors to your site, or anyone who completes a purchase, to join your mailing list. You’ll then have a list of people who are interested in your products that you can market to directly. Grab a WordPress email marketing plugin, then get to work building up your email list.
Secure Your Site
Last, but certainly not least, you should think about security. Using some WordPress security plugins, you can ensure that your site remains safe from unwanted intrusions. This means that you won’t have to worry about someone posting things on your site without your knowledge or stealing your customer’s data. Security is essential for any website, so be sure your site is safe before getting too far down the line.
Making the Most of WordPress
With a little bit of time and effort, WordPress can become an amazing tool for all eCommerce sites. Hopefully, the above guide was able to point you in the right direction, and before long your eCommerce site will start to see some success – all thanks to WordPress.