How to Set Up WooCommerce in WordPress: Guide for Beginner (2024)

WooCommerce is currently the most popular and in-demand online shopping platform, with over 5 million active stores worldwide. 

And did you know, 28.19% of all eCommerce business owners use WooCommerce to establish their online presence?

Its flexibility, extensive features, and robust community support have made it a go-to solution for eCommerce.

Again, setting up WooCommerce in WordPress is relatively easy, even if you’ve no technical knowledge. This plugin integrates seamlessly with WordPress, and completes the installation process with just a few clicks. 

However, you might face a little bit of difficulty configuring advanced settings to ensure optimal performance if you’re a complete beginner.

But, don’t worry!

In this blog, we will guide you through the step-by-step process of how to set up WooCommerce in WordPress, from basic to advanced. By the end of this guide, you will have a fully functional WooCommerce store ready to start selling your products online.

What is WooCommerce and Why Use WooCommerce?

‍

Simply put, WooCommerce is a free and open-source e-commerce plugin for WordPress. It lets you easily set up and manage online stores, with lots of flexibility and customization options. 

Woocommerce was launched by WooThemes in 2011 and acquired by Automattic (the company behind WordPress) in 2015. Though this online store build-up plugin hasn't been around for a full decade, WooCommerce has quickly become one of the most popular e-commerce solutions out there.

How?

Woocommerce provides numerous features that focus on how to effectively manage your business with a single hand. That’s why it appears on the must-have list for any online business. 

So, let’s talk about the utmost benefits of WooCommerce for your online store:

1. Product Management

Have you ever struggled to manage a large inventory? 

With WooCommerce, you can easily handle a diverse range of products and make unlimited sales. From uploading products to managing descriptions, images, SKUs, and stock levels, WooCommerce takes care of the entire process, to save you both time and effort.

2. Customizable Store Design

Do you want your store to stand out without needing to code? 

WooCommerce offers a variety of themes and plugins that let you customize your store’s design and functionality. Tailor your store to meet specific needs and ensure a unique, personalized shopping experience for your customers.

3. Payment and Shipping Options

WooCommerce comes with built-in payment gateways like PayPal and Stripe, as well as flexible shipping options. This allows you to provide multiple payment and shipping choices, enhancing the shopping experience and boosting your conversion rates.

4. Sell Products on Other Marketing Channels

When you plan to sell online, you may want to expand your reach across all social media. 

And WooCommerce allows you to promote your products on platforms like Google Shopping and Instagram Shop by uploading a product feed. 

And, in the case of generating product feeds for individual platforms, a renowned software and plugin development company-WebAppick, has launched a free product feed manager plugin-CTX Feed. 

It not only helps you create and manage product feeds but also optimizes them to drive more sales and traffic from more than 100 marketing channels.

5. Maximum Security

What about online security when there is spam everywhere? 

WooCommerce is highly reliable, with regular updates to fix vulnerabilities and ensure compatibility with the latest WordPress versions. It offers robust security measures, so you can protect your business and customer data from online threats, giving you peace of mind.

In summary, WooCommerce is a versatile and powerful e-commerce solution that combines ease of use, customization, and scalability, making it an excellent choice for building and growing your online store.

Is WooCommerce on WordPress free?

Many people wonder whether WooCommerce is free or not. Let’s clear it up for you.

Yes, WooCommerce is a free plugin to download and use on WordPress. However, while the core WooCommerce plugin is free, there are some costs associated with running a WooCommerce store that you should consider, like hosting, domain name, extensions and plugins, an SSL certificate, and payment processing fees as well.

While WooCommerce itself is free, these additional costs are essential to consider when setting up your online store.

How to Set Up WooCommerce on WordPress: 11 Easy Steps

Let's dive into setting up WooCommerce on your WordPress site. This guide is straightforward and perfect for beginners. Follow these steps to get your online store up and running in no time.

Step 1: Install WooCommerce and Launch the Setup Wizard

Start by installing the WooCommerce plugin. Go to your WordPress Dashboard, select “Plugins > Add New Plugin,” and search for ‘WooCommerce.’ 

Once you find it, simply install and activate the plugin.

‍

After installation, you'll be redirected to the setup wizard, which guides you through the basic steps to get your store up and running. Don't worry; you can change your choices later if needed.

Step 2: Setting Up Store Details

In the setup wizard, provide your store's basic details, like 

• Address, 
• Country, 
• City, 
• Postcode, and 
• Your email address. 

If your store has a physical location, enter those details; otherwise, use your residential address. 

‍

‍

Bonus Tip:

Your email will receive enough notifications, so use a dedicated email just to check the updates regularly. Don’t use the email for any personal reason.

Step 3: Choosing an Industry

‍

Next, choose the industry your store operates in. It can be a big industry like vehicles or a microindustry like motorbikes. Even if you need it, you can add up to multiple industries.   

But, if you don’t find any matching industry that exactly goes with your business, you can simply select 'Other' and continue the process.

Step 4: Selecting the Product Type

‍

‍

Now, select the type of products you’ll sell, whether digital or physical. You can also opt for premium features like subscriptions, memberships, bookings, bundles, or customized products at an extra cost.

If you’re just starting out, it’s recommended to start with the free features of the product types.

Step 5: Providing Business Details

In the next section, you’ll need to provide some information regarding your business. It mainly has two parts: 

• Business Details and 
• Free Features. 

‍

‍

Let’s start with the first one, which is the business details. This section mainly includes two things:

• How many products do you plan to display: For example, we have selected around 11-100 products.
• If you are currently selling elsewhere: In our case, we selected "No, I'm not selling elsewhere."

However, if you select “Yes, on another platform” in the “Currently Selling Elsewhere” section, WooCommerce will ask you some additional questions. 

These include basic queries like how much revenue you earn every year and which platform you are using. You can select ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ and then click ‘Continue’.

‍

‍

It will take you to the next part, the Free Features. This section mainly includes whether or not you want to add free extensions to your store based on the answers you provided. 

You can click the drop-down arrow to view the extensions WooCommerce recommends.

‍

‍

Bonus Tip:

If you’re new to extensions, it’s best to skip adding them for now. You can always install the tools you need later, especially once you’re more familiar with how WooCommerce works.

Step 6: Choosing a Theme for Your Store

‍

‍

The next step is to choose an eCommerce theme to display your products. And this is a section where you should take your time. 

Why

There are many themes, both free and paid, available for WooCommerce. The theme you choose has a direct impact on your consumers' experiences.

So, our suggestion is to take your time and do your research. Then, choose a theme that is perfect for your store.

That’s it for the Setup Wizard, but your WooCommerce plugin setup is still not complete. Next, you need to add your products and configure the tax and shipping settings.

Step 7: Adding Products to Your WooCommerce Store

To add products, go to the ‘Products’ tab in the WordPress Dashboard and click ‘Add New.’ 

‍

Just enter the product name, description, and add an appealing feature image here. 

‍

‍

Next up, you need to scroll down and choose the product type. Selecting the product type depends on what you are selling. By default, WooCommerce allows you to select from four product types:

• Simple products
• Grouped products
• External or affiliate products
• Variable products

‍

‍

There are two additional options to modify those four product types:

• Virtual: Select this if you are selling a digital product that doesn’t require shipping.
• Downloadable: Select this if the product includes a downloadable file.

Once you have provided all the product details, go to the top of the page and select ‘Publish.’ And your product will be added.

‍

Step 8: Setting Up Taxes

Set up taxes by going to the WooCommerce dashboard, clicking on ‘Settings,’ and then the ‘Tax’ tab. 

‍

Now, enter the required information and click ‘Save Changes’ to configure the tax rates.

Step 9: Setting Up Shipping Information

This step will take you to a tab where you can set up all the shipping-related information. 

First, click on the Shipping tab and hit Add Zone. Start by giving the zone a name and selecting the zone regions. 

‍

After that, simply click on ‘Add shipping method’ to choose your method.

‍

You will find three default options:

• Free Shipping: This method enables free shipping. It can be triggered with coupons and minimum spending.
• Flat Rate: This option allows you to charge a fixed rate for shipping.
• Local Pickup: This allows customers to pick up orders themselves. By default, store-based taxes will apply regardless of the customer’s address when using local pickup.

Give a quick look at each of these options, select one, and save it.

Step 10: Setting Up Payment

Set up payments by going to ‘WooCommerce’ > ‘Settings’ > ‘Payments.’ WooCommerce supports various payment methods. Activate and configure the ones you want to show on your storefront, then save the changes.

‍

‍

Step 11: Testing Your WooCommerce Store Checkout

Finally, test your store to ensure everything is working correctly. Visit your store, add products to the cart, and proceed to checkout. Place a test order to confirm the setup is complete.

‍

And you're done!

Your WooCommerce store is now set up on WordPress. You can always update information and customize your store later from the 'settings’ tab. Your store is live, your products are up, and you're ready to start making sales!

Tips and Best Practices to Maintain Your WooCommerce Store

Maintaining your WooCommerce store effectively ensures smooth operations and a great customer experience. If you set up Woocommerce and just want sales without keeping it, it’s a matter of rarely one month that your store will be invisible to your customers.

Here are some of the best practices for keeping your WooCommerce store in top shape:

• Regular Updates

Keep WooCommerce, themes, and plugins updated to ensure compatibility, security, and access to the latest features.

• Choose Reliable Plugins

Select plugins from reputable developers with high ratings and regular updates. Reliable plugins enhance your store’s functionality, security, and performance without causing conflicts or issues.

• Go for Quality Themes

Use themes that are well-coded, responsive, and optimized for speed. Quality themes not only improve the visual appeal of your store but also ensure a better user experience, leading to higher customer satisfaction and conversions.

• Backup Your Store

Regularly back up your store data to safeguard against data loss. Use reliable backup solutions to automate this process.

• Optimize for SEO

Utilize SEO plugins to optimize your product pages, content, and others for Woocommerce SEO to enhance the visibility of your store. Focus on keywords, meta descriptions, and alt tags to improve search engine rankings.

• Optimize the mobile experience.

Ensure your store is mobile-friendly. Use responsive themes and test your site on various devices to provide a great shopping experience on smartphones and tablets.

• High-Quality Images

Use high-resolution images to showcase your products effectively. Detailed images help customers make informed purchasing decisions and increase the perceived value of your products.

• Test Checkout Process

Regularly test the checkout process to ensure it is seamless and issue-free. Address any problems promptly to avoid losing sales.

Conclusion:

A well-configured WooCommerce store can greatly boost your online business and provide a flexible platform for selling products. Hopefully, the steps outlined in this guide will help you set up WooCommerce on WordPress correctly. If you encounter any issues, try to revisit the steps and remember the tips and advice provided. If you need further assistance, please feel free to reach out.

‍