How create an online store free? How to create an online sales site for free? How to create a website of eCommerce in order to sell its products and services?

These are all questions that many people ask themselves, because to make money on the internet, you have to know how to market your products and services on the Web.

If you are one of our loyal readers, then you have probably noticed that in our theme recommendations, we often mention le Plugin WooCommerce, who is the most used solution on WordPress for create an online store. 

Just yesterday, I was chatting with one of our subscribers, and he was asking me if WooCommerce was so easy to handle. I confess that I was surprised by this question, which was however not meaningless. It is after much research that I realized he was not the only one in this case.

Many bloggers, newbie web entrepreneurs wishing to get started in e-commerce do not know how to install, activate and configure this plugin.

Before going any further, be aware that you can find the best WooCommerce extensions at here on Codecanyon

So in this tutorial, I'll show you how to create your first online shop thanks to the plugin WooCommerce.

But before, if you have never installed WordPress discover How to install a WordPress blog in 7 steps et How to search, install and activate a WordPress theme on your blog 

Then back to why we are here.

Woocommerce wordpress plugin

Create an online store is a prerequisite for earning money on the internet by selling products or services. So this is a step you have to go through (because we also did it).

I'll start by showing you how to install, configure and use WooCommerce. However, if you do not understand a point, the comment form is available to you. And if this tutorial convinces you (and I'm sure he will), don't forget to share it with your friends.

How to install the plugin WooCommerce

We have already shown you how to install WordPress using FileZilla. Although this is the least used technique, it has still been proven, so you can use this approach if you want to manually install this plugin.

WooCommerce Is available on WordPress.orgyou can download it as a file compress (Zip).

To install WooCommerce using FileZilla, after connecting to your FTP server, find the folder where your blog is installed (main file of your accommodation), usually this folder is named " public_html », But it varies according to the hosts. 

Ask your host for more details. When you have found the main folder of your accommodation, find and open the folder « wp-content/plugins » and drop your unzipped zip file.

Go further with our guide on: How to install a plugin in WordPress: The guide

In addition, you can install WooCommerce directly from your dashboard, this is the most used method.

To do this, navigate to this location on your dashboard: « Extension > Add ».

Install woocommerce

Once it's done, click "Search among extensions". Search the results list « WooCommerce - excelling And install it.

After installing The plugin, you will be asked to configure your online store. This is a basic setup that will get you up and running in no time. You can, however, decide not to configure your store.

Woocommerce store configuration

You will then notice that there are two new menus available on the left sidebar of your dashboard. It is " WooCommerce » (which will be used to manage orders, purchases, promo codes, etc ...) and " Products » (for the management of the products of course).

Creation of a woocommerce product dashboard

First configurations

Before starting anything, we must necessarily carry out our first configurations (so take your trouble, your shop will be ready soon). 

To do this, navigate to the location " WooCommerce >> Settings ». Fortunately for us, the Plugin is available in French. You can therefore easily configure your e-commerce website. However, I would emphasize the essential points.

General tab:

General options

You are free to determine the location of your online store. However, some customers will want to know where you are to know if they can possibly trust you and deliver on time.

See also How to add a WooCommerce store on Facebook

You can also restrict the purchase of your products to a geographic area (Country). This option concerns those who wish to offer physical products that can be delivered.

General woocommerce settings

Currency Options

This option will allow you to determine which currency will be used on your store. You have a wide range of choices between currencies. You can also determine the position of the currency relative to the price.

Products tab:

The section «Product lists»

Here you will be able to define which page will be used as the main page of your online store. It is generally on this page that the products will be listed, according to a criterion that you can determine (Page Archive / Shop). We let the plugin choose a page for us. Otherwise you can choose another one.

You can also determine what to display on the store (Display Page Shop). In this tutorial, we chose " Show Products ».

Sorting options will help you determine how products will be sorted. Leave the option « Enable AJAX Add to Cart buttons on Archives » enabled, This will make your blog much more dynamic.

Downloadable products

If you offer downloadable products such as ebooks, music or movies, it is important to hide the source of the download, otherwise multiple people will be able to access it using the download address.

The default option is " Force download But if your server supports the other options, you can also use them. Check with your host to find out if your server supports the " mod_xsendfile ».

You can also configure inventory management. This is important if you want to make the system self-sufficient. Thus, if a product is no longer available in stock, then it will automatically cease to be available in the store. (when you expressly decide to hide an exhausted product).

Discover also: How to control the stock of your WooCommerce online store

You will therefore be able to receive notifications on the current state of the stock, and also inform customers about its state. (for example : 20 remaining copies)Many people often miss out on this stock management option, yet it is also important.

Configuration of woocommerce products

Command Tab

This tab is simply tricky for the simple reason that it allows you to offer security measures to your online store. 

Indeed, an unprotected shop in SSL (by the protocol HTTPS), is unreliable and most customers will refuse to purchase the products offered by this store. So you will necessarily have to have a protected shop in SSL.

Also read our guide on How to use SSL and HTTPS with WordPress

Once it's done, you will need to configure payment gateways. 5 choices are available to you (choice you can order). Click on " Settings To configure each payment gateway.

I leave you to choose the gateway you want to use (PayPal, Bank Transfer, etc...). You are free to disable a gateway if it does not suit you.

Expedition tab

Regarding shipping, if you don't offer a delivery service in your store, then you can simply turn off this feature. If not, you will be able to determine the countries in which delivery is available (hence the need to give customers your geographic location)

Read also : 10 WooCommerce plugins to create shipping scenarios

You can also decide to automate the process of calculating the cost of delivery, directly in the shopping cart or until a delivery address is sent. So you have a wide choice on delivery terms, you can choose the one that suits you best.

Configuration of woocommerce delivery

Account Tab

This is another essential point for your store. Each customer should has the possibility of modifying his order, his profile, his address, etc…. It is on this tab that everything will be played out.

First, you will have to choose the profile page. By default, the chosen page is « my account ». But it can vary depending on your configurations. 

How to translate your WordPress blog into several languages? Find out by consulting this link 

Also from this tab, you can offer your customers to register on a page that you have created (and not using the WordPress registration system), and to generate their identifiers and / or their passwords.

Woocommerce account settings

Tab Email

On this tab, you can determine the appearance of the various emails sent during the ordering process. Especially when the order is new, when it is in progress or when it is finished.

A must read: 5 WooCommerce plugins to create marketing emails

You can also change the invoice sent to the customer, the note sent to the customer, and the different mail resetting account and new account.

Please note: : Il you will need to have bases in development to personalize the different mails sent (amateur abstain).

How to manage products

Now that we have set up the parameters of our shop, it is now time to create our products and their different categories.

Read also our article on 10 WooCommerce plugins to recover abandoned baskets

It is a task that you should not take lightly, because it is on the seriousness that you put into work, that the success of your online store will depend. So you have to think about your categories (on paper of course), but also reflect on the organization of your products. I leave it to you to do it.

Once that's done, we can create a product.

How to create / add a product on WooCommerce

Nothing could be simpler, access the interface " products >> Add products ». The interface for creating products is quite similar to that for creating articles (with some differences).

To consult also: 5 WooCommerce plugins to create marketing emails

The major differences are in the boxes meta located lower. It is more precisely the "Product data", "Product gallery" and "Small product description".

Creation of a woocommerce product

However, I have to add a little detail on the product data. You must fill in this information each time you want to add a product.

See also: How to generate PDF invoices for WooCommerce

It all depends on the nature of the product you want to market.

  • Is it physical or virtual?
  • What is its value?
  • How many copies do you have?
  • What are its attributes?
  • Is it part of an already existing product category?
  • Should I activate my product reviews?

All these questions will be answered by the product data.

Before we leave

You would certainly like to know how to access statistics on sales, purchases, in short on your online store. WooCommerce offers a completely dedicated space, for this you need acede to this site " WooCommerce >> Reports ».

Read also: How to create WooCommerce product grids on WordPress

Maybe you too will come to have a shop running at full speed like my fake virtual shop (I made it for this tutorial).

Woocommerce report

You should also know that you can extend the functionality of the Plugin WooCommerce by adding plugins. 

Discover also our 50 WooCommerce plugins to improve your online shop

But above all don't forget, we have a list of Themes compatible with WooCommerce for you, do not hesitate to take a tour and download one that suits you.

Recommended WooCommerce Plugins

We strongly recommend the following WooCommerce plugins:

Conclusion

Here! That's all for this tutorial, please feel free to contact us if you do not understand some points or have difficulty with WooCommerce. We hope you will make good use of it. 

However, you will also be able to consult our resources, if you need more elements to carry out your projects of creation of Internet sites, by consulting our guide on the WordPress blog creation or the one on Divi: the best WordPress theme of all time.

If you have any concerns or suggestions in this area, let's find ourselves in the comments section to talk about it. Waiting, share this article on your different social networks.

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