How your offline business can start selling online quickly

Many businesses are unable to do business offline so it is more important than ever that they have an online presence. It’s essential to keep customers informed, increase revenue (especially if you have a closed storefront), and offer new services such as virtual pickup scheduling or virtual services. You don’t have much time or money to do this.

WooCommerce, WordPress’ free Ecommerce platform, is an affordable, customizable, and fully-customizable Ecommerce solution. It is easy to use and meets the needs of store owners, regardless of their technical knowledge. If you have any questions, detailed documentation is available. A highly skilled support team is also available.

Let’s look at five steps to set up an online store.

1. Buy a domain name, and select a host

Domain names are the URL people enter into their browsers to locate your website, such as WooCommerce.com. It is best to choose one that contains your company name or products and services. The better, the clearer and more concise.

Domains can be purchased from many providers. We like GoDaddy’s simple search tool, which helps you find the perfect domain name. The majority of domains on.com start at $11.99.

Next, select a hosting provider to host your site. The host holds the files required to create your website and makes them available to everyone around the globe. There are many options, all with different prices and features. is a GoDaddy plan that was specifically designed for WooCommerce.

GoDaddy’s Ecommerce Hosting Plan includes everything you need to get your website online. This includes an SSL certificate, hassle-free software installations and daily backups. A fast hosting platform optimized for WordPress will also be available, as well as support and pre-installed WooCommerce extensions that can be used for appointment bookings and subscriptions. GoDaddy will offer it for $1 for the first 3 months to support businesses during the COVID-19 epidemic.

Learn more:

• Magento Pos
• Shopify Pos
• Bigcommerce Pos
• Woocommerce Pos
• Netsuite pos
• MSI
• Bigcommerce automation
• Shopify automation
• Backorder

2. Install WordPress and choose a theme

Next, you need to install WordPress. Many hosting providers allow you to install WordPress in one click. Check with your host for more details. This will be done automatically if you have chosen GoDaddy Ecommerce plan.

Log in to your website by visiting example.com/wp_admin. Make sure you replace example.com by your domain name! You’ll find your WordPress dashboard. Here you can manage all aspects of your online store. Here’s a detailed breakdown of the dashboard settings.

Next, choose a WordPress theme. This is the template that will control the layout and design of your website. The Storefront theme is our recommendation. It’s simple, clean, intuitive, and works well on all sizes of devices, including mobile phones and desktops.

(Not loving Storefront) Find more Ecommerce-ready, free themes here

3. Basic pages created

The pages you create will vary depending on the products and business you run, but there are some pages that every store should have.

• Home
• About
• Get in touch
• Privacy Policy

Every page is composed of blocks of content such as headings, paragraphs and images. To create a page:

1. Go to pages – Add New to your WordPress dashboard.
2. At the top of each page, add a title.

1. To select the type of block that you wish to add, click the plus icon at the top left. Scroll through the options or use the search bar for something specific. Each block has its own settings that you can modify in the column to the right.
2. After you have finished adding blocks click the blue Publishbutton in the top right. Your page will go live!

Our support documentation provides more information about editing and creating pages.

4. Install WooCommerce

WooCommerce allows you to add Ecommerce functionality to WordPress. It also lets you sell products. Go to plugins – Add New from your WordPress dashboard. Click on “WooCommerce” to search, then click on Install Now and activate. If you have chosen the GoDaddy Ecommerce hosting package, this will be already done.

The Setup Wizard will guide you through each step:

1. Connect to WooCommerce and Jetpack Services. These tools are free and provide tax calculations, shipping labels printing at home, security, and many other features.
2. Store Details: Set the location of your store.
3. Industry:Choose which industry your company operates in.
4. Product types Select the product type you wish to sell — physical, digital, or both.
5. Contact details: Add details about your company and receive personalized recommendations for your shop.
6. Theme Simply select the theme you are using, since you have already installed and set it up.

You will be taken to a second screen where you can add products, set up shipping and taxes and make payments.

Shipping:Determine the shipping costs to different areas. You can print shipping labels from home if WooCommerce services is enabled. This will save you trips to the postoffice. You can also set up free shipping and let shoppers pick up food and other products from your location.

Taxes Set tax rates based upon your location. WooCommerce taxes will automatically take care of all your tax needs.

Payments Select a payment gateway that allows you to securely accept credit cards on your website.

This is all you need to set up your store! Now, it’s time for you to add products.

5. Add products

Go to Products and Add New to your WordPress dashboard. In the appropriate fields, enter the name and description for your product.

Scroll down to the Product Data Box and expand the dropdown labeled Simple Product. Select from the following types of products:

• Simple product: This covers the majority of products. These products are shipped and do not include any options, such as a book or toy.
• Grouped Product: A group of related products that can all be bought individually, such as a set of glasses.
• Virtual product – A product or service that’s not shipped. This could be an online consultation, or curbside pickup at a restaurant.
• Downloadable product – A virtual product customers can download, such as an eBook or audio file.
• Affiliate product: Product that is listed on your site but not sold elsewhere.
• Variable product – A product that offers options such as a shirt in multiple sizes or colors.

Here are the steps to creating a basic product. Click the links above to see detailed tutorials for other product types.

1. If applicable, add a Regular price and/or a Sales Price.
2. Click the Inventory Tab to set an SKU and inventory amount, if necessary.
3. Select the Shippingtab, and then add the weight and dimensions.
4. Choose a Product category in the right column. You can group products by type, color, range or other relevant features.
5. You can add a Product image to be used as the primary image. Customers can also scroll through additional Product Gallery images.
6. To add your product to your website, click the blue Publishbutton in the top right.

You are free to be imaginative! WooCommerce can support almost any product you want. You might accept preorders during this period. These orders will be shipped once your warehouse or storefront is open again. You can also sell services you offer online, such as counseling sessions, workouts, and cooking classes. You can offer curbside or delivery of food and drink, take donations for charities, or ship products you have created, such as hand sanitizers or face masks.

After you have added all of your products, they will appear on the Shop page created automatically by the Setup Wizard. This can be found by clicking on Shop and going to pages – All Pages.

Sell online.

That’s all! Now you have an online store that is fully functional and will continue to generate revenue for many years. If you have any questions, please read our documentation. It includes step-by-step instructions.