How to Build an eCommerce Website from Scratch

In today’s world, where everything is just a click away, eCommerce has become the backbone of businesses. As online shopping becomes the preferred choice for consumers, having an eCommerce website is essential for business success. It’s not just an option but a necessity to succeed in a competitive market.

According to Statista, global eCommerce sales are projected to reach $6.38 trillion by 2024, up from $4.28 trillion in 2020. This rapid growth highlights the huge potential of eCommerce, making it a great time to start and build your online presence.

This guide is designed to walk you through how to build an eCommerce website from scratch. From selecting the right platform to optimizing for user experience and SEO, we’ll cover everything you need to know to get your online store up and running smoothly.

Key Takeaways

• Learn the essential steps to build an eCommerce site, from selecting a domain and hosting to designing a user-friendly interface.
• Discover how to choose the right platform and why it is crucial.
• Learn about popular eCommerce platforms.
• Driving traffic to your eCommerce site involves SEO, social media marketing, email campaigns, and content marketing strategies.
• Reviewing and optimizing your site’s performance ensures continued success in the competitive eCommerce space.

What is eCommerce?

eCommerce, or electronic commerce, is the process of buying and selling products or services online. It allows businesses and consumers to conduct online transactions, making shopping and business operations faster, more convenient, and accessible worldwide. It encompasses online business transactions, including retail shopping, auctions, and payment gateways. 

Why Create an eCommerce Website?

Creating an eCommerce website allows businesses to tap into the growing online market and expand their customer base beyond geographic limitations. It’s a cost-effective way to scale your business and stay competitive in today’s market.

An online store operates 24/7, offering constant access to products and services. This continuous availability can help increase sales and revenue.  

Moreover, an eCommerce website provides valuable insights into customer behavior. It also enhances the convenience of your customer’s shopping experience.

Most Common Types of eCommerce Models

When it comes to eCommerce, understanding the various business models can help you choose the one that aligns with your goals and customer base. Here are some of the most common eCommerce models and how each serves distinct business needs.

Business-to-consumer (B2C): This model involves businesses selling directly to consumers, such as online retailers like Amazon, Walmart, or Zara. It is the most common eCommerce model, where individual customers purchase goods or services from a business.

Business-to-business (B2B): In this model, transactions occur between businesses, such as a manufacturer selling products to a wholesaler or retailer. B2B eCommerce often involves larger orders and longer sales cycles. Examples include Alibaba, Amazon Business, and Grainger.

Consumer-to-business (C2B): In C2B, individuals sell products or services to businesses, such as freelancers offering services on platforms like Upwork and Fiverr.

Popular eCommerce Platforms

Choosing the right platform is crucial to the success of your eCommerce website. Let’s explore some of the most popular eCommerce platforms available today.

WooCommerce: WooCommerce is a powerful and flexible eCommerce plugin for WordPress. It offers extensive customization options and a wide range of plugins to enhance functionality.

Shopify: Shopify is a hosted platform that provides everything you need. It is known for its ease of use and robust features. It includes payment processing and marketing tools.

Squarespace: Squarespace offers beautifully designed templates and an easy-to-use interface. It’s a great choice for those wanting a visually appealing store without extensive customization.

Wix: With its intuitive drag-and-drop builder, Wix allows users to create stunning eCommerce sites quickly. It offers various design options and features suitable for small to medium-sized stores.

Magento: A powerful open-source platform, Magento is ideal for larger businesses needing advanced features and customization options. It requires more technical expertise but offers unparalleled flexibility and scalability.

How to Choose the Right eCommerce Platform

With so many options available, choosing the right eCommerce platform for your business can be overwhelming. Here are some factors to consider:

1. Hosted vs. Self-Hosted Platforms:

Consider if you prefer a platform that manages hosting for you (hosted) or if you want to host the site yourself (self-hosted). Examples: Shopify, BigCommerce, Wix.

Hosted platforms offer simplicity, handling hosting needs and technical maintenance entirely. Examples: WooCommerce (with WordPress), Magento, OpenCart. 

2. Functionality:

Assess whether the platform supports essential eCommerce features like product management, inventory tracking, and payment gateways. Check for additional functionalities like SEO tools, marketing integrations, and mobile optimization.

3. Ease of Use:

Choose an eCommerce platform that’s easy to use for both your team and customers. Look for a platform with a simple, user-friendly design and tools for managing products, orders, and content so your team doesn’t need advanced technical skills.

4. Customization:

Select a platform that allows flexibility in design, layout, and functionality adjustments. It should enable brand-specific personalization and align well with your design vision. High customization levels make your store unique and user-friendly.

5. Support:

Reliable customer support is crucial for handling platform issues quickly and effectively. Check if support options include live chat, email, and comprehensive help documentation. Consistent support access can prevent downtime and maintain smooth operations.

Recommended Blogs for You:
👉 How to Create an eCommerce Website with WordPress and WooCommerce
👉 9 Ways to Encourage Returning Customers for Sustainable Business Growth
👉 The 10 Best WooCommerce Product Filter Plugins
👉 How to Reduce Returns in eCommerce: 10 Proven Ways

How to Build an eCommerce Website from Scratch: Step-by-Step Guide

Building an eCommerce website from scratch might seem daunting, but it can be a rewarding and manageable project with the right guidance and tools. WordPress and WooCommerce are a powerful combination of flexibility and functionality for building an eCommerce site. 

WordPress, the popular website-building platform, is perfect for eCommerce. It offers a wide range of themes, plugins, and customization options.WooCommerce is a powerful eCommerce solution designed for WordPress users. This plugin provides features like easy product management, multiple payment gateways, and various customization options.

In this section, we will take you through each essential step to create a fully functional online store using WooCommerce on WordPress. 

Domain Name and Hosting

For building a website, a domain name and hosting are essential. The domain name serves as your online address, making it easier for customers to find you. Hosting provides the infrastructure needed to keep your site live and accessible.

Choose a memorable domain name that reflects your brand is easy to spell, and is relevant to your business. Check its availability through a domain registrar and register it to secure ownership.  

Next, buy hosting from a reliable provider with performance, scalability, and security. For eCommerce websites, consider hosting plans tailored to your needs. For WordPress users, hosting providers like WordPress, Bluehost, Hostinger, and SiteGround are popular. Many hosting providers include domain registration as part of their comprehensive service offerings.

Choose WordPress as Your CMS

Choose WordPress as your CMS, as it’s currently the most popular and widely used platform, powering 43% of all websites. It’s free, open-source, and offers extensive plugin and theme support. 

Start by installing WordPress on your hosting platform. To install WordPress:

Download WordPress: Go to wordpress.org and download the latest version. Extract the files and upload them to your hosting server via cPanel or FTP.

Create a Database: Use your hosting control panel to create a MySQL database and user.

Run the Installation: Visit your domain in a browser and follow the WordPress installation wizard. Provide the database details when prompted.

Set Up Admin: Choose your admin username, password, and email, then complete the installation. 

After installation, you can log into your WordPress dashboard and start customizing your site.

Install WooCommerce for eCommerce Capabilities

Once WordPress is set up, install WooCommerce to transform your website into a full-functional eCommerce store. 

To install WooCommerce:

Go to Plugins > Add New in your WordPress dashboard. Search for WooCommerce and click Install Now.

Click Activate to enable the plugin. Follow the setup wizard to configure your store.

WooCommerce offers features like product listings, categories, and checkout functionalities. 

After installation, configure WooCommerce settings such as currency, shipping, and payment options.

Curious about setting up WooCommerce in detail? Check out our blog post “How to install WooCommerce on WordPress” for a quick and easy guide! 

Add Products to Your Store

After activating WooCommerce, start adding products to your online store. When adding products to your WooCommerce store, create clear, detailed listings that give customers all the necessary information. Include detailed information like product specifications, available sizes, colors, and accurate pricing. 

Use professional, high-resolution images to showcase your products. Multiple angles and zoom functionality can help customers get a better view and make informed purchasing decisions.

Implement competitive pricing strategies to attract and retain customers. Consider offering discounts, bundle deals, or loyalty programs to encourage repeat business.

If you want to learn more, let’s read about how to add products to your WooCommerce store.

Enhance Customization with ShopLentor

If you want even more customization options, consider using the ShopLentor plugin. It is a powerful page builder for WooCommerce and compatible with both Elementor page builder and Gutenberg block editor. 

Install ShopLentor

Go to Plugins > Add New in your WordPress dashboard.

Search for ShopLentor in the search bar. Click Install Now

Then Activate.

To unlock advanced features, visit the ShopLentor website and follow the instructions to upgrade.

Design and Customize Your Shop/Archive Page

You can create visually appealing pages with ShopLentor. You can easily customize product displays and layout elements with ready-made templates for key pages like shop, cart, and checkout. Just click to import pre-built shop templates and personalize them to match your style. It’s the perfect tool to build a professional store with ease!

To customize your WooCommerce Shop pages with ShopLentor, Follow these steps: 

Navigate to ShopLentor > Template Builder and Click on “Add New”  button to create a template for your Shop page.

Enter the template name “Shop” and Type “Shop.” Select either Elementor or Gutenberg as your editor.

Choose a pre-made page template or create a custom design using different widgets.

Preview the page’s layout before publishing it. Don’t forget to save the changes.

To learn more about customizing wooCommerce pages, visit How to customize wooCommerce shop page with Shoplentor.

Customize Pages with ShopLentor Readymade Templates

You can create more essential WooCommerce pages, such as the product details page, cart page, checkout page, My Account page, and Thank You page, using the ShopLentor template builder. Alternatively, you can customize ready-made templates with Elementor or Gutenberg blocks. In this section, we’ll guide you through building these pages.

Build Cart Page

The cart page is crucial for a smooth shopping experience. ShopLentor provides a cart page template, making it easy to set up and manage. Customize the cart page’s layout, add buttons, and configure widget settings to streamline shopping and reduce cart abandonment.

ShopLentor WooCommerce Addons offers a wide range of widgets designed to create visually appealing and professional cart pages quickly. 

These Cart Page Widgets are part of the ShopLentor Pro version and include:

• Cart Total
• Cart Table
• Empty Cart Message
• Cross-Sell Product
• Empty Cart Redirect Button

In addition to these widgets, ShopLentor provides pre-built cart page templates that can be imported and customized to suit your preferences effortlessly. To learn more visit – how to build and customize cart page in wooCommerce.

Build Checkout Page

A well-optimized checkout page is essential to completing sales. Use ShopLentor’s checkout templates to create a user-friendly checkout flow. Customize fields and add features like coupon code fields, payment options, and address forms to make the process smooth and efficient for customers.

To customize the checkout page, click “Edit with Elementor” or “Edit with Gutenberg.”

• Add the Checkout Coupon Form widget by searching for it and selecting the one with the “WL Badge.”
• For a Billing Form, search for “Checkout Billing Form” and choose the one labeled with the “WL Badge.”
• To add a Shipping Form, search for “Checkout Shipping Form” and select the widget with the “WL Badge.”
• Insert the Checkout Additional Information Form widget by searching for it and picking the one with the “WL Badge.”
• Add the Checkout Order Review and Checkout Payment Method widgets by searching for each and selecting those with the “WL Badge.”

Customize the design from style settings and preview your Checkout Page Template when done.

Build ‘Thank You’ Page

The ‘Thank You’ page offers a nice touch post-purchase, enhancing the customer experience. Use ShopLentor’s templates to design a thank-you page that confirms the order, thanks the customer, and even includes related product recommendations for future purchases.

To create a Thank You page using ShopLentor, 

• Go to Dashboard > ShopLentor > Template Builder and click the Add New button. 
• Name your template in the popup box, select Thank You from the dropdown type list, and tick the Set Default checkbox. 
• Choose a design from the Sample Design options, then click Save Settings. 
• Next, click the Edit with Elementor/Gutenberg button to customize the template. 
• Use widgets like Thank You Order, Customer Address Details, and Order Details, identified by the WL Badge, to build the page. 

Once done, preview your Thank You Page Template to ensure everything is in place.

Build My Account Page

Allow users to view their order history and manage their profiles with a My Account page. With ShopLentor, you can create a comprehensive account dashboard with login, order details, and profile update options, all easily customizable in Elementor.

Some of the widgets for My Account Page include: 

• My Account Dashboard 
• My Account Download 
• My Account Edit 
• My Account Address
• My Account Login Form
• My Account Register Form
• My Account Logout
• My Account Order

If you would like to learn more about My Account page, you can visit how to build a custom my account page.

Essential Features for Your eCommerce Site

To successfully run an eCommerce business, you must equip your website with features like a user-friendly product search, secure payment gateways, customer reviews, an intuitive checkout process, etc. These features improve user satisfaction and drive sales and customer loyalty.

Shopping Cart and Checkout

Your shopping cart and checkout process should be straightforward and secure. Minimize the steps required to complete a purchase and offer multiple payment options to accommodate user preferences.

Payment Gateways

Start by choosing a payment gateway that supports essential payment methods like credit cards, debit cards, and digital wallets. Reliable options like PayPal, Stripe, and Square offer secure transactions. They also integrate well with WooCommerce, ensuring a seamless checkout experience for your customers.

Product Pages

Create detailed product pages with high-quality images, comprehensive descriptions, and customer reviews. Ensure the layout is clean and the information is easy to access.

Advanced Search & Filters Functionality

Implement advanced search & filter that lets users quickly find products by name, category, price range, or other attributes. This can further enhance the shopping experience.

Setting Up Payment Methods

Choose from a variety of payment gateways to cater to different customer preferences. Popular options include PayPal, Stripe, Square, and Authorize.Net. To protect customer information, ensure your payment processing is secure. Use encryption and secure socket layer (SSL) certificates to safeguard transactions.

Read More: How to Configure Payment Gateways in WooCommerce

Setting Up Shipping and Fulfillment

To meet different customer needs, offer various shipping options, such as standard, express, and international. Develop efficient fulfillment strategies to ensure orders are processed and shipped promptly. 

Consider using fulfillment solutions like ShipBob, ShipStation, or 3PL (Third-Party Logistics) providers, which integrate smoothly with WooCommerce and simplify logistics for eCommerce businesses. 

These platforms help streamline order processing, inventory management, and shipping, allowing businesses to track shipments, manage orders efficiently, and provide customers with timely updates, improving the overall shopping experience.

To learn more, visit how to set up shipping in WooCommerce.

Optimizing for Search Engines (SEO)

Conduct thorough keyword research to identify the terms and phrases your target audience uses to search for products. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahref, or SEMrush to find relevant keywords.

Optimize your website’s content, meta tags, and URLs with your target keywords. Ensure your site is fast, mobile-friendly, and easy to navigate to improve its search engine rankings.

Build high-quality backlinks to your website from reputable sources. Engage in guest blogging, social media marketing, and influencer partnerships to boost your site’s authority and visibility.

Ensuring Website Security

Secure your website with an SSL certificate to encrypt data transmitted between your site and your users. This is essential for protecting sensitive information like credit card details.

The Jetpack plugin is highly recommended for WordPress users to enhance the site’s security. Jetpack offers automated backups, malware scanning, and protection against brute-force attacks.

Implement robust data protection measures to safeguard customer information. Use encryption, strong passwords, and secure payment gateways to prevent data breaches.

Marketing Your eCommerce Website

After making your website, you need to market your brand. You can use social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to promote your products and engage with your audience. Use targeted ads and organic content to drive traffic to your site.

Use email marketing tools like Mailchimp or Constant Contact for efficient campaign management. Build email templates and send regular newsletters to inform customers about new products, promotions, and updates. 

Create valuable content, such as blog posts, videos, and infographics, to attract and engage your target audience. Focus on relevant topics to your products and industry to establish your brand as an authority.

Analyzing and Improving Performance

Use tools like Google Analytics to track your website’s performance. Monitor key metrics such as traffic, conversion rates, and customer behavior to gain insights into your site’s effectiveness. For an easy integration, consider using the HT Easy GA4 plugin. This tracking plugin simplifies connecting your site with Google Analytics 4, ensuring you have all the necessary data at your fingertips.

Pay attention to metrics like average order value (AOV), customer lifetime value (CLV), bounce rate, and cart abandonment rate. These metrics provide valuable information about your site’s performance and customer engagement.

Review your website’s performance regularly and make data-driven improvements. Test different strategies, such as A/B testing for CTAs or optimizing product pages, to enhance user experience and increase sales.

Read More: 7 Best Google Analytics WooCommerce Plugins for Your Online Store

Frequently Asked Question

Conclusion

Building an eCommerce website requires careful planning, from selecting the right domain and hosting provider to designing an optimized user interface. With the right strategies in place, such as effective marketing and secure processes, your online store can attract customers and increase sales.

Continuous improvement is key to staying competitive. To ensure success, focus on creating a well-designed, user-friendly site, using effective marketing strategies, and maintaining secure processes. Regularly review your site’s performance and make adjustments to ensure it meets your customers’ needs and stands out in the marketplace.

Start building your eCommerce site today and set it up for long-term success.