How to Open an Ecommerce Store

In today’s digital age, having an online store is essential for reaching a global audience and maximizing your business potential. Opening an ecommerce store and setting it up can be a smooth and enjoyable process when you choose a reliable hosting service like Earth Girl Hosting. This guide will walk you through the steps to open your ecommerce store and get you up and running in the shortest time possible.

 

What is ecommerce? Understanding the Digital Marketplace

Ecommerce has revolutionized how we shop and conduct business. But what exactly is ecommerce, and why is it so significant? Ecommerce, or electronic commerce, refers to the buying and selling of goods and services over the Internet. From large multinational corporations to small local businesses, everyone is embracing this online platform to reach a global audience and streamline their operations. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur or a seasoned business owner, understanding ecommerce is crucial for navigating today's digital economy.

 

Here's How to Open an Ecommerce Store

Step 1: Choose Your Hosting Plan

Earth Girl Hosting offers a variety of hosting plans tailored to different types of websites and needs, including ecommerce. Look for plans that include features like free SSL, daily backups, and 24/7 support, which is what is included with Earth Girl Hosting. Whether you're just starting out or running an established business, there's a plan for you.

Step 2: Register Your Domain

Your domain name is your online identity. Come up with a domain name that reflects your brand, is memorable, and rolls off the tongue (repeat it to yourself to ensure that it sounds pleasant). Earth Girl Hosting offers a variety of top-level domains (TLDs) to choose from and allows you to register your domain directly through their platform, making it a one-stop shop for all your hosting needs. If you already have a domain, you can easily transfer it to Earth Girl Hosting.

Step 3: Set Up Your Hosting Account

After choosing a hosting plan, you can move on to configuring your hosting account purchase. Consider adding extra add-ons such as premium SSL, additional email security, and website security. Don't feel pressured as those can also be added after purchase.

Once in the control panel, such as cPanel, you can select the PHP version you'd like to use (though you may have to adapt this to the platform you choose below), set up your email addresses, domains, and DNS records. Then, you can move on to the next step.

Step 4: Install an ecommerce Platform

Earth Girl Hosting supports an enormous amount of ecommerce platforms like WordPress (with WooCommerce), OpenCart, PrestaShop, Drupal, Joomla!, Magento, among many others, using the included Softaculous. That auto-installer treats those platforms (also known as content management systems (CMSs)) as scripts and it automatically installs them for you. It then lets you manage their installation by giving you some options like auto backups, auto plugin updates, and more. You can also use it to log in to your admin area without entering your username and password.

Here’s an example. You can install WordPress and WooCommerce, which is a popular choice for WordPress users for selling physical products:

1. Go through this documentation to install WordPress using Softaculous.
2. Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
3. Go to Plugins > Add New Plugin.
4. Search for “WooCommerce” and click “Install Now.”
5. Activate the plugin and follow the setup wizard to configure your store.

If you'd mostly like to sell digital products with WordPress, we suggest Easy Digital Downloads.

There are many other ecommerce WordPress plugins that let you establish an online store with WordPress, like the Tribulant Shopping Cart plugin, but WooCommerce offers a quick way to get started. But note this, if you do set up your products in one platform and later discover that it does not meet all your requirements, migrating to another will be time-consuming. We recommend thoroughly researching and evaluating your options before selecting an ecommerce platform.

Step 5: Customize Your Store

With WooCommerce installed, you can start customizing your store to match your brand:

• Choose a theme: Select a WordPress theme that suits your business aesthetics and to create a visually appealing and user-friendly store.
• Add Products: In WordPress, go to Products and start adding your products, complete with descriptions, prices, and images. Make sure to compress your images for faster loading.
• Configure Payment Options: Set up payment gateways like PayPal, Stripe, or credit card payments to facilitate transactions. Ensure your payment methods are secure and that your checkout pages have SSL enabled to protect your customers' data.
• Set Shipping Options: In WooCommerce > Settings, define your shipping methods, zones, allowed shipping destinations, and rates.

Step 6: Optimize for SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) is crucial for attracting traffic to your ecommerce store. Use keywords relevant to your products, optimize your product descriptions, and ensure your site loads quickly.

• Use SEO Plugins: If you're using WordPress, install plugins like Yoast SEO, Rank Math SEO, and All in One SEO to help you optimize your content.
• Optimize Product Descriptions: Use relevant keywords in your product titles and descriptions.
• Create Engaging Content: Write blog posts, guides, in-depth tutorials, and other content to attract and retain customers.
• Install a Caching Plugin: Install a plugin that caches your website. This speeds up your front-end tenfold and, just like having SSL enabled, it increases your search engine ranking.

Step 7: Launch Your Store

After setting up and customizing your store, it’s time to launch:

1. Test Your Store: Make sure all features work correctly, from the product pages to the checkout process. Test test test - it cannot be emphasized enough. You don't want a broken cart page or a checkout page that takes forever to load. Most visitors end up leaving and won't let you know about website woes.
2. Promote Your Store: Promote it through social media, email marketing, and other channels and marketing strategies. Consider running ads to attract more visitors and boost sales.
3. Monitor and Improve: Continuously monitor your store’s performance. Use analytics tools to track visitor behavior, sales, and other metrics. Make improvements based on this data to enhance the user experience and increase conversions.

 

Conclusion

Opening an online store with Earth Girl Hosting is a straightforward process that can set the foundation for your online business success. By following these steps, you can successfully open and run an ecommerce store with Earth Girl Hosting. Your professional, fully functional store will be ready to reach customers around the world. With comprehensive tools, free SSL, free daily backups, and reliable 24/7 North American support, it is easy to manage your online business and focus on what you do best—selling great products!