Setting up an online store should not be expensive. If you are looking to sell something online, then this tutorial is for you. So let’s setup an online store in the cheapest possible way.
Install WordPress
First of all, we need to install WordPress which is free to use. Many hosting services provide one click installers for WordPress. Just select such a hosting provider and install WordPress. For those who would like to set-up their web servers, I have an article linked below.
How to easily install WordPress on DigitalOcean
Install WooCommerce
Once WordPress is ready, go to Dashboard > Plugins > Add new. Now search and install WooCommerce plugin. Again WooCommerce is free to use.
Once installed, activate WooCommerce plugin. You should now see WooCommerce setup wizard. Just go through it and set it up according to your needs. At the last page of setup wizard click that big button with text “create your first product”.
Now on the product page add product name, give it a good description, add a category and a thumbnail. Under product data, inside the General tab add product price. There are a lot of other options, but I won’t be covering all that in this article. Take your time to go through all those options as most of them are self-explanatory. Add as many products as you like.
Install WooCommerce Theme
Now click the Preview button to see the product page. It might not look pretty because we are not using a WooCommerce optimized theme. To install WooCommerce optimized theme, go to Dashboard > Appearance > Themes and click “add new” button.
On the “Add Themes” page, click feature filter. Then under Subject, select “E-commerce” and click “Apply Filters” button.
From among the themes listed select a theme as per your requirements. Install the theme and activate it. I chose “Ocin Lite” theme for this article.
Once on the WordPress dashboard, hover your website name on the top bar and click visit site link. You are now looking at your online shop. Next, go to WordPress Dashboard > Pages and setup your homepage.
WordPress with WooCommerce is a cheap and secure way to setup an online store. The only cost that you will incur is that of hosting your WordPress website. Yes, you might need to spend on SSL but these days free SSL certificates are also available. Though for an online store, it is better to get a proper SSL certificate.
