How to Create an Amazing WordPress Website with a Store – Tutorial Video
Are you looking to launch a store online and would like to know how to create a WordPress website to represent it? In this video, you’ll discover how to seamlessly integrate a store with your WordPress blog, using plugins and a bit of customization. You’ll also discover how to use WordPress to its full potential and create an amazing customer experience when your customers visit your site.
The Pros & Cons of Using WordPress as a Store Platform
There are a lot of perks that come with using WordPress as a store platform. For one, it’s incredibly popular, meaning more people are likely to visit your store than your competitors. Not only that, but users can find what they’re looking for easily, as WordPress is one of the most used blogging platforms globally, with over 24.7 million users currently active across the globe. In fact, WordPress is so popular that according to HubSpot Blogs research, 37% of the world’s top brands are running their corporate blogs on WordPress. This makes it a truly versatile platform and means you have a lot of options when it comes to building a store on it.
On the other hand, there are a few drawbacks to consider. Since WordPress is so widely used, it means you’ll have a lot of competition. Not only that, but since it’s free, anyone can set up a blog on it and may not have the monetizing capability your store needs. One more con is that since WordPress is so user-friendly, people may use your blog to look for information or research materials they need, which can put your SEO (search engine optimization) at risk. These are just a few of the more significant cons to consider before you set up shop on WordPress.
Setting Up the Blog
Before you can begin the process of integrating your store into your WordPress blog, you’ll need to set up the blog yourself. If you’re unfamiliar, a WordPress blog is essentially a website with a blog platform behind it that keeps track of content and makes it easy to post new content whenever you like.
To get started, visit the WordPress dashboard and click on the Get a Free Blog button at the top right. Alternatively, you can click on the Get a Free Blog button in the WordPress menu to be directed to the dashboard.
Once you’re on the WordPress dashboard, you’ll see a Search bar at the top of the page. Type in your blog’s name to enter the correct URL (uniform resource locator) for your blog. Once you’ve entered the correct URL, click on the Go to Blogger button at the top right to be redirected to the Blogger dashboard.
On the left-hand side of the Blogger dashboard, you’ll see a navigation menu with the traditional blogging items like Post, Site Entry, and About. Just above that is a menu with three gears – Settings, Tools, and Help. Settings is where you can choose the design of your blog; Tools allows you to upload a logo and pick a custom theme for your blog; and Help is where you can get support from WordPress experts if you’re having any trouble setting up your blog.
From the Blogger dashboard, you can click on the orange Create New Blog button to begin the process of setting up your blog. Type in a title for your blog (something that will clearly define what your blog is about) and select the location you’d like to post to (a city, a niche, or a general topic area).
Once you’ve created the blog, you can click on the orange Publish button to post your first article.
The Basics of Integrating a Store into WordPress
Now that your blog is set up, you can begin the process of integrating it with your store. To do this, you’ll need to install a few WordPress plugins. The best way to find out what plugins you need is to click on one of the blue links at the top of the WordPress dashboard (in the navigation menu) and be taken to a page with a list of available plugins. Alternatively, you can find the list of plugins on the WordPress website directly.
In this case, we’ll need a shopping plugin to link our store with our blog. Once you’ve installed the plugin (it will appear in your WordPress dashboard under Settings –> Plugins), you’ll need to activate it. To do this, click on the button with three horizontal stripes next to the plugin in your WordPress dashboard. This activates the plugin so you can begin using it. You can also click on the Activate button to the right of the plugin in order to access the settings page for the plugin.
Once you’ve activated the shopping plugin, you can click on the Shopping tab to the left of your blog’s entry point (the homepage) to be taken to your store’s front page. Just above the Shopping tab is a menu with three dots – this is where you can select the product you want to feature on your blog. You can choose from a wide variety of products, including clothing, accessories, food, etc. When selecting a product, you’ll need to fill in the information about the item as completely as possible. This includes the name of the product, its description (including any special perks or discounts associated with it), and the price. You can add images of the product (more on this later) and choose whether you want to display the price in currency or in a discounted amount.
Once you’ve entered the necessary information about the product you want to feature on your blog and hit the Publish button, your product will be added to your blog’s shop section and will appear in your customers’ (Google) search results when they look for that product on Google Search.
Setting Up the Store’s Homepage
In addition to adding products to your blog’s shop section, you’ll also need to set up a dedicated webpage for the store. This webpage will become your store’s homepage, and it’s where you’ll find the majority of your store’s content, including any special offers, promotions, or discounts.
Since your store’s homepage is very much a key piece of your marketing material, it’s important that it be well-designed and easy to navigate. Fortunately, creating a successful homepage isn’t as hard as you might think – provided you use the right resources.
To begin, visit the WordPress dashboard and click on the Settings icon in the top right corner to bring up the Settings panel. Alternatively, you can click on the Settings button in the WordPress menu to be directed to the dashboard.
From the Settings panel, click on the Design button to bring up the Theme Settings panel. From here, you can choose the theme you’d like to use for your store (there are a few options to choose from) and click on the Update button to have it applied immediately.
To create a successful store, you need to have a clear idea of what you’re trying to achieve. One of the best ways to do this is by using a website tool like Google Analytics to track the results of your marketing efforts and figure out what is and isn’t working. To begin, you can create a task list of everything you want to track – this could include things like the bounce rate (the percentage of people who visit a website and then immediately leave), the number of visitors per day, and the time spent on the website by those visitors. You can then begin creating new metrics and viewing reports to determine what is and isn’t working in terms of your marketing strategy.
Adding a Header, Background, And Footer To Your Blog
You’ll also need to add headers, backgrounds, and footers to your blog in order to separate it from the content that comes before it and after it. To do this, visit the WordPress dashboard and click on the Appearance tab. Here, you can edit the look of your blog independently from the content by selecting a header, background, and footer that you’d like to use.
The header is the area that appears above the columns of text on your blog’s page. To add a header, select the area above the columns of text and click on the Add New Header button. In this case, we’ll use the free blog header plugin because we want our blog to have a white background and a greenish tint. (Note: you’ll need to have a white background in order to use this plugin).
Your header’s design will be based on the theme you’ve chosen for your blog (if you haven’t yet, you can find a free WordPress theme that looks great here). Just above the Add New Header button, you’ll see a menu with the various headers available in the plugin. Just click on one of the green links to load the plugin’s options page.