How to Create a Clothing Website in WordPress
Creating an online store when you are new to the industry can seem overwhelming. There are so many things to think about and the learning curve can seem high. No matter what stage you are at in your business journey, setting up and operating a successful website takes some real determination and talent. While creating a website to sell your clothes is a great way to start, you must understand the various platforms that exist and which one is the best fit for your needs. In this article, we will teach you how to create a successful clothing website in WordPress.
The Need For A Fashion Website
The fashion industry is growing year after year and the number of online stores selling clothing is increasing. Designing a fashion website isn’t as difficult as you might think and one of the best platforms for doing this is WordPress. WordPress is a fantastic content management system (CMS) meaning that it allows you to easily manage the content that is displayed on your site. It is a robust platform that is very easy to use and is suitable for many different types of businesses. If you are looking for a content-based platform to create your apparel website, then WordPress is the best option.
The Advantages Of Using WordPress For A Clothing Website
There are many advantages to using WordPress as your content management system for your clothing website. Here are just a few of them:
- Simple To Use – The learning curve for using WordPress isn’t difficult and anyone who has ever used a computer can easily navigate their way around the platform.
- Free – There is no cost to use WordPress and it comes with all the functionalities that you would need to create a basic website. The only cost associated with using WordPress is your time to maintain the site once it is live.
- Fully Customizable – The design of your clothing website doesn’t have to be limited by the themes and templates that come with WordPress. Once you have installed the platform, you have the ability to customize the look and feel of your site. You can use all the tools that you are familiar with, like Photoshop or Microsoft Paint to edit the template that you are using. Alternatively, you can use the built-in editor that WordPress provides to easily edit content.
- Robust Plugin Directory – Even if you aren’t a fan of using plugins for enhancing your site’s functionality, you must understand that there is a directory of WordPress plugins that you can use to customize your site the way you want. The advantage of using plugins is that you don’t have to edit code to integrate new functionality onto your site. Most WordPress plugins can be easily installed onto your site and will take minimal time to set up.
- Extensive Documentation – WordPress comes with extensive documentation that is helpful for getting started and even advanced users can look up any question they might have regarding the platform. Additionally, most questions can be easily answered via the documentation or via Google searches. If you aren’t sure how to implement a certain feature or usetlemma, then documentation or tutorials can help you figure it out.
- Multilingual Support – If your target audience for your apparel website spans across multiple countries and you want visitors from all over the world, then WordPress offers excellent support for multiple languages. Your site can be designed to have a specific language set as the default throughout and even if you set up a separate blog for each language, content can be easily translated using the built-in WordPress tools.
- Vast International Market – Even if your target audience is only located in the United States, you can still have a successful website if you choose the right location for your store. While it is always a good idea to choose a location that is favorable to your business, if you are looking to expand your reach, then overseas markets are a great place to start. WordPress offers many online stores that you can use to sell your goods and tap into a vast international market.
- SEO Friendly – If you are worried about search engine optimization (SEO) and want to know which platforms are the best for boosting your site’s ranking, then WordPress is the best option. The open-source CMS platform can be easily integrated with third-party tools like Google Analytics that can track the performance of your site on various search engines. Using these tools can help you determine the strength of your SEO and help you figure out which platforms are helping you to reach your target audience.
WordPress Overall
If we were to describe WordPress in a nutshell, we would say that it is a robust content management system (CMS) that is easy to use and is suitable for many different types of websites and operations. It is one of the most popular platforms among online stores and businesses due to its many advantages.
Step 1: Choosing A Theme
As mentioned above, WordPress is a content management system (CMS) and therefore the first thing that you will want to do is choose a theme for your website. The theme that you choose will play a large role in the look and feel of your site and will dictate what options and features are available to you. You can use any type of theme that you want; however, if you are looking for a professional-looking website with a polished appearance, then it is best to choose a clean and minimalistic theme. Alternatively, if you want an extremely flexible theme that is capable of supporting many different types of layouts and design elements, then it is better to choose a free theme that is completely customizable.
The Benefits Of Minimalistic Themes
Minimalistic themes are the simplest and cleanest types of themes and can be used for any type of site. If you are looking for a premium look but don’t want to break the bank, then opting for minimalistic themes is the way to go. Furthermore, minimalistic themes often come with all the necessary plugins and tools that you would need to create a successful website. In terms of functionality, minimalistic themes offer just what you need and nothing more. Choosing a clean and minimalistic theme gives you a good idea of what to expect and the level of functionality that you can expect from the platform.
Step 2: Installing WordPress
After you have selected a theme, the next step is to install WordPress. To do this, navigate to http://wordpress.org/download and click on the button that says “Install WordPress”. Once the download completes, you will see a large blue icon appear in the middle of your page. This is WordPress and it indicates that you have successfully installed the platform.
A quick note about the download button above – if you are using Chrome, then you will need to right-click on the button and select the option of “Open in admin panel” in order to be able to download WordPress. If you are using Firefox, then you will need to click on the button and select the option of “Open in browser” to be able to download WordPress.
Step 3: Configuring WordPress
Once WordPress has been downloaded and installed, you will need to navigate to http://wordpress.org and click on the button that says “Log in”. This brings you to the login page of WordPress where you can use the username of “admin” and the password of “password” to log in.
If you are creating a professional-looking website, it is advisable to use a strong password that is eight or more characters long. Once you have logged in successfully, you will see a screen like this:
From here you can access a variety of tools and settings that can be used to configure and customize your site. You can click on the gear icon in the top right-hand corner of the screen to bring up a menu that offers a variety of options.
Step 4: Setting Up Your Dashboard
Now that you are logged in, you will need to click on the gear icon in the top right-hand corner of the screen to access the dashboard. The dashboard is the place where you can access all the tools and information that you need to run your site. In order to make your life easier, WordPress has provided you with a variety of presets that can be used to set up your dashboard. If you don’t want to use these presets, then you can create your own dashboard in a matter of minutes. To do this, click on the little blue wrench icon near the top of the dashboard and select the option of “Create new dashboard.