WordPress is best known as a blogging platform, but the reality is it is a very powerful Content Management System (CMS) which is capable of doing much, much more. With the emergence of the internet economy as a significant component of the real-world retailing sector combined with simple-to-use tools for creating a site, it is now within your grasp to have an eCommerce site up and running within a few hours.
There are three things you are going to need:
a domain name this is web address which is typed into the internet browser so the user can navigate to your website;
WordPress theme and software WordPress is free to use and download, as are many of the themes available (of which there are hundreds and probably thousands available), though you can pay for WordPress themes or customization if you want it; and
A payment processor this is a means for you to receive payment for the goods being sold.
Domain Name
Your domain name can be the one allocated by WordPress but, though this is free it does not look professional and it do anything to help you create an online branding identity, which is very important.
You can typically source domain names very cheaply from sites such as GoDaddy or HostGator, but if you are looking for a name which contains very common or desired words or phrases, expect to pay a lot of money for the name.
Ideally, you want a name which is easy to remember, easy to type into a web browser and has a close degree of affinity with your product or service offering.
WordPress
You can download the WordPress software and themes for free from wordpress.org as well as gain immediate access to a huge support community, for technical and commercial advice with any issues you may have.
WordPress allows you to manage the content displayed on your site from the text, images, navigation buttons and a host of other content, typically managed by the use of widgets. Widgets come in all shapes and sizes, and typically are used to provide changing content using your sidebars, headers and footers around your central page content.
You will also find that WordPress has an eCommerce plugin; a plugin is simply an additional feature which is added to the WordPress theme to deliver additional functionality. With an eCommerce site you typically need a static-looking web site, with product pages and categories, a payment and verification process (typically known as a shopping cart) and the ability to track and manage customer orders.
Many people already familiar with WordPress as a blogging platform wonder how the diary format of the site can be changed to a static homepage. A blog will typically display the last post that has been made, which is confusing for new and returning visitors. All that is required is to go into the WordPress management console, the Dashboard, and create a new page which has the default settings altered to static.
Payment Processor The Shopping Cart
The shopping cart is usually a plugin which allows for customers to add products to their buying list (and remove them if they decide not to buy them), and also takes the customer through the order confirmation, payment and verification process.
Shopping carts are a vital eCommerce tool because without them, processing payments becomes fraught and unwieldy and many potential customers will not engage in a clunky, slow payment process. It is vital you get this aspect of the eCommerce website absolutely right!
