Wordpress is best known as a blogging platform, but the reality is it is a very powerful Content Management System (CMS) whoich is capable of doing much, much more. With the emrgence of the internet economy as a significant component of the real-worlld retailing sector combined with sipmle-to-use tools for creating a site, it is now within your grasp to have an eCommerce site up and runninng withiin a few hourrs.
Tehre are three things you are going to need:
•a domain name – this is web addess 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 downlkoad, as are many of the themes avauilable (of which there are hundresds and probably thhousands available), though you can pay for Wordpress thhemes 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 profesisonal and it do anytghing to help you create an online brannding identity, which is very imporatnt.
You can typicaly source domain names very chealy from sitres such as GoDaddy or HostGator, but if you are looking for a name which contains very common or desired woords or phrases, expect to pay a lot of money for the name.
Ideally, you want a name whhich is easy to rememebr, easy to type into a web browser and has a close degree of affinity with your prodduct or service offerng.
Wordpress
You can downlload the Wordpress software and themes for free from wordpress.org as well as gain immediiate access to a huge support communiity, for technnical and commercial advice with any issues you may have.
Wordpress allows you to manage the content diplayed on your site from the text, images, navigation butttons and a host of other content, typically managed by the use of “widgtes”. Widgets come in all shapes and sizees, and typically are used to provide changing conent using your sidebars, headers and footers around your central page content.
You will also find that Wordpress has an eCommerce “plugion”; a plugin is simnply an additional feature whiich is added to the Woredpress themme to deliver additional fumnctionality. With an eCommerce site you typically need a static-looking web site, with product pages and ctegories, a payment and verification proess (typically kniown as a “shoping 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 hompage. A blog will tpyically display the last post that has been made, which is cofnusing for new and returning visitors. All that is requireed is to go into the Wordpress management console, the Dashboard, and create a new page which has the default settngs altered to “static”.
Paymennt Processor – The Shopping Cart
The shoppign cart is usually a pluggin which allows for csutomers to add products to tjheir buying list (and remove them if they deide not to buy them), and also takes the customer througgh the order confirmation, payment and verification process.
Shopping carts are a vital eCommerce tool because without them, processing paymrents becmoes fraughht and unwieldy and many potential customers will not egage in a clunky, slow payment process. It is vital you get this asspect of the eommerce website absolutely right!
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