How to Build an E-commerce Website in 7 Easy Steps

Have you ever dreamed of having your own online store? A place where you can sell your products or services to customers all over the world, 24/7, without any hassle or overhead? A place where you can showcase your brand identity and stand out from the competition? A place where you can grow your business and reach new heights of success?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you need an e-commerce website.

An e-commerce website is a website that allows you to sell goods or services online. It usually consists of a homepage, a product catalog, a shopping cart, a checkout page, and a payment gateway. It also has features like inventory management, shipping options, marketing tools, analytics, and security.

But how do you create an e-commerce website? Do you need to hire a developer or a designer? Do you need to learn how to code or use complicated software? Do you need to spend a lot of money or time?

The answer is no. You can build your e-commerce website in 7 easy steps without technical skills or prior experience. All you need is a computer, an internet connection, and a willingness to learn.

This article will show you how to build an e-commerce website from scratch using today’s best e-commerce platforms, tools, and practices. I will also give you tips on optimizing your e-commerce website for SEO, speed, and conversions. By the end of this article, you will have a fully functional and beautiful e-commerce website that you can be proud of.

Ready to get started? Let’s go!

Step 1: Choose an e-commerce platform

The first step to building your e-commerce website is choosing an e-commerce platform. An e-commerce platform is a software service that allows you to create, manage, and run your online store. It provides you with all the tools and features you need to sell your products or services online, such as a website builder, a product catalog, a shopping cart, a checkout page, a payment gateway, and more.

Many e-commerce platforms are available in the market, each with its advantages and disadvantages. Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Wix, and Squarespace are some of the most popular ones. How do you choose the best one for your needs?

Here are some factors to consider when choosing an e-commerce platform:

Ease of use: You want an e-commerce platform that is easy to set up and use, especially if you are a beginner or have limited technical skills. It would be best to look for a platform with a user-friendly interface, a drag-and-drop editor, and a simple dashboard. You should also check the customer support and documentation available for the platform in case you need help or guidance.

Features and functionality: You want an e-commerce platform with all the features and functionality you need to run your online store successfully. You should look for a platform that offers a variety of templates, apps, and integrations to customize your store and enhance its performance. It would help if you also looked for a platform that supports multiple product types (physical or digital), multiple payment methods (credit cards, PayPal, etc.), multiple shipping options (flat rate, free, etc.), and multiple sales channels (social media, marketplaces, etc.).

Pricing and fees: You want an e-commerce platform that fits your budget and offers value for money. Looking for a platform with transparent and affordable pricing plans that suit your needs and goals would be best. You should also check the transaction fees and other hidden costs the platform may charge you for using its services.

Scalability and security: You want an e-commerce platform that can grow with your business and handle high traffic and sales volumes. Look for a reliable hosting platform with a fast loading speed and unlimited bandwidth and storage. You should also look for a platform with high-level security features to protect your store and customers’ data from hackers and fraudsters.

To help you compare some of the best e-commerce platforms in the market, I have created this table based on our research:

Based on this table, I recommend Shopify as the best e-commerce platform for beginners and dropshippers. Shopify is easy to use, has a wide range of features and integrations, offers competitive pricing and low transaction fees, and provides excellent scalability and security.

If you want to learn more about Shopify or sign up for a free trial, click here.

Alternatively, you can choose any other e-commerce platform that suits your needs better. Just do your research and compare different options before making a decision.

Once you have chosen your e-commerce platform, you can move on to the next step, designing your e-commerce website.

Step 2: Design your e-commerce website

The second step to building your e-commerce website is designing your e-commerce website. You want to create a visual appearance and a user experience that attracts and engages your visitors, showcases your products or services, and converts them into customers.

Your e-commerce website design should reflect your brand identity, value proposition, and unique selling points. It should also be easy to navigate, fast to load, and responsive to different devices and screen sizes.

Three main elements are essential for any e-commerce website: the homepage, product pages, and checkout process.

Homepage: Your homepage is the first impression that your visitors get of your online store. It should capture their attention, communicate your brand message, and entice them to explore more. Include a catchy headline, a compelling hero image or video, a simple navigation menu, a search bar, a value proposition, a call to action, a collection of featured products or categories, a section of social proof, and a footer.

Product pages: Your product pages showcase the details and features of your products or services. Include a clear product title, a high-quality product image or video, a zoom feature, a product description, a list of product specifications, a price tag, an add-to-cart button, a quantity selector, a selection of product variants, a section of related products or cross-sells, and a section of customer reviews or ratings. They should provide enough information and visuals to convince visitors to add the items to their shopping carts.

Checkout process: Your checkout process is where you collect payment and shipping information from your customers. It should be simple, secure, and seamless to minimize cart abandonment and maximize conversions. Include a progress indicator, a summary of the order, an option to edit or remove items from the shopping cart, an option to apply a coupon code or a gift card if applicable, a form that collects the customer’s information, an option to save the customer’s information or create an account if desired, a selection of payment methods, a selection of shipping methods, a confirmation button that completes the order and redirects the customer to a thank-you page, and a confirmation email that sends a receipt and a tracking number to the customer.

These are some of the best practices for designing your e-commerce website.

Check out these 25 best e-commerce website designs for more inspiration and examples. 

Step 3: Add your products and manage your inventory

The third step to building your e-commerce website is adding your products and managing your inventory. Adding your products means uploading their photos, writing descriptions, setting prices, and organizing them into collections or categories. Managing your inventory means tracking your stock levels, updating your availability, and replenishing your products when they run low.

Adding and managing your products and inventory can be time-consuming and tedious, but it is crucial for your e-commerce success. You want to ensure that your products are attractive, informative, and accurate and that your inventory is sufficient, reliable, and profitable.

Here are some tips to help you add and manage your products and inventory effectively:

• Use high-quality photos showing your products from different angles and contexts. You can also use videos to demonstrate how your products work or how they look on a person.
• Write clear and descriptive product titles that include relevant keywords for SEO. For example, instead of “Blue Shirt”, you can write “Men’s Slim Fit Cotton Shirt in Navy Blue”.
• Write compelling product descriptions that highlight the benefits and features of your products concisely and persuasively. Use bullet points to make them easy to scan and read.
• Set realistic and competitive prices that reflect the value of your products and cover your costs. You can also offer discounts or free shipping to entice customers to buy more.
• Organize your products into collections or categories that make sense for your niche and brand. For example, you can group your products by type, style, occasion, season, etc.
• Use smart collections to group products by conditions that you define automatically. For example, you can create a smart collection that includes all products on sale or with a certain tag.
• Track your stock levels and update your availability regularly. You don’t want to disappoint customers by selling out-of-stock items or cancelling orders.
• Monitor your sell-through rate, i.e. the percentage of inventory sold over a given period. This can help you identify popular or unpopular products and adjust your inventory accordingly.
• Restock popular products quickly to avoid losing sales and customers. You can also use a reorder point (ROP) formula to calculate the optimal time to order more inventory based on your demand and lead time.
• Run promotions to reduce ageing inventory, which is the inventory that has been sitting in your warehouse for too long. You can offer discounts, bundles, or gifts to clear out old or slow-moving items.
• Keep an eye on your margins, which differ between the selling price and the cost of goods sold (COGS). You want to maintain healthy margins that cover your expenses and generate profits.
• Reduce excess inventory to increase your profitability and efficiency. Excess inventory can tie up your cash flow, take up valuable space, and incur additional costs. You can use an ABC analysis to prioritize your inventory based on its value and sales frequency.

These are some best practices for adding and managing your products and inventory. However, you don’t have to do everything manually. You can use an inventory management system or software to help you automate tedious tasks, streamline processes, and leverage data and insights to boost your e-commerce success.

Step 4: Set up your payment and shipping options

The fourth step to building your e-commerce website is setting up payment and shipping options. You offer these methods to your customers to pay for their orders and receive their products. They can affect your conversion rate, customer satisfaction, and profitability.

Payment options

Payment options are the ways that you accept payments from your customers online. You want to offer various payment options that suit your niche, market, and customer preferences. You also want to ensure that your payment options are secure, reliable, and affordable.

Some of the most popular payment options for e-commerce include credit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Amazon Pay, and Stripe. Each option has advantages and disadvantages regarding fees, features, compatibility, and security.

To set up your payment options on your e-commerce website, you must choose a payment gateway and a payment processor. A payment gateway is a software service that encrypts and transfers payment data between your website and your payment processor. A payment processor is a company that handles the actual processing of payments between your customers’ banks and your bank.

Some e-commerce platforms, such as Shopify, offer payment gateways and processors that are easy to set up and use. Alternatively, you can choose a third-party payment gateway and processor that suits your needs better.

Shipping options

Shipping options are the ways that you deliver your products to your customers. You want to offer various shipping options that suit your niche, market, and customer preferences. You also want to ensure that your shipping options are fast, reliable, and affordable.

Some of the most common shipping options for e-commerce include flat rate shipping, free shipping, live rate shipping, local delivery, curbside pickup, and shipping to a friend. Each option has advantages and disadvantages regarding costs, speed, convenience, and customer satisfaction.

To set up your shipping options on your e-commerce website, choose a shipping carrier and a shipping method. A shipping carrier is a company that transports your products from your warehouse to your customers’ addresses. A shipping method is the service level and delivery time you offer your customers.

Some e-commerce platforms, such as Shopify, offer shipping carriers and easy methods to set up and use. Alternatively, you can choose a third-party shipping carrier and method that suits your needs better.

Step 5: Launch your e-commerce website

The fifth step to building your e-commerce website is launching an e-commerce website. Launching your e-commerce website means making it live and accessible to the public. It also means testing it for any errors, bugs, or issues that might affect its performance or user experience.

Launching your e-commerce website is an exciting and rewarding moment, but it also requires careful preparation and attention to detail. You don’t want to launch an incomplete, broken, or insecure website. You want to launch a website that is ready to impress your visitors, showcase your products, and generate sales.

Here are some tips to help you launch your e-commerce website successfully:

• Test your website before launching it. You want to ensure your website works properly on different browsers, devices, and screen sizes. You also want to check for errors, broken links, missing information, or spelling mistakes. You can use tools like Google Search Console, Google Analytics, or Wix Site Booster to test and optimize your website.
• Choose a domain name for your website that represents your brand and is easy to remember and spell. A domain name is the address of your website on the internet, such as www.yourstore.com. You can buy a domain name from a domain registrar or use a free subdomain from your e-commerce platform, such as yourstore.wixsite.com.
• Connect your payment gateway and shipping carrier to your website. You want to ensure you can accept customer payments and deliver their products to their addresses. You also want to ensure that you have set up your tax and shipping rates correctly and comply with your market’s legal or regulatory requirements.
• Promote your website using marketing strategies. You want to attract visitors to your website and convert them into customers. You can use various marketing strategies, such as email marketing, social media marketing, SEO, or paid ads, to reach your target audience and drive traffic to your website.
• Track your website’s performance using analytics tools. You want to measure how well your website is doing and how you can improve it. You can use tools like Google Analytics, Wix Analytics, or Shopify Analytics to monitor your website’s traffic, conversions, sales, and more.

These are some of the best practices for launching your e-commerce website. However, launching your website is not the end of your e-commerce journey. It is just the beginning. You must keep updating, maintaining, and growing your e-commerce website to stay ahead of the competition and achieve your goals.

Step 6: Optimize your e-commerce website

The sixth step to building your e-commerce website is optimizing your e-commerce website. Optimizing your e-commerce website means improving its performance, usability, and conversion rate. It also means making it more visible and attractive to your target audience and search engines.

Optimizing your e-commerce website is an ongoing process that requires constant testing, analysis, and improvement. You don’t want to settle for a mediocre website that fails to deliver results. You want to optimize your website to achieve your goals and grow your business.

Here are some tips to help you optimize your e-commerce website effectively:

• Improve your page load times: Page load times are the time it takes for your website to load completely on a browser. They affect your user experience, SEO rankings, and conversions. You want to ensure your website loads as fast as possible, ideally within 3 seconds or less. You can use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, or Pingdom to test and improve page load times.
• Remove distractions from your site: Distractions are anything that takes away your visitors’ attention from your main goal i.e. buying your products or services. Distractions include pop-ups, banners, sliders, sidebars, and unnecessary elements. You want to remove or minimize distractions from your site and focus on creating a clear and simple layout that guides your visitors towards your call to action.
• Personalize your content: Personalization is tailoring your content to suit your visitors’ needs, preferences, and behaviour. Personalization can help you increase engagement, loyalty, and conversions. You can use tools like OptinMonster, Wix Ascend, or Shopify Scripts to personalize your content based on various criteria, such as location, device, referral source, browsing history, purchase history, etc.
• Optimize for mobile audiences: Mobile audiences are the people who access your website using their smartphones or tablets. Mobile audiences are growing rapidly and often have different expectations and behaviour than desktop audiences. You want to optimize your website for mobile audiences by making it responsive, adaptive, or mobile-friendly. You can use tools like Google Mobile-Friendly Test, Wix Mobile Editor, or Shopify Mobile App Builder to optimize your website for mobile audiences.
• Use tracking tools: Tracking tools are software that help you monitor and measure your website’s performance, traffic, conversions, and more. Tracking tools can help you understand how your visitors interact with your site, what they like or dislike, where they come from, what they buy, etc. You can use tools like Google Analytics, Wix Analytics, or Shopify Analytics to track and analyze your website’s data.
• Create relevant upsells: Upsells are offers persuading your customers to buy more expensive or additional products or services than originally intended. Upsells can help you increase your average order value (AOV), customer lifetime value (CLV), and revenue. You can use tools like OptinMonster, Wix Stores, or Shopify Product Upsell to create relevant upsells for your customers based on their purchase history, cart value, product category, etc.
• Run A/B testing: A/B testing is a method of comparing two versions of a web page or element to see which one performs better. A/B testing can help you optimize your website by testing different variables, such as headlines, images, colours, buttons, layouts, etc. You can use tools like Google Optimize, Wix ADI, or Shopify Theme Kit to run A/B testing on your website and find the best version for your audience.

These are some of the best practices for optimizing your e-commerce website. However, optimization is not a one-time thing. It is a continuous process that requires regular experimentation and improvement. It would help if you kept optimizing your e-commerce website to stay ahead of the competition and achieve your goals.

Step 7: Grow your e-commerce website

The seventh step to building your e-commerce website is growing your e-commerce website. Growing your e-commerce website means increasing traffic, conversions, sales, and revenue. It also means expanding your reach, audience, and product range.

Growing your e-commerce website is challenging and rewarding, requiring constant effort, creativity, and innovation. You don’t want to stagnate or fall behind your competitors. You want to grow your website to achieve your full potential and dominate your market.

Here are some tips to help you grow your e-commerce website effectively:

• Build a solid brand identity that is consistent, memorable, and appealing to your target audience. Use tools like Wix Logo Maker, Shopify Business Name Generator, or Zyro Slogan Generator to create a strong brand identity for your business.
• Organize marketing campaigns that suit your niche, market, and customer preferences. Use various marketing channels, such as email marketing, social media marketing, content marketing, SEO, or paid ads, to reach your target audience and drive traffic to your website.
• Ensure your website is SEO-friendly by improving its visibility and ranking on search engines like Google or Bing. Use tools like Google Search Console, Wix SEO Wiz, or Shopify SEO Tools to optimize your website for SEO.
• Optimize your website for conversions by making it easy, fast, and compelling for your visitors to take the actions you want them to take. Use tools like Google Optimize, Wix ADI, or Shopify Theme Kit to test and improve different elements of your website for conversions.
• Provide excellent customer service by being responsive, helpful, and friendly to your customers. Use tools like Wix Chat, Shopify Ping, or Zendesk Chat to communicate with and assist your customers on your website.
• Encourage customer reviews and referrals by collecting and displaying customer feedback and recommendations on your website. Use tools like Wix Reviews, Shopify Product Reviews, or ReferralCandy to collect and display customer reviews and referrals on your website.
• Expand your product range and market by adding more products or services to your catalogue and selling them in different languages or regions. Use tools like Wix Stores, Shopify Multilingual, or WooCommerce Subscriptions to add more products or services to your catalogue and sell them in different languages or regions.

These are some of the best practices for growing your e-commerce website. However, growing your website is not a one-time thing. It is a continuous process that requires regular experimentation and improvement. You must keep growing your e-commerce website to stay ahead of the competition and achieve your goals.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I start an e-commerce website?

• Choose a platform to create and manage your online store, such as WordPress or Shopify.
• Register for an account or get web hosting and a domain name for your website.
• Pick a design and customize your website with your brand, products and features.
• Publish your website and use marketing strategies to attract and sell to customers.
• Publish your website and use SEO, social media, email and ads to market it and sell to customers.

How much does it cost to build an e-commerce website from scratch?

The cost to build an e-commerce website from scratch depends on several factors, such as the platform you choose, the features you need, the design you want, and the services you hire. According to different sources, the average cost for a small to medium e-commerce website ranges from $1,000 to $55,000 for the initial setup and $15,000 to $30,000 per year for maintenance. The cost can go up to $240,000 or more for a custom-made e-commerce website with complex functionality and design. The timeline to build an e-commerce website from scratch can vary from 4 months to 9 months or more, depending on the scope and complexity of the project.

How do I create an e-commerce website from scratch?

1. Register a domain name and a web hosting account for your website.
2. Pick an e-commerce platform or a website builder to create and manage your online store.
3. Choose and customize a template or a theme for your website’s design and features.
4. Upload your products and choose your payment and shipping methods.
5. Publish and market your website online.

How do I create an e-commerce website for free?

To create an e-commerce website for free, you need to sign up for a free e-commerce website builder like Wix, Freewebstore, or WordPress.com. Then, you need to pick a domain name, template, or theme for your website and customize it with your branding elements. Next, you need to add your products and set up your payment and shipping options. Finally, you need to publish and market your website online

What are the 4 types of e-commerce?

According to various sources, there are four main types of e-commerce business models:

• B2C (Business-to-Consumer): This is when a business sells goods or services directly to the end-user or customer. For example, Amazon sells books and other products to online shoppers.
• B2B (Business-to-Business): This is when a business sells goods or services to another business. For example, Microsoft sells software and cloud services to other companies.
• C2B (Consumer-to-Business): This is when a consumer sells goods or services to a business. For example, a freelance writer sells articles or blog posts to a website owner.
• C2C (Consumer-to-Consumer): This is when a consumer sells goods or services to another consumer. For example, eBay allows users to sell and buy items from each other.

Each type of e-commerce has its advantages and disadvantages and may require different strategies and platforms to succeed.

How long does it take to build an e-commerce website?

The time to build an e-commerce website varies from 2 days to 6 months based on several factors, such as the size and complexity of the website, the platform and tools used, the skills and experience of the developers, and the amount of feedback and testing needed. The average time is around 12 weeks. The process can be split into four phases: research and preparation, design and development, testing and launch, and maintenance and optimization.

Is e-commerce website easy to build?

The ease or difficulty of building an e-commerce website depends on various factors, such as the size and complexity of the website, the platform and tools used, the skills and experience of the developers, and the amount of feedback and testing needed. To build a successful e-commerce website, planning, research, testing, and feedback are essential.

Conclusion

Building an e-commerce website is a rewarding and profitable venture for anyone who wants to sell products or services online. E-commerce websites allow you to reach a global audience, offer convenience and flexibility to your customers, and leverage the power of the internet to grow your business.

However, building an e-commerce website is not a simple or easy task. It requires planning, research, design, development, optimization, and maintenance. You must follow several steps to create a successful e-commerce website that meets your goals and expectations.

In this guide, we have covered the seven essential steps to building an e-commerce website:

• Choosing an e-commerce platform
• Design your e-commerce website
• Add your products and manage your inventory
• Set up your payment and shipping options
• Launch your e-commerce website
• Grow your e-commerce website

By following these steps, you can create an e-commerce website that is attractive, functional, secure, and profitable. You can also use various tools and platforms to make the process easier and faster.

However, building an e-commerce website is not a one-time thing. It is a continuous process that requires regular experimentation and improvement. You need to keep updating, maintaining, and growing your e-commerce website to stay ahead of the competition and achieve your goals.

We hope this guide has helped you learn how to build an e-commerce website from scratch. If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to leave a comment below. We would love to hear from you. Thank you for reading this guide, and good luck with your e-commerce journey!