Starting an online shop can feel like a lot to take in, especially if you have never built one before. WooCommerce is one of the easiest ways to turn a WordPress site into a working online shop, and you do not need to be a developer to get the basics running. This guide walks you through the process step by step, from installing the plugin to taking your first payment.
If you would rather skip the learning curve altogether, our team at DCP Web Designers builds complete WooCommerce shops for businesses across London. You can read more about our approach on our WooCommerce web design London page.
What Is WooCommerce and Why Use It
WooCommerce is a free plugin that turns a standard WordPress website into a fully working online shop. It handles product listings, the shopping basket, checkout, payments, shipping and stock control. Because it sits on top of WordPress, you get the flexibility of one of the world’s most popular content management systems combined with proper ecommerce tools.
If you want a more in-depth look at what WooCommerce actually does and why so many small businesses choose it, our post on what is WooCommerce and an introduction to the best ecommerce platform for WordPress covers this in more detail.
Who This Guide Is For
This guide is written for shop owners, small business teams and anyone setting up their first online shop without a development background. If you already have a WordPress site and just need to add ecommerce functionality, you are in the right place.
Before You Start: What You Need
Before installing WooCommerce, a few things should already be in place.
A WordPress Website
WooCommerce only works on WordPress. If you have not installed WordPress yet, follow our guide on what are the steps for installing WordPress first.
Reliable Hosting
Online shops need more from a host than a basic brochure site. Stock levels, customer accounts and order data are stored in your database, so look for hosting built for WooCommerce, with good uptime and decent server resources.
An SSL Certificate
You cannot take card payments without one. An SSL certificate encrypts data between your site and your customer, and most hosts include this for free. If yours does not, our tutorial on how to install a free WordPress Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate on SiteGround walks through the process.
Step 1: Install the WooCommerce Plugin
From your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins, then Add New. Search for WooCommerce, click Install, then Activate. This is the same process used for any WordPress plugin, so if you are new to WordPress generally, our list of essential WordPress plugins for business sites is a useful companion read.
Design and Customisation
WooCommerce design flexibility
Because WooCommerce runs on WordPress, you have access to thousands of themes and an enormous plugin ecosystem, plus full code-level access if you want to build something completely custom. This makes it a strong choice for brands with specific design or functionality requirements that off-the-shelf platforms can’t meet.
Once activated, WooCommerce launches a setup wizard. This walks you through the basics: your store location, the type of products you sell, and your industry. Answer these honestly, as they shape some of the default settings later in the process.
Step 2: Set Up Your Store Details
Business Information
Enter your store name, address and contact details. These appear on invoices and order confirmations, so make sure they are accurate and match your business records.
Currency and Measurement Units
Set your currency (GBP for most UK businesses) and decide whether you will use metric or imperial units for weight and dimensions. This affects how shipping costs are calculated later.
Step 3: Choose a WooCommerce Compatible Theme
Not every WordPress theme works well with WooCommerce. Some themes display products awkwardly or break the checkout layout. Choosing a theme built for ecommerce from the start saves a lot of frustration later.
Our roundup of 15 best WordPress multipurpose themes includes several with strong WooCommerce support, which is worth a look before committing to a design.
Things to Check in a Theme
Look at how product pages display images, whether the layout works on mobile, and how the basket and checkout pages appear by default. A theme that looks good on the homepage but falls apart at checkout will cost you sales.
Step 4: Add Your Products
This is usually the most time consuming part of setup, but it is also where your shop starts to take shape.
Product Titles and Descriptions
Write clear titles and honest descriptions. Avoid copying manufacturer text directly, as duplicate content across many shops can hurt your search rankings. Our guide on common copywriting mistakes to avoid when doing onsite SEO covers this in more depth.
Pricing and Stock
Set your regular price and, if relevant, a sale price. Enable stock management if you want WooCommerce to track inventory automatically and warn you when items run low.
Product Images
Use clear, well lit photos. Compress them before uploading so they do not slow down your site. Our piece on how quality photos enhance your internet marketing game has some practical tips on getting this right.
Product Categories and Tags
Group similar products into categories so customers can browse easily. This also helps with site structure and internal linking, which search engines use to understand what your shop sells.
Step 5: Set Up Payment Methods
WooCommerce supports several payment gateways out of the box, and more can be added through extensions.
Common Payment Options
PayPal and Stripe are the two most widely used options for UK shops. Both let customers pay by card without leaving your site (when set up correctly), which tends to improve conversion rates compared to redirecting customers elsewhere.
If you are weighing up your options, our comparison on the difference payment methods used in ecommerce is a useful starting point. For PayPal specifically, our guides on how to create and send invoices using PayPal and how to create a PayPal button for your website cover the practical steps.
Step 6: Configure Shipping
Shipping Zones
Set up zones based on where you deliver to, such as UK mainland, Northern Ireland, or international. Each zone can have its own rates and methods.
Shipping Methods
Choose between flat rate, free shipping above a threshold, or live rates from a courier. Flat rate is the simplest option for shops just starting out, and you can refine this later once you understand your actual delivery costs.
Step 7: Set Up Tax Rules
If you are VAT registered, WooCommerce can calculate tax automatically based on your settings. Enter your rates correctly from the start, since getting this wrong can cause real problems with your accounts later. If you are not sure how VAT applies to your products, it is worth checking with your accountant before going live.
Step 8: Test Your Checkout Process
Before launching, place a test order yourself. Walk through the entire journey: adding a product to the basket, entering delivery details, choosing a payment method and completing the order. Check that confirmation emails arrive and that the order appears correctly in your WordPress dashboard.
Common Issues to Check For
Look out for broken layouts on mobile, missing confirmation emails, and incorrect shipping costs at checkout. These are the most common problems we see when reviewing new WooCommerce shops, and they are far easier to fix before launch than after.
Step 9: Speed and Security
An online shop holds customer data and processes payments, so speed and security both matter more than on a standard website. Slow pages lose sales, and security gaps put customer trust at risk.
Our guide on how to speed up your web app for better user experience applies directly to WooCommerce shops, and our tips on how to help reduce the threat of a successful cyber attack are worth reading before you go live.
How Much Does WooCommerce Setup Cost
WooCommerce itself is free, but a properly built shop involves design, product setup, payment integration, testing and often some custom development depending on your needs. A full WooCommerce build typically costs between £1,500 and £9,000, depending on the number of products, the complexity of shipping and tax rules, and how much custom design work is involved.
A basic shop with a small product range and standard payment setup sits at the lower end. A larger shop with custom features, multiple shipping zones, or integration with stock systems sits closer to the top.
Should You Set Up WooCommerce Yourself or Hire a Professional
Setting up WooCommerce yourself is entirely possible, particularly for a small shop with a handful of products. The plugin is designed to be approachable, and the setup wizard handles much of the basic configuration.
That said, problems tend to show up once a shop grows. Tax rules, shipping logic across multiple zones, and performance under real traffic are areas where mistakes get expensive to fix later. If you want the shop built properly from the start, with correct schema markup, fast load times and a checkout that actually converts, working with a professional team can save time and money in the long run.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is WooCommerce free to use?
Yes, the core plugin is free. Costs come from hosting, premium extensions, themes and any design or development work needed to build the shop properly.
Do I need coding skills to set up WooCommerce?
No. Basic setup can be done through the dashboard and setup wizard. Custom design or advanced functionality usually needs a developer.
How long does it take to set up a WooCommerce shop?
A simple shop with a small product range can be set up in a few days. Larger shops with custom features and many products usually take several weeks.
Can WooCommerce handle a large number of products?
Yes, with the right hosting and performance setup. Shops with thousands of products need good server resources and proper caching to stay fast.
What payment methods does WooCommerce support?
PayPal and Stripe are the most common, alongside many other gateways available as extensions, including options for Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Get Your WooCommerce Shop Built Properly
DCP Web Designers has been building WordPress and WooCommerce websites in London since 2004. With over 300 five star Google reviews and recognition as a Top 3 Website Designer in London by ThreeBestRated, our team handles everything from initial setup to full custom shop builds, starting from £1,500 and scaling to £9,000 depending on your requirements.
Get in touch with our team to discuss your WooCommerce project, or visit our WooCommerce web design London page to see examples of our work.
