How to make an EC site

There’s never been a better time to learn how to create an e-commerce website, but if you’ve never done one before, it can be difficult to know where to start.

In our changed world, many people are still unable or unwilling to go to a brick and mortar store, so if your business wants to take advantage of the online shopping boom, then one of the best ecommerce website builders is for you. It is essential to use

We’ll explain what it takes to launch your own online store, walk you through how to create an ecommerce site, and outline the best website builder options for your ecommerce site.

Step 1: Create a plan

You have a great idea for selling something online. However, if you want to ensure the long-term success of your e-commerce project, you need a plan that accurately describes your business and how it will operate.

It is essential to consider the following points:

• products to sell
• your potential customers
• Payment processing method
• Inventory control
• order tracking
• Shipping
• Returns management

Before building your site, you should know about these elements. Some factors directly affect the frameworks and technologies you use to build your site. For example, if your supplier can only send product data in a certain format, you may need to choose a framework that supports importing that format.

If you start building your site without considering these aspects, you may find incompatibilities that you can’t fix and it’ll be too late. This can force you to start over, so taking extra consideration and care in the beginning can save you a lot of time and less headaches later.

Step 2: Choose the Right Ecommerce Platform

Once you understand these factors, you can focus on which ecommerce platform you want to use. They include almost all the features you need to run your online store, but in the end, you’ll have to choose the one that’s right for you and your needs.

There are many choices and they generally fall into four types:

• All-in-one software-as-a-service (SaaS) platforms such as Shopify, BigCommerce, and Wix

• Open source shopping cart applications such as Magento and OpenCart

• An open-source shopping cart module that you can add to your existing CMS, such as WooCommerce for WordPress

• Add-on shopping carts such as Snipcart that can be added to any website without requiring a CMS module

Let’s look at these in a little more detail.

SaaS platform

If you’ve never built a website and don’t know where to start, SaaS platforms are worth considering. You have to pay a monthly subscription, but you can go from scratch to a fully functional site in a very short amount of time.

They often come with dozens of templates that allow you to build the overall framework of your site in just minutes.However, they also include an easy-to-use web builder that lets you customize the template of your choice. Alternatively, you can start from scratch if you have a specific design in mind. However, in some cases a builder may not be suitable for a completely custom design.

The SaaS platform also includes almost everything you need to run your online business. However, some features may not be available by default and require the purchase of additional apps.The advantage of a SaaS platform is that it takes care of all the details so you can quickly build your website.

The downsides can be high recurring fees, which can limit the amount you can customize your site.

If you’ve never built a website and don’t know where to start, SaaS platforms are worth considering. You have to pay a monthly subscription, but you can go from scratch to a fully functional site in a very short amount of time.

They often come with dozens of templates that allow you to build the overall framework of your site in just minutes.However, they also include an easy-to-use web builder that lets you customize the template of your choice. Alternatively, you can start from scratch if you have a specific design in mind. However, in some cases a builder may not be suitable for a completely custom design.

The SaaS platform also includes almost everything you need to run your online business. However, some features may not be available by default and require the purchase of additional apps.The advantage of a SaaS platform is that it takes care of all the details so you can quickly build your website.

The downsides can be high recurring fees, which can limit the amount you can customize your site.

An open source shopping cart application

If you don’t like the idea of ​​ongoing fees and lack of customization, the solution is to build your own site. Choosing a fully open source shopping cart application is one way to achieve this. .

The main difference between these and SaaS platforms is that using your own shopping cart requires a larger upfront payment to build your site in the first place. However, depending on the volume of orders the site processes, it can pay off quickly.

The only recurring fee you’ll probably have to pay is web hosting, which tends to be included in the SaaS platform’s subscription cost. However, paying for hosting only can be much cheaper.

Another major benefit is greater freedom and control for creating sites specific to your business. If you need custom functionality, it’s easier to add it by coding it on a site where you control the full codebase rather than using a SaaS app.

shopping cart module

The shopping cart module is similar to the application, except for your existing CMS. Applications tend to be used to build entire sites and are perfect for e-commerce. However, if you have an existing site and want to add ecommerce functionality, you can do the same by adding the ecommerce module to the CMS your site uses, or building a new site with your preferred CMS.

From popular CMSes like WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, to niche options like Craft and Statamic, most CMSs have ecommerce modules you can install. Like the shopping cart app, installing and setting up the module requires a higher upfront fee, but gives you the same level of flexibility.

Add-on shopping cart

Carts in this category probably have the least number of options. However, it’s a good choice if you don’t want to pay recurring fees or spend a lot of money on ecommerce integration. Use these (such as Snipcart or PayPal payment buttons) to add small pieces of code to your existing site to add e-commerce functionality.

The back office functionality may not be as comprehensive as the other options discussed so far, but it strikes a good balance between low cost and flexibility in how you build your site.

Step 3: Choose the right team to build your site

If you choose an all-in-one SaaS platform, you may not need help building your site. But if you’ve opted for an open-source application or module, or an add-on shopping cart, and don’t have any coding knowledge, you’ll need the help of a trusted web development team.

While it may be tempting to place an ad on a freelancer’s website and bid for the lowest price, “paying the price” also applies to web development. Even if you save freelancer fees, choosing the wrong supplier may not be worth the extra time and hassle.

You need to find someone or a team that has e-commerce experience, is good at communicating with you, and understands your project goals.

Step 4: Choose the Right Web Hosting

Once you’ve decided which ecommerce platform to use, you can move on to choosing the best web hosting option. This is best left alone until you decide what to use to build your site, as different platforms and systems have different requirements.

Many web hosting providers also have plans tailored to specific systems, so it’s a good idea to search for one that specifically supports your platform of choice. You should choose a web host that can guarantee good performance, not only in terms of how fast your site loads, but also near-perfect uptime.

You don’t want to pay for web hosting if you lose money every time your site goes down. Also, since e-commerce involves people’s personal and financial information, you should also choose a company that offers a high degree of security.

How to make an EC site: Summary

As we’ve seen, building a successful e-commerce website requires a lot of consideration. You need to consider how your online business will operate, the platform on which you will build your site, the team that will help build your site, and the provider that will host your site.

While you may be itching to start a project, spending a little time planning at the beginning of your project will ultimately save you time, money, and headaches.

More information about website builders

Let’s take a look at a comparison of website builders: Wix vs Shopify; Wix vs Squarespace. GoDaddy vs. Wix. Wix vs Squarespace vs Weebly; and WordPress vs Wix vs Squarespace. If you’re just starting out, learn how to build your site from scratch. Wondering if your small business needs a website? See why you need it. Check out our tips for creating a small business website. Explore the top tools you need. Discover the foundation of a successful small business site.