How to Start an Online Store in 2025 (Step by Step for Beginners)
Posted: Thu Jan 23, 2025 5:52 am
The biggest mistake most users make is not choosing the right platform for their online business.Luckily, you are here so you won't make that mistake.
There are two popular eCommerce platforms that we recommend: Shopify or WordPress + WooCommerce.
Shopify is a fully hosted eCommerce solution that starts at $29 per month (pay monthly or annually upfront to get a discount). It's a hassle-free solution where you can just sign up and start selling.
The downside to Shopify is that it gets quite expensive and your payment options are limited unless you pay additional fees.
This is why most users choose WordPress + WooCommerce because of how flexible it is. It does require some setup, but in the long run, it's worth doing.
WordPress is the most popular website builder list of find your cell phone number and WooCommerce is the world's largest eCommerce platform. For more details, see our Shopify vs. WooCommerce comparison and our guide to WordPress for eCommerce .
In this tutorial, we will show you how to set up an online store in WordPress with WooCommerce on some of the best WooCommerce hosting .
To set up your eCommerce store, you need a domain name, web hosting, and an SSL certificate .
A domain name is the address of your website on the Internet. It is what users type into their browsers to reach your website (e.g. google.com or wpbeginner.com).
Web hosting is where your eCommerce website lives on the Internet. It is your website's home on the Internet. Every website on the Internet needs web hosting.
There are two popular eCommerce platforms that we recommend: Shopify or WordPress + WooCommerce.
Shopify is a fully hosted eCommerce solution that starts at $29 per month (pay monthly or annually upfront to get a discount). It's a hassle-free solution where you can just sign up and start selling.
The downside to Shopify is that it gets quite expensive and your payment options are limited unless you pay additional fees.
This is why most users choose WordPress + WooCommerce because of how flexible it is. It does require some setup, but in the long run, it's worth doing.
WordPress is the most popular website builder list of find your cell phone number and WooCommerce is the world's largest eCommerce platform. For more details, see our Shopify vs. WooCommerce comparison and our guide to WordPress for eCommerce .
In this tutorial, we will show you how to set up an online store in WordPress with WooCommerce on some of the best WooCommerce hosting .
To set up your eCommerce store, you need a domain name, web hosting, and an SSL certificate .
A domain name is the address of your website on the Internet. It is what users type into their browsers to reach your website (e.g. google.com or wpbeginner.com).
Web hosting is where your eCommerce website lives on the Internet. It is your website's home on the Internet. Every website on the Internet needs web hosting.