Setting up an eCommerce website can seem like quite a big task to do by yourself, and to some extent that’s right. However, there are some 
really good shortcuts and tips you can take, from those that have gone through the pain, to help you with the process of setting the shop website up.
The trouble inherently with eCommerce websites is that you have to make sure the whole website is set up correctly before you go live with the site. Whereas, if you wanted to set up a standard website/blog, you could have the website live much quicker, and then continually make small enhancements to it. An eCommerce website needs the process of buying 100% working for it to even consider going live.
Taking this into consideration, here are some tips to take away if you are looking to start an eCommerce website.
Use a Subdomain for the Ecommerce Website
If you decide to make an existing website have a shop, such as yourdomain.com/shop, although it seems the sensible thing to do, it might actually cause your main websites a few problems.
For one, making any website an eCommerce website takes a lot of WordPress plugins to work. This is a lot of code that is added to the website, increasing the http requests and general loading time of the website. I tried this on one of my main websites, and found it slowed my website down so much, that it made my revenue from advertising drop by more than 40%.
Instead, it’s much better to start a new WordPress website, dedicated to just eCommerce. Add a subdomain name from your main domain, calling it shop.yourdomain.com.
Use Woocommerce
There are many different types of ways you can turn a website into an eCommerce website. For most, the best way is to go with Woocommerce.
Woocommerce is free and, by far, the most popular way to turn a WordPress website into a shop. It comes with a load of compatible platforms, and has a range of open source plugins to help your shop have the right functionality for what you need.
Read up on Taxes
Selling products and services online might sound like a simple concept. You provide something. People buy it on your website. You make profit.
However, when you sell anything online, it is vitally important to know what legislation and taxes you might have to take into consideration.
For example, what country is your business based in? What are the taxes for selling stuff through this business?
If you sell products/services in other countries, do they have thresholds to sell products/services (and then after the threshold you have to pay tax)? With this type of topic, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Dropshipping Works Best
Dropshipping is a way of selling online where you use a manufacturer to stock and manufacture your products. This means you never have to ‘stock up’ or make anything. This saves a lot of time in the long run, but be careful what dropshipping company you choose to go with. Each will have different levels of quality and profit margins you can achieve.
