How to Start an Online E-commerce Website Using 5 Top-Rated Tools in 2025

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Starting an online e-commerce website can be a transformative step for entrepreneurs and businesses looking to expand their reach in the digital marketplace. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the process of launching an e-commerce website using five top-rated tools. Each platform has unique features tailored to different business needs, so understanding their strengths will help you make an informed decision.

Planning Your E-commerce Business

Before diving into the technical aspects, it’s essential to outline a strategic plan:

  • Identify Your Niche: Determine the products or services you’ll offer.
  • Market Research: Analyze competitors and understand your target audience.
  • Business Model: Decide whether you’ll operate as a B2C, B2B, dropshipping, or subscription-based business.

Once you have a plan, it’s time to choose the right platform to bring your online store to life.

1. Using Shopify to Launch Your Online Store

Shopify is a user-friendly, all-in-one e-commerce platform for beginners and growing businesses. Its pocket-friendly pricing and free period creates an ideal environment for startup businesses.

Shopify

Key Features:
  • Drag-and-drop store builder
  • Over 70 professional themes
  • Integrated payment gateways
  • Robust analytics and marketing tools
Step-by-Step Guide:
  • Sign Up: Visit Shopify.com and start a free trial.
  • Choose a Theme: Select a theme that aligns with your brand.
  • Customize Your Store: Use the drag-and-drop editor to modify layouts, add images, and tweak fonts / colors.
  • Add Products: Input product descriptions, prices, images, and inventory details.
  • Set Up Payment & Shipping: Configure payment gateways (e.g., Shopify Payments, PayPal) and shipping rates.
  • Launch: Preview your store, test transactions, and go live!
Pros:
  • Easy to use with no technical skills required
  • 24/7 customer support
Cons:
  • Monthly fees can add up
  • Limited customization compared to open-source platforms

2. Building an E-commerce Site with WooCommerce

WooCommerce is a free, open-source plugin for WordPress, perfect for those familiar with WordPress.

Key Features:
  • Seamless WordPress integration
  • Extensive plugin and theme support
  • Flexible and customizable
Step-by-Step Guide:
  • Set Up WordPress: Purchase hosting (e.g., Bluehost), install WordPress.
  • Install WooCommerce: Go to your WordPress dashboard, click “Plugins,” then “Add New,” and search for WooCommerce.
  • Configure Settings: Set up currency, payment methods (Stripe, PayPal), and shipping zones.
  • Add Products: Create product listings with detailed descriptions and high-quality images.
  • Choose a Theme: Pick a WooCommerce-compatible theme for a professional look.
  • Launch: Test all functionalities before going live.
Pros:
  • Highly customizable
  • No ongoing subscription fees
Cons:
  • Requires more technical knowledge
  • Potential costs for premium plugins and themes

3. Creating an Online Store with OpenCart

OpenCart is an open-source e-commerce platform suitable for developers and businesses seeking a customizable solution.

Key Features:
  • Multi-store management
  • Broad extension marketplace
  • Support for multiple languages and currencies
Step-by-Step Guide:
  • Choose a Hosting Provider: Opt for OpenCart-optimized hosting.
  • Install OpenCart: Use one-click installation via your hosting control panel or install manually.
  • Configure Your Store: Set up your store’s details, payment options, and shipping methods.
  • Add Products: Upload product details, images, and pricing.
  • Install Extensions: Enhance functionality with extensions from the OpenCart marketplace.
  • Launch: Thoroughly test your store before making it public.
Pros:
  • Free to use
  • Lightweight and fast
Cons:
  • Limited scalability for large businesses
  • Requires technical expertise for customization

4. Leveraging Magento for a Scalable E-commerce Website

Magento (Adobe Commerce) is a powerful, open-source platform favored by large enterprises and tech-savvy entrepreneurs.

Key Features:
  • Advanced SEO capabilities
  • High scalability and performance
  • Robust security features
Step-by-Step Guide:
  • Select Hosting: Magento requires robust hosting due to its resource-intensive nature.
  • Install Magento: Download from Magento’s official website and install on your server.
  • Configure the Store: Customize tax settings, shipping options, and payment gateways.
  • Design Your Store: Choose from Magento themes or create custom designs.
  • Add Products: Input detailed product information with SEO-friendly descriptions.
  • Launch: Perform extensive testing, especially for performance and security.
Pros:
  • Highly customizable
  • Ideal for large-scale businesses
Cons:
  • Steep learning curve
  • High development and maintenance costs

5. Starting an E-commerce Site with BigCommerce

BigCommerce is a hosted SaaS platform designed for fast-growing businesses.

Key Features:
  • No transaction fees
  • Strong SEO performance
  • Multi-channel selling (Amazon, eBay, social media)
Step-by-Step Guide:
  • Sign Up: Start a free trial on BigCommerce.com.
  • Select a Theme: Choose from responsive templates.
  • Customize Your Store: Adjust the layout, colors, and content to match your brand.
  • Add Products: Upload product images, descriptions, and pricing.
  • Configure Payment & Shipping: Set up payment processors and define shipping rules.
  • Launch: Preview, test transactions, and publish your store.
Pros:
  • Easy to use
  • Great for multi-channel sales
Cons:
  • Higher monthly costs
  • Limited design flexibility compared to open-source platforms

Key Considerations When Choosing an E-commerce Platform

  • Budget: Consider setup costs, monthly fees, and transaction charges.
  • Ease of Use: Determine if you need a beginner-friendly interface or are comfortable with coding.
  • Customization: Assess how much control you need over design and functionality.
  • Scalability: Choose a platform that can grow with your business.
  • Support: Look for robust customer support and active community forums.

Final Steps: Marketing and Growing Your E-commerce Business

After launching your website:

  • SEO Optimization: Improve visibility on search engines.
  • Social Media Marketing: Leverage platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.
  • Email Campaigns: Build a mailing list for promotions and updates.
  • Analytics: Use tools like Google Analytics to monitor traffic and sales.
  • Continuous Improvement: Regularly update your website, optimize product listings, and adapt to customer feedback.

Conclusion

Starting an online e-commerce website is an exciting venture filled with opportunities. Whether you prefer the simplicity of Shopify, the flexibility of WooCommerce, the customization potential of OpenCart and Magento, or the robust features of BigCommerce, there’s a platform tailored to your needs. By following this guide, you’re well on your way to building a successful online business.

Remodeling Your Online Business! Things to keep in mind while reviving your website

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The Web world is the most vigorous environment, it changes constantly. Regularly, there are New technologies, new strategies and creative advertising methods are announced and it is very often to get confused in this changing environment. There are factor that affects your business website and here are some tips to keep in mind when you think about redesigning your old website.

Think about your business, what you represent in the form services or products, what makes your business different from others. It may be the products that you sell or may be your customer support services or even your fast turn around. There should be something unique that you can offer with your services. Once you able to define your specialty, plan focus on transforming those peculiar offers of your business to your valuable customers as soon as they get into your site.


Study your visitors

Study your visitors, what they are looking for. You have already experienced your statistics reports and taking actions based on them. So analyze that information and target on your most most visited pages on the website. Try to avoid wasting time on something else that does not amplify your visitor’s experience. Most of the people lose their focus while redesigning their website, they start worrying about other different things happening on the website at the same time, as a result, they are making it more complicated for their visitors to find what they are looking for.

Focus on values

We all want to add value to our products and services. Offering more value on your website is always a great idea and you should focus 100% on it. Many customers, however, get engaged in browsing their new redesigned website and start keeping a records of every little sights that lok odd to them. This is not a bad thing itself, but one can lose more possibilities of their business from the website.

You should love every point of your new website but spending time on debating that if the color of the review’s stars should be a bit stronger or lighter does not add any value to your business. And end of the day when you may think that you have made progress but in reality, you’ve just spent an hour selecting a color of a detail. Meanwhile, Search engines like Google, Bing cannot list your website on their results because still there is no information about your company on the homepage.

Easy to Handle and update

Website should be easy to manage and you should be able to update your website whenever you want. If your website is not dynamic than you are falling yourself behind the competition and online business.

Power your brand

Statistics, social presence, and online advertising should be continuous in your annual budget. It doesn’t matter what you selling or what service you are providing, currently, if you don’t have competition in the market, you will definitely have it shortly. Make sure that people come to know about your business before they learn about your competitors. After your website is complete and proper functioning, this should be your top priority.

Security is essential.

The major aspect in online business is security level, make sure that your customer’s information is secure as much as possible and there are less chances of compromising customer’s data . Your reputation as a company could be in danger if your website gets hacked and it can definitely raise a very big problem for you.

There are lot of security layers making your website secure, like a well written code SSL encryption etc. According to Google, you website content should served over https instead of http otherwise Google will mark your website as “not secure”, resulting a competitive loss in search engine ranking as well as in customer’s trust.

Its time to secure your WordPress website with HTTPS

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Over the couple of years, Google has progressively stressed the importance of HTTPS encryption for websites. It has marked certain HTTP pages as “not secure” if they contain data input fields for things such as passwords, personal details or credit card information.

Domain name without HTTPS status can also influence a website’s search engine ranking. With the release of Google Chrome 68, Google has announced that all HTTP pages will be marked as “not secure” in an effort to phase out the older, less secure web protocol.

As this helped to make the internet a safer place, but it has also created some issues for site owners who have not encrypted their domain yet with HTTPS. Google Chrome handles the majority of browser traffic worldwide, and websites that show up as “not secure” face a probably huge dip in traffic.


Check your encryption Status

To check if your site is already HTTPS-encrypted, visit your domain using “https://” in the URL. If you see a green padlock next to the “https://” your site is encrypting its traffic and you are safe to go:

If you see something else, you have to take action before Chrome 68 is released. Because it may lead to some of the negative results e.g might low your website ranking. The best thing is that securing your site with HTTPS is a easy process. HTTPS encryption is done through SSL (Server Security Layer) certificate, which helps authenticate websites and ensures that hackers cannot see or intercept data of your users who share on your website.

To add https encryption with SSL certification to a WordPress website, site owners need to purchase an SSL certificate. Once the certification has been purchased, it will need to be installed on the server where your website is hosted.

With SSL certification and switching over to HTTPS, you will not only securing yourself on the web but also protecting your potential users/customers from crucial information hacks.

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Https doesn’t means 100% Security

SSL certification is one of the component in web security. While adding HTTPS encryption to your website is highly recommended. It will benefit you and your business users and customers, it is not a singular security solution.

Each and every website is unique itself and requires different levels of security—HTTPS encryption is just one part of that security layer. However, adding this layer of security will go a long way towards keeping malicious users away from your website and the data of your vendors/users entrust you with.

Conclusion

Google’s HTTPS encryption is an effort to make the web services safe for every internet user. Google helping users to understand that HTTP is not secure, and the information shared over HTTP connections can be altered by malicious users over the internet. Also it is raising awareness of the security risks that exist in today’s technology world of cybersecurity.

With SSL certification and switching over to HTTPS, the website owners not only securing themselves on the web but also protecting their users/customers from crucial information hacks. By acquiring SSL certification, website owners enable themselves to join a continuously growing community of safe web users over the internet.

Still have questions about HTTPS encryption and SSL certification? Give us Call: +91 (980) 3069 555, +91 (931) 7729 555

Web design for startups – why you need a website?

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Now a days, if you are a running a business and don’t have a website, then seriously you are losing a much business. The days are gone, when you were doing business locally and you were able to make a living out of it. But now in this competitive market, this kind of thought or business strategy could lead you out of business and failure.

Some Facts; Have a look?

Still there are many business owners that don’t understand the growth possibilities of having a online presence in the market. Look at some facts below and make a conclusion:

  • Every day, more than 2.4 billion people use the Internet
  • About 90% of users search internet for something they want to buy
  • 40% of the Internet users purchase products online every month
  • More than 70% of new customers would check you up on Internet before doing business with you.
  • 55% of buyers said that they search for product/vendor information on the Internet
  • According to these facts you can imagine how important it is to have your business visible on the Internet.

Got it, what else?

The bottom line is; Your website is very important and it should be as unique as your business is, It is also important that, not all websites are created equal. The way in which the code of your website is written can make your business higher or can break your success. Even when you think that you are saving money, but in the long run you’ll lose more than you can imagine.

The code affects the website?

Yes, it does. Google, Bing and other search engines are fully focused on how fast a website load and how relevant it’s content is. Search engines use these factors to qualify your website on the web.
It one of the biggest mistake that business owners can make when having they are building a website for the first time. Actually, they don’t know how to put there great ideas into content for website and normally they fill up the web pages with images instead of there great business ideas.

Competitive market

Yes, there is a lot of competition in the online market today. But as present, surely you have already a lot of competition in your locality and around your physical stores and that don’t let you away from enhancing your own business. In the same way, there were many big online portals on the Internet already when you first think about the online (e-commerce) business.

Here are some more facts about online( e-commerce) stores…

  • The U.S. e-commerce economy is worth $349 billion
  • U.K. reached an estimated £52.25 billion in 2015
  • Worldwide e-commerce sales reached $1.7 trillion in 2015
  • 8 out of 10 consumers will shop online if offered free shipping
  • E-commerce sales from social media grew by 202% in 2014

Yes… I need a website

Now you have prepared your mind that your business needs a Website. First step is to find out someone who can create it for you in the most beneficial way. Never compromise with cheap services, normally this kind of approach does not work at all as expected. Always look for a company having vast experience, check them up in Google, find what their clients are saying about the company, check out their previous completed projects.

Going a little deeper here are some things you should check before taking your decision.

  • Make sure your website is unique and reflects your business and goal.
  • Check for online reviews about your service provider.
  • Check out their Portfolio.
  • Check their social media presence and likes.

We as a service provider?

Well, here I am introducing our services to you. We had been doing Application development and web design services for more than 8 years. We are a team of developers, troubleshooters, logical thinkers, designers, internet marketers; working to provides High Performance Online Enterprise Solutions and Custom Softwares. Check this link for our Services and here is another to our Portfolio page. We will love to hear from you so don’t hesitate to send us an email as soon as you want.

Why and How My Website Got Hacked?

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Have you thought, why anybody will hack your business website? It looks very exciting in movies, but in actual practice its all about envision human interests, taking an opportunity, and veritable perseverance.

Learn how hackers think, and how you can protect your business website.

WordPress is the Market Leader

Certainly, WordPress is the most popular content management system (CMS) for designing websites. It covers an impressive 59% of the CMS market share. This popularity also leads to a prime targeted platform for Hackers and other malicious users. Commonality, we think that why anyone will hack my website? I have nothing valuable for anyone on my website. It is the wrong perception to approach the web with.

A wretched statistic shows that there are roughly 25% users globally who are well informed and able to handle medium-to-high difficulty tasks. In this article, we go through some of the common practices in which a website can be compromised, some reasons why websites get hacked and what users can do to protect themselves.

How Are Websites Hacked?

When we hear the word “hacker”, the most common image that comes in our mind is
a black hooded man sitting in front of dark screen running lines of code. In fact, the most common hacks are quite simple in nature. Not all types of hacking stem from code either. Social hacking – attacks are still some of the most threatening ones.

According to Wordfence (WP security plugin) monthly security reports, the majority (91%) of attacks are actually brute force attacks.

A brute force attack is a very simple concept. Just try to login someone’s website by putting /wp-admin at the end of the url, try to login with different combinations of usernames and passwords. In this way you are essentially commencing a brute force attack. Now imagine if you had access and a script that automatically tries to log in using different combinations of usernames and passwords. There is a high chance for insecure accounts to be cracked this way.


There are other ways also that Hackers use for their malware injections. As we know WordPress themes use a number of plugins to function properly. Sometimes because of poor code quality and innovations in the field of hacking – exploits can be found by the hackers. Hopefully, a white hat hacker, was the one who found the exploit in the theme plugin files. In any case, after exploits are known, they are added to vulnerability lists which are easily accessible over the internet on the websites. There are also malware attacks that are aimed directly on the server. It is a very complicated and broad term of hacking.

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Why Are Websites Hacked?

Now We come to know that how websites can be hacked, but the question is why it was hacked? And it still remains unanswered. There are so many reasons that that why hackers target your website with malware injections and viruses. The most complicated form is Advertising: there are many ways to ad injection attacks, as they are known.

Another common source of hacking one’s business website can be to simply deface it as a part of hacktivism. These causes vary as per the groups who are carrying these websites. Unfortunately, all hacks are not visible and some of them can be quite difficult to track. If you are using wordpress as shopping portal then you might save your client’s details like credit card details or any personal information. This information is quite valuable for hackers and they will not make their presence known so that they can keep exploiting this information from the website.

How Can I Protect My Site?

There are few basic steps that you can take as a protective user to protect your business website. Here is a simple security checklist you can use:

    • Keep your passwords secure: always use a strong password as for admin levels and force user as well for strong passwords. For this you can use iThemes security plugin. Do not repeat your password on multiple sites. Update your website passwords every two months.

    • Never use admin or publicly available emails for your admin account: always use a different username for your website. Never use ‘admin’ as your username.

    • Update your website time to time: As we know, that recognised exploits are made public. If you are using outdated versions of plugins or themes then you are might be at risk.

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      Need Help? Call Us: +91-(980) 3069 555, +91-(931) 7729 555

    • Use a reputed web hosting company: hosting services provided by an non reputed company may lead your website being hacked again and again because another website on the same server was compromised.

    • Only grant access to users you can trust: don’t give access of your website to everyone or who you don’t fully trust. Not everyone needs to be an admin.

    • Use a security plugin: similar to antivirus programs, there are security plugins for WordPress websites. iThemes security and Wordfence are popular security plugins for wordPress.

    Stay safe, stay informed!

New Technologies to Enhance Customer Hunting

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Change the way you hunt your customers

Either you are planing to go online or already have a live website, must upgrade to reach more targeted audience. Regular updates on your website and simultaneously on your social media channels are important. You need not to do it one-by-one manually, new technologies are available to help you.

You just add content to your site and the technology will post your content to all linked social media channels viz. Google+, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and more. Further you may opt for a Newsletter system, which enable your website to send the latest content updates to your Customers and Subscribers regularly.

Upgrade to New Technologies …Now!

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