
Building an ecommerce website may seem like a daunting task, but with the right approach, and a little help from the pros, you can get your store up and running smoothly. Whether you're working with a design agency that specializes in ecommerce websites or going the DIY route with a platform like Shopify or WooCommerce, the process is relative streamlined. Here’s a step-by-step guide to the entire process, from strategy to launch.
Step 1: Strategy and Planning

This is the foundation of your ecommerce website. In this phase, you’ll collaborate with your ecommerce website developing team or research on your own, if you are choosing the DIY route, to figure out what you need, what features will make your store stand out, and how to deliver the best possible experience for your customers. It’s like creating a blueprint for your digital storefront.
Key Considerations
Choosing the Right Platform: One of the biggest decisions you'll make during this phase is which ecommerce platform to use. There are several options, each with its own pros and cons.
Shopify: A top choice for businesses of all sizes, Shopify is known for its ease of use, offering a drag-and-drop builder that lets you quickly create your site without needing any coding skills. It comes with built-in payment gateways, handles SSL certificates, and even offers inventory management. Plus, it has a wide range of themes and apps to enhance your store. Shopify website development services can help customize your store further, tailoring it to your brand's unique identity.
WooCommerce: If you're a fan of WordPress, WooCommerce is a great option. It’s a free plugin that turns any WordPress site into a full-featured ecommerce store. WooCommerce is highly customizable, giving you more control over the design and functionality of your site. However, you may need some technical know-how or help from a developer to unlock its full potential.
BigCommerce: Another heavy hitter in the ecommerce world, BigCommerce is great for scaling businesses. It’s similar to Shopify but offers more built-in features, meaning you’ll rely less on third-party apps. It’s ideal for companies looking to grow quickly.
Wix: Known for its intuitive design and ease of use, Wix is an excellent choice for small to medium-sized businesses looking for a custom ecommerce website development platform that will set them up quickly. It features a user-friendly drag-and-drop builder, allowing for extensive customization without technical expertise. With essential ecommerce capabilities such as product galleries, secure payment options, and shipping solutions, Wix enables businesses to create visually appealing online stores. Its integrated search engine optimization (SEO) tools help optimize your site for search engines, while Wix Ascend offers a suite of digital marketing tools for reaching your target audience effectively, managing email marketing, and enhancing your conversion rate.
Magento (Adobe Commerce): Magento is a robust, open-source platform that’s best suited for larger, more complex ecommerce businesses (think enterprise level). It’s highly customizable and perfect for businesses that need a unique solution, but it comes with a steeper learning curve and higher development costs.
Budget Breakdown
Choosing a platform can influence the ecommerce website development cost. Website building platforms like Shopify, Wix and WooCommerce have relatively lower upfront costs, but if you’re working with a web design agency, you'll need to factor in costs for customization, plugins, and additional development work.
Step 2: Design and Development

Once you’ve nailed down the strategy, it’s time to get to the fun part—designing your ecommerce store. This is where your brand’s personality comes to life, and you get to decide how your products are displayed, how customers will navigate your site, and how your checkout process will work.
Key Components
Visual Design: Whether you’re using a pre-built theme from Shopify or WooCommerce or opting for a fully custom design, you want your site to be visually appealing, functional, and user-friendly. You’ll work with your design team (or platform) to create a layout that makes it easy for customers to browse your products, learn more from your product descriptions, and complete their purchase. Your product pages are a major focus here—think high-quality images, clear product details, and reviews that build trust.
Functionality: This is where development comes in. Your web development team will start developing the site or customize your chosen platform to fit your needs. Shopify ecommerce website development might involve adding custom features or integrating third-party apps for things like inventory management, SEO optimization, or marketing tools. WooCommerce, on the other hand, may require plugin installations and some coding to get everything just right.
Mobile-Responsive Design: In today’s ecommerce world, mobile shopping is huge. Your ecommerce site needs to be optimized for mobile devices, so your design should automatically adjust to look great on smartphones and tablets.
Security: Ensuring your customers' data is safe is essential. This is where your SSL certificate comes in. It encrypts sensitive information like credit card details, giving your customers peace of mind when shopping on your site.
Budget Breakdown
If you're using a platforms like Wix or Shopify, you’ll pay for themes, plugins, and any custom development you require. For WooCommerce, you might need to hire a developer to help with customization. The development cost at this stage can range from $3,000 to $8000 for basic setups. Keep in mind, the costs for ecommerce website can easily exceed to 10's of thousands for highly customized enterprise ecommerce solutions. But don't worry, 90 percent of the businesses do not require this level of sophistication for their ecommerce website.
Step 3: Setting Up Key Ecommerce Features

Next up is configuring the features that will power your online store and help you make sales. These include payment gateways, inventory management, shipping options, and integrating your site with social media and other marketing channels.
Important Features
Payment Gateways: You’ll need to set up a payment processor to accept online payments. Most Platforms like Wix, Shopify, BigCommerce, and similar have built-in options for major credit cards and PayPal, but you can also integrate other payment gateways depending on what works best for your business.
Shopping Cart and Checkout: Your shopping cart needs to be simple and intuitive. Many ecommerce platforms offer built-in shopping cart functionality, but if you're building a custom site, you’ll need to ensure it’s integrated smoothly with your payment system.
Product Listings and Descriptions: Each product page should be optimized to convert visitors into buyers. That means high-quality images, clear and engaging product descriptions, and a seamless way to add products to the shopping cart. You'll also want to make sure your descriptions are SEO-friendly so that they can be easily found by search engines. Learning how to develop ecommerce websites includes ensuring your content contains relevant keywords.
Shipping Options and Taxes: You'll need to set up shipping rules, whether you’re shipping domestically, internationally, or offering in-store pickup. Taxes also need to be configured based on where you’re selling. Most platforms offer simple integrations for shipping providers and tax calculation.
Budget Breakdown
Some ecommerce platforms include these features out of the box (Shopify, Wix, and BigCommerce), while others (like WooCommerce) require plugins or additional integrations. Depending on the complexity of your setup, you might be required to spend a few hundred dollars on setting up these features.
Step 4: Testing and Optimization

Before you hit the "Go Live" button, you want to make sure everything works like a dream. This is the testing phase where you check your site for functionality, usability, and security.
What’s Tested
Performance Testing: You don’t want your ecommerce site to crash during a sale. Test how well your site handles traffic and make sure everything runs smoothly under heavy loads.
Usability Testing: Is your site easy to navigate? Are the product pages clear? Does the checkout process make sense? If customers are confused, they’re more likely to abandon their cart, so this phase ensures that your site offers a seamless customer experience.
Payment Testing: You’ll want to test all your payment options (credit cards, PayPal, etc.) to make sure transactions are processed without a hitch.
SEO Testing: You’ll also check to make sure your site is optimized for search engines. This means ensuring your site’s speed is fast, your product pages have meta descriptions, and that your content is keyword-optimized.
Step 5: Launch and Marketing

Once everything checks out, it's time to launch your site. But the work doesn’t stop there; marketing your store is key to driving traffic and making sales.
Marketing Your Store:
From the moment you launch, you’ll want to start promoting your site. Email marketing, social media, and SEO are great ways to attract potential customers. You can also run paid ads to get the word out.
Tracking Performance:
After launching, keep an eye on your site’s performance. Tools like Google Analytics or Shopify’s built-in analytics can help you track how many people are visiting, where they’re coming from, and which pages are converting the best.
Cost Breakdown of Building an Ecommerce Website
Here’s what you can expect when it comes to the ecommerce website development price:
Basic Ecommerce Website: $3,000 – $8,000
Ideal for startups or smaller businesses looking for a simple online store. Platforms like Shopify and Wix make it easy to launch quickly! These sites can be very capable and start generating revenue in a very short amount of time.
Fully Custom Ecommerce Website: $8,000 – $25,000
Ideal for businesses that need more customization and control over the function and look of their online store. These sites offer advanced features and integrations, a unique design, advance search engine optimization (SEO), and payment security that makes the customer journey and experience really smooth.
Enterprise-Level Ecommerce Site: Upwards of $25,000
Only beneficial for larger businesses with complex needs, like custom-built functionality, advanced ongoing SEO and tracking, and seamless integration with other systems. Such ecommerce sites start at tens of thousands of dollars and only goes up with every add-on feature. Magento is a popular choice here, as it allows for deep customization.
What Level of Ecommerce Website Fits Best For Your Business?
Basic Ecommerce Website: $3,000 – $8,000
Fully Custom Ecommerce Website: $8,000 – $25,000
Enterprise-Level Ecommerce Site: Upwards of $25,000
The Road to Ecommerce is Daunting...But It's Worth It!
Building an ecommerce website is a multi-step process that requires thoughtful planning, design, and execution. Whether you're opting for a DIY solution, or working with a custom ecommerce website development team, the key to success lies in understanding your business goals and creating a seamless shopping experience for your target audience. From the initial strategy to post-launch marketing, each phase plays a crucial role in driving traffic, boosting your conversion rate, and ultimately leading to increased sales. With the right team of designers and developers, your online store can become a powerful asset, setting your business up for long-term growth in the competitive digital marketplace.
Take advantage of this emerging industry and get started with a free consultation with one of our Ecommerce experts!
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