In brief
You create a WooCommerce online shop in eight steps: choose a domain and hosting, install WordPress, set up WooCommerce, select a theme, add products, configure payment and shipping, take care of legal requirements and test the shop before launch. The plugin is free; costs arise for hosting, extensions and design.
If you want to create a WooCommerce online shop, you are relying on one of the best-known e-commerce solutions in the world. Together, WordPress and the WooCommerce plugin form a flexible shop system that lets you sell physical and digital products – from a small range to an extensive catalogue.
Shopping online has become a matter of course for many people, and secure payment methods have strengthened trust in e-commerce. That is why, for many companies, the decision to create an online shop of their own is a sensible addition or even the core of the business. This guide shows you step by step how to build a shop with WordPress and WooCommerce and gives tips on design, legal matters and marketing.
What is e-commerce?
E-commerce, short for electronic commerce, refers to buying and selling goods and services via online platforms. You have certainly ordered products online before – that is e-commerce in practice. Today you can buy almost anything online: from digital items such as e-books to everyday products and high-priced goods.
Of course, there is competition in almost every industry, including from large marketplaces such as Amazon. However, your own shop has advantages: you decide on the design, prices and customer experience yourself, build a direct relationship with your customers and do not depend on the rules and fees of a marketplace.
Why WordPress and WooCommerce for your online shop?
WordPress is a free, user-friendly content management system (CMS) that is suitable for beginners and professionals alike. Originally launched as blogging software, it is used today for company websites, news portals, job boards and, of course, online shops. The advantages at a glance:
- Wide choice: thousands of themes and plugins for design and features
- Active community: regular updates, fast security fixes and lots of help in forums and documentation
- Full control: your data is stored on your own hosting, not on a platform
- Strong content: blog, guides and landing pages can be connected directly to the shop – an advantage for SEO
A WordPress shop is also easy to extend: as your business grows, the website grows with it – for example with interfaces to inventory management or accounting, which a WordPress agency in Vienna can implement for you.
WordPress itself has no shop features. These are provided by the WooCommerce plugin. After activation, you get product management in the back end, shop and product pages in the front end, a shopping basket, a checkout and settings for payment, shipping and taxes.
The most important WooCommerce features
- Add products with prices, variants (e.g. size, colour), stock levels and images
- a dedicated product page for every product and service
- checkout with flexible payment methods
- shipping zones, shipping classes and shipping costs for physical goods
- order management, customer accounts and automatic emails
- sale of physical, digital and virtual products
Create a WooCommerce online shop in 8 steps
1. Choose a domain and hosting
The first step is a web hosting package and a suitable domain. For a shop, you should not skimp on hosting: sufficient performance, current PHP versions, automatic backups, an SSL certificate and a server location in the EU are important. For growing shops, managed hosting is worthwhile, where updates and monitoring are handled professionally.
2. Install WordPress
Many hosting providers offer a WordPress installation in just a few clicks. Set a secure administrator username and a strong password, and switch the website to HTTPS right from the start.
3. Install and set up WooCommerce
Under “Plugins → Add New”, search for WooCommerce, then install and activate the plugin. A setup wizard asks for your location, industry, product types and currency. This takes care of the basic settings.
4. Select a theme and customise the design
Choose a fast theme that is compatible with WooCommerce. Pay attention to clear navigation, a clearly visible search function and a well-organised mobile display – a large share of visitors buy on their smartphone. Logo, colours and fonts should match your brand.
5. Add products
For each product you need a meaningful title, a convincing description, high-quality images, a price, stock level and, where applicable, variants. Write your own texts instead of copying manufacturer descriptions – this helps customers decide and improves your chances in Google.
6. Set up payment methods and shipping
Integrate payment methods via the payment providers’ official plugins, for example credit card, PayPal or methods common in Austria such as eps bank transfer. Define shipping zones (e.g. Austria, EU), shipping costs and possibly a threshold for free shipping. Also set up VAT correctly.
7. Take care of legal requirements
An online shop in Austria needs, among other things, an imprint (Impressum), a privacy policy, terms and conditions (AGB) and information on the right of withdrawal. Prices must be shown with a tax notice, the order button must be clearly labelled, and a GDPR (DSGVO)-compliant cookie banner is mandatory as soon as tracking is used. Plugins such as Germanized help with the technical implementation; the texts themselves should come from experts.
8. Test and launch
Before launch, run through several test orders: basket, checkout, payment, order emails and invoices. Check the shop on different devices and measure the loading time. Only then does the shop go live.
Would you rather have your shop built professionally?
We plan and build your WooCommerce shop – with design, payment methods, shipping and an SEO foundation. Online shops from €2,599.
How much does a WooCommerce shop cost?
The WooCommerce core software is free. For a professional shop, however, you should still expect ongoing and one-off costs:
| Cost item | Type | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Domain and hosting | ongoing | do not underestimate performance and security |
| Theme | one-off or annual | free and premium themes available |
| Extensions | usually annual | e.g. subscriptions, bookings, legal compliance |
| Payment providers | per transaction | fees depend on the provider |
| Design and setup | one-off | yourself or by an agency |
| Maintenance | ongoing | updates, backups, security |
Tips: how your shop sells after launch
- Visibility in Google: categories and products need their own texts, clean titles and structured data. Find out more on our page about WordPress SEO.
- Trust: genuine reviews, clear shipping and returns information and easy-to-reach contact details.
- Speed: optimised images and a few well-chosen plugins.
- Marketing: combine newsletters, social media and paid ads sensibly.
We show which extensions are suitable for this in our article on the best WooCommerce plugins.
How Kodlogy helps with your WooCommerce shop
A shop is installed quickly – a shop that sells needs planning. If you want to have your online shop created professionally, you have come to the right place. As a WooCommerce agency in Vienna, we take care of concept, design, setting up payment and shipping, interfaces and SEO basics. After launch, we can look after your shop on an ongoing basis if you wish, so that it stays secure and fast.
Your online shop in good hands
Talk to us about your product range and your goals. We will prepare a transparent fixed-price quote for you.
Frequently asked questions about the WooCommerce online shop
Is WooCommerce free?
The WooCommerce plugin itself is free and open source. Costs arise for the domain, hosting, possibly a premium theme, paid extensions and payment provider fees. On top of that comes your own time or the work of an agency.
How long does it take to create a WooCommerce shop?
A basic technical installation is done quickly. However, a shop that is ready to sell, with design, product texts, images, payment methods, shipping rules and legal texts, takes considerably more time – depending on the product range and requirements, more like weeks than hours.
Can I sell digital products with WooCommerce?
Yes. WooCommerce supports physical products, digital downloads and virtual products such as services or appointments. With extensions, subscriptions and memberships are also possible.
Which payment methods can I offer in Austria?
Using the payment providers’ plugins, you can integrate credit card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay and methods common in Austria such as eps bank transfer, among others. Which methods are available depends on the provider you choose.
Which legal texts does an online shop in Austria need?
The usual ones are an imprint (Impressum), a privacy policy, terms and conditions (AGB), information on the right of withdrawal with a model withdrawal form, and information on shipping and payment. Have the texts drawn up by a legal service provider or lawyer; plugins such as Germanized help with the technical integration.
WooCommerce or Shopify – which is better?
WooCommerce offers full control over data, design and features and is a good choice if the shop and website are to be closely connected. Shopify is a hosted all-in-one solution with a monthly fee and less technical effort. The right choice depends on your product range, budget and plans.
How much does a professional WooCommerce shop from Kodlogy cost?
We build online shops from €2,599. The exact fixed price depends on the product range, features and interfaces and is set after an analysis. You will find details on our prices and plans page.
Who takes care of updates and security after launch?
WordPress, WooCommerce and all extensions need regular updates and backups. You can take care of this yourself or hand it over to us – as part of our WordPress maintenance, we keep your shop up to date and secure.
