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On today’s post, I’ll be exploring everything you need to know about creating a dropshipping website with WordPress along with using the WooCommerce plugin. When looking to venture into the dropshipping business, the least of your worries should be the set up cost. This is because dropshipping saves you the trouble especially when it comes to order fulfilment and investing in product inventory.
The only thing you need to do is receive orders, sell dropshipping products and make decent profit. Unfortunately, there’s more to dropshipping than just receiving and selling products regardless of how good it sounds.
You need a standard eCommerce website to set up and run a successful dropshipping business. And that’s why we are here! In this article, we are going to look at different ways to create a dropshipping website including:
- You can use a software builder such as Spocket and Shopify to create a website
- You can order a custom website from AliDropship at a fee or get a freelancer to design the website for you at an agreed price
- You can also create a dropshipping website with WordPress and WooCommerce plugin using AliDropship WooCommerce plugin or with WordPress alone using the AliDropship plugin.
Keep scrolling to find out more. You won’t get bored, I promise!
Benefits of Creating a Dropshipping Website
- You get to sell unlimited number of products on your site at no extra cost
- Profitability – Dropshipping is one of the easiest and convenient ways to sell products and increase your profit margins significantly.
- You can do anything you want with your eCommerce store once you create a dropshipping website.
- You’ll have access to unlimited themes and designs
- It allows you to access different WooCommerce plugins to scale your dropshipping business with free and pay options.
- It’s helps you save money especially the cost that comes with running a website. For instance, Shopify offers a basic plan at 29 dollars monthly and 348 dollars annually.
No one wants to pay website builders recurring fees every other month especially if you want to sell multiple products. This tutorial will come in handy for those who prefer owning an eCommerce website that is customized to their specifications. Let’s delve in, shall we?
How to Create a Dropshipping Website with WordPress
First, you should know that there are many different ways of creating a website. You can either create the site with WordPress using AliDropship plugin or opt for the pre-installed WooCommerce plugin with WordPress thanks to AliDropship Woo.
Let’s narrow down the options and look at each one of them separately. I’ll explore both ways to help you make an informed decision. Here are some simple steps you can follow to create a dropshipping website with WordPress.
1st Step: Get the Domain Name along with Web Hosting
You need to get the domain name for the website. The best thing about it is that you can get it an no cost. Read on to find out more!
For starters, a domain name is a unique address for your eCommerce store. More like – www.mystore.com.
Web hosting, on the other hand, is a server that usually stores the website data for anyone who visits the site to access. In layman terms, web hosting can be compared to your house while the domain name can be likened to the house address.
There are many different domain name and web hosting providers. However, just like the supplier in a dropshipping business, your hosting and domain name provider plays a significant role in the success of your website. Suffice to say, choosing the right one will do your business good.
If you don’t have a hosting and domain name provider in mind, you can try out BlueHost.
Why I Recommend BlueHost
The reason why I recommended BlueHost is not far-fetched. One, they have been in business for the longest time and have a good reputation. If anything, always go for a reputable hosting company. Their services are equally good and I can almost say without a shadow of doubt that your experience will be better.
Currently, BlueHost hosts more than 850,000 blogs and two million websites globally. What’s more, they offer a unique package with WooCommerce and WordPress.org that makes installation pretty easy with a click of a button.
You don’t have to worry about the website slowing down owing to their famous 99.9% uptime guarantee. Using BlueHost will not only save you money but also time and lots of stress. Here’s why you should use BlueHost as your preferable hosting company:
- SSL certificate at no cost
- It’s a reputable hosting company
- They offer a 30-day money back guarantee
- Free domain name
- They have an official recommendation from WordPress.org
- BlueHost offer 24/7 reliable customer support
- WordPress is pre-installed
You can reach them on phone or make use of the live chat support feature anytime you encounter a problem when setting up your website.
Let’s get into the details of creating a dropshipping website for your eCommerce business.
Visit Bluehost.com and click the “get started” option.
After clicking the get started option, choose a hosting plan.
If you are a beginner, you can go for the basic plan and upgrade after you ascertain their credibility and the importance of having your own dropshipping website.
You need a domain name for the website at this point, seeing that you have already chosen a hosting plan.
Create a domain name and if you already have one then you can choose the next option. That is – use a domain name you own. However, you’ll need to point out your nameservers to the hosting company especially if the domain name is from a different provider.
I recommend choosing a new domain name since its absolutely free. We all like free things, don’t we? Well, at least I do!
There’s a dropdown menu on the “create a domain name” option that allows you to choose an appropriate domain extension. For instance, you get to decide if the domain name will either end with .com or .org among others. However, dot com comes highly recommended since its usually SEO friendly.
After establishing a domain name, you can now create a BlueHost account for the hosting package. At this point, you are required to fill out your personal information as shown below:
Moving forward, package information
BlueHost offers an account plan that lets you choose a suitable one depending on your budget. You can opt for a 12, 36 or even 60-month one-time subscription. Avoid any unnecessary costs by looking out for the extra checked add-on boxes. The domain name privacy add-on is the only exception even though its not compulsory.
However, it’s important to note that the domain name privacy option helps protect you from spammers and keeps your account personal information secure.
Once you are done, enter payment information and check the terms of service by the hosting company. In this case, BlueHost and click the submit button.
At this point, you would have created your hosting account with BlueHost for the website. If you are using a new domain name, then you’ll receive an email notification that requires verification or confirmation. You need to confirm or verify the domain name to prevent it from getting cancelled.
2nd Step: Installing WordPress
You can install your website automatically with WordPress thanks to the update BlueHost made on their checkout page. This means that everything on their page is straightforward. However, you need to set a password for your BlueHost account right after the checkout page.
Ensure you set a secure password. You’ll be notified on the next page if the creatin of password is successful.
You can move to the next page by clicking the login button. Once you are logged in, BlueHost shows you different free WordPress themes that you can use. This means that you have a variety to choose from according to your personal specifications.
If you are not ready to choose a WordPress theme then you can skip to the next page by clicking the skip button at the right-hand corner of the page. AliDropship will give you a high converting theme for your website so you don’t need any of the above themes.
The next page displays your WordPress dashboard. You’ll see “Welcome to WordPress” display followed by a question that asks if you need help.
You can proceed to the next option if you don’t have any questions. At this point, you’ll see another tab on the browser that allows you to login into the BlueHost control panel. Check your email notification if you can’t see it.
Use the login other option to set up a WordPress account. Once you are logged in, there’s a “my site” option on the lest-hand side of the screen with a procedure of setting up the WordPress site on the domain name.
At this stage, it’s safe to say that you now own a functional WordPress site. The next step is AliDropship plugin installation to help transform the WordPress site to a dropshipping website. This enables you to access all the important features you need to run a successful eCommerce business through the website.
3rd Step: Installing AliDropship Plugin
AliDropship Plugin is a WordPress dropshipping plugin platform that lets you create an eCommerce business by selling AliExpress products. AliDropship reviews will help you understand more about its features along with the plugin.
You need to install CMS WordPress on your website and a hosting provider and an ion cube loader to use AliDropship plugin. That means that the hosting provider should meet the PHP 5.6 threshold or even higher.
Fortunately, BlueHost meets all the required specifications. There no course for alarm if “ion cube loader not found” message pops up when installing the AliDropship plugin. In this case, you can always contact the hosting company via the live chat support feature to update the PHP for you.
When it comes to installing the AliDropship plugin, login to the WordPress dashboard then click on Plugin and select add new. You can find these options on the left-hand side of the tab where the WordPress admin button is.
After clicking on the add new feature, select upload plugin to upload the plugin that you recently downloaded.
After uploading the AliDropship plugin, you’ll be redirected to the next page where you can activate it.
Once you’re done, you can add a theme according to your personal specifications. At this stage, you’ll have a fully functional and well-customized dropshipping website with WordPress.
4th Step: Installing WordPress Dropshipping Website Theme
AliDropship plugin usually comes with its own high converting inbuilt themes that you can use at no cost. This means that you don’t need the WordPress themes. You can shelve the idea of buying any premium themes since the AliDropship ones will work remarkably well.
However, it’s important to note that the default and AliDropship plugins for WordPress only works with the inbuilt themes. That simply means that the plugin is not compatible with WooCommerce-related themes. If you want to use any WooCommerce-based themes, then you need to install AliDropship Woo and WooCommerce.
Let’s now look at adding a new theme. It’s quite easy since you only need to choose one from the available options.
After choosing the best theme from the available options, login to the WordPress dashboard then click Appearance, select themes then add new.
Click the add new button on the theme page and upload the zip file then activate it once you are redirected to the next page.
Lastly, activate your AliDropship plugin by simply entering the license key on the sale page. You can also use the one sent to your email address after purchasing from AliDropship.
To enter your license key from the sale page, click AliDropship on the WordPress dashboard and you’ll be redirected to AliDropship’s main dashboard. Once you get there, scroll down on the left then click the license option to activate your plugin.
Note: You can only use the license key for one domain name or website. However, you can deactivate on the current eCommerce store then reactivate it on the new one if you want to use it on another website.
If you made it to this point, Congratulations on your new dropshipping website with WordPress!
Creating a Dropshipping Website with WooCommerce
WordPress and WooCommerce are two different things just incase you are getting confused. For starters, WordPress is a Content Management System otherwise known as CMS build in MySQL and PHP. It’s typically an online website creation business tool. WooCommerce, on the other hand, is an eCommerce plugin designed for WordPress. You can create a dropshipping website with a click of a button at no cost thanks to the plugin.
Builtwith research shows that more than 39% of eCommerce stores globally are specially built with WooCommerce. This means that WooCommerce is one of the best solution tools for those looking to build online stores. Now that we have that settled, let’s dive right in!
1st Step: Installing WooCommerce Plugin
Creating a dropshipping website is quite interesting. Here’s what you need to do to install WooCommerce plugin:
Login to your account on the WordPress dashboard by going to the “storename.com/WP-admin”.
Scroll down to the “plugin” option then click on “add new”
Once you are done, search for “WooCommerce” then click on “install now” followed by the activate button.
You can build the eCommerce store by following the setup wizard.
The entire process is pretty easy thanks to the WooCommerce setup wizard that displays on the screen. You only need to follow the step-by-step procedure to the latter.
You’ll need to enter the address of your online store and preferred currency on the first page. Save for that, you are also supposed to fill in the type of products you plan on selling and whether or not you’ll be selling the goods in person. Make sure you uncheck the sell in person box and instead click the let’s go button.
You’ll be redirected to payment option on the next page.
Stripe and PayPal are the two most popular payment options available on the dashboard. Both come highly recommended especially for integration with the website. Alternatively, add and install another payment gateway that suits your needs or one that is easily available in your country.
Next comes the shipping page.
On this page, you’ll need to select your preferred unit of measurement for dimension and weight. This information should not intimidate you. This is because your job is as good as done once you install the AliDropship WooCommerce-based theme.
Once you’re done, you can move to Extras on the next page.
The entire page talks about automated taxes and storefront themes. Don’t fret! WooCommerce automatically installs and activates storefront themes for your eCommerce store for free. I recommend choosing from AliDropship recommendations, that’s is – WooCommerce themes.
In addition, WooCommerce automatically calculates the taxes for you if you check the box. If you want to proceed to the next page, click on continue. At this point, you can activate the Jetpack plugin if you are looking to enhance your website.
And just like that, you have a fully functional dropshipping website with WooCommerce. Well, that is after uploading the AliDropship Woo which is typically an AliExpress dropshipping plugin but in WooCommerce version.
2nd Step: How to Install AliDropship Woo
The process is not different from that of installing the WordPress version. Here’s what you have to do:
- Login to the WordPress dashboard
- Scroll down to Plugins then choose “add new”
- Upload the zip file then click on install now
- Once you’re done, click the activate button
You would have installed AliDropship Woo Plugin successfully. You now need to upload a WooCommerce-based theme for the dropshipping website.
Download a WooCommerce theme of your choice from the available ones on AliDropship theme page. I would recommend the Shopper theme since it’s not only free but also beautiful.
You can download a theme of your choice from the WordPress dashboard. What’s more, you can customize the theme.
The next step is copying the license key so that you can activate your plugin. If you had already activated your license key then you need to deactivate it first before reactivating to use it on the new website. Your WooCommerce store will be fully set up once you activate the license key successfully.
Importing Dropshipping Products from AliExpress
Once you are done creating your dropshipping website and it’s already up and running, you’ll need to import products. Remember, you need to import the products from AliExpress so that you can start selling them. But first, you have to install AliDropship Google Chrome Extension before you importing dropshipping products from AliExpress.
Adding the Google Chrome extension to your browser is as easy as clicking the link. The extension allows you to import dropshipping products from AliExpress as well as updating them. Save for that, it also lets you collect tracking information and automatically process the orders.
Once you install the extension, you can import the products and start selling immediately. To start importing, login into your WordPress dashboard, select AliDropship then click on import products.
You can add dropshipping products directly from AliExpress by clicking on the “Use Direct Import” button. AliExpress will redirect you to a new tab with a click of a button. The AliDropship importing section needs to stay open at all times when importing products, be sure not to close it.
The Google Chrome extension settings are available on the product page on the black bar. It also allows you to set the search filters by shipping method, product description or shipping country.
In addition, chrome extension allows you to choose the category where you want the imported product to be shown on your site. It also shows you the available shipping method and processing time for every product on the AliExpress category page.
Click on the AliDropship orange icon to start importing dropshipping products.
Click on the import button at the top of the page on the red bar to import products in bulk. The import button will display the number of the imported products and the progress too.
Order Fulfilment on AliExpress
You can start fulfilling dropshipping orders on AliExpress once you are done adding and also promoting them. The process is a lot easier thanks to AliDropship plugin. This is because you only need to click on the “place order automatically” button then the plugin redirects you to AliExpress. It’ll then add the shipping details of the client automatically.
You can monitor the orders from the dashboard and see the already shipped ones and those that are still processing. You can see the entire shipment process until the product gets to the customer using the tracking details.
AliDropship Plugin is the real deal as it not only sabes you time but also energy and lots of stress that comes with doing it manually. Lastly, once the dropshipping products are finally shipped, you’ll notice the orange dot turns to green. The processing button will also change to green and shipped to show that the process is complete.
Other Plugin Recommendations to Scale Your eCommerce Store
There are other different free WordPress plugins recommendations you can choose from to help scale your online business save for the dropshipping plugins. Here are some of the top recommendations:
- Social Rabbit Plugin – It helps handle your social media accounts automatically, allowing you to enjoy following, liking and auto-posting to keep your activity up to date.
- Force Regenerate Thumbnail – This plugin allows your site to load with ease as it helps resize all the images.
- Updraft Plus – It helps backup all the contents on your website.
- Contact Form 7 – This plugin allows visitors to have direct contact with you
- Yoast SEO – It helps improve your entire dropshipping website’s SEO
To accelerate and further equip your eCommerce business, here are other dropshipping plugins you need to check out.
Final Thoughts – How to Create a Dropshipping Website
I hope you’ve realized that creating a dropshipping website is easy. It might seem like a daunting task at first but following the step-by-step procedure to the latter makes it a walk in the park.
Here’s an overview of how to create a dropshipping website with WordPress:
Get a domain name for free, create a wen hosting account then install WordPress plugin. Once you’re done, you can proceed to installing AliDropship plugin for your WordPress website. After that, go AliDropship theme page and download the one you like for your dropshipping site.
A breakdown of how to create a dropshipping website with WooCommerce:
Install WooCommerce plugin to the site along with the AliDropship Woo Plugin. Once you’re done, install a WooCommerce-based theme from the available choices and start importing dropshipping products from AliExpress.
The above are two different ways to create a dropshipping website with WooCommerce or WordPress.
Good luck! I hope this article comes in handy for those trying to set up their websites.
