Lesson 25: Installing WooCommerce + Initial Setup
Objectives
- Install and activate WooCommerce
- Complete the setup wizard
- Understand the WooCommerce dashboard
- Configure essential store settings
What is WooCommerce?
WooCommerce is a free WordPress plugin that turns your site into a full-featured online store. It's the most popular e-commerce platform in the world, powering over 25% of all online stores.
What WooCommerce Adds:
- Product management (simple, variable, digital, grouped)
- Shopping cart and checkout
- Payment processing (Stripe, PayPal, and more)
- Shipping configuration
- Order management
- Customer accounts
- Tax calculations
- Coupons and discounts
- Inventory management
- Reports and analytics
Installing WooCommerce
Step 1: Install
- Go to Plugins → Add New Plugin
- Search for "WooCommerce"
- Install and activate "WooCommerce" by Automattic
Step 2: Setup Wizard
After activation, WooCommerce launches a setup wizard. Follow along:
Store Details:
- Country/Region
- Address
- Industry (choose what fits)
- Number of products (approximate)
Product Types:
- Physical products
- Digital downloads
- Subscriptions (requires paid extension)
Business Details:
- Choose which free features to install (you can skip most add-on suggestions)
- Be selective — don't install everything they suggest
Theme:
- Skip this — we're already using Hello Elementor
- Or choose "Continue with my active theme"
Complete the wizard and click "Go to Dashboard" or continue to WooCommerce Home.
WooCommerce Dashboard
After setup, you'll see WooCommerce in the admin sidebar with these sub-items:
| Section | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Home | Overview dashboard with setup tasks and store performance |
| Orders | View and manage customer orders |
| Customers | Customer list and details |
| Coupons | Create discount codes |
| Reports | Sales, customers, and stock reports |
| Settings | Configure all store settings |
| Status | System status, tools, and logs |
| Extensions | Browse and install WooCommerce extensions |
You'll also see Products added to the admin sidebar — this is where you manage your product catalog.
Essential WooCommerce Settings
Go to WooCommerce → Settings and configure these tabs:
General Tab
| Setting | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Store Address | Your business address |
| Selling Location(s) | "Sell to all countries" or specific countries |
| Shipping Location(s) | Where you ship to |
| Enable taxes | Check if you need to charge tax |
| Currency | Your local currency |
Products Tab
| Setting | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Shop Page | Select the page WooCommerce uses as the shop |
| Add to Cart behaviour | "Redirect to the cart page after successful addition" — check if you want |
| Weight Unit | kg or lbs |
| Dimensions Unit | cm or in |
| Enable Reviews | Your choice — product reviews build trust |
Accounts & Privacy Tab
| Setting | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Guest checkout | Allow — reduces friction (customers don't need an account to buy) |
| Account creation | Allow during checkout — gives customers the option |
| Privacy Policy | Link to your privacy policy page |
Emails Tab
Configure what emails are sent and to whom:
- New order — notify admin of new orders
- Processing order — sent to customer when payment is received
- Completed order — sent when order is shipped/completed
- Customer note — when you add a note to their order
For each email, you can:
- Enable/disable it
- Change the recipient
- Customize the subject line
- Change the email template colors to match your brand
WooCommerce Pages
WooCommerce automatically creates several pages:
| Page | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Shop | Product listing page |
| Cart | Shopping cart |
| Checkout | Payment and shipping form |
| My Account | Customer account dashboard |
These pages contain WooCommerce shortcodes that display the appropriate content. Don't delete these shortcodes — you can add content around them.
Checking Pages are Set Up:
- Go to WooCommerce → Settings → Advanced → Page Setup
- Verify each page is assigned:
- Cart Page → "Cart"
- Checkout Page → "Checkout"
- My Account Page → "My Account"
- Terms and Conditions → your terms page (create one if needed)
Currency and Tax Basics
Currency
- Set in WooCommerce → Settings → General
- Choose your currency and currency position (before/after amount)
- Set decimal separator and thousand separator
Taxes (Basic Setup)
If you need to charge sales tax:
- Go to WooCommerce → Settings → General → check "Enable taxes"
- Go to the new Tax tab that appears
- Under Standard Rates, click "Insert Row"
- Enter your tax rate:
- Country Code (e.g., "US")
- State Code (e.g., "CA")
- Rate % (e.g., "8.5")
- Tax Name (e.g., "Sales Tax")
- Click "Save Changes"
For complex tax setups, consider a tax plugin like:
- WooCommerce Tax (by Automattic) — automatic tax calculations
- TaxJar — automated sales tax for US
Exercises
Install WooCommerce: Follow the installation steps and complete the setup wizard.
Configure General settings: Set your store address, currency, and selling locations.
Check WooCommerce pages: Verify that Shop, Cart, Checkout, and My Account pages exist and are correctly assigned.
Configure email settings: Go to WooCommerce → Settings → Emails and customize the email template colors to match your brand.
Visit the shop page: Go to your site's Shop page to see what it looks like (empty for now — we'll add products next).
Enable guest checkout: In WooCommerce → Settings → Accounts & Privacy, make sure guest checkout is allowed.
Key Takeaways
- WooCommerce is free and turns WordPress into a full online store
- The setup wizard walks you through initial configuration
- Essential settings: currency, tax, shipping locations, checkout options
- WooCommerce creates required pages automatically (Shop, Cart, Checkout, My Account)
- Enable guest checkout to reduce friction for customers
- Configure email notifications so you and customers stay informed
- Set up tax rates if required for your location
- WooCommerce adds Products and WooCommerce sections to your admin sidebar
Next Lesson: Lesson 26 - Adding Products