Selling online used to mean a separate e-commerce platform, monthly fees on top of your website, and a lot of glue. Today you can add a full store to the site you already have. Here's how to do it well.
1. Decide what you're selling
Stores generally sell one of three things, and the setup differs slightly for each:
- Physical products - you ship them (mugs, clothing, prints).
- Digital products - downloads delivered instantly (ebooks, templates, presets).
- Services - bookings or packages people pay for.
Knowing which you're selling tells you what to configure (shipping, downloads, or scheduling).
2. Add your products
For each product, you'll add a name, description, price, and photos. Good product pages do a few things well:
- Lead with a clear, benefit-focused description.
- Use multiple, well-lit photos.
- Add variants (size, colour) where relevant.
- Set stock levels if you want to track inventory.
Write for the customer: what problem does this solve, and why should they buy it from you?
3. Set up payments
To take money, connect a payment processor. With Stripe, your customers pay by card through a secure, PCI-compliant checkout - the card details never touch your site, and payouts land in your own account. Connecting it takes a few minutes.
4. Sort out shipping (for physical goods)
Decide how you'll charge for delivery - flat rate, free over a threshold, or by region - and set your rates. Keep it simple at launch; surprise shipping costs at checkout are the number-one reason carts get abandoned.
5. Make checkout effortless
The fewer steps between "I want this" and "purchase complete," the more you sell. A clean cart, a guest-checkout option, and clear totals go a long way. Test the whole flow yourself on a phone before you launch.
6. Launch - then optimise
Publish your store, place a test order, and tell your audience. Once orders start coming in, look at what's selling, tidy the products that aren't, and add reviews as customers leave them.
The all-in-one advantage
When your store lives inside your website - same login, same dashboard, one bill - everything is simpler: your product pages match your brand, orders and customers sit alongside your other contacts, and there's no plugin to keep in sync. See how Webkio's store works or start free.
FAQ
Can I add a shop to an existing website?
Yes. Turning the shop on adds product pages, a cart and a checkout to the site you already have, without starting over.
Do I need a payment provider?
You need a Stripe account to take card payments; connecting it takes a few minutes. You can also offer cash on delivery or bank transfer.
Can I sell digital downloads as well as physical products?
Yes. Digital products are delivered automatically after payment, and physical ones carry stock and shipping.