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How to Install and Set Up WooCommerce on WordPress

A Minimal, Production-Ready Configuration Guide

Overview

WooCommerce is a WordPress ecommerce plugin that enables product sales, order management, payments, shipping, and taxes from within the WordPress dashboard.
This documentation explains how to install WooCommerce and configure only the essential settings required to launch a functional online store.

This guide intentionally avoids optional features, third-party integrations, and marketing tools.
The objective is to establish a stable, compliant, and scalable baseline configuration that can be expanded later.

Who this guide is for

  • First-time WooCommerce users
  • Website owners launching a new ecommerce store
  • SEO professionals and developers who want a clean default setup

Prerequisites

Technical Requirements

  • A self-hosted WordPress installation
  • WordPress version 6.0 or higher
  • PHP version 8.0 or higher
  • HTTPS enabled with a valid SSL certificate

Access Requirements

  • Administrator-level access to the WordPress dashboard
  • A hosting environment optimized for WordPress performance

Failure to meet these requirements may result in plugin conflicts, checkout errors, or security vulnerabilities.

What Is WooCommerce

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is an open-source ecommerce plugin built specifically for WordPress.
It allows site owners to sell physical and digital products while maintaining full ownership of their data and infrastructure.

WooCommerce is developed and maintained by Automattic and supported by a global ecosystem of contributors, extension developers, and hosting providers.
This long-term stewardship contributes to its reliability and widespread adoption.

Step 1: Install WooCommerce

Install via WordPress Admin Dashboard

  1. Log in to your WordPress admin area.
  2. Navigate to Plugins > Add New.
  3. Search for WooCommerce.
  4. Click Install Now.
  5. After installation completes, click Activate.

Once activated, WooCommerce automatically launches its onboarding setup wizard.

Step 2: Complete the Setup Wizard

The setup wizard collects required store information.
Only mandatory fields should be completed for a minimal configuration.

Store Address

Enter the following details accurately:

  • Street address
  • City
  • Country or region
  • Postal or ZIP code

This information is used to determine tax calculations, shipping availability, and default store location for compliance purposes.

Best practice: Use your real business address. Incorrect or placeholder data can cause tax and shipping miscalculations.

Industry and Product Type Selection

  • Select your primary industry if applicable
  • Choose whether you sell physical products, digital products, or both

Optional features such as marketing tools, analytics, and paid extensions can be skipped without affecting core functionality.

Step 3: Access WooCommerce Settings

After completing the wizard, navigate to WooCommerce > Settings.
All essential store configuration is managed from this section.

Step 4: Configure General Settings

Navigate to WooCommerce > Settings > General.

Store Location

Confirm or update:

  • Store address
  • Default selling location
  • Default shipping location

Recommended configuration for most stores is to sell and ship only to the countries you support.
This ensures customers see valid purchasing options.

Currency Settings

Under Currency options, configure the following:

  • Currency: The currency customers will be charged in
  • Currency position: Example: $99 or 99$
  • Decimal separator: Typically a dot
  • Thousand separator: Typically a comma
  • Number of decimals: Commonly set to 2

UX and SEO note: Use a single primary currency at launch.
Automatic currency switching can introduce pricing inconsistencies and indexing issues.

Step 5: Configure Product Settings

Navigate to WooCommerce > Settings > Products.

  • Shop page: Automatically created by WooCommerce. Leave unchanged unless necessary.
  • Measurement units: Set weight and dimension units based on your operating region.
  • Product reviews: Enable if customer feedback will be used later for trust signals.

No additional product options are required at this stage.

Step 6: Configure Tax Settings

Navigate to WooCommerce > Settings > Tax.

If your business is required to collect tax:

  • Enable tax calculations
  • Choose whether product prices include or exclude tax
  • Calculate tax based on the store address

If you are unsure, leave taxes disabled temporarily and confirm legal requirements with a qualified accountant or tax advisor.

This documentation provides technical guidance only and does not constitute legal or financial advice.

Step 7: Configure Shipping

Navigate to WooCommerce > Settings > Shipping.

Minimal shipping setup requires:

  1. Creating at least one shipping zone
  2. Assigning a geographic region to that zone
  3. Adding one shipping method such as flat rate, free shipping, or local pickup

Shipping rules can be refined after real order data is available.

Step 8: Configure Payments

Navigate to WooCommerce > Settings > Payments.

  • Enable Direct Bank Transfer or Cash on Delivery for testing
  • Disable unused payment gateways

Online payment providers such as Stripe or PayPal can be integrated later once the store is ready for live transactions.

Step 9: Review Email Settings

Navigate to WooCommerce > Settings > Emails.

WooCommerce automatically enables transactional emails including order confirmation, processing order, and completed order notifications.

Verify the sender name and sender email address.
Default email templates can remain unchanged during initial setup.

Pre-Launch Verification Checklist

  • Store address is accurate
  • Currency is correctly configured
  • At least one shipping method is active
  • At least one payment method is enabled
  • SSL is active and the site loads over HTTPS

SEO and EEAT Considerations

  • Use real and verifiable business information
  • Publish About, Contact, Privacy Policy, and Refund Policy pages
  • Keep WordPress and WooCommerce updated
  • Avoid installing unnecessary plugins
  • Maintain consistent pricing and currency display

WooCommerce inherits WordPress SEO fundamentals such as clean URLs and structured product data when properly configured.

A minimal WooCommerce setup reduces technical risk and simplifies future optimization.
By configuring only store location, currency, shipping, taxes, and payments, you establish a stable ecommerce foundation without unnecessary complexity.

Advanced features can be added incrementally as business requirements evolve.