I released a free training on how to set up an ecommerce website using WordPress in simple steps, and before it went out I received hundreds of questions about how WordPress works. After removing duplicates and less relevant ones, here are the major WordPress questions people asked and my answers. If you don’t see your question below, leave a comment at the bottom of the page and I’ll respond.

Choosing the Right WordPress Theme

Sonja asked: How do I choose the right theme for WordPress?

When choosing the right WordPress theme, I look at three major factors:

A few things I always want on my theme dream list: it loads fast (well-coded and lightweight, which affects how quickly your site loads for visitors), it’s easy to adjust (usually meaning it includes a builder), and it’s easy to optimize for SEO. When choosing, favor a premium theme that’s actively updated, mobile-friendly, and lightweight — those qualities matter far more than any single brand name, since theme companies come and go.

Missing Banners, PayPal, and Plugin Costs

Suzette asked: Most of my banners disappeared on my blog overnight, and it’s a paid WordPress.org blog. Does a website have fewer problems? How do I set up PayPal, and how much does it cost? I know some plugins cost money.

First, know that WordPress can be used for a full website, not just a blog. If your banners disappeared, there could be several causes — a plugin conflict, accidentally deleted banners (which you could restore), a faulty theme, or corrupt banner code. I’d recommend setting up a WordPress management account here so we can look at it in depth for you.

Setting up PayPal is easy: create a free business PayPal account, generate a button, and add the code or link to your page or post. The plugins to add are normally free, depending on what you need. There are over 59,000 free WordPress plugins to choose from, all doing different things — so start there and see if a free one serves your needs.

Migrating From Shopify or BigCommerce to WordPress

Tony and Tertia asked: How do we transition from BigCommerce or Shopify over to WordPress without much struggle? And where do we find trusted dropship suppliers — ideally ones that ship to South Africa?

WordPress makes it fairly easy to import content from other major platforms. For Shopify specifically, tools and plugins exist to help move your products and content over — search the current WordPress plugin directory for an actively maintained importer, since available plugins change over time. WordPress also supports importing from Blogger, Tumblr, and other WordPress sites. For suppliers, I recommend setting up an account here to find dropship suppliers that ship to South Africa and beyond.

Common Mistakes New WordPress Designers Make

Denise asked: What common mistakes do novice WordPress designers make, and how do I do it right?

The two most common mistakes I’ve seen over the years:

1. They fail to keep the theme’s code current with the WordPress core software and the broader ecommerce environment.
2. They try to cram every bell and whistle into the theme, making it heavy and clunky — which causes conflicts with other plugins and future WordPress updates. It’s better to use a separate plugin for a given function than to have it built into the theme.

Getting Your Pages to Show Up in Search

Kim asked: What specifically needs to be done on each page so the site shows up in searches by potential customers?

You’d need to optimize each page you want ranked in search engines like Google and Bing. That means learning to do SEO properly — proper titles, meta descriptions, headings, quality content, and page speed all play a role. For a deeper start, see the guide on keyword research.

Using Ecommerce to Grow a Real Estate Brokerage

Gary asked: How could I use an ecommerce site to expand my commercial and investment real estate brokerage, attract new clients and buyers, and reach areas beyond my current location?

This is more of a marketing question than a WordPress one. I’d recommend setting up a consultation with me here to build a marketing strategy that helps you reach your audience more consistently and in new geographic areas.

Selling Books, Ebooks, and Artwork From a Blog

Thor asked: I have a WordPress blog. What can I do to sell books, ebooks, and artwork from it — or do I need a whole new page?

If you have a WordPress.com blog, you can either pay them to add a shop, or set up your own WordPress hosting account here (following this free training video) for a low monthly cost and install your own version of WordPress that you control 100%. From there, install the WooCommerce plugin and create your store.

Everything About Starting an Online Store

Radica asked: Everything about starting an online store.

Start by following this free training tutorial for setting up your WordPress ecommerce site. From there you can subscribe to additional trainings to build your online business. If you’d rather get step-by-step assistance, contact Trent here.

Merging Supplier Inventory Into One CSV

Valerie asked: How do I maintain a CSV for inventory availability — is it possible to merge all inventory from different dropship suppliers into one file?

Yes. You can create a CSV file that merges all your supplier products and data, then upload it into your WordPress store using a WooCommerce CSV import plugin.

Keeping Your Site Safe From Hackers

Judith and Travis asked: How do I make sure my site is safe, and what plugins protect against hackers?

Several steps help secure a WordPress site. First, create a strong username and password instead of the default “admin” — use something hard to guess. Then install a reputable security plugin to help reduce brute-force attacks. You can browse WordPress security plugins here. Keeping WordPress, your theme, and your plugins updated is also one of the most important security habits.

Which Ecommerce Plugin to Use

Travis also asked: What plugins should I use for ecommerce and how do I set them up?

The plugin I recommend for building your ecommerce store on WordPress is WooCommerce. It’s free, widely supported, and powers a huge share of online stores.

Finding Dropship Suppliers and Products

Paul M and Aatou asked: How do I find dropship suppliers and products, and how do I build a website for a dropship business?

To find suppliers and products, set up a supplier account here to immediately find companies you can start working with — supplying products to sell on your WordPress site, eBay, Amazon, and elsewhere. To build the site itself, follow this free training video for the exact steps.

Choosing a Profitable Niche

Antonio asked: I’m not sure if my niche ideas are good to market. Do you have a guide to pick a niche?

A niche is simply a need or a passionate want that someone has. Choose an audience or a need — the order doesn’t matter — because at the end of the day you’re helping people solve problems. Ask yourself: what specific problem am I interested in helping people solve, and are there enough people willing to pay to have it solved? For a full walkthrough, see the guide on how to choose a profitable niche, or set up a consultation with me here.

Website Layout and Where to Begin

Christian asked: Website building and where to begin with the layout.

Pattern your layout using proven website-design best practices. Here’s a great read on the principles of persuasive web design, and here’s a video training to guide you through building your site with WordPress.

Marketing Your Ecommerce Site

Adetutu asked: How do I market an ecommerce site and where do I promote it?

Marketing comes down to getting your products in front of a caring, targeted audience every day. If you don’t yet know who’s interested enough to buy, research it and engage — through calls, emails, surveys, webinars, and using your analytics to measure behavior on your site.

There are hundreds of marketing methods. Tools worth considering include marketing automation platforms (for example, Keap, formerly known as Infusionsoft), email marketing, Facebook, YouTube, guest blogging, affiliate and JV partnerships, paid ads, and free methods like SEO. My advice: start with email marketing plus one other channel (like Facebook or YouTube), master it, then add more channels over time.

Building Opt-In and Lead Pages

Ermina asked: How do I make opt-in pages and learn WordPress from scratch?

A dedicated landing-page builder makes opt-in pages easy and affordable compared to hiring a designer and programmer — Leadpages is one well-known option. And to start learning WordPress from scratch, watch this video here.

Optimizing Your Site Effectively

Frankie asked: How do I optimize effectively?

A few key steps: host your site on a powerful enough server like the one here, use a content delivery network (CDN) such as Cloudflare to deliver your content faster to visitors, and resize and rename your images to be lightweight before uploading them. Together these meaningfully improve page speed, which helps both user experience and SEO.

Selling Digital and Physical Products

Kari and Will asked: How do I create an ecommerce dropship website on WordPress, and sell both digital and physical products from it?

The WooCommerce plugin easily lets you sell any product you want, including digital downloads and physical goods. For step-by-step help building the store, follow this free video training.

Setting Up a Profitable Supplier Relationship

Paul O asked: How do I effectively set up a profitable relationship with a dropshipper?

First, set up a dropship supplier account here to access suppliers. Then contact the verified suppliers and let them know you’re interested in their dropship program. Discuss the product profit margins, best practices for working together, shipping and refund policies, who your point of contact is, and how they prefer to receive orders once you start placing them.

Finding Suppliers That Are Actually Profitable

Dawn asked: Every supplier I find is either fraudulent (like through Alibaba) or their products are priced too high to make any profit. Where can I find the right suppliers?

I’d recommend setting up an account with DropshipXL here to access verified dropship suppliers. Look for a company that gives you access to products you know sell well and that offer a profit margin of at least $100 or more — which usually means selling products with a retail price of at least $300 or more. Higher-ticket items are often where the sustainable margins are.

Have a WordPress question I didn’t cover here? Leave a comment below and I’ll respond. And if you’d like personal, step-by-step help building your WordPress ecommerce site, book a free 30-minute call with Trent here.