Do you want to build a shop like Etsy with WordPress? Etsy is an online marketplace for creative people who want to sell handmade products, artwork, and other unique items. However, it is a bit limited in what you can do with your Etsy shop. In this article, we will show you how to create an Etsy-like shop with WordPress and how to successfully move an existing Etsy shop to WordPress.
This is what you will learn in this article.
Etsy is an online marketplace for creative people. It allows you to sell unique, handmade, or custom-made products to a specific audience.
On the other hand, WordPress is the most popular website builder in the world. It allows you to create almost any type of website imaginable, including full-fledged eCommerce stores.
There are two different types of WordPress platform. WordPress.com, which is a hosted platform, and WordPress.org, which is also called self-powered WordPress. See the difference in our comparison of WordPress.com and WordPress.org.
Throughout this article, when we say WordPress, we are talking about the most popular and self-hosted WordPress.org platform. We recommend using WordPress.org because it gives you access to all WordPress features right out of the box.
Etsy and WordPress allow you to sell products online, but which should you choose? Here are some advantages and disadvantages of both platforms.
Let's take a look at the pros and cons of using Etsy to sell your products online.
Advantages of using Etsy
Cons of using Etsy
WordPress is the best platform to build any type of website. However, it has its own advantages and disadvantages that you may want to consider.
Advantages of using WordPress
Cons of using WordPress
To learn more about WordPress, check out our full WordPress review with detailed pros and cons of the platform.
With that said, let's take a look at how to create an Etsy-like shop with WordPress.
These are the things you will need to build your own Etsy shop with WordPress.
Clever? let us begin.
Normally, a domain name will cost you $14.99/year, website hosting $7.99/month, and an SSL certificate around $69.99/year.
This is a lot of money if you are just starting out.
Fortunately, the folks over at Bluehost have agreed to offer WPBeginner users a free domain name + free SSL certificate, and a 60% discount on hosting. They are also an officially recommended WordPress and WooCommerce hosting provider, and one of the largest hosting companies in the world.
Basically, you can get started for $2.75/month.
→ Click here to claim this exclusive offer from Bluehost ←
Let's go ahead and buy your domain + hosting + SSL.
First, you need to visit the Bluehost website and click the green "Get Started Now" button.
On the next screen, select the plan you need (Basic and Plus plans are the most popular among WPBeginner users).
After that, you will be prompted to enter the domain name for your website.
Need help choosing a domain name? Check out our beginner's guide on choosing the perfect domain name for your website.
Lastly, you will need to add account information and finalize package information to complete the process. On this screen, you'll see optional extras that you can purchase.
We do not recommend purchasing these items because they will increase your hosting bill. You can always add them later if you think they are necessary.
You can now go ahead and enter your payment information to complete the purchase.
After that, you will receive an email with instructions to login to your hosting control panel.
Bluehost will automatically install WordPress for you, and you can login to your WordPress site directly from the hosting panel.
Once you are logged in, you will see the WordPress admin area. This is where you will be able to manage your online store, change settings and add new items.
Now that you have purchased hosting and installed WordPress, the next step is to turn your website into an online store.
To do this, you need to install and activate the WooCommerce plugin on your website. For more details, check out our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
Upon activation, click the 'Run Setup Wizard' button to quickly set up your WooCommerce store.
The setup wizard will guide you through basic setup, page setup, payment service selection, and more.
After setting up WooCommerce, let's add some items to sell on your online store.
Simply go to Products »Add New page to add your first article.
First, provide a title for your product, and then a detailed description. In the right column, you can add product category, tags, featured image and gallery.
Below the description area, you will see the 'Product Details' box. From here you can set the product price, inventory, shipping and other attributes.
Once you're happy with all the product information you've added, you can click the Publish button to make it available on your website.
Repeat the process to add more products as needed.
Do you already have an Etsy shop that you want to move to WordPress? In this section, we will show you how to easily import your Etsy shop to WordPress.
First, what you need to do is to install and activate the Easy Esty Importer plugin. For more details, check out our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
Upon activation, the plugin will add a new menu item labeled 'Etsy Importer' to the WordPress admin sidebar. Clicking on it will take you to the plugin settings page.
You will be prompted to provide your license key. You can find this information in your account on the plugin website.
After activation, the setup page will ask you to provide the following information.
To get these API keys, you need to visit the Etsy Developers website and then click the 'Create a new app' link.
This will take you to a new page where you will be asked to provide a name for your app. You must select that you are creating the application yourself, and it will not be used for commercial purposes.
After that, click on the 'Accept the terms and create the application' button.
You will now see the information page for your app. From here you need to copy the Keystring and Shared Secret keys.
Now, go back to the Easy Etsy Importer plugin settings page. After entering your API keys, click the 'Save and Verify' button to continue.
This will take you to the Etsy website, where you will be asked to allow access to the app. Click the 'Allow' button to continue.
The plugin will now try to connect to your Etsy shop and display a success message.
Next, you need to switch to the settings tab. The default settings will work for most websites, but you can still review and change them as needed.
Don't forget to click the save button to save your settings.
Now you can move to the 'Import' tab. The plugin gives you options to selectively import items or import all listings. The default settings will work for most websites, so you can go ahead and click the 'Import' button.
The plugin will now start importing your Etsy listings into WooCommerce. Once it's done, you'll see a success message and you can see the imported products under Products »All Products page.
You can then switch to the feedback tab to import your feedback from Etsy to WooCommerce.
Congratulations, you have successfully imported your Etsy shop listings to your WooCommerce website.
WordPress gives you access to thousands of free and paid website designs that you can use. These designs are called WordPress themes.
Each WordPress theme contains various template files to give your website a beautiful design. Using WordPress themes requires no programming or coding skills, and each theme includes different options that you can use to customize your theme.
Due to the wide variety of WordPress themes available, users are often overwhelmed with options. To make it easier for you, we've handpicked the best WooCommerce WordPress themes that you can use on your website.
The list contains free and paid WordPress themes and all of them are mobile ready.
You may not find a theme that looks exactly like the Etsy website, however you can find a theme with the same design qualities and then use the theme settings to make it look more similar.
Do you need more help? See our beginner's guide on how to choose the perfect WordPress theme for your website.
Unlike Etsy, you have full control of your WordPress store. You can modify it any way you want with the help of thousands of WordPress plugins.
Plugins are like apps for your WordPress website. You can install them to add new features to your website, such as contact forms, Google Analytics, and more.
With over 55,000 plugins, you can easily find a plugin for just about anything.
These are some of the plugins we use on all of our websites.
There are also tons of plugins made specifically for WooCommerce. See our list of the best free WooCommerce plugins. You can also use drag and drop page builder plugins to further customize the look of your website.
Now that you have a WordPress powered online store, you may want to expand your website by adding new features and growing your business.
WPBeginner is the world's largest free WordPress resource site. We have tons of articles, videos, and step-by-step tutorials to help you take your website to the next level.
Here are some of the helpful resources you'll find on WPBeginner, all of which are completely free.
You can also use Google to find tutorials on WPBeginner. Just add 'wpbeginner' next to your search term, and you'll find answers to all your WordPress questions.
We hope this article helped you move away from Etsy and create an Etsy-like shop with WordPress. You can also check out our list of WordPress plugins for business websites.
If you enjoyed this article, please subscribe to our WordPress YouTube Channel video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
