How To Create An Online Store

Your website is the face of your shop—this is where customers decide whether to buy your product or service. That's why having a visually appealing and easy-to-use website is crucial. Let's break down the process step by step.

Avoid overly complicated or long names—shorter is often better.

People find inspiration in many places:

• Some use their own name (e.g., Tommy Hilfiger).
• Others tap into geography (e.g., Patagonia).
• Some create associations (e.g., Land Rover).
• Or perhaps it's a personal preference—Apple was named because Steve Jobs liked apples and wanted to appear above "Atari" in the phone book. Google's founders initially wanted Googol but changed it to Google when the domain was unavailable.

Develop a list of potential names, then narrow it down to a few favorites. Test these options by asking friends or potential customers what they think. Clarity often wins over creativity.

Do I need a logo right away?
Don't worry about creating a logo before you launch. While branding is important, it's often best to focus on building a solid product or service first.

If you don't have an in-house designer or the budget for a professionally designed logo, stick to a classic approach: Use your brand name in a clean, legible font. Many world-famous brands have done this successfully. Just ensure there's enough white space around the text for clarity and readability.

How to use such a logo? Carefully. Leave as much empty space around it as possible.

Where to buy a domain name?
Companies called domain registrars (such as GoDaddy, Namecheap, Domain.com, and others) sell domain names. The cost depends on the domain extension, but a simple one like .com usually costs around $10-$15 per year.

Tip: If you're looking for something more creative, consider extensions like .store, .shop, .co, or .io. Many short domain names are taken,
so new extensions can help you stand out.

To check if your chosen domain is available, you can use services like Whois or your preferred domain registrar's search tool. Even on Tilda's Free Plan, you can use a custom domain name that ends with tilda.ws. Learn more here.

For an online store, you'll need two types of photography:

To keep costs down, try looking for a photographer among your acquaintances, and invite friends—or even step in yourself—as models. If taking your own photos isn't an option, you can always find suitable images online.

If your online store has only a few key products, list them one after another on a single page.

Shoppers can see all items at once, with no extra clicks. Another advantage is that each product can be shown larger, making it more visually appealing.

If you have more than five products but they're all of the same kind (e.g., books or bags), display them in a grid layout.

Clicking a product card can open a pop-up window on the same page, allowing customers to inspect details without navigating away.

It's not always necessary to create a separate page for every product. Keeping all items on one page can help your website load faster and makes it easier for visitors to see all products at once. Remember: Every extra click in your navigation risks losing potential customers.

If you offer a mix of product types—such as furniture, lighting, and kitchenware—group them into categories. Each category can be displayed on the same page, separated by headings and section breaks.

For example, you might have one section (block) for furniture, another for lighting, and so on.

This setup works best with up to four main categories, each containing no more than 20 products. Your customers can scroll through and see all the categories on a single page.

If your store has a lot of products (e.g., 20-30 items in each category), it's often better to build a multi-page online store. Give each product category its own page so people can find what they need more easily.

On the Home Page, showcase popular products and the main product categories. Add a category menu at the top of the page for easy navigation.

When a customer clicks a category in the menu (or on a category tab), they'll land on that category's dedicated page with its full list of products.

Add an "About" section, an Instagram photo feed, or a short video about your brand. Engage customers with more than just your products—give them a glimpse of your creative process, too.

In many countries, including the US and much of Europe, you don't need to set up a formal business right away to test your niche. Many entrepreneurs start as sole proprietors: In the US, for example, you can begin selling online without complicated legal steps, and in many European countries, you can register as a freelancer or self-employed individual when you're ready to formalize.

To test the waters, start by taking orders and receiving payments. If your sales grow, it's easy to connect an official online payment system later. Tilda integrates with a range of international payment gateways—such as PayPal, Stripe, or 2Checkout—making it easy to accept bank card payments from worldwide customers. You can also choose to accept cash on delivery (if it works in your region) or use direct bank transfers, especially when starting out. Many first-time sellers use secure and widely recognized online payment methods, allowing them to validate their business idea without needing immediate registration.

Focus on your marketing strategy:

Social Media: Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or  Pinterest can be great for reaching customers, showcasing products, and sharing updates.
Email Marketing: Build an email list and send newsletters featuring new products, special offers, or tips related to your niche.
Online Advertising: Consider placing ads on Google or social media to reach a broader audience.
Startup Metrics (AARRR): If you want a more analytical approach, explore the AARRR (Acquisition, Activation, Retention, Referral, Revenue) framework to track and optimize your sales funnel.

Create an account on Tilda and select the Personal or Business Plan. These plans differ in how many websites you can build under one account.

Anything you build during the trial stays in your account.

New ready-to-use templates are released regularly, including in the Online Store category, offering plenty of options to choose from.

The ecommerce templates are structured like landing pages for small stores, which helps boost conversion. Each template includes a cart, product categories, and product features. Once you've selected a template, you can customize it however you want—add or remove blocks, upload images, and tweak the design to suit your style.

Add content to your page:

• Store Name & Description: Introduce your brand or shop.
• Product Cards: Include text, pricing, and high‑quality photos.
• Extra Blocks (optional but helpful):

About the Brand: Who you are, what you do, and what makes your products or services stand out.
Customer Reviews: If you've already made some sales, showcase testimonials or social media snapshots.
Subscription Form: Let visitors subscribe to your newsletter—offering a promo code for signing up can encourage more subscriptions.
Contact Info: Make it easy for customers to reach you or find your physical location (if you have one).

To add a Shopping cart to a website, select block ST100 from the "Store" category.

You can set it up so a pop‑up appears immediately after adding an item, prompting the customer to check out. Or you can disable the pop‑up, letting the customer continue browsing until they're ready to pay.

Go to Site Settings → Payment Systems to connect your store to an online payment provider. In the same section, you can enable a cash-on-delivery option (if it's relevant for your region) and set up promo codes.

Select Your Currency
Before setting up any payment gateways, choose the currency you want to display in your store. You can do this in Site Settings → Payment Systems.

Connect Multiple Payment Gateways
After selecting your currency, connect one or more payment services—such as PayPal, Stripe or 2Checkout. Tilda supports a variety of providers, so you can offer multiple payment options and let customers choose the one they prefer. If none of these payment providers meets your needs, you can integrate your own custom payment gateway. Learn more here.

Publish your store so it goes live and can start receiving orders.

Each product card can feature one or more images. If you add multiple images to a single product, customers will see a slideshow effect or the images will change on hover—depending on the type of block you choose.

On Tilda, you can add product variants if a product differs in color, size, material, or other attributes. Each variant can have its own price, which you can set up in the Content tab of the product card.

Here, you can also add companion products (for example, gift wrapping), which may also affect the final price.

To enable promo codes on your website:

If you'd like to set a minimum order amount (for example, if you don't ship orders under $50), go to the cart's block Settings → More Settings → Minimum Order Amount. Customers won't be able to check out with less than the amount you specify.

You can add a visual label to any product—like "Sale" or "New"—to draw attention. You can also adjust the item's price for certain labels (useful if you're running a discount). Assign and edit labels in the product settings under the Content tab.

In the Content menu of the ST100 block, go to the Input Fields tab → click add Input Field → select Delivery Variants from the dropdown. Specify the name and cost of each shipping method, for example, In‑store pickup or Door-to-door delivery.

When a customer selects their preferred shipping method, the cost is added to the total order amount.

All submitted orders will be listed in the Leads tab of your Tilda account.

You can also connect a third-party service to manage received orders—Tilda integrates with over a dozen data-collection tools. To set up your preferred service, go to Site Settings → Forms and configure it to receive instant notifications via email, messenger apps, or another platform.

After connecting the service, return to your store page, open the settings of the shopping cart block, and select the box for the service you want to use to receive and manage orders.