The Complete Guide to Building an Online Store

An online store stopped being a privilege of large companies a while ago. Today it is a business opportunity any owner can capture. Whether you sell physical products, digital goods, or services, an online store lets your customers buy any time, from anywhere. But building a successful digital store takes careful planning. In this article we walk you through the process stage by stage, from picking a platform to marketing the store.

Choosing a platform - Shopify, WooCommerce, or a custom solution?

The first and most important decision is the platform you will build the store on. The three main options in the Israeli market are Shopify, WooCommerce, and a custom-built solution. Each has its pros and cons, and there is no single answer that fits everyone.

Shopify is the most popular e-commerce platform in the world, and for good reason. It is easy to set up, secure, and offers hundreds of ready-made add-ons. The downside: monthly subscription fees, a per-transaction commission (unless you use Shopify Payments), and relatively limited design flexibility. A great fit for businesses that want to start fast with minimal technical hassle.

WooCommerce (a plugin for WordPress) is a free and very flexible option. It suits anyone who already has a WordPress site or wants full control over the code. The downside: it requires technical maintenance and security updates, and can be slow if not properly tuned. A custom solution (like Next.js with a custom API) gives the most control but takes a bigger investment in development.

Designing the buying experience - from product page to checkout

The buying experience is what separates a store that sells from a store that loses customers. The scary stat: 70% of carts are abandoned. In plain terms, 7 out of 10 people who add a product to the cart do not complete the purchase. Designing a good buying experience drastically lowers that rate.

A good product page includes:

• Quality images: at least 3–5 photos from different angles, a zoom option, and ideally a short video. It may sound like a cliché, but images really do sell.
• A product description that sells: not just a tech spec, but an explanation of why this product solves a problem. What is the benefit to the customer?
• Clear pricing: nothing irritates customers more than price surprises. Show the final price including VAT and shipping as early as possible.
• Reviews and ratings: reviews from real customers can lift conversion rate by tens of percent.

The checkout flow has to be as short and simple as possible. Every unnecessary step is another opportunity for the customer to drop off. Offer guest checkout (without registration), minimize form fields, and provide multiple payment options.

Payments and shipping in Israel - local integrations

The Israeli market is unique when it comes to payments and shipping, and it is important to pick solutions that suit Israeli customers. On payments, Israelis are used to paying by credit card with installment options (0% interest). Make sure your store supports payments through an Israeli payment processor.

Popular payment-processing options in Israel include:

• Meshulam: a popular Israeli solution with competitive fees and installment support.
• Cardcom: established and well-known, with many integrations.
• PayPal: trusted and recognized, also suitable for overseas customers.
• Bit / Apple Pay / Google Pay: digital wallets that are gaining ground, especially with younger audiences.

On shipping, Israeli customers expect fast delivery (2–5 business days) and a choice between home delivery and pickup point. Companies like Israel Post, FedEx, DHL and local courier services all offer integrations for online stores. At Simple Web we make sure every store we build connects to the most suitable Israeli payment and shipping providers.

Marketing the store - how to drive traffic and sales

Building a beautiful online store is only half the story. The other half is even more critical: bringing traffic to it. No traffic means no sales, and no marketing means no traffic.

The main marketing channels for an online store:

• Google Shopping: product campaigns that appear directly in Google search results with an image, price, and link to the store. One of the highest-converting channels for e-commerce.
• Meta Ads (Facebook and Instagram): excellent for targeting by interests, behavior, and demographics. Catalog campaigns (Dynamic Ads) let you show customers the exact products they were interested in.
• Email Marketing: the channel with the highest ROI. Automated emails (abandoned cart, product recommendations, promotions) can lift revenue by 20–30%.
• SEO for e-commerce: optimizing category and product pages to show up in organic search. Works very well for the long term.

The key is not to try everything at once. Start with one or two channels, hit positive ROI, and only then expand. At Simple Web we build the store with marketing infrastructure in place from day one: pixels, conversions, and a Google Merchant Center connection. That way you can start marketing the moment the store goes live.

Summary: Building a successful online store takes careful planning at every stage: choosing the right platform, designing a smooth buying experience, integrating with Israeli payment and shipping solutions, and a marketing strategy that drives traffic and sales. It sounds like a lot, but with the right partner the process becomes simple and organized. Want to build an online store that sells? Let's talk.