How to build a website to sell clothes

Whether you’re selling custom T-shirts, practical sportswear or designer apparel, you can take your business to new levels of growth by building a website.

 

There is a growing market among customers who love to shop for their clothes online. Let them buy your wares with an online clothing store you can build and maintain completely by yourself. Give them an easy, convenient way to outfit themselves in the threads they want.

 

Here’s how to build a website to sell clothes with GoDaddy Website Builder

Wondering how to build a website to sell clothes? Get started with these eight steps:

1.    Start your free 30-day trial.

2.    Pick an awesome business name.

3.    Craft a high-impact home page.

4.    Add section content.

5.    Create your store.

6.    Add your details to the pre-built Contact form.

7.    Add social media.

8.    Polish, polish, polish and… publish!

It’s a good idea to consider the following before you actually start building your site.

• A business plan. How extensive it is, depends on your goals, but you should at least have some idea of what you want to achieve. And of course, you can always change your mind.
• Details like shipping and payment policies that work for you.
• A great name your fans will love to say to their friends. Get some great naming ideas here.
• A brand aesthetic and style. Nail down a mood you want to create with your site so when it comes time to design, you choose the right font, colours and photos.
• A primary inventory list.
• High-quality clothing photos. Find tips in this excellent post.

OK, now let’s go into how to make a website to sell clothes!

1. Start your free 30-day trial

You can use a free trial of the GoDaddy Website Builder to see how your new shop will look before committing yourself. Start your free trial then answer two questions about your business and pick an overall look by flipping through the pre-loaded options on the right.

This shows you how your home page looks with different colours, fonts and text styles. Selling vintage? Try the Retro theme. For a sleeker, more sophisticated look, go with Slate.

2. Pick an awesome business name

Imagine two stylish people admiring each other’s outfits. And one of them purchased hers from your store! Her fashion-forward friend is going to want the name of your store. Make sure your domain name is easy to remember. Your domain will play a huge part in your business, so do your research and choose carefully.

3. Craft a high-impact home page

The photo on your home page is the first thing shop visitors will see, so it needs to be attractive. To choose a photo for that space, click Edit at the top, select the Header section in the right sidebar and scroll down to Cover Photo. Upload your own photo (My Images) or look through the dozens of images in Stock Images to find one you love. To see how that photo looks in different themes, just click Themes at the top and try on your options until you find the one you prefer.

4. Add section content

To customise each section, simply click it. Change the headline and description by typing into the boxes on the right. Click on any photos you’d like to replace with one of your own or a different one. Your changes will be automatically saved.

Want to add a section? Click on any green plus (+) sign then choose from the list of pre-built modules – Blog, Video, Subscribe and more. Then just add photos and text.

5. Create your store

Now for the fun stuff! Add photos of your stunning garb and configure details by selecting Manage Store at the top of the screen.

Use your dashboard to guide you as you build a website. Setting up your shop, choosing the payment options you’d like to offer customers and picking your shipping methods.

Are your photos gorgeous, your payment options chosen, and your shipping preferences decided? If so, you’re ready to roll! Select Start to add your first product.

6. Add your details to the pre-built Contact form.

A few minutes is all it takes to fill out your Contact form. Choose from one of five layouts, then add your pertinent details. Include a map and directions for stores with locations open to the public.

7. Add social media

Add high-visibility social media icons at the bottom, inserting your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube URLs with a few clicks. Engagement leads to relationships, which leads to identification with your brand. Social media is where those interactions happen.

8. Polish, polish, polish and… publish!

Use the green Preview button in the upper right to check out your progress as you go. Not quite there yet? Click Edit in the upper right to continue tinkering until everything shines (you’ll go back and forth for a while).

Do you love your new website? When you do, click Publish. Congrats! That’s how to make a website and you can now be on your way to consider the store details.

Image by: Technology photo created by freepik - www.freepik.com