Starting a webshop: the complete guide for beginners

Want to start a webshop but don't know where to begin? You're not alone. Thousands of entrepreneurs have gone before you and discovered that selling online is more accessible than ever. In this comprehensive guide, we take you step by step through the entire process from idea to launch. From choosing your products and platform to setting up payments and attracting your first customers.

After reading this guide, you'll have a complete action plan to successfully launch your own webshop.

Why start a webshop now?

The e-commerce market is growing explosively. In 2023, consumers bought more than €35 billion online, an increase of over 8% compared to the previous year. This growth continues, driven by changing consumer habits and improved technology.

The advantages of your own webshop

Your own webshop offers unique advantages compared to selling via marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, or Etsy:

Full control over your brand: With your own webshop, you determine how your brand looks and feels. You choose your own colors, logos, photos, and tone of voice. On marketplaces, you disappear among thousands of other sellers with the same standard templates.

No commissions to third parties: Marketplaces charge commissions of 10-20% per sale. With your own webshop, you keep this margin yourself. On €100,000 revenue, that saves you €10,000-20,000 per year directly in your pocket.

Own your customer data: You collect email addresses, purchase history, and preferences. This data is worth its weight in gold for targeted marketing, repeat purchases, and building a loyal customer base. On marketplaces, the customers belong to the platform, not to you.

Unlimited scalability: No product limits, no restrictions on categories, no arbitrary account suspensions. You grow at your own pace and on your own terms.

Flexibility in marketing: You can apply any marketing strategy: from SEO and content marketing to retargeting and influencer partnerships. Marketplaces often limit your options.

Is your own webshop right for you?

Starting a webshop isn't the best choice for everyone. Answer these questions honestly:

• Do you have a product or service that can be sold online?
• Are you willing to learn about e-commerce, marketing, and technology?
• Do you have a starting budget of at least €500-1,000 available?
• Can you spend 10-20 hours per week on your webshop?
• Are you patient enough to wait for results (first revenue often takes 2-3 months)?

Do you answer most questions with "yes"? Then a webshop is a realistic option. Not sure? Consider testing via a marketplace or social media first before investing.

Step 1: determine your niche and products

The foundation of every successful webshop is a well-thought-out niche and product offering. This is perhaps the most important decision you'll make.

What are you going to sell?

There are three main categories of products you can sell online:

Physical products:

Own production: You make products yourself, for example artisanal soap, handmade jewelry, or custom furniture. Advantage: unique offering and higher margins. Disadvantage: scalability limited by production capacity.

Purchasing from wholesalers: You buy products from suppliers and resell them with margin. Classic retail model. Advantage: quickly scalable. Disadvantage: competing on price with others selling the same products.

Dropshipping: The supplier ships directly to your customer. You don't keep inventory. Advantage: minimal investment and risk. Disadvantage: low margins (10-30%), no control over shipping and quality.

Private label: You have products made under your own brand by a manufacturer. Advantage: build your own brand without producing yourself. Disadvantage: minimum order required, often 500-1000 pieces.

Digital products:

• E-books and guides (selling information)
• Online courses and training (transferring knowledge)
• Software, plugins, and apps (tools for others)
• Templates for websites, social media, or presentations
• Music, beats, and audio files

Digital products have nearly 100% margin after creation and are infinitely scalable without additional production costs.

Services:

• Consultancy and advice in your field
• Coaching and mentoring
• Freelance services (design, writing, development)
• Subscriptions to access or service

Finding a profitable niche

Your niche is the specific market segment you target. The art is to find a niche that:

1. Has sufficient demand: There must be enough people searching for what you offer. Check this with Google Keyword Planner (free) or Ubersuggest. Search volumes of 1,000-10,000 per month are often ideal: enough demand, but not as competitive as mass products.

2. Is not oversaturated: Analyze the top 10 results in Google. Are these all large companies with million-dollar budgets? Then it will be difficult. Do you see smaller players and opportunities to do better? Good sign.

3. Is profitable: Calculate whether you have margin. Rule of thumb: after all costs (purchase, shipping, marketing, hosting), you should have at least 40% gross margin left. With lower margins, volume is needed to be profitable.

4. Fits your knowledge or interest: Expertise makes it easier to create content, select products, and advise customers. Passion helps to persevere when things get tough.

Examples of successful niches:

• Sustainable baby products (conscious parents, returning customers)
• Ergonomic home office items (growing market due to remote work)
• Keto/low-carb food products (health trend)
• Premium pet food and accessories (people gladly invest in their pets)
• Vintage and retro home décor (unique products, higher margins)

Step 2: choosing the right platform

The choice of webshop platform largely determines what you can do, how much it costs, and how easy it is to manage. There are two main categories: hosted platforms and self-hosted solutions.

Hosted platforms (all-in-one)

With hosted platforms, you pay a monthly fee and get everything ready-made: hosting, software, updates, and support.

Shopify: the most popular choice worldwide

• Price: from €36/month (Basic plan)
• Setup: online within a day
• Technical knowledge: not needed
• App ecosystem: 6,000+ apps for every function
• Support: 24/7 available

Lightspeed: popular in Netherlands and Belgium

• Price: from €59/month
• Support: Dutch, via phone and chat
• Connection with local marketplaces built-in

Self-hosted platforms

With self-hosted platforms, you download the software for free, but arrange hosting, updates, and security yourself.

WooCommerce: flexible and popular A free WordPress plugin that turns any WordPress site into a webshop. The most used e-commerce solution in the world.

• Software: free
• Hosting: €5-50/month depending on quality
• Read our complete WooCommerce guide

Magento / Adobe Commerce: for large webshops The choice for large webshops with complex requirements and thousands of products.

• Software: Open Source free, Commerce from €20,000/year
• Suitable for: 1,000+ products, multiple countries, B2B

PrestaShop: the golden middle An open-source platform that finds the balance between functionality and simplicity.

• Software: free
• See our PrestaShop hosting tips

Which platform suits you?

Comparisons:

• Shopify vs WooCommerce
• Magento vs WooCommerce

Step 3: arrange domain and hosting

Choosing the perfect domain name

Your domain name is your online identity. Characteristics of a strong domain name:

• Short: Maximum 15 characters is ideal
• Easy to spell: Avoid double letters, hyphens, and numbers
• Memorable: Unique enough to remember
• Relevant: Hints at your products or niche

Choosing the right hosting

If you choose a self-hosted platform, you need hosting.

Shared hosting (for starters):

• Price: €3-10/month
• Suitable for: starting webshops up to ~500 products

VPS hosting (for growth):

• Price: €10-50/month
• More resources and control

Managed hosting (premium):

• Price: €30-100/month
• Everything is taken care of for you

See our best webshop hosting comparison.

Step 4: setting up your webshop

Essential pages

Every webshop needs at least these pages:

Homepage: Your digital storefront Product pages: Where sales happen Category pages: Product overview Cart and checkout: Make this frictionless Legal pages: Terms, privacy, returns

Choosing a theme

Your theme determines the look and feel. Important criteria:

• Responsive design: Works on every screen size
• Fast loading time: Lightweight code
• SEO-friendly: Good HTML structure
• Customizability: Fits your brand

Product photos

Product photography is perhaps the most important factor for conversion.

Tips for DIY:

• White background
• Natural daylight or softbox
• Multiple angles per product
• Consistent style

Specifications:

• Minimum 1000x1000 pixels
• Square format works best
• Optimized for web: max 200KB

Step 5: setting up payment methods

Essential payment methods

iDEAL (required for Netherlands): Over 60% of all transactions

• Costs: €0.29-0.35 per transaction

Credit card: Visa and Mastercard

• Costs: 1.4-2.9% per transaction

PayPal: Popular with consumers

• Costs: 2.9% + €0.35 per transaction

Buy now, pay later: Klarna, Riverty, etc.

• Increases conversion by 20-30%

Payment Service Providers

Mollie - the standard:

• No fixed monthly costs
• Simple integration
• Good support

Step 6: organizing shipping

Shipping options

Home delivery:

• PostNL: €4.95-7.95
• DHL: €4.95-8.95

Pickup points: Cheaper than home delivery

Shipping cost strategy

Recommendation: Free shipping from €50-75 is the sweet spot.

Return policy

Legally, consumers have 14 days cooling-off period.

Step 7: marketing and traffic

SEO

SEO provides "free" traffic by ranking high in Google.

Technical SEO:

• Fast loading (<3 seconds)
• Mobile-friendly
• SSL certificate

Content SEO:

• Unique product descriptions
• Blog with valuable content
• Optimized meta titles

Social media marketing

Instagram: Visual platform, ideal for products Facebook: Older audience, effective retargeting Pinterest: Excellent for inspiration products TikTok: Young audience, viral possibilities

Paid advertising

Google Ads: Shopping campaigns, search ads Meta Ads: Targeting, retargeting

Budget advice: Start with €300-500/month to test.

Email marketing

Email has the highest ROI of all channels.

Essential flows:

• Welcome series
• Abandoned cart recovery
• Post-purchase follow-up

Step 8: legal and administrative

Chamber of Commerce registration

You must register before selling.

VAT administration

• Register for VAT
• Keep invoices 7 years
• File VAT returns

GDPR compliance

Required:

• Privacy policy
• Cookie consent banner
• Data processing documentation

Terms and conditions

Essential components:

• Seller identity
• Prices and payment
• Delivery and shipping
• Returns policy

Step 9: launch

Pre-launch checklist

• All pages checked for typos
• Test order completed
• Mobile version tested
• Payment methods work
• Emails arrive correctly
• Google Analytics connected
• Cookie banner works

Soft launch approach

1. Friends and family first
2. Small ads to test
3. Optimize based on feedback
4. Scale up when everything works

Step 10: growing and scaling

From €0 to €10,000 revenue

1. Get your first 100 customers
2. Collect reviews
3. Identify bestsellers
4. Test marketing channels

From €10,000 to €100,000 revenue

• Professional product photography
• Expand product range
• Consider help (VA, customer service)
• Diversify marketing channels

Cost summary

Minimum (bootstrap)

Recommended (starter)

FAQ

How long does it take to start a webshop? With Shopify you can go live in a weekend. With WooCommerce expect 1-2 weeks.

Do I need technical knowledge? Not for Shopify. For WooCommerce basic WordPress knowledge helps.

Can I start alongside my job? Absolutely. Most start part-time, 10-20 hours per week.

When will I recoup my investment? With good margins you can break even within 3-6 months.

Your 30-day action plan

Week 1: Determine niche, market research, choose platform Week 2: Register domain, set up hosting, install platform Week 3: Add products, configure payment and shipping Week 4: Test, first marketing, soft launch

Good luck with your webshop!

Read more

• Best webshop hosting
• WooCommerce guide
• Shopify vs WooCommerce