Getting Started with Online Marketplaces

Important: This article applies to Online Marketplaces customers only. To set up your Online Store plan, visit Getting Started with Online Store.

Overview

This article will walk you through the process of setting up your new Online Marketplaces website so you can start selling online today.

In this article, we will discuss:

• First Time Logging In
• Publish Your Site
• Establish Your Brand
• Review and Create Content
• Expand Your Audience
• Adding a Product
• Setting Up Your Marketplaces

First Time Logging In

The first time you access your new eCommerce package, you will be taken to the Website Builder, where you will get Web AI to complete the site onboarding. Web AI enables you to get online effortlessly with generated content and customized templates. Once you complete the site onboarding, you will now have access to the eCommerce Home page, where you will see an onboarding checklist to help you set up and establish your online presence.

If you are a returning user, you can follow the steps below to access your eCommerce Home page.

1. In your Account Manager, click eCommerce on the left side of the page.
   • If you have one eCommerce product, you will see the eCommerce Details page.
   • If you have more than one eCommerce product, you will see a list of your eCommerce products. Click MANAGE next to the product you want to set up to go to the eCommerce Details page.
2. From the eCommerce Details page, click MANAGE STORE.
3. You will get an onboarding form when you go to the Store tab, where we capture basic business information that will be used for shipping and/or taxes for your store.
4. In your eCommerce Home page, you can set up the following to help you get the most out of your Online Presence products:
   • Publish Your Site
   • Establish Your Brand
   • Review and Create Content
   • Expand Your Audience

Important: If at any point you want to stop and exit the onboarding process, you can go back anytime to the section where you left off.

 

Publish Your Site

In the Publish Your Site section of your eCommerce home page, you will have options to help increase your business's visibility and reach.

1. Quick Start Publish Coming Soon Page – This is a very convenient option, especially for new users, since it serves as an "official trailer" for your business. The "coming soon" page will be your way of piquing the interest or curiosity of whoever sees the page.

To create a "coming soon" page, click the PUBLISH PAGE button from the menu. This will take you to your website, where you can create a site project. Follow the steps outlined in the Begin Website Onboarding section below to create a site project. 

2. Begin Website Onboarding
   1. Click the BEGIN ONBOARDING option to start building your website.
   2. Сhoose how you want to create your site:

      Generate Website with Web AI

      1. Answer the questions asked by Web AI to help you build customizable websites relevant to the information you provided. Enter your answers in the Type Here box provided.
         
      2. Once done, click the Presto, ready to generate your site! button.
         
      3. Your website template is generated. You can edit your site by adding information, replacing photos, and adding new Blocks and Features. If you want to change the template, click Refresh Content (stars icon).

         Note: The Refresh Content feature is only available before the site is published and any manual changes are made.

         
         

      Learn how to edit the Web AI-generated site in the Editing the Website Generated With Web AI section of the AI Onboarding, Site Refresh, and AI Writer article.

      Generate Website

      1. Select a topic for your website, then click NEXT. This will help us identify the most relevant template for your website.
         
      2. Choose more details about the site. Select from the list of product/business types and click NEXT.
         
      3. You will be taken to a page that presents the templates that best suit your previous choices. You can pick from what is suggested for you or select from another category. Click the template you have chosen. If you do not like the template you chose, click the BACK button and select new details about your site.
         
      4. If you would like to go back and choose another template, click the BACK arrow in the upper left section of the page. If you will use the template you selected, navigate to the TEMPLATE SETTINGS section and update the following:
         
         • LOGO – Click the LOGO menu to upload your personalized logo for your website.
           
         • FONTS – Click the FONTS menu to change the fonts for the headers and texts on your website. You will also have an option to use one or multiple fonts.
           
         • COLORS – Click the COLORS menu to customize the color and theme of the template according to your liking. See the Predefined Color Themes section of the Website Сolor Settings article for more information.
           
      5. Once the TEMPLATE SETTINGS are updated, click the START BUILDING button in the upper right section of the page.
         
      6. You will now be taken to your editor interface, where you can make changes to the template to customize your new store. By default, the home page will be open in the editor. To choose a different page to edit, select Pages for a list of pages to update, or if you like, you can add a new page.

         Note: Your Product page and Store page have additional customization settings that do not apply to all other pages. The information that you had previously populated (Logo, Business Name, Contact Information, etc.) will already be populated in the appropriate areas within your website.

      7. Once you have completed your edits, click PUBLISH in the top right section of the page to publish your website.
         
      8. You will be redirected to a prompt to confirm the publication of your website. If you have multiple domain names, select the domain name that you want to use for the website, then click PUBLISH again.
         
      9. If you want to continue editing your template while the website is being published, click CONTINUE EDITING.
         
      10. Once the website is published, you will get a message informing you that your website is live. Click the OPEN WEBSITE button to view your published site.
          
      11. Click the x icon to go back to the site editor.
          
      12. To exit from the site editor, click the back button on the upper left of the page. This will bring you back to the onboarding checklist in your eCommerce Home page.
          

          Note: If you want to edit your live website, click Website on the eCommerce left navigation menu, then click the EDIT SITE button in the Published Site section. If you want to create a new website using the site wizard, click the ADD FIRST DRAFT button in the Drafts section.

3. Share your website on social and email to tell the world you are starting – Click the SHARE ON SOCIAL option to share your website on emails and social platforms. Sharing your website on social platforms will significantly improve business awareness and generate website traffic.

 

Establish Your Brand

In the Establish Your Brand section of your eCommerce home page, you will have options that will help your business stand out from competitors, communicate company values, and effectively showcase its unique selling points.

1. Connect your domain – When you click the CONNECT DOMAIN option, it will bring you to the Domain Overview page of your Account Manager. To connect a domain to your eCommerce package, please see How Can I Manage Domain Connections? If you haven't registered a domain name with us yet, you may go to How Do I Purchase a Domain Name?

Note: If you purchased the domain with the eCommerce plan, we would automatically associate it with your store. Clicking the CONNECT DOMAIN option will automatically check off the step.

2. Configure SSL – When you click the CONFIGURE SSL option, it will bring you to your Account Manager. For more information on how to configure SSL, please see How to Get Started with an SSL Certificate.

Note: If you purchased SSL and domain along with the eCommerce plan, we would automatically associate it to your domain. Clicking the CONFIGURE SSL option will automatically check off the step.

3. Build a Logo – When you click the CREATE LOGO option, it will bring you to the built-in LogoBuilder feature in your eCommerce package. For instructions on creating a logo, please refer to How Do I Create or Manage a Logo?
4. Add an About Us Page – Clicking the ADD PAGE option will open the site editor. With our user-friendly site editor, you can easily create a page that visitors can refer to learn more about your business and the services you offer. Visit Page Management for more instructions on how to edit a page.
5. Update colors of your website to match your brand – Clicking the UPDATE COLORS option will bring you to the site editor. Your website's color scheme plays a vital role in defining your brand identity. Choosing the right colors benefits not just your website's visual identity but also the people who visit your site. See the importance of using contrasting colors in Improve a Website's Accessibility.
6. Setup Professional Email – Maintaining communication with customers or employees plays a significant role in a business's success. Having a professional email that represents your business enhances your credibility and helps you build your brand. Sending email campaigns is one of the strategies you must use to market your product/services to your potential customers. To set up a professional email, click the SETUP EMAIL option. You will be brought to your Account Manager. To set up your mailbox, see How to Create and Manage a Mailbox.

 

Review and Create Content

Creating and sharing content is key to driving traffic and improving organic rankings on your website. Putting high-quality content on your site will attract users, increase consumer trust in your brand, and improve customer loyalty.

1. Review and update your website copy and information – When you click the REVIEW COPY option, it will open the site editor. You can review and update your content to maintain accuracy, ensure website relevance, and provide up-to-date related content.
2. Generate new copy if needed (AI Content Tool) – When you click the GENERATE COPY option, it will open the AI Writer, where you can easily generate content for your website. For more information on how to use the AI Content Tool, please see AI Writer—How It Works.
3. Review your images on your site and update if needed – Contents containing visuals like images and infographics are easier to read and attract attention compared to a page filled only with words. When you click the EDIT IMAGES option, it will bring you to Design Studio, where you can manage the images for your site. To learn more on how to manage images in Design Studio, please see How Do I Edit or Delete an Image?

 

Expand Your Audience

Now that you have found a market for your business and your website is ready, it's time to hit the ground running. It's time to connect to people to find and grow your audience. Creating consistent content is key to keeping your customers engaged and informed. Start planning ideas and set a schedule to ensure you're staying on track!

1. Setup your socialbooster account to start sharing on social media – Engaging in social media is the easiest way to build brand awareness, attract website visitors, and grow your audience. Never limit your content to your website only; instead, make sure you post it on various social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and so on. Clicking the START SHARING option will bring you to SocialBooster, where you can create and manage posts. For more information on creating and managing posts in SocialBooster, please see How Do I Create and Manage Posts in SocialBooster?
2. Check Out Campaign Ideas – Coming up with new campaigns can be quite challenging. However, using our Campaign Ideas will help you create fresh content for your website as we have gathered information on various holidays, festivities, and sales to inspire your campaigns. When you click CHECK OUT IDEAS, it will bring you to Campaign Ideas, where you can create email campaigns and social posts. For more information, please see All About Campaign Ideas.
3. View Marketing Calendar – When you click OPEN CALENDAR, it will bring you to Marketing Calendar, where you can establish an editorial plan for email campaigns and social posts and track them. For more information, please refer to All About the Marketing Calendar.

 

Adding a Product

Once the onboarding steps in the Home dashboard are completed, navigate to the Store dashboard and complete or skip the onboarding steps listed to enable the Store dashboard. To start adding products, you may follow the instructions in Online Store and Online Marketplaces - Adding a Product.

 

Setting Up Your Marketplaces

You can start integrating your marketplaces or sales channels once everything is set up in your eCommerce. Below are helpful articles on how to start integrating your marketplaces in your eCommerce package.

• Online Marketplaces - Adding Sales Channels
• Online Marketplaces - FBA Setup