Before you start
- WooCommerce store wizard completed
Product categories and tags
Products → Categories: build a shallow tree (e.g. Clothing → Men → Jackets).
Use tags sparingly for cross-filters; avoid duplicate category URLs targeting the same keyword.
Simple products
Products → Add New → Simple product: title, long description, short excerpt, price, sale schedule.
Set SKU and Manage stock if you track quantity; disable backorders unless your ops team supports them.
Variable products (size, color)
Create attributes under Products → Attributes (e.g. Size: S,M,L), then Variable product → add variations with distinct SKU/stock/price.
Generate variations in bulk only after attribute values are final — cleanup is tedious.
Images and galleries
Use square or consistent aspect ratio; compress WebP/AVIF for LCP.
Alt text should describe the product, not “IMG_0042”.
Downloadable and virtual products
Check Virtual and/or Downloadable for digital goods; upload files and set download limits/expiry if needed.
Combine with a payment gateway that supports your license/refund policy.