E-commerce website development: packages, prices, and process

External costs excluded from the price

Development quotes are often mistaken for total costs, overlooking fees paid directly to providers. These vary by store and are listed separately:

• Domain and hosting: hosting with adequate e-commerce resources, including first-year and renewal fees.
• Payment commissions: per-sale gateway or payment provider commissions, varying by agreement.
• Shipping contract: per-shipment rates agreed with the carrier.
• Paid plugin licenses: where a paid plugin is needed for a specific requirement, its license cost is disclosed beforehand.
• Product photography and content: professional photography or writing many product descriptions are separate tasks.

Knowing these costs beforehand prevents post-launch surprises and supports realistic budgeting.

Hosted package, WooCommerce, or custom software?

Platform choice determines long-term cost and flexibility. The three main options compare as follows:

For small and medium stores with a few hundred products, WooCommerce usually offers a practical balance of cost and flexibility. Platform options and security considerations are covered in detail in the choosing an e-commerce script guide.

E-commerce website development step by step

Every project follows the same basic stages. Timing depends on product count and content readiness, and is shared in writing with the quote.

1. Needs assessment: clarify products, variants, payment and shipping preferences, and audience; identify the appropriate package.
2. Categories and site structure: plan the category hierarchy and URLs for both users and search engines.
3. Design: prepare homepage, category, and product designs for approval.
4. Setup and integrations: configure WooCommerce, payments, shipping rules, and email notifications.
5. Product import: add products individually or through bulk Excel/CSV imports.
6. Testing: test orders, payments, coupons, and email workflows on different devices using realistic scenarios.
7. Launch and training: launch the site, set up Search Console, and explain dashboard use.

Personalized products: placing patches, prints, and designs

Customers buying T-shirts, hats, bags, workwear, or promotional items often want their own emblem, logo, or text. A WooCommerce product personalization tool lets them choose a patch, logo, or text on the product page, adjust its position and size, and preview it before ordering.

• For customers: choose existing patches and designs or upload an image; adjust placement and size on the front and back, with live previews alongside color and size selections.
• For the store: the customer’s design image and placement information arrive with the order in the dashboard, providing the production or printing team with the same visual.
• Pricing: personalization surcharges can be added to product prices, for example per patch or print area.

Personalization is additional scope beyond the e-commerce package. Plugin licenses and setup are quoted separately; product count, number of sides, and design library size determine scope. These items are clearly shown in the same-day quote.

Payment, shipping, and legal requirements

Online sellers have legal obligations alongside technical setup. The system is prepared to support these requirements; legal advice is recommended for final business-specific wording.

• Distance sales agreement and pre-contract information form: obtain customer approval before payment.
• Returns and withdrawal policy: a separate page clearly stating return conditions.
• KVKK (Turkey’s Personal Data Protection Law) privacy notice and cookie policy: personal data processing information; see the official KVKK website for details.
• ETBİS registration: e-commerce businesses must register with the Ministry of Trade’s Electronic Commerce Information System (ETBİS).

The bank gateway or licensed payment provider is selected with the business based on commission rates, settlement time, and installment options.

Build SEO infrastructure from the start

Changing URLs or category architecture after launch risks existing rankings. SEO infrastructure is therefore established during development:

• Unique title and description templates for categories and products.
• Settings preventing filters and sorting parameters from creating duplicate content.
• Prices, availability, and ratings in search results through product structured data.
• Sitemaps, breadcrumbs, and internal linking.
• Compressed images and descriptive alt text.

After launch, organic traffic growth can be supported through the separate e-commerce SEO optimization service. A e-commerce SEO checklist is also available for self-assessment.

Mobile experience and speed directly affect sales

Much online shopping occurs on phones, and slow product pages cause visitors to leave before reaching the cart. Google measures page experience with Core Web Vitals. Design therefore starts on mobile: large touch targets, simple cart steps, guest checkout, and fewer unnecessary checkout fields. Modern image formats and avoiding unnecessary plugins also protect speed.

Common e-commerce mistakes

Mistakes that most often hinder sales in new stores usually stem from planning:

• Planning categories afterward: changing categories after adding products increases workload and can cause SEO losses.
• Copying manufacturer descriptions: text repeated across many sites gives product pages little distinction in search.
• Hiding shipping and returns information: unexpected checkout fees are a common reason for cart abandonment.
• Mandatory registration: requiring new customers to complete a registration form reduces conversion.
• Untrusted plugin or theme sources: unlicensed files carry vulnerability and data breach risks.

Trust and transparency: how we work

Onur Freelance, based in Maltepe, serves businesses across Istanbul and remotely in other provinces. Our e-commerce project principles are:

• Domain, hosting, and administrator accounts are registered to the business; the site remains its property.
• Prices, scope, and external costs are shared in writing before work begins.
• We do not use unlicensed themes or plugins.
• Project communication is directly with the person doing the work, through WhatsApp and phone.

Completed projects can be reviewed on the portfolio page.

After launch: maintenance, updates, and growth

An e-commerce site is a live system requiring regular updates. WordPress, WooCommerce, and plugin updates close vulnerabilities, while backups allow restoration within minutes if problems occur. Maintenance is optional; the WordPress maintenance and updates service costs 500–2,000 TL per month depending on scope.

To accelerate sales, Shopping campaigns can begin during the first weeks through Google Ads management; advertising budgets are gradually optimized while organic traffic grows.