Dropshipping Website Setup for Beginners: CJ Dropshipping, WordPress & Hosting Made Simple

From Importing Products to Designing a Stunning Homepage and Setting Up Legal Pages—Step-by-Step for Beginners

Discover how to create a complete WordPress dropshipping store with CJ Dropshipping and Elementor.. This beginner-friendly guide covers product import, pricing, homepage design, branding, email setup, and essential legal pages.

Step-by-Step Guide: Setting Up Your Dropshipping Store with WordPress and CJ Dropshipping

1. Previewing and Editing Your Product Page

After importing a product from CJ Dropshipping, preview your product page inside WordPress. You’ll see product images, variations (like colors), and the default price—e.g., $28.95.

To make your offer more attractive:

•         Scroll down to Variations.

•         Click on the first variant (e.g., White).

•         Enter a regular price (e.g., $54.95) and set a discounted sale price (e.g., $28.95).

•         Repeat for other variants.

•         Click Update and Preview Changes.

Now, the product displays a discount, increasing its appeal.

2. Adding a Second Product from CJ Dropshipping

Choose another product from a relevant category like Pet Supplies.

Tips for Importing:

•         Click List on the product.

•         Choose a category (e.g., Pet Supplies).

•         Simplify the options: deselect bundles and stick to color variations only.

•         Set a selling price for each variation (e.g., $13.95).

•         Select only 4 & 5-star reviews to boost trust.

•         Click List Now.

Go to WordPress > Products to verify that the product was imported successfully.

3. Organizing Products by Category

Create and organize your product categories in WordPress:

•         Go to Products > Categories.

•         Add relevant categories (e.g., Kitchen & Dining, Pet Supplies, Home Improvement).

•         Assign categories during product import or editing.

This makes your store easier to navigate and improves the shopping experience.

4. Designing the Homepage with Elementor

Start designing by going to:

•         Pages > Home > Edit with Elementor.

4.1. Fix the Header

•         Disable transparent header via Astra Settings > Advanced > Transparent Header (Disable).

4.2. Create a Compelling Banner

•         Use an image from pexels.com (recommended size: 1200x800 px).

•         Add a dark overlay (opacity 0.5) for better text readability.

•         Update the main heading with a catchy slogan like:

"Favorite Brands & Hottest Trends"

Subheading: "Exclusive Discounts on All Products"

•         Remove the second button. For the first, link it to /store.

5. Creating Product Collections Section

Add a new section under the banner to showcase your collections:

•         Use a 3-column Flexbox layout (duplicate columns to match your category count).

•         In each column:

o        Add an image related to the category.

o        Add a centered heading (e.g., Kitchen & Dining, Home Improvement).

•         Add a section title above: “Our Collections”.

•         Use a Spacer element to create distance from the banner.

6. Adding Featured Products

Under Elementor:

•         Locate the shortcode section with [products limit="10" columns="5" visibility="featured"].

•         In WordPress > Products, click the star beside your best products to mark them as featured.

•         Go back to Elementor and click Apply to refresh the section.

This shows your top 10 products on the homepage with reviews and variations.

7. Linking Product Categories

To make the collections clickable:

•         Go to WordPress > Products > Categories.

•         Hover over a category and click View.

•         Copy the URL.

•         In Elementor, select the image and heading associated with that category.

 

 

•         Paste the copied URL in the custom URL field.

Repeat for all collections.

8. Creating a Business Email

From Hostinger:

•         Go to Emails > Set Up Email.

•         Create: support@yourdomain.com.

•         Choose a strong password.

•         Log in via Webmail.

This email address will receive all customer questions and contact form messages.

9. Editing the About and Contact Pages

•         Edit using Elementor like the homepage.

•         Replace dummy text with real content.

•         For “About Us,” include a brief intro about your store.

•         On “Contact Us,” keep the form and delete unnecessary sections.

•         In WPForms > Notifications, update the recipient email to your support email.

10. Creating Legal Pages

Navigate to Pages > Add New, and set up the following pages:

•         Terms of Service

•         Privacy Policy

•         Shipping Policy

Use templates (linked in the description or written by yourself). Paste them into Text Editor elements inside Elementor.

11. Customizing the Logo and Header

Create a logo using Canva.com:

•         Set custom size: 360x120 px

•         Add store name and a shopping-related icon.

•         Download as PNG.

Upload it in Customize > Site Identity > Logo and remove white margins if needed.

Also:

•         Toggle off mobile logo override.

•         Update menus under Menus > Main Menu.

•         Add your product categories, and remove extra pages (like “Everything” or duplicate “Contact Us”).

Final Result:

You’ve now built a professional dropshipping store:

•         Clean design

•         Functional product pages

•         Organized collections

•         Legal pages ready

•         Business email set up

•         Mobile-responsive with a custom logo and header