Installing WooCommerce in a test store

WooCommerce is a free plugin that turns a WordPress site into a webshop. Installing it takes a minute, setting it up properly takes a few days. Don't do that setup on your real site, but in a test shop: a separate WordPress installation on a subdomain that only you use. That way visitors won't see a half-finished shop, no test pages end up in Google, and customers won't get test emails. Below you'll find out how to do this with WebOké.

Before you start: what WooCommerce requires

WooCommerce recommends (as of November 2026): PHP 8.3 or higher, MySQL 8.0 or MariaDB 10.6 or higher, a WordPress memory limit of at least 256 MB, and https. It often works with less, but then you're more likely to get strange errors during busy periods or large imports. You can adjust the PHP version and settings such as memory_limit yourself, see Changing PHP version and PHP settings (and what to do about errors after an upgrade).

Step 1: a subdomain with a certificate

Create a subdomain in DirectAdmin, for example test.example.com. See Creating and removing subdomains, and if it doesn't work, see Creating a subdomain, and what to do if it doesn't work.
Make sure the subdomain has a certificate, so the test shop works over https. See Certificate for www, subdomains and wildcard.

Step 2: installing WordPress

Install WordPress on the subdomain using Installatron in DirectAdmin. For Domain, choose your subdomain with https. All the steps are in Installing WordPress and Installing in a subfolder or on a subdomain.

Already have a WordPress site with content? Then you can also make a copy (staging) of that site and try out WooCommerce in it. In that case, first read A test environment (staging) for your webshop.

Step 3: shielding the test shop

In WordPress, under Settings > Reading, tick the box to discourage search engines.
Even better: put a password on the subdomain's folder. See Password protected folders.
Use fake names and your payment provider's test mode. No real customers, no real payments.

Step 4: installing WooCommerce

In the WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Add New Plugin, search for "WooCommerce" and click Install Now and then Activate. Check beforehand that the publisher is WooCommerce. There are fake plugins with almost the same name; never install a plugin from an unknown website.

Step 5: going through the wizard mindfully

After activating, a setup wizard starts. Its form sometimes changes per version, but these are the important choices:

Where your shop is located. This is the most important question. The country is the basis for the currency, the VAT calculation and the shipping zones. If you accidentally pick the wrong country, your shop will later calculate using the wrong basis.
Recommended extensions. These are often already ticked. Only tick what you really need. Every extension is extra code you need to keep updated, and adding something later is easier than removing it again.
Sharing data about plugin usage. That's a choice, not an obligation. Read what's being shared and decide consciously.

After that, WooCommerce creates four pages: Shop, Cart, Checkout and My account.

The coming-soon mode

A new shop is in coming-soon mode. Visitors see a notice that the shop is coming soon, while you as a logged-in admin see everything normally. You choose whether only the shop pages or the entire site is hidden. Note:

It's not security. For a test shop, a password on the folder is stronger.
If you use a page cache, clear it after turning this on or off. Otherwise the old version stays visible. See LiteSpeed Cache for WordPress and a webshop.

Step 6: first check WooCommerce > Status

Open WooCommerce > Status before adding products. There you'll see, among other things, the PHP version, the WordPress memory limit and whether scheduled tasks are running. If anything doesn't match the recommendation above, adjust it now. Then first get the settings right (address, VAT, shipping, payments) and only add products after that. Read more about this screen in WooCommerce Status and Scheduled Actions: tracking down problems.

Short checklist for going live

Is your shop ready and are you putting it on your real domain? Then make sure to check at least the following:

https works on all addresses, PHP version and memory follow the recommendation.
A real cron job is set up and there are no overdue scheduled actions.
Page cache is on, with cart, checkout and My account excluded.
Backups are running; unused plugins and themes have been removed.
Test orders and test customers have been removed.
The payment provider is switched from test mode to live, with the live keys.
Emails from the shop arrive, with a sender on your own domain.
Mandatory texts and the right of withdrawal button are in place.
Coming-soon mode is off (WooCommerce > Settings > Site visibility) and search engines are allowed again.

Right after going live, place a real order yourself with every payment method you offer, refund it, and then make a backup.

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