The Ultimate Guide to Selling Digital Products on WordPress

With 33.3% of the world’s population shopping online, selling digital downloads has become one of today’s most profitable business opportunities. Success hinges on choosing a high-demand digital product and marketing it effectively to your target audience.

If you want to make money online as a side hustle, this guide is for you. It covers the right way to sell digital downloads on your WordPress site. 

Before diving into the process, let’s look at digital products, their benefits over physical goods and some of the best digital downloads to sell.

Digital product 101: What is it?

Also known as e-goods, digital downloads are commodities or assets created, distributed and consumed online. Unlike physical items, digital products exist solely in the digital space—they can’t be felt or touched, only accessed or downloaded.

A digital product can be categorized into three main types:

1. Content: These digital downloads deliver value through information, often in an educational, informative or entertaining format. Common examples of content-based digital products include e-books, online courses, webinars and guides. Adding content-focused digital downloads to your WordPress site lets you start selling goods online that engage and educate your audience.
2. Tools and utilities: These digital products help users complete specific tasks or achieve certain goals. Applications like Adobe Photoshop or project management tools are popular tools and utilities. They enable users to accomplish creative or business-oriented tasks. Creating product pages dedicated to these digital downloads on your WordPress site can establish your digital ecommerce store as a valuable resource.
3. Services: Digital services are provided entirely online, allowing users to access expertise or assistance from anywhere. Examples include services like online translation, virtual consultation and remote coaching. To start selling these digital goods effectively, showcase them on product pages that outline service benefits and details, making it easy for customers to understand the value.

Why sell digital products?

As the world continues to digitize, the audience for digital products is expanding rapidly. The digital media market alone is valued at around $560.7 billion as of 2024, with projections estimating growth to $848.5 billion by 2027. If you want to tap into this thriving digital business landscape, there’s no better time than now.

Before diving into how to sell online, let’s explore the unique benefits of digital products over physical goods.

Digital products allow you to control your offerings completely and enjoy recurring revenue from subscriptions or memberships.

They also enable you to run online stores without the challenges of inventory or shipping.

Let us look at the benefits of selling digital products.

Benefits of selling digital products over physical products

Digital downloads offer several advantages over physical products. Here are the key benefits:

1. Low start-up and overhead costs

Digital selling requires minimal upfront investment. Many digital businesses only need a computer and specialized skills to sell digital products.

Overhead costs are also low—there’s no need for storage or shipping. Once you create a digital product, your primary expenses are web hosting or a subscription to a third-party eCommerce platform, marketing and potentially a WordPress dashboard plugin like Easy Digital Downloads.

Physical products, in contrast, incur additional costs such as manufacturing, storage, packaging, labor and shipping.

2. Instant delivery

Instant delivery is one of the biggest advantages of digital selling. Customers can access their purchase immediately via a download link after payment. This quick access, facilitated through payment gateways, is a hallmark of digital selling.

Physical products, however, require shipping, which can take days or weeks and involves the risk of issues like misdelivery or damage.

3. Steady passive income

Digital selling provides a passive income stream. Once your online store is set up, digital products continue selling without constant management.

There’s no need to restock inventory; every sale is automated through your WordPress dashboard or eCommerce platform. You must continually manage and restock items with physical products to avoid stockouts and lost sales.

4. Unlimited scalability

Digital products aren’t limited by location or time. Whether it’s selling courses online, software, or other digital downloads, you can sell to a global audience without incurring additional expenses.

No extra storage or shipping is required as well. It facilitates smooth business growth.

5. Higher profit margins

Digital downloads yield higher profit margins than physical goods due to lower production costs. Once you develop your product, you can sell it infinitely without restocking, meaning each sale beyond the initial production is nearly pure profit. With Easy Digital Downloads or similar plugins, you can even offer a free version to attract customers and upgrade them to premium options.

Best digital products to sell 

A wide range of digital downloads to sell, each offering unique profit opportunities. Here are some of the most lucrative digital goods to consider:

E-books

E-books are a cost-effective way to deliver value to your audience. The e-book market is projected to reach $14.61 billion in 2024 and $15.69 billion by 2029.

Topics are endless—you can create e-books on fitness, cooking, self-help, business, fiction and more. With digital downloads, customers can access their purchase instantly via a download link on the checkout landing page.

Online courses

Share your expertise by creating digital courses. Courses can be text-based, video-based, or a mix of both. They may cover in-demand topics like photography, creative writing and web design.

Many creators use repeat payments to monetize courses, offering subscribed customers ongoing access to digital content.

Stock photos and graphics

If you’re a photographer or designer, digital selling of your stock photos or graphics is a great way to monetize your skills.

Use your site or platforms like Shutterstock or Unsplash to sell images. Graphics can also be sold on sites like Canva, providing another digital e-commerce revenue stream.

Templates and themes

Developing website templates or WordPress themes helps others create content with ease. Additionally, you can sell templates for PowerPoint presentations, invoices, resumes and more. By doing this you give subscribed customers ready-to-use digital downloads.

Furthermore, with affiliate programs, you can extend your reach by incentivizing others to promote your templates.

Software and mobile apps

You can build software or mobile apps that solve specific problems if you’re a developer. Apps like time management tools, fitness trackers and budgeting software are highly marketable.

If you sell digital software downloads via a secure checkout page, you can easily accept payments and manage recurring payments from your users.

Memberships and subscriptions

Memberships or subscriptions offer exclusive digital content like digital courses or industry insights. These models often rely on recurring payments, providing a steady income stream while building loyalty among paying customers.

Music and audio

With today’s technology, Independent artists can create and sell high-quality digital audio files.

The market is broad, from selling music and sound effects to podcasts and instrument samples.

Providing a direct download link to customers upon purchase ensures easy access and a seamless buying experience.

Video games

The indie game market is thriving, with more players exploring games from independent developers each year.

Selling digital downloads of games can be a profitable niche if you’re a game developer.

A well-designed checkout page and payment options like Apple Pay enhance the user experience.

Fonts

Custom fonts are in demand by designers and businesses looking for unique typography.

Creating and selling digital fonts downloads is a lucrative option for designers, especially when paired with an affiliate program to boost reach.

Videos

With people spending an average of 17 hours a week watching online videos, videos have emerged as a powerful form of online content.

You can sell various videos, from short films and documentaries to drone footage and tutorials.

Setting up a digital eCommerce platform to accept payments securely, with options like Apple Pay, helps ensure smooth transactions.

These are just a few types of digital goods you can sell. Whether you’re selling digital downloads, tutorials, or software integrations, there are numerous opportunities.

Choosing the right platform to sell digital products is essential and WordPress offers robust solutions to manage sales and deliver online content efficiently.

Why sell digital products using WordPress?

WordPress is the world’s leading content management system, powering over 43.2% of all websites. Thanks to several compelling benefits, it’s a top choice for digital creators looking to sell digital files.

1. Customizability

WordPress provides extensive customization options, making it easy for online creators to build a unique website.

With a vast selection of themes, plugins and templates, you can design sales pages that align perfectly with your branding and enhance the customer experience from browsing to checkout.

2. User-friendliness

WordPress is known for its user-friendly interface, making it accessible even to beginners.

Setting up a digital storefront to sell downloadable files is straightforward, regardless of your technical skill level.

Thanks to WordPress’s simple setup for digital downloads and management, customers can quickly download purchased files.

3. Affordability

The core WordPress software is free. It offers an extensive library of free and cost-effective themes and plugins.

This affordability makes it ideal for creators to start an online business without significant upfront investment.

You only need a hosting provider to get started. Then you can expand your site’s functionality with affordable add-ons.

4. Strong community support

With a vast and active user community, WordPress users can access extensive support resources.

You’ll find solutions, advice and resources from the WordPress community if you encounter any issues.

This support can help you overcome challenges related to sales pages, downloadable files, or customer data management.

Now that you understand the advantages of using WordPress to sell digital files, you can launch your online business and empower customers to download your creations seamlessly.

How to sell digital products on WordPress 

1. Define your niche

If you want to become a successful online entrepreneur, defining your niche is the first step. A great way to identify your niche is to reflect on your interests, experiences and hobbies.

Defining your niche involves in-depth market research. This allows you to determine if there’s an actual demand for the product you intend to sell.

Tools like Google Trends can help gauge consumer interest in your product and lay the foundation of a lucrative business model.

2. Identify your audience

Identifying your target audience is essential to the success of your online business. To determine who your customers are, provide answers to these key questions:

• Where are your potential customers located?
• How old are they?
• What is their purchasing power?
• What are their pain points and preferences?

Use the answers to these questions to create a comprehensive buyer persona. This tailored profile will guide your digital content and be instrumental when developing your marketing strategies.

This will help you to meet the unique needs of your target audience.

3. Create your digital product

With a clear idea of your niche, product and target audience, it’s time to bring your idea to life.

Whether it’s an e-book, online course or software, use the information you gleaned about your target audience to create a high-quality product that best meets their needs.

4. Create your WordPress website

While hiring web developers is possible, you can cut costs by creating a WordPress website.

Follow these steps to get started:

• Secure a domain name: Use the Bluehost domain name checker to see if your preferred name is available (or to get some great suggestions if you’re stuck for ideas).
• Sign up for web hosting: Choose a reliable web host like Bluehost that offers custom hosting plans for WordPress. Hosting your website with Bluehost entitles you to extra perks like a free domain name and SSL certificate, depending on your plan.
• Install WordPress: Many hosting providers, including Bluehost, offer one-click WordPress installations. Alternatively, you can manually install the software by downloading it directly from the WordPress official portal.
• Choose a theme: WordPress offers thousands of free and premium themes to cater to diverse tastes and requirements. Choose a theme that resonates with your brand’s ethos.

5. Install an eCommerce plugin

Once your website is set up, the next step is to install a specialized plugin for selling digital products.

These plugins offer tools to help you showcase and sell products online.

There are myriad options to choose from. In-depth research can help you choose the plugin that best meets your needs. Here are a few top choices:

• Easy Digital Downloads
• Digital Goods for WooCommerce Checkout
• WordPress iSell
• Dokan
• Download Monitor

6. Add products to your store

After activating your eCommerce plugin, it’s time to add products to your store.

While most eCommerce plugins come with instructions on adding products, you can also quickly search online.

When adding new products to your store, include relevant details such as the name, description, images and price.

You can combine this with powerful email marketing tools to effectively ensure your product’s outreach to the target audience.

7. Set up payment processing

Select a payment gateway (e.g., PayPal, Stripe or Square) supported by your chosen eCommerce plugin. It is important to consider that the gateway is convenient for your target customers.

Follow the instructions provided by your plugin to integrate your payment gateway with your store and configure essential settings like currency and tax.

8. Customize your online store

If you want to enhance your store’s appearance and functionality before it goes live, you can use plugins.

On your WordPress admin dashboard, go to Plugins > Add New and search for your needed plugins.

You can use these plugins to customize your store as desired.

9. Test and launch your store

It’s important to test your website before it goes live. For example, you can make a mock purchase. This allows you to verify that the payment process and product delivery mechanism work seamlessly.

You can also test other elements affecting your website’s user experience, such as page loading speeds or responsiveness across different devices.

Once you’ve rectified all issues, you can start selling products digitally.

How to market digital products

Selling digital products involves more than just launching an online store. You must also market your brand to enhance visibility, expand your reach and maximize sales.

Here are some top marketing strategies to implement:

Content marketing: Regularly create and publish valuable content (e.g., blog posts) that resonate with your target audience. Effective content marketing can help you build authority in your niche and drive conversions.

Social media marketing: Create social media accounts on popular platforms like Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Use these marketing channels to engage with your target audience and promote your products.

Search engine optimization (SEO): Research and implement SEO best practices (e.g., including relevant keywords, meta descriptions and tags) to improve your website’s ranking on search engines.

Email marketing: Build an email list of existing and prospective customers and use it to promote your brand, offer exclusive deals and keep shoppers engaged.

• Influencer marketing: Partner with famous influencers in your niche or industry to promote your products and online store to their followers.
• Paid advertising: Set up ad campaigns on popular platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Google AdWords to drive targeted traffic to your website.

Final thoughts on selling digital products on WordPress

Digital products are a goldmine for those with the right skills and tools. You can break into this booming market by following the steps outlined in this guide.

While a high-demand product is vital for profitability, you need a solid foundation to become successful as an online entrepreneur.

You need to integrate your brand idea with a fully functioning WordPress website. That’s why you must choose a reliable web host.

Bluehost is a trusted provider of WordPress hosting. With lightning-fast speeds, robust security and 24/7 customer support, we provide an optimal environment for your online business to thrive.

Explore Bluehost’s WordPress hosting plans today to learn more.

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