In an online store, the product page is your salesperson. There is nobody behind the counter to answer questions: the photo, the price and the description have to do all the work. That is why, even if adding a product in WooCommerce looks like a formality, doing it well is the difference between a catalog that sells and one that just takes up space.
This guide goes straight to the point: how to add a simple product in WordPress with WooCommerce, step by step, and which fields you should not leave blank. If your store is just starting, this is 80% of what you will do every day.
What is a "simple product"?
WooCommerce distinguishes several product types. The simple product is the most common: a single item, with no variations, sold as it is. A mug, a book, a ticket. If your product has sizes or colors that change the price or the stock, that is already a variable product and is managed differently.
Product type | When to use it |
|---|---|
Simple | A single item with no variations (a mug, an ebook). |
Variable | The same product with size or color variations (a T-shirt S/M/L). |
Grouped | A set of related simple products shown together. |
Virtual / downloadable | Services or files with no physical shipping. |
This guide focuses on the simple one, which is where almost any WooCommerce store starts.
Before you start
You need WooCommerce installed and activated on your WordPress. If you do not have it yet, get it from Plugins > Add New and complete the initial wizard (currency, location, taxes and payment method). In Ecuador the usual way to charge by card is through a payment gateway such as Datafast; that is configured separately and here we focus on the product.
Step by step to add a simple product
1. Create a new product
In the WordPress dashboard go to Products > Add New. It opens an editor very similar to the one for posts, but with WooCommerce's own blocks.
2. Enter the name and descriptions
The title is the product name as it will appear in the store. Below it is the long description (the one shown in the detail tab) and, further down, the short description (the summary shown next to the price and the buy button). Use the long one to tell everything; the short one to hook in two lines.
3. Choose "Simple product" and set the price
Scroll down to the Product data block. In the dropdown leave "Simple product" selected. In the General tab enter the regular price and, if it is on sale, the sale price (you can even schedule the sale dates).
4. Set up inventory
In the Inventory tab add the SKU (the product's unique code) and, if you want to track stock, enable "Manage stock" and enter the available units. That way WooCommerce marks the product as out of stock only when it should.
5. Define shipping
In the Shipping tab enter the weight and dimensions if you sell physical products: that data feeds the shipping cost calculation. If the product is virtual or downloadable, tick those boxes at the top and the shipping tab disappears on its own.
6. Assign categories and tags
On the right, organize the product into categories (Clothing, Accessories, etc.) and tags. It is not decorative: it lets your customers filter and find products, and it helps the store's internal SEO.
7. Upload the image and gallery
Also on the right, set the Product image (the main one) and, if you have more photos, add them to the Product gallery. Use sharp, well-lit images with a consistent size across all your products.
8. Publish
Check that everything is in place and click Publish. Your product is now in the store; you can view it with "View product" and adjust it whenever you like.
The fields you should not leave blank
Field | What it is for | Essential? |
|---|---|---|
Price | Without it the product cannot be bought. | Yes |
Product image | It is the first thing the customer sees; it decides the purchase. | Yes |
Short description | The hook next to the buy button. | Yes |
SKU | Identify the product and control inventory. | Recommended |
Category | Navigation and the store's internal SEO. | Yes |
Weight and dimensions | Shipping cost calculation. | Only if physical |
Common mistakes when adding products
- Publishing without an image or with poor-quality photos.
- Leaving the short description empty and wasting the best space to sell.
- Not setting a SKU and then being unable to control inventory.
- Forgetting the category: the product ends up "loose" and nobody finds it.
- Not reviewing the tax settings before setting prices.
My advice
If you are building your catalog from scratch, do not try to make every product page perfect the first time. Upload ten products with the essentials — name, price, a good image, short description and category — and publish. A store with real products sells; a store waiting to be "perfect" does not. The only things I would take care of from day one are the photos and the short description: they are what decides the purchase.
And when the catalog grows and you start needing variations, local payments or more performance, that is when we talk about a store built to really sell.
Do you want to set up or professionalize your WooCommerce store? At Codegea we help you with the catalog, the design and Ecuador's payment gateways. Let us talk about your project.
Written by
Carolina Dávila
Co-founder & Project Manager
Co-founder of Codegea. Coordinates projects, teams and deliveries so every launch lands on time.