Install PrestaShop for your online store

Why PrestaShop?

PrestaShop is an open source e-commerce platform ideal for professional online stores. It is lighter than Magento and offers more native commerce features than WordPress + WooCommerce.

Prerequisites

• Hosting plan with at least 2 GB of space
• PHP 8.1 or higher
• MySQL 5.7+ or MariaDB 10.4+
• Active SSL certificate (mandatory for e-commerce)

Installation via Softaculous

1. Log in to cPanel
2. Go to Software → Softaculous Apps Installer
3. Search for PrestaShop in the E-Commerce category
4. Click Install
5. Complete the configuration:

Protocol: https://
Domain: yourdomain.com
Directory: store (or leave empty to install at root)
Store Name: Your Store
Admin Email: admin@yourdomain.com
Admin Password: secure_password
Language: English

1. Click Install

Initial configuration

Access the admin panel

Go to https://yourdomain.com/store/admin (Softaculous gives you the exact URL).

Configure store details

1. Go to Configuration → Store
2. Fill in:

• Store name
• Address and contact details
• Logo and favicon
• Currency: USD or your local currency
• Timezone: your timezone

Configure taxes

1. International → Taxes
2. Enable taxes
3. Create a tax rule for your region
4. Assign it to the corresponding products

Payment methods

PayPal

1. Go to Modules → Modules & Services
2. Search for "PayPal"
3. Install the official module
4. Configure with your PayPal API credentials:

• Client ID
• Secret Key

1. Enable desired payment methods

Bank transfer

1. In Modules, search for "Bank transfer"
2. Configure your account details:

• Bank name
• Account number / IBAN
• Account holder

Configure shipping

1. Go to Shipping → Carriers
2. Create a carrier:

• Name: e.g. "Standard Shipping", "Express"
• Delivery time: "3-5 business days"
• Price or weight ranges
• Shipping zones

Free shipping

1. In Shipping → Preferences
2. Configure free shipping above a minimum amount

Add products

1. Go to Catalog → Products
2. Click New product
3. Fill in:

• Name and description
• Price (with and without tax)
• Images (minimum 3 per product)
• Stock and reference
• Category
• SEO: meta title and description

SSL for e-commerce

Verify that SSL is active and force HTTPS:

1. In PrestaShop → Configuration → General
2. Enable SSL and Force SSL on all pages

Optimization

• Enable PrestaShop cache: Performance → CCC (Combine, Compress, Cache)
• Activate Smarty Cache
• Use optimized images in WebP format
• Install a cache module like PageCache

Recommendations

• Keep PrestaShop updated to the latest stable version
• Only install modules from trusted sources
• Make a backup before each update
• Configure transactional emails (order confirmation, shipping, etc.)
• Periodically check error logs