Selling digital products like Excel or Google spreadsheets is a great way to earn passive income online. With the right WordPress plugins, you can easily turn your spreadsheets into downloadable products for your website.
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll show you step-by-step how to sell Excel and Google spreadsheets using WordPress and Easy Digital Downloads. With over 15 years of experience building websites, I‘ll share my insider tips to help you successfully set up your own online spreadsheet store.
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The Benefits of Using WordPress and EDD
Let‘s first discuss why WordPress and Easy Digital Downloads are the best platforms for selling digital spreadsheets and templates.
Compared to other eCommerce solutions like Shopify and WooCommerce, WordPress and EDD offer some unique advantages:
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Lower Transaction Fees – EDD allows you to sell unlimited digital products for just a 2.9% + $0.30 processing fee per sale. Shopify and WooCommerce charge higher fees.
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Top Security – WordPress and EDD utilize industry standard SSL encryption and security best practices to protect transactions and download links.
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Greater Customization – You have full control to customize your spreadsheet store‘s design, layout, features, and functionality with WordPress.
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Simpler Setup – EDD streamlines the process of adding digital products for sale. Its dashboard is intuitive and easy to navigate.
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Enhanced Support – With over 15 years in the WordPress space, I‘ve found the community support forums provide quick answers to any issues you may encounter.
Clearly, the combination of WordPress flexibility and EDD simplicity makes them the premier choice for selling digital spreadsheets, ebooks, templates, and more.
Size and Growth of the Digital Spreadsheets Market
The market for digital spreadsheets and templates has experienced rapid growth in recent years.
According to data from MarketResearch.com, the global spreadsheets software market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 11.8% from 2019 to 2025, reaching a value of $14.5 billion USD by 2025.
Driving this growth is the:
- Increased reliance on data, analytics, and business intelligence
- Rising adoption of spreadsheet-based business budgeting and planning
- Growing demand for spreadsheet-powered reporting and dashboard creation
For entrepreneurs and small business owners, this presents a lucrative opportunity to capitalize on this demand by selling specialized spreadsheets and templates online.
With the right marketing, you can build a sustainable passive income stream selling your Excel and Google Sheet products.
Key Differences Between Selling Excel vs Google Sheets
When creating spreadsheet products to sell, you have the choice to build them using either Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets.
Here‘s an overview of the key differences between Excel and Google Sheets when it comes to selling them online:
| Excel | Google Sheets | |
|---|---|---|
| File Type | Excel XLSX files | No downloadable file, only shareable links |
| Software Needed | Microsoft Excel required to use full features | Just a web browser, works anywhere |
| Customization | More powerful features for modeling, analysis | Simple formatting and styling options |
| Sharing/Collaboration | Manual process to send copies to others | Built-in sharing and real-time collaboration |
| Formulas & Functions | Very extensive options | More basic options than Excel |
| Data Connectors | Easy to link data from external sources | Seamless integration with other Google services |
| Security | Files can be password protected | Permissions to control document access |
As you can see, Excel offers richer functionality and control while Google Sheets provides smoother sharing capabilities. Consider the trade-offs as you decide which format to offer your templates in.
Step-by-Step Guide to Selling Spreadsheets with WordPress and EDD
Now that you understand the lucrative opportunity and key considerations, let‘s dive into the step-by-step process for selling your Excel and Google Sheet products online with WordPress and Easy Digital Downloads.
Choose Your WordPress Hosting
The first step is finding the right WordPress hosting provider for your site. After testing many hosts over the years, I recommend SiteGround.
SiteGround‘s managed WordPress hosting offers:
- Speed-optimized configuration for WordPress and EDD
- Free SSL certificate to secure transactions
- Daily backups to protect your site
- Starting at $2.49 per month for their GrowBig plan
- 30-day money-back guarantee so you can try risk-free
Their expert WordPress support will help with any issues setting up or running your spreadsheet store.
To get started, click here to claim SiteGround‘s exclusive discount. Their prices can‘t be beat!
Get Up to 73% Off SiteGround Hosting!
Install WordPress and EDD
Once you have your SiteGround hosting account created, it‘s time to install WordPress and the Easy Digital Downloads plugin.
For detailed walkthroughs see my guides on:
The process only takes about 5-10 minutes. When finished, you‘ll have the EDD plugin activated and ready to configure.
Configure Your EDD Store Settings
EDD makes setting up your online spreadsheet store simple. Just walk through these steps:
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Go to Downloads » Settings and enter your business location under "Store Location". This allows EDD to calculate local taxes.
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Visit Downloads » Settings » Payments to enable payment gateways. Check all you want to use and choose a default option.
I recommend Stripe as they accept credit cards along with Google Pay and Apple Pay.
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While under the Payments tab, pick your preferred currency from the dropdown.
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Finally, go to Downloads » Settings » Emails to customize your email receipts by adding branding and dynamic purchase details.
And that‘s it – your EDD store is ready to start accepting payments!
Turn Your Spreadsheets Into Digital Products
Adding your Excel or Google Sheet products to your store is a breeze. Here are the steps:
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Go to Downloads » Add New in your dashboard.
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Give your spreadsheet a title and description. You can also assign categories and tags.
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Under "Download Prices" enter the amount to charge for the spreadsheet.
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Upload an eye-catching product image that will display on the sales page.
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In the "Download Files" section, upload your Excel file or paste the Google Sheet link.
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Publish to make the product live in your store.
Repeat for all the spreadsheets you want to sell! Adding new products is fast and easy.
Customize Your Sales Page Design
A key benefit of using WordPress is you have 100% control over the design and layout of your spreadsheet store.
To customize the appearance, you can:
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Install a free or premium EDD-optimized WordPress theme like Nordik or Weld
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Use page builder plugins like Elementor or Beaver Builder to create custom layouts
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Modify your site‘s CSS using the Additional CSS editor in WordPress
Take advantage of WordPress flexibility to create an online store that aligns with your brand.
Market Your Digital Products
Now for the fun part – getting customers to actually buy your spreadsheets!
Here are my top marketing tips:
SEO
- Write detailed product descriptions and optimize them for relevant keywords
- Create blog posts about your niche and link to your store
- Take advantage of schema markup to improve Google visibility
Social Media
- Share your products on Facebook groups and subreddits related to your niche
- Post videos on TikTok and YouTube about using your spreadsheets
- Build lists of relevant hashtags to expand your reach on Instagram
Email Marketing
- Offer discounts or freebies in exchange for email signups with opt-in forms
- Send broadcast emails when you release new products
- Leverage emails for upselling existing customers
Other Promotions
- Request collaborations with influencers in your niche to access their audience
- Run contests, giveaways, or bundles around launches to create buzz
- Attend related conferences or networking events to connect with potential customers
With persistence and creativity, you can build an audience excited to purchase your specialty spreadsheet templates!
Top Plugins for Selling Digital Downloads
Here are my top recommendations for additional WordPress plugins that can help you improve conversions and sell more spreadsheets:
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OptinMonster – Create popups, slide-ins, and other "on-site retargeting" campaigns to convert more traffic into email subscribers and buyers.
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PushEngage – Send web push notifications to re-engage visitors and notify them about new products or promotions.
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MonsterInsights – See invaluable stats on your traffic and customers so you can better optimize your store‘s performance.
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TrustPulse – Display social proof notifications (e.g. "Jane in Ohio just purchased") to boost sales through peer influence.
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Simple Sales Tax – Automate sales tax calculations and compliance based on customer location.
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EU Digital Goods VAT – Manage Value Added Tax (VAT) rates for selling digital goods in Europe.
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All in One SEO – Improve your site‘s search engine rankings so more people find and visit your store.
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Google Analytics – Track key eCommerce metrics and gain powerful insights into your spreadsheet sales funnel.
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Pretty Links – Easily create cleaner, customizable, and trackable links for sharing your products on social media, email, and more.
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Elex SMTP – Improve email deliverability rates by connecting your WordPress site to a professional SMTP service like Sendinblue, Mailgun, or Amazon SES.
With the right mix of these plugins, you‘ll have all the tools you need to build a thriving online spreadsheet business using WordPress and Easy Digital Downloads!
Wrapping Up
I hope this detailed guide provided you with the step-by-step process for successfully selling both Microsoft Excel and Google Sheet templates through your own WordPress powered online store.
Selling digital spreadsheets is an amazing passive income stream thanks to the WordPress + EDD platform.
Remember, the key steps are:
- Choosing the right WordPress hosting
- Installing WordPress and Easy Digital Downloads
- Configuring your store settings
- Adding products
- Customizing your sales pages
- Marketing your spreadsheets
And leveraging powerful plugins to increase sales.
As you being your journey selling spreadsheet templates, tap into the WordPress community whenever you need help or advice!
