How to Customize Your Easy Digital Downloads Store

Creating an online store in WordPress is super simple. But if you’re struggling to figure out how to customize your Easy Digital Downloads store, don’t worry.

As WordPress’ leading digital eCommerce solution for 10+ years, EDD has helped thousands of creators, developers, and business owners build beautiful online stores and sell digital products.

We understand that a well-designed store doesn’t just look good. It builds trust, enhances the user experience, and turns visitors into buyers.

In this guide, I’ll cover everything you need to know about how to customize your Easy Digital Downloads site and design the perfect online store.

WordPress Design & Customization Overview

Before diving into a step-by-step breakdown of ways to customize your Easy Digital Downloads site, it’s helpful to understand how WordPress functions regarding design and styling.

WordPress uses a hierarchical system for controlling your website’s appearance. Typically, there are three primary ways to customize your store’s appearance.

Method	What It Is	Used For
WordPress Theme	Your WordPress theme is the most fundamental way to control your site’s overall design.	• Basic layout structure of pages • Standard styling rules • How content is organized and displayed • Default colors and typography
Customizer	This built-in system lets you modify your theme’s appearance without coding. It allows for site-wide adjustments.	• Colors and typography • Layouts • Header/footer elements • Background images • Other visual elements
Block Editor	Enables detailed control over specific pages and content elements.	• Create custom page layouts • Style individual pages & sections • Add & arrange content elements • Customize individual product displays

In most cases, your theme will handle about 80% of your store’s appearance. The WordPress theme system separates your store’s design from its functionality.

In other words, you can change your store’s entire appearance without affecting your products, sales, or customer data.

Easy Digital Downloads works within your chosen theme’s design framework. It adds specialized features for selling digital products and options for styling key pages, including the product and checkout pages.

Some design changes happen in the EDD settings. Others happen in your WordPress theme.

(More on that in a moment.)

Choosing Your WordPress Theme

Selecting the right WordPress theme for your digital product store is an important decision. Your theme choice affects everything from your store’s visual appeal to its functionality and performance.

There are so many places to find themes — both free and premium. You can browse free options in the WordPress Theme Directory.

I recommend using the Features filter to narrow down results to ones specific to eCommerce sites.

Since Easy Digital Downloads works with most WordPress themes, you have a plethora to choose from. But keep in mind not all themes are created equal.

Below are some factors to consider in your search.

• EDD compatibility. This is non-negotiable. Your theme must play nicely with EDD. Otherwise, key features might not work correctly.
• Customization options. How much control do you want over your store’s appearance? Some themes offer tons of options (like changing colors, fonts, and layouts), while others are more restrictive.
• Fast loading speed. Nobody likes a slow website. A fast-loading theme is crucial for a good user experience. Plus, Google loves fast sites, which can help your search engine rankings.
• Pricing. Free themes are tempting. And they can be a solid option when you’re first starting. But premium themes tend to offer more features, support, and updates. Think about your budget and what you need from a theme.
• Support and updates. Does the theme developer offer reliable support and regular updates? This is important for keeping your store secure and running smoothly.

🔎 Need help finding an eCommerce WordPress theme? I’ve included a list of popular, reliable, and purpose-built options toward the end of this article.

Installing Your WordPress Theme

Once you’ve chosen your perfect theme, it’s time to install it.

If you’re using a free theme, you should be able to find it via the Theme Directory. From your WordPress dashboard, go to Appearance » Themes and click Add New Theme at the top.

Search for the theme you want by name. Then click Install followed by Activate.

Premium themes are purchased from third-party providers. After you purchase it, you’ll download the theme file as a zip and upload it to your WordPress site.

Go to Appearance » Themes » Add New » Upload Theme.

Click Choose File and select the zipped theme file from your computer. Select Install Now then Activate.

That’s it! Your new theme is installed and you can start customizing it.

Using the WordPress Customizer

Now that your theme is installed, let’s make it your own. There are a variety of settings you can use to customize your Easy Digital Downloads store.

The WordPress Customizer is your control center. To get started, go to Appearance » Customize.

If you’re still on the theme installation/activation screen, you can just select Customize on the theme you activated.

Key Customizer Settings

Site Identity is where you add your site title and tagline. It’s like putting your name on the door of your new shop. You can also upload a logo here. I always recommend a professional logo – it makes your store look credible.

Under the Colors (and Typography) tab, choose colors that match your brand. I like to use a color palette generator to find colors that work well together.

The Layout/Theme Options settings play a role in guiding customers through their shopping experience. The Customizer lets you adjust various layout elements to create an intuitive shopping environment. This might include header, sidebars, footer, blog, etc.

Menus is where you create navigation menus to help customers find their way around your store. Think of it like creating a map for your shop. Clear and easy navigation is key for a good user experience.

💡Tip: Make the most out of your product categories and tags. Set up visual hierarchies in menus. Well-organized categories help customers find exactly what they’re looking for.

Widgets are like little apps you can add to your sidebar or footer. They can display things like recent posts, social media links, or a search bar.

These are good for elements you want to appear across your site or in popular areas like the sidebar and footer.

Remember that less is often more when it comes to sidebar content. Only include elements that help customers find products or make purchasing decisions.

Homepage Settings is where you choose what content appears on your homepage. You might want to feature your latest products, a welcome message, or customer testimonials.

You can add custom code within the Additional CSS tab to fine-tune your design. It’s like adding the finishing touches to your masterpiece.

This is where you’ll be able to find any potential settings or styling options specific to the WordPress theme you’re using. 

EDD-Specific Customizer Settings

The exact options depend on which theme you’re using. But if you’re using an EDD-specific theme, like Vendd or Themedd, you’ll find a dedicated section for EDD Settings.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with the Customizer. It’s the best way to learn what each setting does. I’ve discovered so many cool design tricks just by playing around.

Customize Your Easy Digital Downloads Pages

Now comes the fun part: styling your EDD products and pages.

Easy Digital Downloads creates a handful of core pages for you, located under Pages » All Pages.

Examples include:

• Checkout
• Shop
• Confirmation
• Login
• Receipt

I’ll go into a few of the most important ones. First, let’s look at the individual product pages.

Product Pages

Product pages are the heart of your Easy Digital Downloads store setup. Each page focuses on a single digital product.

In EDD, products are called downloads. Unlike the other pages, you can find, edit, and create these pages under Downloads » Downloads.

Click on Add New to create a download/product page. Here, you can add a name, product description, feature image, pricing details, files, etc.

🔎 Check out the step-by-step process on creating products in EDD.

Once you’ve added your products, you can customize your Easy Digital Downloads shop page.

Shop Page

Your shop page is like your storefront. It’s where you make your products shine and create a shopping experience that customers will love.

Think of it like arranging your products on a shelf. You want to make them visually appealing and easy to browse.

You can edit the page under Pages » All Pages » Shop.

This page automatically inserts all your downloads/products via the EDD Products block (or the downloads shortcode).

The settings to the right offer multiple ways to customize your Easy Digital Downloads shop showcase. For instance, you can display them as a list or grid view, with thumbnails and/or excerpts, etc.

You can also highlight specific ones, like featured downloads or recommended products. It’s like putting your best sellers front and center.

Checkout Page

The checkout page is where the magic happens. It’s where customers turn into buyers.

You don’t want to lose sales because your checkout process is too long or complicated. It’s like standing in an excessive checkout line at a store when the cashier is taking their time.

Customers get frustrated and leave.

Keep it short and simple.

EDD’s default checkout page works great for this. It’s clean and efficient but still offers plenty of opportunities for customization.

Easy Digital Downloads Blocks

WordPress Blocks are the core components of the block/Gutenberg editor I mentioned earlier. They’re essentially building blocks for your pages.

These pre-built visual elements add special features and make designing your pages easier. You can insert them into any page or post on your site. Just click on the Add Block (+) button in the editor.

In the blocks/patterns library that opens, you can find 11 EDD-specific blocks.

Feel free to refer to our WordPress EDD blocks documentation for detailed guidance on each.

All you really need to know right now is that a few coincide with the pages automatically created upon the EDD plugin activation. (Shop page uses the EDD Products block, Checkout page uses EDD Checkout block, etc.).

Once you insert a block in the page or post, you can see its set of settings and customization options to the right.

For instance, the Cart block includes options for displaying the cart icon, number of items, and total. The Buy Button block lets you place a simple purchase button for a single product anywhere on your site.

Page Builders to Customize Your Easy Digital Downloads Site

If you want more design control without coding knowledge, page builder plugins offer an excellent solution. These tools provide drag-and-drop interfaces that make it easy to create professional-looking store pages.

They also make it easy to A/B test different layouts and designs to see what converts best.

There are a handful of WordPress page builders. To customize your Easy Digital Downloads shop, I recommend SeedProd. 

Its deep integration with WordPress and EDD makes it particularly valuable for digital product sellers.

You can choose from page templates designed specifically for digital selling. This includes product launch pages, eCommerce catalogs, and more. 

SeedProd’s real-time preview lets you easily build and design pages for your online store with ease. It offers a variety of dynamic content blocks, including ones specific to Easy Digital Downloads. 

Elementor, Divi, and Thrive Builder are additional page builders worth checking out.

Online Store Design Tips & Best Practices

Regardless of which tools and methods you use to customize your Easy Digital Downloads online store, there are a few design tips and best practices to keep in mind.

Remember: you don’t just want it to look good. It also needs to perform well.

Optimize for Mobile Users

Most WordPress themes these days are responsive (meaning they adjust to any screen size automatically).

But with over 60% of digital product browsing happening on mobile devices, your theme must provide an excellent mobile experience.

Test potential themes and your site to ensure:

• Touch-friendly navigation
• Readable text at all sizes
• Properly scaled images
• Accessible purchase buttons
• Smooth checkout process

Create Clear Calls to Action

You can spend hours and hours perfecting the look of your site. But ultimately your success comes down to how well you’re able to convert visitors into customers.

When you’re customizing your eCommerce site, be sure to include prominent, clear CTAs. This includes your homepage, shop, individual product pages, etc. Place the buttons in sensible areas that help guide shoppers through your store and, ultimately, where you want them to go (likely the checkout page).

Incorporate power words and phrases (“Buy Now”, “Download the Full Report”). Experiment with button colors, sizing, styling, and placement to ensure they stand out.

You can use blocks, the customizer, or page builders to do this. But you can change the default look of EDD’s purchase buttons under Downloads » Settings » Misc » Purchase Buttons.

Optimize Your Checkout Process

Your checkout experience plays a critical role in the success of your online store. Everything from the layout and form fields to the payment methods you offer can influence sales.

I always recommend the Stripe payment gateway. You can use it to accept a range of payment options, including digital wallet payments.

To tailor your checkout form, consider using the Checkout Fields Manager add-on. This lets you implement conditional logic and customize your Easy Digital Downloads checkout to ensure you’re only asking for relevant information.

💡Check out our guide on how to optimize your checkout.

Best WordPress Themes for Easy Digital Downloads

Here are some EDD-friendly themes. I’ve used a few of these, so I can share my insights.

Themedd

Themedd is a free, EDD-made theme. It’s simple and functional, and a solid starting point if you’re on a budget.

Themedd is easy to set up and customize. Even if you’re new to WordPress, you’ll find it manageable. I used it when I first started, and it helped me get my store online quickly.

Vendd

Vendd is another free EDD theme. It’s similar to Themedd in that it has full EDD compatibility. However, this one is designed for digital marketplaces.

GeneratePress

GeneratePress is known for being lightweight and fast. It’s also super versatile and makes a solid foundation for any site.

I’ve used it for clients who wanted a super-fast site without sacrificing design flexibility. It’s highly customizable, so you can make it look exactly how you want.

That said, it is somewhat of a blank canvas. For developers or those comfortable with editing and customizing theme files, this might be ideal. If you’re brand new to WordPress, you may face a minor learning curve, but nothing major.

While there’s a basic free version available, the premium version offers the features and modules that I find make it most valuable.

BrandID Themes

BrandID offers a selection of premium themes specifically crafted for Easy Digital Downloads. They provide various templates designed for different business types, like selling online courses, memberships, or other digital products.

The pre-built themes integrate seamlessly with EDD. I’ve recommended them to clients who wanted a polished, ready-made solution without starting from scratch. Because they come tailored to the specific niches, they don’t require you to spend much time on customizing it to your needs.

Examples include:

• Coaching Pro: Ideal for coaches and consultants selling online courses or memberships.
• Podcast Pro: Designed for podcasters looking to monetize their content through premium episodes or other digital products.
• Hello! Commerce: A more versatile theme for various types of online stores using EDD.

Additional WordPress Themes for Digital Selling

Theme	Best For	Free Version	Pricing
Thrive Theme Builder	A suite of tools with multiple template options for digital sellers, such as Ommi, focused heavily on conversion optimization and marketing features.	✖️	$99/yr
Hello Elementor	Lightweight, minimalist theme optimized to work specifically with the Elementor site builder plugin.	✅	✖️
KnowAll	Websites built around community and sharing resources/knowledge. It is designed for knowledge base centered sites.	Included with every HeroicKB plan.	$149+/yr
Divi	Those using the Divi Builder plugin and want to customize multiple sites with the Divi theme.	✖️	$89+/yr

FAQs on Ways to Customize Easy Digital Downloads

Let’s wrap up by looking at some frequently asked questions that you might have about how to customize your Easy Digital Downloads store.

Ready to Customize Your Easy Digital Downloads Store?

Creating a visually appealing and effective Easy Digital Downloads store doesn’t have to be a headache. With the right tools and a little know-how, you can transform your online store into a sales-generating machine.

Remember, the key is to start simple, experiment, and find what works best for your unique brand and products.

To unlock access to advanced tools and features that help customize your Easy Digital Downloads store and drive conversions, grab a paid pass!

Want to learn more strategies for enhancing your eCommerce site? Check out our list of digital store features that customers love!

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