Storing plenty of digital/downloadable products can slow down your site as they eat up space. Fortunately, with the WooCommerce downloadable product Google Drive integration, this is not a problem anymore.
Integrating WooCommerce downloadable products and Google Drive benefits you in many ways. Instead of self-hosting products on your site, it allows you to sell the products stored in Google Drive. This way, you can easily speed up your site while simultaneously saving your site’s bandwidth and memory.
Today, we’re going to explore how to create and directly sell products from Google Drive on your WooCommerce store. Let’s get started!
- #1 Set Up WooCommerce Store
- #2 Create Product Download Links in Google Drive
- #3 Integrate WooCommerce Downloadable Products and Google Drive
- #4 Configure Digital/Downloadable Product Settings
- #5 Grant WooCommerce Downloadable Product Permissions
- Google Drive Alternatives for Product Storage
#1 Set Up WooCommerce Store
First thing first, you have to install and activate the WooCommerce plugin to build an online store. If you’ve already activated WooCommerce, you can skip this step and move to the next one.
- Log into your WordPress dashboard with the admin account.
- Navigate to Plugins → Add New.
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3. Search for WooCommerce in the search box and click Install → Activate.
Once done, you can check out our tutorial on how to sell WooCommerce digital products. This guide provides you with detailed steps for setting up checkouts and payments, creating product pages, and monetizing products.
#2 Create Product Download Links in Google Drive
After completing the store setup, take the following steps to generate download links for your products.
- Upload your products to Google Drive and get their links. For example, a file link in Google Drive will look like this:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gu1x8AFgYewjrWVvRCIJ7ftEN1GQGG3m/view
2. Get the file ID. As per the example, “1gu1x8AFgYewjrWVvRCIJ7ftEN1GQGG3m” is the file ID.
3. Convert the file link into this format:
https://drive.google.com/uc?id=<ID>&export=download
4. Replace <ID> with your file ID. The new file link will look like this:
https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1gu1x8AFgYewjrWVvRCIJ7ftEN1GQGG3m&export=download
When you visit the new link, the file will be automatically downloaded to your computer without any extra click.
#3 Integrate WooCommerce Downloadable Products and Google Drive
WooCommerce currently supports selling downloadable products hosted on third-party cloud storage providers like Google. You don’t need any further installations.
- Edit or create a new product page.
- In the Product data section, select the Simple product option in the drop-down menu and check the Downloadable checkbox.
3. Copy & paste the product download link you’ve created into the File URL field and give your product a Name.
4. Save your changes.
You’ve just integrated your WooCommerce downloadable product with Google Drive. This enables you to deliver a digital file to your customers without any hassles.
#4 Configure Digital/Downloadable Product Settings
This step is important as it helps WooCommerce validate your external product download links. Without validation, the WooCommerce downloadable product link will not work properly. Your buyers can encounter the “File Not Found” error when downloading the products.
- In your WordPress admin dashboard, head over to WooCommerce → Settings → Products → Downloadable Products.
- Switch the File download method option from Force downloads to Redirect (only).
3. Hit the Save changes button to finish.
That’s it!
Although the WooCommerce built-in settings have already offered the integration feature, you can consider using plugins for advanced functionalities.
These plugins ease the file sharing and management process as well as improve site loading time. In addition, you can secure all your file data in case the site is accidentally corrupted or hacked.
Check out the top 5 easy-to-use Google Drive WordPress plugins now!
#5 Grant WooCommerce Downloadable Product Permissions
This step is optional. Please opt for this only when you desire to grant file access permissions to specific users.
- Go to WooCommerce → Orders in your admin dashboard and select the order to view or edit.
- Scroll down to the Downloadable Product Permissions meta box. This box displays the downloads and how many times a customer has accessed it.
- Revoke access permissions, and grant access to new downloads, or exit orders.
Google Drive Alternatives for Product Storage
Google Drive has become the most popular cloud storage provider thanks to its versatility and simplicity. However, the platform is not appreciated when it comes to file access permissions and security.
Besides Google Drive, several cloud services bring better file security level, namely Amazon S3 and Dropbox. Hence, you can store your WooCommerce product files on these platforms instead.
We’ve published detailed instructions on how to sell WooCommerce products hosted on Amazon S3 and Dropbox. These guides will help you integrate your WooCommerce store with third-party cloud storage and secure your product download links by setting the usage limit and expiry time. Check them out for more information.
WooCommerce Downloadable Product Google Drive – A Great Integration
Hosting WooCommerce downloadable products on Google Drive assists you to enhance your site’s performance and manage your products effortlessly. As a result, it facilitates the development of your online business and sales.
Integrating WooCommerce and Google Drive is not as complicated as it sounds. Since WooCommerce gives you the ability to do that with no additional installation required, it doesn’t take much effort. With just a few simple steps, you can easily complete the integration process, which doesn’t cost any extra fees.
In addition to Google Drive, you can store your products on other similar platforms, such as Amazon S3 and Dropbox. A sound decision should be made based on your budget and requirements.
Ready to sell your first WooCommerce downloadable product?
