Did you know that some of the world’s most famous brand websites, like Red Bull, Kylie Cosmetics, Fashion Nova, and Netflix’s online shop, run on Shopify?
Starting in 2006 with a focus on snowboarding gear, Shopify has undergone a remarkable transformation. Today, it has evolved into an all-in-one, cloud-based eCommerce web-building platform, contributing to over $700 billion in total sales.
Want to start a Shopify store and join over 4 million active websites on this platform? This step-by-step guide will walk you through building your e-store from scratch.
1. Sign Up for Shopify
If you haven’t done so already, begin by visiting the Shopify website and signing up for an account. Shopify offers a 14-day free trial, which gives you ample time to build and tweak your store before going live.
To new store setup:
- Go to Shopify.com.
- Click on the “Start free trial” button.
- Enter your desired email address, password, and store name.
2. Add Your Products
Once your account is created, it’s time to populate your store with products. Go to the ‘Products’ section in your Shopify admin, and click ‘Add product’. Here, you can include details such as price, description, images, and inventory details.
To add a new product:
- Navigate to the ‘Products’ section.
- Click ‘Add product’.
- Fill in all the relevant details for your products like –
- Title: Name of the product.
- Description: Information about the product.
- Images: Upload images of the product.
- Pricing: Set the price of the product.
- Inventory: Enter the quantity available.
- Variants: If your product has different options (e.g., size, color), you can add them here.
- Shipping: Set up shipping details for the product.
3. Customize Your Theme
Shopify provides a range of customizable themes to define the look and feel of your store. You can find these options under ‘Online Store’ > ‘Themes’. You can choose a free theme or purchase one from the Shopify Theme Store.
To customize a new theme:
- Go to ‘Online Store’ and select ‘Themes’.
- Choose a theme and click ‘Customize’.
- Tweak the theme settings to match your brand.
4. Set Up Shipping
Setting up your shipping rates and methods is a critical step to ensure smooth operations. This can be found in ‘Settings’ > ‘Shipping and delivery’. Decide on your shipping strategy and input your rates.
To add shipping cost:
- Head to ‘Settings’ and select ‘Shipping and delivery’.
- Configure your shipping zones and rates.
5. Configure Payments
You’ll also need to configure how you’ll get paid by setting up payment gateways. Shopify supports a variety of methods including Shopify Payments, PayPal, and third-party providers. You can set this up in ‘Settings’ > ‘Payments’.
To add payment gateways:
- Navigate to ‘Settings’ and choose ‘Payments’.
- Select your preferred payment gateways (Shopify Payments, PayPal, Stripe, etc.)
- Complete the setup provided by the gateways and start accepting payments.
6. Set Up Taxes
Shopify can automatically handle the most common sales tax calculations. You can set this up by heading to ‘Settings’ > ‘Taxes’. Make sure your tax settings are correct to avoid any legal issues.
To add taxes:
- Go to ‘Settings’ and click on ‘Taxes’.
- Select your tax region.
- Enable taxes.
- Configure tax settings based on location.
- Add tax rates for different regions.
- Set up automatic tax calculations.
- Ensure that your tax settings are accurate.
7. Consider Your Domain
Consider purchasing a custom domain to give your store a professional look. You can buy a domain directly through Shopify or transfer one from another provider.
To add a new domain:
- In your Shopify admin, go to ‘Settings’ and then ‘Domains’.
- Choose to buy a new domain or connect an existing one.
8. Review and Test Your Store
Before going live, it’s essential to thoroughly test your store. Go through the checkout process, test your contact forms, and ensure that all your store’s functions work as intended.
To review your store:
- Place a test order to review the checkout process.
- Navigate through all pages to ensure everything is functional like
- Homepage Review: Assess layout, navigation, and branding coherence.
- Product Pages: Check product descriptions, images, and pricing accuracy.
- Checkout Process: Test adding items to the cart, payment, and shipping.
- Mobile Responsiveness: Verify if the store is optimized for mobile devices.
- SEO: Ensure meta titles, descriptions, and keywords are optimized.
- Integration Testing: Test third-party apps and plugins for functionality.
- Payment Gateways: Ensure all payment methods work smoothly.
- Customer Support: Test contact forms and live chat for responsiveness.
- Security: Check SSL certificates, data encryption, and privacy policies.
- Performance: Assess page load speed and overall site performance.
9. Remove Password Protection
Shopify stores start with password protection enabled so you can work on your store without anyone seeing it. When you’re ready to go live, remove this by going to ‘Online Store’ > ‘Preferences’ and uncheck ‘Enable password’.
To remove password protection:
- Access ‘Online Store’ > ‘Preferences’.
- Disable the ‘Enable password’ option to open your store to the public.
10. Launch Your Store
After completing all the previous steps, your Shopify store is ready to greet its first customers. You can announce your store’s launch through social media, email marketing, or other promotional methods.
To launch new store:
- Spread the word about your new online store.
- Monitor your store’s performance and engage with your first customers.
Congratulations, your shopify development store is now live! Remember that launching your store is just the beginning. Continuously optimizing the user experience, adding new products, and refining your marketing strategy will help ensure that your e-commerce journey is successful.
FAQ
Is it necessary to enter my payment information to launch my store?
Yes, entering valid payment information is a condition to launching your Shopify store. This step is required during the process of selecting a Shopify plan, which enables the store’s live functionality.
How do I know if my Shopify store is live?
The simplest way to check if your store is live is by entering your store’s URL in a web browser. If your store loads without requiring a password, it is live and accessible to the public.
How do I optimize my Shopify store for international SEO?
Optimize your store for international SEO by using hreflang tags to specify language and regional URLs, offer translated versions of your site, and ensure product descriptions are culturally relevant. Also, optimize your store’s loading speed across different regions by using local CDNs.
What are Shopify payment gateways?
Shopify payment gateways are third-party tools or services that process payment transactions on your Shopify store. Shopify integrates with over 100 payment gateways, including PayPal, Stripe (Shopify Payments), and Apple Pay, allowing you to accept payments from customers worldwide.
Can I sell internationally with Shopify?
Yes, Shopify supports international selling. You can sell to customers worldwide by setting up multiple currencies, translating your store into different languages, adjusting tax and shipping settings per region, and using international payment gateways.
How much does it cost to run a Shopify store?
The cost to run a Shopify store varies by plan:
Basic Shopify: $29 per month
Shopify: $79 per month
Advanced Shopify: $299 per month
Shopify Plus: Custom pricing, typically starting at $2,000 per month
