Shopify is a powerful eCommerce platform that enables you to start your own online store and sell products directly to your customers.
If you have product ideas, but don’t have the time or resources to develop your own eCommerce website, then Shopify could be the perfect solution for you.
But, even with its user-friendly interface, setting up a brand new eCommerce store on Shopify without a Shopify developer can feel slightly overwhelming.
However, once you understand all of its valuable features and step-by-step processes, it’s not as scary.
This blog post will teach you everything you need to know about developing a Shopify theme so that you can start selling your products as soon as possible.
Why Should You Develop A Shopify Theme?
The first question you should ask yourself before you build a Shopify theme is why you want to build it in the first place.
What is your motivation behind developing a Shopify theme?
There are many reasons why you may want to develop a Shopify theme, including:
- If you have product ideas but don’t know how to start your own eCommerce website.
- If you’re going to make money from home by selling your own products online.
- If you want to make money from your hobby by selling your own products online.
- If you want to start a side hustle and make money from home.
- If you’re going to start a new career in eCommerce.
Shopify Features
Before you start developing your Shopify theme, it’s important to understand the key features that come standard with every Shopify store.
Once you’re aware of these features, you’ll understand why Shopify is one of the best eCommerce platforms in the world.
Below are the core features that come standard with every Shopify store:
- Content Management System
- Payment Processing Integration
- Product Inventory Integration
- Shipping Integration
- The SHOPIFY Ecosystem
- SEO Optimization
- Social Media Integration
- Customer Support
- Security
- Shopify Themes
Finding a Shopify Developer
Once you’ve completed the pre-development stages of your Shopify theme and you’re ready to move forward with the build, you’ll need to find a Shopify developer.
The best thing to do is to approach a Shopify development company or browse the thousands of Shopify developer in your local area.
Alternatively, you can check out other freelancer websites like Freelancer and PeoplePerHour for Shopify developers.
However, it’s essential to do your due diligence before hiring an Shopify developer, as it’s not uncommon for people to create fake profiles on these websites.
Below are a few tips that will help you find a reliable Shopify developer:
- Ask to see their previous work
- Ask to see their previous reviews
- Ask them how they plan to approach your project
- Ask them how long it will take
- Ask them how much the project will cost
- Ask them if they have experience working with Shopify
- Ask for an upfront payment
Developing Your Theme
Once you’ve found a Shopify developer and agreed on a project budget and timeline, it’s time to start developing your theme.
- To begin, you’ll need to sign in to your Shopify account and go to “Online Store.”
- Select “Themes,” and you’ll be taken to the “Themes” page.
- From the “Themes” page, click on “Design Your Own Theme,” and you’ll be taken to the “Design Your Own Theme” page.
- Select “Customize an Existing Theme,” or you can select “Design a New Theme” if you want to start from scratch.
- If you choose to customize an existing theme, you can click on “Choose a Theme” and then select a theme based on your industry.
SEO Optimization
Once you’ve developed your Shopify theme, you’ll need to ensure that your SEO optimization is on point. Poor SEO optimization is one of the main reasons most eCommerce websites fail.
Therefore, it’s crucial that you take the time to optimize all your website pages.
- To begin, you’ll need to sign in to your Shopify account and go to “Online Store.”
- Select “Edit Theme,” and your theme’s “Editor” will appear.
- From the “Editor,” click on “Pages”, and you’ll be taken to the “Pages” page.
- Click “Add a New Page” from here, and you’ll be taken to the “New Page” page.
- You can choose the page type, title, and content from here before clicking on “Save”.
The SHOPIFY Ecosystem
Once you’ve developed your Shopify theme and your store is live, you’ll need to start marketing your products.
- To begin marketing your store, click “Online Store” and select “Promotions”.
- Click on “Advertising” and you’ll be taken to the “Advertising” page.
- From the “Advertising” page, click on “Advertising” and you’ll be taken to the “Ads Manager” page.
- From the “Ads Manager” page, click on “Campaigns” and you’ll be taken to the “Campaigns” page.
- Click on “New Campaign” and you’ll be taken to the “New Campaign” page.
- From here, you can choose your campaign type and budget before clicking on “Continue”.
Summing up
To summarize, developing a Shopify theme is a great way to start your own eCommerce website without worrying about the infrastructure.
However, before you start building your Shopify theme, you should make sure that you have a clear idea of what you want. It’s also important to remember that building your own eCommerce website is long and tedious.
Therefore, it’s essential to make sure that you set aside enough time to complete the project.
