How to Make a Shopify Store: Step by Step Guide for Beginners
I will never forget the first time I tried to create my own online shop. I spent many hours surfing different websites and watching YouTube videos as well as reading articles about creating them. It was claimed by everyone that it would be very simple, but having signed up I realized that there were a lot of details which weren't mentioned.
The reality is that it's absolutely not difficult to create a Shopify website, as long as you know how to do it. You don't need to have any professional skills and knowledge of web development or eCommerce, you just need to know how to surf the web.
These are the steps I'd recommend to take in order to create your own online shop.
What is Shopify?
It is a platform which provides the possibility of creating online store without any knowledge of coding. Hosting, security, payments, inventory and other technical issues are provided by Shopify.
Regardless of whether you sell handcrafted products, clothes, electronics, digital products or print-on-demand products, you get an opportunity to manage all this using one dashboard.
The main advantages of choosing Shopify include:
User-friendly interface
Professional looking storefront
Secure checkout
Mobile responsive
Hundreds of applications
Professional customer support
Step 1: Create a Shopify account
To use Shopify you should have a Shopify account.
Visit Shopify website and click Start free trial.
You will be asked a few questions such as:
What are you going to sell?
Have you sold something before?
What is going to be the name of your store?
Try not to worry too much about the answers, most of them can be changed later.
Choose the name for your store which is easy to remember and relates to your brand.
Examples of names of stores:
Urban Style
Tech Corner
Pet World
Home Essentials
In case your desired name is already taken, you may add some word to it, for example Shop, Store or Official.
Step 2: Select Your Store Theme
After logging in, Shopify will set up a default store for you.
Now it’s time to make it look good.
To do that go to:
Online Store : Themes
Shopify has some pretty good free themes.
When I created my first store, I spent two days looking at various themes until I realized that people really care about navigability rather than cool animations.
Select an elegant theme that has:
Clean homepage
Easy navigation
Good loading speed
Responsive design
Later on, you will be able to change colors, fonts, and images.
Step 3: Add Products to Your Store
Now it’s time to bring life into your store.
To do that go to:
Products : Add Product
Every product should have:
Product name
Great images
Description
Price
Amount of items available
Category
Instead of saying:
"Wireless Mouse"
Say:
"Wireless Bluetooth Mouse with Silent Click for Laptop and PC"
Step 4: Improve Your Product Descriptions
Another mistake I have been making is having descriptions that are far too short.
Don’t simply say:
Comfortable shoes.
Why are they comfortable?
Example:
Our breathable running shoes are made of lightweight materials that ensure comfort as you jog, walk or hit the gym. They have a flexible sole to facilitate smooth movement during exercise.
Anticipate questions that your potential buyers may have about the product and answer them even before they ask.
Include:
Materials
Size
Color options
Weight
Features
What comes in the package
Step 5: Get Quality Images
High-quality photos make people buy products.
You do not necessarily require a high-quality camera.
Successful Shopify stores even use smartphones and proper lighting.
Suggestions:
Natural light
White background
Multiple angles
Detail shots
Blurry photos often lower customer confidence.
Step 6: Create Collections
Collections allow you to organize your products.
Examples:
Men’s clothing
Women’s clothing
Electronics
Home Decor
Kitchen accessories
Beauty products
It allows you to organize many products without displaying them on a single page.
Step 7: Setup Your Payment Methods
The customer requires a secure means of payment.
Shopify provides several payment gateways based on your location.
These can include:
Credit cards
Debit cards
PayPal
Shopify payments
Apple Pay
Google Pay
Pick payment gateways used by your targeted customers.
Step 8: Setup Your Shipping
The shipping settings might appear difficult to manage but Shopify makes it easy.
Access your settings:
Settings : Shipping and Delivery
Configure:
Shipping regions
Shipping fees
Time of delivery
Free shipping offers
Local shipping and delivery options may be available if you sell your products locally.
Step 9: Purchase a Custom Domain
Your store will have an initial Shopify subdomain.
It could be something like:
yourstore.myshopify.com
A custom domain would look more professional.
Like this:
www.yourstore.com
Step 10: Customize Important Pages of Your Store
Create several important pages prior to launch.
These are:
About us
Contact us
Privacy policy
Refund policy
Shipping policy
Terms and conditions
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Many customers review these pages prior to placing their order.
Step 11: Add Helpful Shopify Apps
A major benefit of using Shopify is its App Store.
Some helpful categories are:
Product reviews
Email marketing
Live chat
Upsell
Inventory management
SEO optimization
Analytics
Don’t install too many apps initially since they might impact the speed of your website.
Install only those apps that help solve a particular problem.
Step 12: Test Everything Prior to Launch
Before launching your store, test everything from a customer’s perspective.
This includes:
Product pages
Shopping cart
Checkout process
Payment gateway
Mobile compatibility
Navigation
Contact forms
Once, I forgot to test my checkout page and my customers could not buy anything for almost an entire day. Ever since, I always make sure to place an order before launching.
Real Life Example
Let us say you want to sell phone accessories.
Your homepage may include:
Best Sellers
New Arrivals
Charging Accessories
Phone Cases
Wireless Earbuds
All products have:
Multiple images
Accurate descriptions
Customer reviews
Secure checkout process
Shipping information
This makes your website look very professional.
Beginner Mistakes
These are common beginner mistakes that I see time and again.
Selecting an Elaborate Theme
Elaborate animations might just cause delays on your website.
Simplicity always wins.
Using Poor-Quality Images
Your potential customer cannot feel the product on an online platform.
Images will have to do as your salesperson.
Stealing Other Stores' Content
Replicating other stores' content is not only unethical but can hurt your SEO as well.
Always write unique content wherever you can.
Ignoring Mobile-Friendly Design
Many customers now shop using their mobile phones.
It’s important to check if your store is mobile-friendly before publishing.
Going Live Without Testing
A non-functional checkout or shipping system can mean lost money.
Always test your store before going live.
Steps to Get Your First Sales
When your store goes live, think about how to bring traffic to it.
Some steps to take are:
Post items in social media.
Ask your friends and family to check out your store.
Write useful blogs on your products.
It takes time to build trust, but persistence always yields better results in the end than rushing for success.
Conclusion
The most important thing would be to create an effective and user-friendly website which has descriptions of products and high-quality images.
Not to get too worried if your website is not absolutely perfect right from the beginning as even the most successful websites have gone through that phase.
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