If you’re looking for an easy way to sell your products online, there is none better than Shopify.
As the leading platform for building and hosting e-commerce websites, Shopify gives you everything you need to create, operate, and modify your online store without requiring any special programming skills.
From choosing the right domain to inserting the perfect logo/design to adding new products and services for your clients, Shopify lets you do all of it and more in a simple plug-and-play manner.
Moreover, you can make as many Shopify stores as you may like with each having its specific domain or URL to resonate with your business or the brand as a whole.
Plus, it has a wide range of apps and payment systems that you can use to further enhance the shopping experience of all your customers.
All you need is the right target audience and a suitable business plan to get going with your online Shopify store.
In case that sounds too much to begin with, you can always hire a dedicated team to design, develop, and deploy your Shopify store on your behalf.
Why You Need a Shopify Development Company
As intuitive as it is to use/operate Shopify, there are many professionals out there who can help you do that with better efficiency and skills especially should you lack the necessary technical knowledge.
With ample industry insights, professional Shopify development companies can help you unlock the full potential of your store like choosing the best design, tools, and templates (among other things) for businesses of all kinds.
Be it a small company or a large corporation, these development firms can meet all your Shopify needs regardless of the scale and audience of your business.
Plus, they can do that at very affordable prices as there’s not a lot of technical input needed to be able to use Shopify. In fact, this is what makes it so popular in the first place, even in the long term.
Still, if you find it too challenging to use Shopify on your own, you can always approach a professional website development company or a Shopify expert.
Here’s what you can get by hiring a good Shopify developer:
- Expertise and experience.
- Full customization.
- Unique features and functionality.
- Seamless integration of Shopify apps and third-party softwares.
- Best SEO practices.
- Round-the-clock support and maintenance.
- Scalable design.
- Time-saving.
- Cost-effective.
As you can see, Shopify development agencies can help you build and operate the perfect online store that is easy to maintain, scale, and customize.
To make the most of it though, you need to be well aware of your online store requirements.
Identifying Your Shopify Store Requirements
While an online store works quite differently than a brick-and-mortar store, especially when it comes to its form and architecture, at the base level, it’s all the same.
For instance, knowing your business goals and target audience, having a solution to their problems, or adhering to regulatory compliance are but some of the things that remain crucial to both.
Apart from that, there is the design that must resonate with your business, the requisite features and third-party integrations, and so on, that you should be wary of.
In short, knowing all your Shopify needs, both general and unique, is of utmost importance if you want to ensure maximum performance and optimum functionality.
That said, some of the rather crucial aspects you need to consider when it comes to identifying your Shopify store needs are:
- Business goals and vision.
- Target audience.
- Product Catalog.
- Design and Branding.
- Functionality.
- Marketing.
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
- Third-party integrations.
- Customization.
- Legal formalities and regulatory compliance.
- Budget.
- Scalability.
So keep that in mind when you’re looking for good web/Shopify store developers.
Where to Find a Shopify Development Company
Like any digital solution, a Shopify development company can also be easily found on the Internet or through the age-old way of consulting with your friends, family, and colleagues.
Some of the most convenient and effective ways to find a Shopify development firm are:
1. Freelance Platforms
Since the digital world is largely driven by freelancers, freelancing platforms provide you with an easy way to find and hire a dedicated Shopify developer.
Plus there are several freelancing platforms that you can choose from. For e.g.-
• Upwork
Upwork is the leading freelancing platform that showcases some of the best Shopify developers who are both experienced and affordable.
It has a flexible hiring method including hourly as well as fixed rates for projects of all kinds and sizes.
One of the key benefits of hiring individual developers through freelancing platforms is the transparency and seamless collaboration whenever you like throughout and even after the project.
• Toptal
Toptal is yet another popular freelancing platform that comes with highly skilled and experienced Shopify developers.
As a premium service, Toptal only focuses on the top 3% of freelancers making it one of the best places to find top-tier talent from all around the world.
Plus it offers dedicated account managers to help you find the best freelancer for your project no matter the scope and complexity of it.
• Freelancer
Doing full justice to its name, Freelancer is a large freelancing platform with a diverse range of Shopify developers.
What makes this platform rather different is the way it allows you to hire them. That is, instead of going through all the options and records of each freelancer one by one, you can post your project requirements and let the latter bid on them.
This competitive bidding system lets clients get the most cost-effective solution for their Shopify store.
Plus they have a Milestone-based payment system too which makes it perfect for Budget-conscious businesses.
2. Shopify Experts Directory
As a fully-fledged e-commerce platform, Shopify has a list of professionals and experts that you can choose from without having to go anywhere else.
The best part- you can select them depending on the services you need instead of having to hire them for the entire project.
For instance, if you’re looking for marketers or content writers only and not designers per se, you can easily do that with simple pay-per-service options by searching through the large directory of Shopify experts.
Similarly, you can get other types of experts for your Shopify store be it for visual elements, branding, store management, technical troubleshooting and development, or any other expert guidance for that matter.
3. Referrals and Networks
Being in the industry has certain perks such as business connections.
So before you get going with setting up your Shopify store or any other online business for that matter, make sure to make good use of your network including friends, family, and colleagues.
The point is, that getting recommendations from those who have prior experience in dealing with professional Shopify developers can help you big time in finding an efficient and trustworthy partner for your project.
4. Google Search & Online Reviews
When it comes to finding a good Shopify store developer, the one place you need to be is on the internet.
As the starting point for any online endeavor, a search engine like Google offers everything including freelancers and professional Shopify development teams or agencies under a single roof.
At the same time, you can utilize a variety of online reviews like Google Reviews and Clutch to better understand the history and experience of their work and clients respectively.
Better known as client testimonials, it gives you real insight from people and businesses who have used professional Shopify development services before.
Things to Consider When Hiring a Shopify Development Company
Regardless of what kind of developers you hire for your Shopify store development, there are certain things that you cannot miss if you truly want your business to prosper and flourish.
For instance, the budget or cost.
Likewise, some of the rather crucial details to consider include:
- Experience and Expertise.
- Technical skills.
- Customization.
- SEO.
- Reviews and Testimonials.
- Collaboration and communication.
- Transparency in project management.
- 24/7 Support and maintenance.
- Legal formalities.
- Scalability.
- Timely delivery of your project.
- Familiarity with Shopify Apps and Plugins.
- Budget and Pricing.
- Testing and Quality Assurance.
By taking these factors into account, you can easily find yourself the perfect companion for your first Shopify store development while keeping your budget, business goals, and technical assistance in check.
Conclusion
Shopify is one of the easiest ways to get going with your first online store regardless of the scope and scale of your business.
Being a complete solution, it comes with every tool and design that you may need to build, maintain, and update your digital shop no matter where you are.
Although it has an intuitive dashboard and menu that is quite easy to interpret and use, you can also get technical support from independent agencies and freelancers who are well-versed with all things Shopify.
A few common places to find one include freelancing platforms, Shopify experts, and word-of-mouth.
Before you decide, make sure to check and compare the pricing first.