Shopify offers over 100 fully customizable e-commerce templates, so you can design the look and feel of your online store exactly how you want it. And with its easy-to-use drag & drop editor, anyone can create their own website for free — no coding skills required.
But getting started can be overwhelming, especially if you are unfamiliar with e-commerce or website design in general. So, using everything we have learnt as a leading Shopify agency, we have compiled a few things every startup should know before launching their Shopify store.
Take the mobile-first approach
Mobile devices now account for more than half of all web traffic, so making sure your website is optimized for smartphone users is essential for any small business these days. Build a mobile-friendly site before a desktop version. You don’t have to make them identical, but it is easier to scale up than down.
To build a Shopify website, you can leverage the platform’s responsive design capability, which automatically adjusts the layout for different screen sizes. Understanding your target customer is essential when building a successful online store.
The key is to have a responsive design. Responsive design means your website will automatically adapt its layout based on the device that’s viewing it, so you won’t have to make separate sites for different devices.
Ditch the free domain
When you sign up for Shopify, they will offer you a free domain name if you sign up for a year or more. The problem is that Shopify’s subdomains (e.g., yoursite.myshopify.com) don’t look professional and give out a negative perception of your brand. Because ask yourself this: would you invest in a company that doesn’t want to invest in itself?
Besides, a free domain will also make it harder for you to get more traffic in the long run as you won’t be able to rank your store on search engines.
Host with Shopify
When it comes to hosting e-commerce stores, Shopify takes care of everything for you (for a monthly fee, of course). You don’t need to worry about things like security or payment gateways because Shopify offers those things right out of the box. These services can cost quite a bit if you were to set them up yourself and pay for them separately.
That said, Shopify hosting is not the cheapest option for your store. But the reason you pay more is that the company handles all of the technical work for you. So if your site goes down, or if something goes wrong with your site, Shopify will be there to fix it.
Invest in a professional photography service
Successful retail brands know the value of high-quality product photos, which can make all the difference when selling online. There are several free tools available that allow you to retouch images and add filters, but if you want that polished look, you must consider hiring a professional photographer. This is particularly important if you are selling higher-end products, such as fashion or jewellery.
Don’t forget to optimize for the search engines
Shopify arguably has the best SEO opportunities in the industry. And although most entrepreneurs feel the hosting with Shopify comes at a little bit of a premium price, the good news is that you don’t have to worry about anything else once you pay for the service.
You can easily customize your URLs, title tags and meta descriptions for every page and product on your site — whether it has 30 pages or 300 pages. This will help ensure your pages show up in search engine results for relevant keywords and phrases.
Boost your visibility on cross-promotion platforms
When it comes to increasing sales on Shopify, many businesses overlook the power of cross-promotion platforms that help buyers discover new products via recommendations from other shoppers.
They are perfect for boosting your visibility and increasing your chances of making a sale because services like GoodCarts allow you to connect with buyers, who are shopping with other Shopify brands listed on the platform, during checkout.
All you have to do is request to get listed as a Shopify merchant to begin offering referral codes, coupons, and special discounts to customers who wish to buy from both stores.
Befriend content marketing
Content marketing for Shopify start-ups is not about grandiose claims or empty promises. It is about giving your audience something of value. If you want to build a relationship with your customers, you need to give them something they want to see again and again: interesting, relevant content that solves problems and answers questions.
Besides, all your content marketing efforts should be aimed at helping you make connections with potential customers before they have made a purchase. This way, once they are ready to buy, they know exactly where to find what they are looking for — your store.
Leverage social media to get free traffic
Social media is one of the best ways to engage with customers and promote your business online; however, it can easily become overwhelming if you try to manage too many accounts at once or post too often throughout the day. As a Shopify start-up, you should focus on no more than two or three platforms if you are just getting started with social media.
Spend enough time researching each platform to decide which one provides you with the best ROI instead of dabbling in all of them at the same time.
Run paid ads for initial brand exposure
Paid ads are a surefire way to put your products in front of customers at the early stages of your business. They give you the power to target your audience and reach them in exactly the right place and moment. As a general practice, Facebook Ads, Google Adwords and Instagram Ads are some great platforms to kick off your paid campaigns and start getting traffic right away.
Track your marketing metrics
Not every e-commerce business needs a feature-rich analytics suite. But what every start-up should have is a crystal clear idea of how their marketing efforts are performing and where they could improve. That’s why it is important to track metrics from the beginning.
As a rule of thumb, you shouldn’t rely on your Shopify analytics dashboard for consumer insights. You must invest in a comprehensive tool that will help you track performance in real-time and make adjustments as needed.