Launching your online store on Shopify is one of the best ways to build a professional, scalable, and customizable online store. 

Whether you're an Etsy seller looking to expand, a boutique owner ready to prioritize online shopping, or considering switching from another web platform, this guide has you covered. Let's break it down step by step.

Step 1: Decide if Shopify is Right for You

Before you dive in, consider whether Shopify is the right choice:

• Industry Standard: Shopify is the industry standard for e-commerce and there are so many reasons why. The fact that it’s so widely used is helpful and means there are more resources to support you and experts you can work with (like me!).
• Customization: You control the look, feel, and functionality of your store. You can add nearly any feature to your store with Shopify apps.
• Scalability: Shopify grows with you, whether you're starting small or managing a huge brand.
• Shopify Apps: Customize your store with apps and tools like subscriptions, email marketing platforms, reviews, upsells and more.
• Shopify Payments: When you use Shopify Payments as your payment gateway, customers can checkout with a credit card and you pay $0 in transaction fees. You’ll still pay credit card processing fees.
• Security: Shopify handles keeping your checkout and customer data secure.
• More than your catalog: You can build pages like FAQ, About, Portfolio and more with Shopify. Plus host multiple blogs. For example, my site is on Shopify!

Etsy sellers: If you're tired of marketplace fees and want more control over your sales channels, Shopify is worth exploring. If you’re not sure, check out my free video series, Beyond Etsy: Is a website right for you? Decide in the next 15 minutes ⏰

Currently on Squarespace?: Squarepace isn’t a platform I recommend for exclusively e-commerce businesses. There are so many sales features you’re missing out on when you’re using Squarespace for e-commerce. Check out the Shopify app store for comparison.

Currently on Wordpress/Woocommerce: I don’t recommend Woocommerce either for e-commerce businesses. The security alone makes it too cumbersome for most people.

Step 2: Plan Your Strategy

Before jumping into Shopify themes and design, take some time to outline your strategy. This is such an important step that most people skip. A clear plan will save you time by making it easier to build your store and set you up for success after launch.

Key Questions to Ask Yourself:

• What makes your brand unique? Define your brand values with a few main points.
• What products will you sell? You don’t need to put all of your products on your Shopify store before you launch. You can start with a curated collection.
• How will people find your store? There are so many ways to market your store. Decide on one main marketing channel that you’ll focus on. For ideas, check out my 45 minute video workshop: 10 Ways to Get Traffic to Your Shopify Store — without Instagram)

Pro Tip: Plan out your main navigation so you’ll know how to organize your products into collections. You want your navigation to showcase the collections your store sells to make them easy to find. Don’t hide everything underneath a “Shop” menu item.

Step 3: Sign Up for Shopify

It’s time! Visit Shopify.com and start a free trial. During the trial:

• Review Shopify’s settings: Looking through each setting is a great way to start to understand the platform. There’s a lot there.
  • Set up your shipping and delivery
  • Set up Shopify payments
  • Set up Shopify taxes
  • Add your domain
  • Set up your store policies and privacy settings. I recommend using Shopify’s automated privacy settings.
• Pick your plan. Shopify offers several tiers; the Basic plan is what I recommend for most sellers and what I use myself.

Step 3: Add Your Products

Import or create your new products individually in Shopify.

What can you sell with Shopify? Handmade products, manufactured products, digital products, dropshipped products, courses, consult calls and services. You can also sell products from other vendors and Shopify stores.

Pro tip: There are Shopify apps to make product import easier. I recommend Shuttle for Etsy sellers and Cart2Cart for sellers on other website platforms (like Squarespace or Woocommerce).

▶️ Watch: How to add a product in Shopify on Youtube

Step 4: Choose your Shopify Theme

Check out all of the different theme options in Shopify’s theme store. I highly recommend choosing a theme from their theme store rather than a third-party seller. All of the themes are vetted in Shopify’s theme store.

Good to know: Shopify’s free themes (like Dawn, Craft, and Studio) all have the same features. They are different design starting points. When I’m designing a store with a free theme, I always use Dawn. Shopify’s free themes are supported by Shopify.

Premium themes: A paid Shopify theme is a one-time fee for your store.

You can test drive any theme for your store before you commit to using it, including premium themes.

Step 6: Design Your Store

For me, this is the fun part! If you’re not a web designer, here are some tips to keep in mind:

• Keep it simple: lots of colors and fonts are harder to work with. I recommend launching with your “minimum viable website”, so try not to get too hung up on making it perfect. Simple design is easier to keep looking professional.
• Customize your templates: All Shopify themes come with templates for your homepage, collection template, product template, cart and contact template. Those are the templates I start with to customize.
• Check how things look on mobile as you go: When you’re in the Shopify customizer, you can toggle back and forth between the desktop view and mobile view.

Step 7: Launch Your Store

Before hitting "Publish,":

• Check that your domain is connected.
• Do a test order.
• Click all the links, don’t miss the footer links.
• Share a preview with a friend.

Step 8: Market Your Store

Once live, it’s time to tell people about it! Go back to your strategy for your main marketing channel and dive in. But don’t miss:

• Telling your friends and family: post on your personal social media, send emails, tell people in-person and encourage them to support you by sharing with their own networks.
• Email marketing: Use Shopify Email or Klaviyo to stay top-of-mind with your growing audience and drive traffic back to your store.
• SEO: Your product titles and descriptions really matter. Aim for ~500 words for your product descriptions and try keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner and SEMrush to dial in your product titles.

Ready to learn more about Shopify?

Watch my free workshop, *How to Sell More with Shopify,* to learn how to optimize your store for conversions.

FAQs About Starting a Shopify Store

1. How much does it cost to start a Shopify store?

Shopify plans start at $39/month for the Basic plan. You’ll also want a custom domain, which is about $15/year. Additional optional costs: paid apps and a premium theme.

2. Can I still sell on Etsy if I start a Shopify store?

Yes! Many sellers use both. Use Shopify as your main sales channel and Etsy to attract new customers through its marketplace.

▶️ Beyond Etsy: Is a website right for you? Decide in the next 15 minutes

3. Do I need a professional logo before starting?

No. You can DIY your own logo and brand plan for Shopify. Like my advice for design, keep it simple!

4. Can you help me launch my store?

Yes -- check out my program Shop School. It's a one-year course and community designed to take you step-by-step through everything you need to launch your store, start to finish. With simple videos, text instruction and lots of support from me. Shop School includes live group coaching calls and unlimited site reviews and feedback.

5. Can I hire you to design my Shopify store?

Yes! Read more about my Shopify design services and apply here.