How to Build a Shopify store from Scratch
- Feb-20-2018
- Dilawar Hussain
- 1 comments
Do you want to start an online store? Building your own Shopify store or start a Shopify dropshipping busienss may seem daunting to the beginners, but in reality, it’s a much simpler process.
You must have questions like, how to build a Shopify store? How to sell on Shopify? How to add Shopify to my site? Fret no more because we’re going to teach you how to build a Shopify store from scratch.
Below we’re going to go over everything you would need to build a Shopify store including, but not limited to niche selection, template selection, promotion, etc.
Why Use Shopify?
Shopify is a one-stop shop for everything e-commerce related. It provides you with e-commerce, product management, and web design for a monthly fee.
Shopify is hands down the easiest and simplest tool for beginners to setup their online store and start selling online straight away.
You don’t need prior web development coding experience to build a Shopify store.
Signing up with Shopify and starting couldn’t be any easier. They even offer a free 14-day trial so you can play around with things before paying.
We will explain everything you need to know on how to build a Shopify store. Read on!
Getting Started
Getting started with Shopify s fairly simple. Start off by registering an account on Shopify, choosing your store name, and setting up a custom domain name.
Sign up with Shopify
The first step is to head over to Shopify.com and register for the service using the sign-up form. Enter the required details including your “Store name” and hit “Create Store Now”.
Make sure you enter a unique store names otherwise it will ask you to choose a different name.
Now, Shopify will ask you to enter some extra details aboutes otherwise it will ask you to choose a different name. yourself. This includes your country, address, phone, etc. You will also choose your purpose of a building a store.
If you already have products then choose “I’m selling with a different system” or “I’m selling offline”, if you’re just getting started then it’s better to choose “I’m just playing around”.
Your store is now live and ready to be set-up. You are now ready to add products and sell on Shopify. However, you must set-up your store first to make it aesthetically attractive.
Add/Buy a Custom Domain name
A related domain name is the key aspect of any online store. When you build a shopify store, you are assigned a domain like “YourStoreName.myshopify.com”.
This domain name does not express your store’s identity and looks unprofessional. So, something like “YourStore.com/net” will give it an authentic feel.
If you ever wondered how do I change my Shopify URL then this will guide you through it.
If you already have a domain name registered from a different registrar then you can add it to your store easily.. Click “Add domain” in your dashboard.
You can now “Buy a domain” or “Connect existing domain” to your store. Buy a domain allows you to buy and register a new domain directly through Shopify and connect it to your store instantly.
Connecting existing domain will allow you to connect a domain you already have on a different registrar. You will be taken to Domain set-up guide That will guide you through the steps of connecting your existing domain to Shopify.
Customization
Customize your Shopify store in terms of features and looks. Shopify lets you customize the looks of your store via free and paid themes, add extra functionality through plugins and apps.
Customize Your Shopify Store
Once you have signed-up for Shopify. You are ready to customize your store. You will be taken directly to your store’s dashboard where you can play around with customization options.
From your dashboard, you can add products, change the store’s layout/theme, add shipping, payment settings, and add your custom domain name.
Add a product
Start off by adding your first product to your store. Hit “Add Product” and enter your product detail including, title, description, images, pricing, shipping information, and inventory details and save it.
Your first product is now live on your Shopify store. You are now ready to customize the looks and feel of our store.
Choose a theme
To make your Shopify store more appealing to the visitors, you must choose an attractive theme. Head over to “Customize theme” from the dashboard.
Shopify website templates are a great way to create an appealing store that attracts your customers visually.
Now, you can customize your current theme or choose a new theme for you store. Visit the theme store where you can browse through a collection of free and paid themes.
When choosing your first theme, be it free or paid. Make sure to read the reviews for the theme. This will save you from any headaches down the line. Opt for themes with higher review ratings.
To preview them on your store, click “View Demo” and you will see a preview of how it looks on your store. Once you are satisfied hit “Add theme” to add it to your theme catalogue.
To install your selected theme, choose “Actions” and then “Publish” to make it the default theme for your store.
After choosing a suitable theme for your store. You also have the option to customize it a bit further. Tinker with options like,
- Colors
- New logos
- Change font
- Add social media
- Insert product image carousels
- Add related items to product page
Install plugins on your store
Shopify offers an integrated app store that lets you install any apps/plugins directly on your store. These apps help you with multiple functions of your store.
You can install apps for dropshipping, creating invoices, shipping tools, and many more functions. Installing a plugin or app is quite easy.
From your dashboard, go to the “Apps” section on the left sidebar. You can now install the suggested apps or visit the app store to browse through the app catalogue.
Choose any app/plugin that you want to install and click “Get” to install it on your Shopify store. Once installed, you can set it up according to your needs and start using it.
Create a Page
Since, your store is entirely new. It will only sport product pages for the items you are selling. However, It’s also quite important to have other pages on your store.
You can include pages like “Contact Us”, ”FAQ”, “Returns” etc. These pages will convey information that’s useful for your customers.
These pages can help your customers with any queries they might have when shopping at your store. It’s very easy to create and add new pages to your store.
From your dashboard, click “Online Store” > “Pages” and Add a page. From here, you can add page title, content for your page, and SEO details for your page.
Common pages for online stores include, but not limited to Contact, FAQ, Returns/Refunds Policy, Promotions, etc. Create any page(s)relevant to your store.
Payment Gateway
Shopify lets you choose from multiple payment processors. Set-up your preferred payment method to start accepting payments from your customers and start selling online.
Set-up and Activate a Payment Processor
Your Shopify store is now almost ready. You have a product, you have a great looking theme, and you have a domain name.
However, your store is not going to do much without any payment processor. A payment processor allows you to accept payments and get paid for your products.
When choosing a payment gateway, it’s important to look at the features they are offering. First of all, you should check for availability. If a payment gateway is not available or supported in your country then it’s of no use.
Choose a payment method that’s available for your country. Shopify allows multiple payment options that include PayPal, Stripe, All major credit cards, and offsite payment methods like BitPay, GoCoin, etc.
PayPal is available in most countries except for a few that include Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, and some other countries. Stripe is only available in US, CA, UK, and other European countries.
So, universal methods like 2Checkout, BitPay, etc are your best bet, if your country is not supported by traditional payment processors. Otherwise, you can add custom methods to circumvent any issues.
You can also add manual payment methods to direct your customers to a custom payment page with your preferred payment method. For example, Bank account, Cash on Delivery, etc.
To choose a payment processor, go to “Settings” in the bottom-left corner and select “Payment providers”.
There you can select your preferred payment method and set it up. Once selected, hit “Activate” to enable the payment method on your store.
Transaction Fees
Keep in mind that payment gateway transaction fees are included on top of transaction fees by Shopify. However, stores that are based in the UK and US can utilize Shopify Payments.
Depending upon your subscribed Shopify plan, you can save a bit on these extra transaction costs. Depending on your plan, you will receive these discounted rates.
- Basic 2.4% + 20p
- Professional 2.1% + 20p
- Unlimited 1.8% + 20p
Wrapping it all up
Your store is now ready. If you followed each step then now you know how to build a shopify store, customize it, and start selling your products online.
As you have already noticed, building a Shopify store is very simple and only requires a little bit of your time. You don’t need any fancy programming knowledge to setup your store online.
If you still require any help to build a Shopify store then feel free to ask in the comments and we will try our best to help you out. Also, feel free to leave any suggestions in the comments as well. Have a nice day!
Thank you so much Dilawar, for writing up and sharing this informative guide about how to build an online store using Shopify store making platform. It is really helpful for those who need to make a new store for selling online.