If you’re looking for a way to sell products online, Shopify is one of the best options available. And setting up your account is surprisingly simple—here are nine steps to help you get started.
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Create your Shopify account
The first step is also the easiest—you’ll set up your Shopify account and take advantage of the free three-day trial. Once the three days are up, you’ll only pay $1 per month for three months. After that, you can choose from one of Shopify’s flexible pricing plans.
Visit Shopify’s website and click the Start free trial button. From there, you’ll enter your email address, password, and a unique store name. You’ll also need to provide some information about your business and share your personal information.
Once you’ve finished entering all the necessary information, Shopify will redirect you to the admin panel. Now, you’re ready to choose a theme and customize your store.
Choose a theme and customize your store
It’s time to start thinking about how you want your online store to look. Fortunately, Shopify offers hundreds of free and premium themes in its Themes store. Every Shopify theme comes with core features you can easily customize, and no coding is required.
If you’re looking for ways to save money, Shopify does have 13 free themes you can pick from. With a free theme, you can adjust the fonts, colors, and carousel slides, and change your logo.
But premium themes do come with additional customizations, more design options, and better customer support. For example, the Canopy theme costs $360, but it comes with advanced features like a slide-out cart, a countdown timer, and lookbooks.
If you want help setting up your store, you can check out Shopify Experts. These individuals are handpicked by Shopify and can help you build and design your store, create custom pages, and add additional functionality to your store.
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Add products to your store
Once you’re ready to add product listings to your store, you’ll go to the Products tab and click Add Product to get started. It’s a good idea to browse through other popular Shopify stores to see how they display their products.
Here are the most important aspects of your product listings:
- Product title: Your product title should make it clear what you’re selling. Keep it short and use keywords that customers would use when they’re browsing.
- Product descriptions: Your product descriptions should outline the features and benefits of using your product. They should explain who the product is for and what customers need to know before buying it.
- Photos: Your product photos are likely one of the first things customers will look at. Make sure to use high-resolution photos that put your products in the best light possible. Once you upload your images, you can edit and resize your photos.
- Prices: Next, you’ll set your prices. Many variables go into pricing products, and you can always come back and update your pricing at a later date if you don’t get it right the first time.
It’s a good idea to browse through other popular Shopify stores to see how they display their products.
Write product descriptions that convert
It’s easy to breeze through the product descriptions, but they’re actually one of the most important aspects of your store. Your product descriptions can make or break a potential sale, so they need to explain the problem that the product is solving for the customer.
Here are some tips for writing strong product descriptions:
- Speak directly to your ideal customer and use language they resonate with.
- Be specific and give examples of how your product will benefit the customer.
- Clearly outline the features and benefits of your product.
- Include information about how your products are made and where.
- Make your descriptions scannable and easy to read.
- Use descriptive language that engages your customer’s imagination.
Set up a payment processor
Before you launch your store, you’ll need to set up a payment processor so you can accept customer payments. You can either use Shopify’s built-in payment processor or choose a third-party provider like Stripe.
When you’re choosing a payment processor, there are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind. First, you’ll want to consider any fees that the company charges. Most payment gateways will charge a fee for every transaction, so you’ll want to look for one that comes with low fees.
You’ll also want a payment processor that accepts a wide variety of payment options, like all major credit and debit cards, digital wallets, and PayPal transactions. Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) options are becoming increasingly popular, so you might want to consider accepting this payment method.
Choose your domain name
Next, you’ll want to purchase a domain name from Shopify. If you don’t, your domain name will include “myshopify.com,” which can make your business seem less professional. To do this, you’ll go to the main dashboard and click the Add Domain button.
You can either connect your site to an existing domain, buy a new domain, or transfer a domain you already own. Once you’ve set up a domain, you’re ready to launch your store and let people know that you’re officially open for business.
Optimize your store
There are currently 5.54 million active Shopify stores worldwide, so you may worry your store will be overlooked. The best way to drive more traffic to your site is by optimizing it for Google search. And fortunately, you can do this without investing in expensive keyword tools, though those can certainly help.
Use descriptions for every page on your site, and make sure your store is easy to navigate. Choose a theme that loads quickly, and don’t use any unnecessary apps since they can slow down your site.
You can optimize your images by naming files based on keywords—for instance, using “black-suede-shoes.jpg” instead of “IMG1234.jpg.” And make sure to describe the images using keywords in the alt text.
Setting up a blog and frequently asked questions page is a great way to answer customer questions and utilize certain keywords on your site. You can use Google Keyword Planner to identify relevant keywords for your store.
Set up analytics to track performance
Your work is far from over after you launch your store—you need to continue monitoring your store’s performance and making improvements. You can do this by utilizing Shopify’s built-in analytics or by connecting your store to Google Analytics.
Shopify’s analytics are pretty good, but you’ll get the most comprehensive data when you connect to Google Analytics. To do this, you’ll click Sales Channels, followed by Online Store, and then Preferences. From there, you can enter your Google Analytics code, which you can find in your Google Business account.
Once you’ve set up analytics, you’ll be able to track where your customers come from and what pages they spend the most time on. You’ll also get more detailed information about customer demographics, which can help you improve your marketing campaigns. You’ll also be able to track your recent sales trends.
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Add customer reviews to build trust and boost sales
Adding customer reviews to your store is the best way to build trust and boost sales, and it can improve your store’s SEO. You can do this by using Shopify’s free Product Reviews app, or you can use a third-party review app if you’re looking for advanced features.
After customers make a purchase, you can send automated emails asking them to leave a review. Once you begin receiving positive customer reviews, you can display them on your homepage or product pages to build credibility.
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