Starting a new business is both exciting and overwhelming. You want to change the world with your product, read satisfied customer reviews and make this small business last for generations. But when, like many Shopify users, you’re starting a new business, there are so many things you don’t know about ecommerce that it’s frustrating.
But don’t think that your Should set up own business Online store is too much for someone without design skills. Platforms like Shopify make creating stores easy, and you’re guaranteed to finish this tutorial with a result that looks great and works even better.
Reading: How long does it take to create a shopify website
Follow this guide and you’ll learn step-by-step how to create a Shopify store in under 25 minutes. It will guide you through each step to ensure that once you connect the domain name and launch your store, it will be an instant success.
What is Shopify and how does it work?
Shopify is the leading platform for creating and running an online store. This platform is essentially the WordPress of ecommerce websites. There are now over a million active users selling their goods and services with Shopify.
The platform’s offering is fairly basic, but very attractive to small and medium-sized businesses. For a monthly subscription fee, this platform gives you the tools you need to develop, launch, and operate a successful ecommerce store. It has some competition, but Shopify still leads the market. Here’s why.
Why Shopify?
If you have the budget to launch a large online store, you probably don’t need Shopify. Designing and developing an ecommerce website can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $500,000 depending on your niche, the number of products you want to list, and several other factors.
For a business with such a large budget, this investment will surely pay off in the future. But for small business owners and freelance online entrepreneurs, the upfront cost of developing a decent website is too high.
While Shopify was the first SaaS company to offer this type of service to digital entrepreneurs, it’s not one and only. There are dozens of Shopify alternatives out there, and some offer a fairly similar set of features. Despite this, many entrepreneurs consider Shopify to be the best choice. Here’s why:
- Shopify is the largest ecommerce platform
- Shopify has a large collection of theme options and ecommerce tools
- Shopify sites are more mobile-friendly
- Shopify users can set up AMP pages
- Shopify’s point of sale app is considered better
- Shopify does cross-channel selling easy
This makes Shopify a top choice for ecommerce sites. Wix is arguably better for general purpose websites, but the only advantage it has over Shopify in terms of ecommerce is that Shopify’s tax app only works in the US, Canada, and EU.
Another Shopify rival Etsy may be better for some audiences. If you want to start a dropshipping business or a proper online store, Shopify is the best choice. However, if you just want to sell a few crafts every now and then, you might want to check out our Shopify vs. Etsy comparison.
How long does it typically take to set up a Shopify store?
You can set up a Shopify store in under 25 minutes by following the instructions below. However, this time frame does not take into account all the planning that is done in advance. Aside from the business idea and finding trusted suppliers, you need to take care of the legal stuff, browse the Shopify theme store, and plan your store.
If you consider the planning and the penalty-tuning, that You will inevitably have to do once you have created your Shopify store, the process can take up to a few days.
How much does it cost to set up a Shopify store?
The price for creating a Shopify store depends on your needs. At the very least, you’ll have to pay for a basic Shopify plan, which is $29 per month. The platform has a free trial period but no free plan. Another expense that you cannot avoid is buying a domain. It won’t be a big deal though, the average price of a .com domain is $14 per year.
So the minimum price to set up a Shopify store is $43 upfront and $362 throughout the year year.
If you want to add a better theme to your website, you need to pay for a premium theme. You don’t have to start with a premium theme, but the ones you can get for free have far fewer features and are used by thousands of Shopify stores. Most themes on the marketplace cost $180 for a lifetime license, although you can get some for $100.
Add to that the premium Shopify plan, which is $299 per month, and we have an upfront cost of $493 and an annual cost of $3,782.
You can also spend some money on third-party hosting, but since all Shopify plans include it for free, it’s worth it not to mention it as a necessary expense.For hosting, you can expect to spend between $4 and $80 per month.
If you are looking for free themes, you can also consider Wix’s website builder. Unlike Shopify, which only offers 12 free themes, Wix has 60 completely free templates. Find out all the differences in this Shopify vs. Wix comparison.
Do I need to set up a tax number for a Shopify store?
It depends on how you want to run your business. If you have already registered a business or want to register it, you must provide a tax ID. However, you don’t have to own a company to run a Shopify store.
You can run it as a sole trader. In this case, you only need either your social security number or your social security number to set up a store.
How do I set up a Shopify store in 2 languages?
Even those with the basic plan can You can translate your shop into up to five languages and add a button to toggle the language. You can even translate your store either yourself or automatically via a third-party app.
If you want to add regional websites or change prices for different countries, you’ll need to upgrade to a better plan.
How to set up my Shopify store in 16 steps
Now that you know how much you will pay to create your store and how long it will take, let’s get started, make sure to make your business shine online.
Sign up for Shopify
The first thing you need to do is set up a Shopify account if you don’t already have one. All you need is your email address and a password. Shopify won’t ask you to verify your email address just yet, so you can start creating the store right away.
Name your store
While creating the account set up, the form will prompt you to name your shop. You’ve probably already picked a standout name for your business, so that’s no problem. If you’re starting a Shopify dropshipping store and don’t really care about the name, you can use Shopify’s Business Name Generator.
Until you connect a domain to the store, you get a free Shopify subdomain. If you name your shop A Regular Flower Shop (like we did for the purposes of this statement), your URL will look like this:
a-regular-flower-shop.myshopify.com
After choosing whether you already have a business or are trying to start a new one, you will need to enter some personal information.
You are now in the admin area of your newly created website. It already exists but is missing products and pages.
Add Key Pages
When you enter the store you will be prompted to do a quick setup and add some products.
But it’s better to start with the basics instead. Add the most important pages for your business: Contact Us, About Us and Privacy Policy. The latter is required by Google if you want to run AdSense ads.
Fortunately, Shopify has a free privacy policy generator that is compliant with all policies. All you have to do is provide your address and email address and you will receive a free copy like this:
Go next Go to Sales Channels > Online Shop > Pages in your admin panel and create a new page. Set the name of the page to “Privacy Policy“, copy and paste the free template you just got from Shopify and fill in the blanks.
After that, click “Save” and add it to the navigation bar. You can go to the Navigation tab or just click on the prompt above the page editor. Just make sure you copy your page’s URL. Now go to the footer and click Add Menu Item.
Give it the same name and add the url. Now your footer should look like this:
See also: Selecting the Perfect WordPress Theme – 9 Things to Consider
Now do the same for the contact us page and the about us page, but place them in the top half of the site in the main menu that appears . If you’re stuck with the About Us page, get inspired by some of the best on the web.
Add Products
The boring part is over, so let’s add some products added to your new business.Go to the home page and click Add a product. You will be taken to a page editor with several features not seen before when creating pages.
First, give your product page a name and write a short description. If you want to rank in SERP, you’ll need to do some research and add a few keywords to that text, but for now just describe the product.
Then add a photo or photos. However, don’t just grab a photo from the web like we did for this explainer. It is best to provide your own high-quality photos. This way the customer can see exactly what they will receive and you will have far fewer returns.
The next step is to set up the pricing . If you already know how to rate your products, enter the number. You can also enter the cost you pay per item to make it easier to analyze your profits.
Shopify also makes it easy to keep your inventory in order. All you have to do is enter the quantity you have on hand and Shopify will track it automatically. You don’t necessarily need the SKU, but it’s best if you set up a system to track your items.
You can use any SKU code generating system and there are many free ones out there Network. Leave the Barcode field blank if your goods don’t have one. If so, locate and enter the code.
Next, you’ll need to enter some basic shipping information for non-digital products. Enter the approximate weight, country of origin and Harmonized System code. You can see your Shopify suggested code when you start typing your product. However, it’s always best to look up the HS code for your specific product, just to be sure.
The final step is to create variants of the product. If your product comes in different shapes and sizes – like shoe size or flower color – you can manage it on a single page instead of creating different ones. Add categories to the product and set the price and quantity for each.
Your first product is now complete! Change the status from Draft to Active, click Save and add as many products as you like.
Add Collections
When you’re done Add the products, create some collections. Group similar products on one page so your customers can find what they’re looking for faster. Go to Products > Collections and add a new one.
You have the option to add products manually, but let’s stick with the automated option for now. Select a product tag to use in this collection and add this tag to your products if you haven’t already done so.
Repeat this step to create as many categories as you want.
Create navigation
If you have multiple categories, they already exist on the site, but the user can use them without one Link in the not reach navigation menu. Let’s add your new collections to the main menu.
Go to Online Shop > Navigation > Main Menu and add a new menu item.
Add a category to this menu item and click “Save“. When you view your site, it should look like this:
Now, you shouldn’t add too many items because the usable space on the Navigation Bar is limited. Instead, create drop-down lists in existing menus. Go to the Main Menu tab in your admin panel, create a new item and drag and drop it onto the existing item as shown here:
Choose a design and customize your shop
Once you’ve completed all of the above steps, you’re done with 80% of the work.You’ve already created the main components of the website – all you need is the polished look and main page to complete the website.
Go to Online Store > Themes to browse themes and customize your website.
If you want to change the theme, now is the time. Scroll to the bottom of the page and browse the free or premium designs. You don’t have to do this right away though – the free theme you have can stay there until you finish setting up the sales channels.
Next, click Customize ‘ to bring up the theme editor. Here you can change individual pages or elements of the footer or header. You can also add or delete items on the main page or any other page.
To start editing the element, click the menu on the left side on it the screen. Some page elements are dynamic and are updated with the website. For example, you can go to the Featured Collection item and select a collection to display on the home page. New products will be added automatically when the selected collection is expanded.
If you need to change the fonts or brand colors that appear site-wide, you should do so on best not to do this individually for each element, but in the theme settings.
Scroll down to the theme settings and go to typography, colors or any other setting to change it site-wide.
Customize the checkout page
To complete your new Shopify store, customize the checkout page. Go to Theme Settings > Checkout and open the checkout page in your editor to see the changes appear live. Tweak a few things like background color or images until you like it, then move on to the next step.
In the admin panel, go to Settings > Checkout or click on the prompt you see in the page editor. If you’re new to the platform, you probably don’t need to implement complex scripts. For now, you can complete this phase by enabling tipping or requiring customers to only check out via email for easier marketing to them later.
Set up shipping
Go Go back to Settings and select Shipping. Here you can set up your shipping options, add third-party delivery companies you work with and add the dimensions of your custom packaging if you have that option.
If you offer local pickup or local delivery, you can here Add these options.
Set up taxes
Next on our list is taxation. Go to Settings > Taxes to control how you collect taxes for your state. Check with your local IRS department to determine whether you are required to collect sales tax on the type of product you are selling and enter your tax identification information in settings.
Connect payment gateways
We’re almost done setting up your first Shopify store. This is the last thing you need to do to ensure the shop is working as intended. However, there are some steps that are not necessary but highly recommended.
Go to Settings > Payment to connect methods to receive payments. First you need to click “Complete account setup” and add some details about yourself and your company.
Here you enter your name and address, which is the last four digits of your social security number , your bank details and a few other details.
Once you’re done with that, feel free to connect a third-party payment processor if you’re using a or alternative payment methods such as cryptocurrency work. Test how the system works by placing a test order. Go to the Home tab in your admin, scroll down and place the order.
With this, you can start your shop! However, we strongly encourage you to go through the following four options as well. They ensure that your Shopify store has an edge over the competition.
Add sales channels
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If you already have a Facebook or Instagram store, you can these link to your Shopify store.Go to your admin panel and click on the plus icon next to sales channels. Add the social media you have like Facebook or Pinterest and provide some details to integrate ads.
Register a domain
Already have one Domain name you received from GoDaddy or another registrar? Connect it to your shop by going to Sales channels > Online shop > Domains. If you don’t already have one, you can buy one right from the admin panel by clicking the special “Buy” button in this section.
Shopify is free with an additional fee in addition to what the registrar charges you, which is the standard $14 fee per typical .com domain. When you buy it, it’s automatically connected to your store.
You don’t have to, but without a registered domain, your store will run on a Shopify subdomain. This doesn’t look great and might turn off some picky customers.
Connect Analytics
Shopify has a good analytics system that reports on your sales, taxes, and profits, but as a business owner, If you want to get ahead in online trading, you want as much data as possible.
Go to Sales Channels > Online Store > Settings and enter your Google Analytics code and Facebook pixel for better tracking. You can find both in your Google and Facebook business accounts.
If you want to do custom analysis, you can easily export Shopify reports to Google Sheets for further analysis. To do this, you can use Coupler.io, a solution for exporting data from various apps, including Shopify, to Google Sheets, Excel, or BigQuery on a schedule. Currently, the tool supports 10+ integrations including Shopify, Pipedrive, HubSpot, and others.
Check out Shopify’s integration with BigQuery.
Connect Shopify apps
Your store is already great, but you can always make it better by adding some apps from the Shopify marketplace. Go to Apps in your admin to see what they have in store.
The apps library is extensive. There are apps for referral programs, monthly budget calculation, email list building, social media promotion, upselling/cross-selling and more.
Some good tips include a countdown timer to get off the Afraid of missing out, capitalizing on discounts and a review app that allows customers to talk about their experience with your store. This will surely build trust with the following customers.
Open your store
Congratulations! You have now successfully created your first Shopify store. Start your path to success by opening it to the public and running ads to your potential customers. Currently the shop is password protected and only visible to you or your employees.
Go to Shop > Settings, scroll to the bottom of the page and disable the password. You must first choose a plan and pay Shopify. When you do this, you’re ready to start selling.
How to set up your Shopify store: before you start
The entire process of setting up a store in Shopify takes anywhere from 30 to 50 minutes and 60 minutes depending on how much you already know about the business you are starting. However, the entire planning process can take days, if not weeks.
If you want to not only start selling on Shopify, but also succeed in this industry, you need to plan ahead. Here are the main steps of this process:
Create a business plan
The first phase of planning is to choose the product you want to sell and how you want to sell it it. It can take anywhere from a day to several weeks as this is the key success factor.
Apart from choosing your store’s main product, you also need to think about your audience and the marketing channels you will be using, to promote your business. Another thing to think about is your workflows – how to process and ship the orders.
How to legally set up a Shopify store
If you know how If your business is going to work, it’s time to tackle the legal structure. You might want to register an LLC or a company, but that’s not required to run a Shopify store – you can do it as a sole proprietorship.
In general, you only need an SSN or SIN to do everything set up the legal details of a Shopify store. Read the IRS guidance for the self-employed or contact your local government agency for more information.
Register a Business Name or DBA
If you are running your business as a sole proprietor You may want to register a company name or a DBA (doing business as). Chances are you don’t want to run the store under your own name and give it a name. This is only legal if you are applying for a DBA.
However, if the name of the business is a combination of your name and the service you provide, such as B. James Kirby’s Treats, you don’t have to.
Get a license if you need one
Does your state require companies in your industry to be licensed? If so, you must acquire one before you start selling your product or service. Otherwise, you could face hefty fines.
Application for a Tax ID (Optional)
If your state requires businesses to collect sales tax on the type of product you sell, you may you need to apply for a VAT ID before starting business. You can still create the business, but you can’t accept payments or sell goods.
In most states, you can check if you need additional documentation and submit it electronically.
FAQ for setting up a Shopify store
Is it free to set up a Shopify store?
You can mess around with the look of your Shopify store for free, but you have to to get a subscription Purchase if you want to make the shop public and start selling. The price varies from $29 to $299 per month. You should also buy a domain – the average price is $14 per year.
How do I set up a Shopify store for dropshipping?
Dropshipping is a great business model especially for someone who who doesn’t have a lot of budget to start with. Shopify has many custom solutions for dropshippers, and you can connect with other established Shopify stores to sell their products at a markup. For that, you need to follow our guide to set up a store and check out dropshipping apps on Shopify marketplace.
What is the best product to sell on Shopify?
Experience shows that Shopify stores that deal in home accessories and kitchenware tend to make a profit. Hobby items like mods and parts for custom bikes also sell well.
However, the best product to sell on any platform is one you know well about and discuss with your customers
How do I start a successful Shopify store?
That’s a tough question to answer. The main thing is to choose the right product to sell, have a great marketing plan, and make sure your store looks great.
How to make a Shopify store come alive?
If you First create the store on Shopify, it is password protected and only visible to you. To make it visible to the public, go to Online Store > Settings, scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Disable Password”. However, you need to select a paid plan and buy it first.
Is working with Shopify profitable?
Working with Shopify might not seem as profitable as it actually is, since transactions are charged fees. However, since setting up a store on Shopify is a lot cheaper than developing an ecommerce store from scratch, it ends up being cheaper.
What Shopify apps do I need?
You don’t need apps to start selling, but they can improve your store. Start by adding an app that allows customer reviews on the site or a countdown timer to increase discount sales.
What is the best way to run a Shopify store legally?
You can register a business and apply for an EIN, but you don’t have to if your business is small or medium sized. You can run your Shopify store as a sole trader and use your SSN or SIN for tax purposes. However, you may need to apply for an EIN if you have employees.
Check with local authorities or let the IRS do the work they are paid to do and call their office to to ask what is the best way to go about it.
See also: 15 Effective Tips To Come Up With A Logo That Fits Your Brand
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