How To Start a Shopify Store: Step-by-Step Beginners Guide [2024]

Shopify web platform has truly become a dominant force in the eCommerce industry, today powering over 4.5 million websites throughout the world and enjoying pretty much one-third of the eCommerce platform market in the US. However, simple things have contributed to this popularity, such as the platform’s user-friendly interface, its scalability, the comprehensive features helpful for businesses of all sizes, and most importantly - its very easy setup process.

Why Choose Shopify for Your Online Store?

You could set up your own Shopify store in the blink of an eye even if you’re a small to medium business and even if you’re a beginner.

So, if you want to know how to start a Shopify store, you’re in the right place! Below, you’ll find a comprehensive guide that will teach you everything there is to know about how to start a Shopify store in 2024. Are you ready to introduce your products, services, or even subscription services to the online world? Let’s start the Shopify beginners guide 2024!

Shopify offers businesses numerous advantages when it comes to establishing and expanding their online presence. As the leading eCommerce platform, Shopify is often the main choice for both individuals and business owners who want to set up their online store.

However, if you’re still uncertain whether to choose Shopify or not, here are the most important factors you should consider:

• User-friendly interface - Shopify comes equipped with an intuitive and user-friendly interface that doesn’t imply the use of any coding skills. There’s a simple drag-and-drop editor available, as well as several customizable templates and themes. Everything happens within visual editors - for quick and easy modifications;
• Robust eCommerce tools - naturally, Shopify has every tool you might need to set up and expand an online store, from product management features to comprehensive inventory tracking, order processing, payment gateway integration, and even various marketing and SEO tools (and over 8,000 apps on the dedicated Shopify app store);
• Scalability - Shopify is suitable for businesses at all stages of growth, and there’s also a Plus plan (reportedly, users with this plan generate over $1 million in revenue yearly) for businesses that have reached enterprise level. On top of that, another reason why Shopify is often the main choice is the fact that it handles high traffic and high sales volumes very well;
• Support and resources - Shopify offers 24/7 customer support, extensive documentation, and tutorials, as well as active community forums where users can work together to help others or find solutions for various issues.

However, ultimately, the main reason you should choose Shopify is the platform’s coverage/market share - there are over 4 million websites powered by Shopify worldwide, Shopify holds 26.2% of the total eCommerce platform market share, and it enjoys over 2 million average daily active users!

As such, let’s get down to business - here’s how to set up a Shopify store step by step, the perfect Shopify store tutorial for beginners!

Step 1: Sign Up for Shopify

Signing up for Shopify is as easy as it can get - visit the official website, click on the “Start free trial” button, provide an email, create a password, enter your store name (either a temporary one via a subdomain or a custom domain), answer a couple of business-related questions, select the location of your business, and ultimately insert any required personal information to finalize the registration process.

If you sign up this way, you’ll receive a 3-day free trial, during which you can explore the platform and start setting up your store. On top of that, extending the free trial to a month of paid Shopify implies a cost of only $1 during the first month. After that initial $1 a month, you’ll have to select one of the available Shopify plans.

Step 2: Choose the Right Shopify Plan

There are 4 Shopify plans available for users - Basic, Shopify, Advanced, and Plus. Plus is reserved for more complex businesses and is available on 1- and 3-year terms only.

• The Basic plan is $39 a month and offers a full online store, unlimited products, basic reporting tools, abandoned cart recovery functionality, as well as up to 5 separate staff accounts. The Basic plan is perfect for small businesses that have just started their online adventure.
• The Shopify plan is $105 a month and offers, besides everything included in the Basic plan, professional reports every month, a total of 15 separate staff accounts, as well as lower fees on transactions. The Shopify plan is perfect for online businesses that are growing/developing and need more comprehensive tools to ensure operational efficiency.
• The Advanced plan is $399 and offers, besides the functionalities mentioned above, advanced reporting tools, competitive third-party shipping rates, up to 15 separate staff accounts, and most importantly, the lowest transaction fees available. The Advanced plan is perfect for businesses that are established in their field/niche and have complex business operations.

Obviously, each plan has much more to offer - there’s a discount code engine available on all plans, for example. You should take your time and thoroughly analyze each option to find the one that suits your business best.

Step 3: Customize Your Shopify Store Design

Naturally, you’ll have to customize your Shopify store design before launching it in order to fit your brand image and personality - in other words, to create a unique and professional online presence. Let’s see how you do that exactly:

• From your Shopify admin dashboard, click Online Store and then Themes;
• Click on Visit Theme Store to access all themes available or click Explore free themes for no-cost solutions;
• Rely on filters to narrow down the theme selection - by catalog size, industry, specific features or characteristics, etc;
• Click on a theme to view its demon and potentially explore different styles of the same theme;
• Click the Try Theme button to add a free trial version of your store (if applicable).

Then, to customize your theme:

• Access the theme editor by clicking on Online Store, then Themes, then Customize;
• Use the dropdown menu at the top of the page to select different page templates for editing;
• Modify sections on the selected pages by adding, removing, or rearranging;
• Use Theme settings to make global changes such as colors, typography, and layout edits;
• Upload your brand logo in the appropriate section;
• Last but not least, make sure that the design and customization options that you chose look good on mobile devices as well.

What about free and paid themes? What should you choose? Well, while Shopify does have a free themes catalog, there aren’t too many, and even the available ones are rather basic.

On the other hand, paid themes come with an initial cost of a minimum of $180. These themes have significantly more features, highly customizable designs, state-of-the-art performance optimization, as well as customer support (for some themes).

Step 4: Add Products to Your Shopify Store

Here we are on the 4th step of our Shopify setup guide - adding products!

To add products to your Shopify store, head to the admin panel, click on Products, and then click on the Add product button. You’ll then have to insert all the required details and information before finally listing a product:

• Titles and descriptions - titles should be under 70 characters; they should mention key product features or benefits besides the name. The description should be detailed, as well as formatted - including key features, benefits, specifications, etc.
• Product images - to add images, use the Add media button. You can upload multiple images, but remember to optimize their names (name and alt text).
• Pricing and inventory details - set the price using the appropriate section, then enable, if needed, inventory tracking and set the product quantity. Add a SKU for each product and, if needed, a barcode (UPC, ISBN).
• Product categories and tags - use product types to better categorize items, remember to mention the brand name or manufacturer of the item, assign the product to collections if needed, and generally add relevant keywords and phrases within the category and tag management part of the process.
• Additional options - Shopify allows you to add product variants, set product weight and customs information (for shipping costs calculation), and also customize how exactly you want your product to appear in search results.

Step 5: Configure Your Shopify Store Settings

The job is not done yet! You still have to configure your Shopify store settings to ensure the smooth operation of your online shop. During this step, you’ll have to deal with:

• Payment gateways - the process varies based on which gateway you want to use. For Shopify Payments, go to Settings , then Payments, then Complete account setup in the Shopify Payments section. Then, add store details, banking information, two-step authentication, and finally click Save . For Paypal, the process is somewhat similar - in the Payments tab, simply click Activate Paypal in the Paypal section.
• Shipping options - go to Settings and then Shipping and delivery. There, you’ll create or edit a shipping profile, including the shipping zones. You have to name each zone and select any countries or regions you want to include. Ultimately, add the shipping rate for each zone. If you want to use Shopify Shipping , fill out product details, choose shipping services in the appropriate tab, and finally print labels directly from your admin dashboard.
• Tax settings - go to Settings and then Taxes and duties. There, configure tax regions where you plan to sell products. You’ll have to set specific tax rates for each region or state (for US merchants).
• Setting up a custom domain - first, configure DNS settings according to the indications provided by Shopify in this respect (A Record and CNAME Record mainly). Then, click Online store in your dashboard, and then Domains. Click Connect existing domain and input your domain name. The connection will then be verified in up to 48 hours, after which you’ll have the possibility to set the now-connected domain as your store’s Primary Domain.

Step 6: Test Your Shopify Store Before Launching

Naturally, you have to test your Shopify store before launching it. By properly testing a store, you can identify bugs and glitches (and fix them), guarantee a seamless user experience, prevent technical issues, and ultimately build trust with your customers.

Let’s see what you should be testing:

• The checkout process - test actions such as adding items to the cart, updating the cart, applying discounts, doing a guest checkout, creating an account, using a payment gateway, and confirming an order;
• The mobile responsiveness - test your store on various devices, test the store in both landscape and portrait orientation, ensure that all images load properly, and also test all forms on the website to make sure that they can be easily used on mobile devices;
• The page load times - rely on Google PageSpeed Insights , check image sizes, test the store on different connections (cable, wireless, mobile data), and monitor server response time (via Shopify’s analytics).

You can also use the Test Order feature provided by Shopify. This feature helps you fully simulate the checkout process.

Step 7: Launch Your Shopify Store

We’ve reached the last step in our Shopify beginners guide 2024! Are you ready to launch your Shopify store? You might be, but… don’t press that button yet! First, here’s a detailed checklist that will help you make sure everything is ready for launch:

• Products and Inventory Checklist
• All products are uploaded and have accurate details.
• Product titles and descriptions are SEO optimized.
• Each product has high-quality images.
• All items have the correct pricing.
• Inventory quantities are updated and accurate.
• Products are properly categorized and tagged.
• Collections are created and populated.

Store Design and Content Checklist

• The theme is fully customized and matches the brand identity.
• The logo is uploaded and displayed correctly.
• All required pages (About us, Contact, etc.) are created.
• The navigation menu is organized and functional.
• The footer contains all relevant links and information.
• Mobile responsiveness is checked for.

Payment and Shipping Checklist

• Payment gateways are active and tested.
• Shipping rates and zones are set up.
• Tax settings are configured for all relevant regions.
• Order processing workflow is established.

Legal and Policy Pages Checklist

• A Privacy Policy is in place.
• Terms of Service exist.
• Return and Refund Policies are accessible.
• Shipping Policy is detailed and easy to find.

Marketing and SEO Checklist

• Social media accounts are created and linked.
• Google Analytics is set up and tracking.
• Google Search Console is connected.
• Meta titles and descriptions are optimized for all store pages.
• The email marketing tool is integrated.
• Google Ads account is set up (if applicable).
• Facebook Pixel installed (if applicable).

Customer Service Checklist

• Contact information is displayed.
• Customer support channels are established.
• The FAQ section is comprehensive.

Technical Checklist

• The custom domain is set up and the SSL certificate is active.
• There is a 404 page in place.
• The website favicon is uploaded.
• Internal and external links are working.
• The website is optimized for speed.
• The checkout process has been tested on all devices.

Finally, it is recommended to test the entire customer journey one more time - from discovery to purchase - to make sure everything works as expected.

Bonus Tips for Success After Launch

Obviously, the difficult work starts after launch - or at least the second part of it. To ensure the success of your Shopify store after launch, consider the following:

• Leveraging Shopify’s built-in marketing tools, such as the discount code feature and email campaigns;
• Optimizing product pages for SEO, which is made quite easy via Shopify as the platform does have numerous built-in SEO features;
• Using analytics to track performance and monitor key metrics (total sales, net sales, conversion rates, etc.), engaging in real-time monitoring to better assess visitor behavior, and ultimately optimizing your Shopify store based on the gathered data.

Final Thoughts: Starting Your Shopify Store in 2024

Honestly, setting up and launching a Shopify store is as easy as setting up a profile on your favorite social media platform - just create an account, fill in some details here and there, add products and product images (obviously), create pages, categories, and sections, fill in vital data regarding taxes, shipping, and payment, and you’re pretty much set!

Everything gets much easier once you’re introduced to Shopify’s user-friendly interface. It is really intuitive, and there are plenty of video guides online that teach you everything about the launch process - updated for 2024, in detail!

The best part? Well, the best part is that it really doesn’t matter what you want to sell or whether you’re an established business or not. Do you have a knack for, let’s say, working with clay or crafting unique bracelets on a regular basis? Then, you can set up and start a Shopify store following the guide above and start selling your creations today! And, luckily, you can rely on our detailed Shopify setup guide!

Don’t wait - start your eCommerce journey right now!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

• How much does it cost to start a Shopify store?

Shopify plans start at $39/month. Additional costs may include themes, apps, and domain registration.

• Can I use Shopify for free?

Shopify offers a 3-day free trial, followed (at the time of writing this article) by a $1-month barebones plan, after which a paid plan is required.

• Do I need technical skills to set up a Shopify store?

No, Shopify is designed for beginners and requires no coding skills. It has an intuitive, user-friendly interface that anyone can learn to use in no time.

• How long does it take to launch a Shopify store?

It can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days, depending on the store's complexity. Individuals and simple businesses can potentially set up and launch their stores in just one day!

• What are the best apps to add to a Shopify store?

Apps like Oberlo, Klaviyo, and Shopify Email are great for dropshipping, email marketing, and more. Make sure to check the Shopify App Store and make use of any apps that can improve the profitability of your eCommerce business!