Starting a Shopify Store

Shopify Tips and Tricks

Understanding Your Shopify’s Site Structure

Unless you use Shopify to power a headless site, there is a set structure that your slugs and directories will need to follow. Shopify calls these fixed Shopify paths.

For example:

mysite.com/products,
mysite.com/collections
mysite.com/collections/all.

These fixed Shopify path pages are always there, whether you link to them in your navigation or not, and you can not delete them.

Get familiar with the Liquid template language

I’ve had so much fun adding logic to my store using Liquid. Liquid is an open-source template language created by Shopify and written in Ruby. It is the backbone of Shopify themes and is used to load dynamic content on storefronts.

For me, it’s exciting to use the coding logic I learned during my 2021 Actualize Bootcamp, where we focused on Ruby, Rails, Javascript, and Vue.

If you’re planning to do any development in your Shopify store, get familiar with Liquid by reviewing this GitHub Liquid reference: https://shopify.github.io/liquid/

Starting a Shopify Store: A Comprehensive Guide

Introduction

Starting an online store can be a rewarding venture, and Shopify is one of the most popular platforms to help you achieve this. With its user-friendly interface and robust features, Shopify makes it easy for anyone to set up and manage an online store. In this guide, we'll walk you through the essential steps to start your Shopify store, along with some SEO tips to help you attract more customers.

To get started, visit the Shopify website and sign up for an account. You'll need to provide some basic information, such as your email address, store name, and password. Shopify offers a free trial, so you can explore the platform before committing to a paid plan.

Step 2: Choose a Theme

Shopify offers a wide range of themes to choose from, both free and paid. Select a theme that aligns with your brand and provides a good user experience. You can customize the theme to match your brand's colors and style.

Step 3: Add Products

Once your theme is set up, it's time to add products to your store. Go to the "Products" section in your Shopify dashboard and click "Add product." Fill in the product details, including title, description, price, and images. Make sure to write compelling product descriptions that highlight the benefits and features of your products.

Step 4: Set Up Payment and Shipping

Shopify supports various payment gateways, including Shopify Payments, PayPal, and Stripe. Choose the payment methods that best suit your business needs. Additionally, configure your shipping settings by defining shipping zones, rates, and methods.

Step 5: Optimize for SEO

To improve your store's visibility in search engines, follow these SEO tips:

Keyword Research: Identify relevant keywords for your products and incorporate them into your product titles, descriptions, and meta tags.
Optimize Images: Use descriptive file names and alt text for your images to help search engines understand their content.
Create Quality Content: Consider adding a blog to your store to provide valuable content related to your products and industry.
Improve Site Speed: Ensure your store loads quickly by optimizing images and using a fast, reliable hosting service.

Step 6: Launch Your Store

Before launching, review your store to ensure everything is set up correctly. Test the checkout process, review your product listings, and make sure all links are working. Once you're satisfied, remove the password protection and make your store live.

Step 7: Promote Your Store

After launching, promote your store through various channels:

Social Media: Share your products on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.
Email Marketing: Build an email list and send newsletters to keep customers informed about new products and promotions.
Paid Advertising: Consider using Google Ads or Facebook Ads to reach a wider audience.

Conclusion

Starting a Shopify store is a straightforward process, but success requires careful planning and execution. By following these steps and focusing on SEO, you can create a store that attracts customers and drives sales. Remember to continually analyze your store's performance and make improvements as needed.