Shopify Website Builder: Guide, Features, Benefits, And More

With the ever-increasing importance of online shopping, it's become essential for businesses to have a reliable and user-friendly eCommerce website. Creating a website can be a daunting task, but with a Shopify website builder, it's easier than ever. Whether you're looking to start an e-commerce store or redesign an existing one, the Shopify store builder offers an intuitive platform for merchants at any stage of their journey.

In this blog post, we'll delve deeper into the features and benefits of using Shopify website builder to build your online store.

Introduction To Shopify Website Builder 

With the Shopify website builder, you don’t need to be a coding expert to create a store that meets your business needs. From customizable templates to integrated payment gateways and marketing tools, Shopify simplifies the process of building and running an online store.

What is Shopify Website Builder?

Shopify website builder is a powerful, user-friendly tool designed to help you create a functional and professional eCommerce store. Whether you're an entrepreneur launching your first store or an experienced business owner looking to expand into the digital space, Shopify provides the comprehensive features you need to establish a successful online presence.

Benefits of Using Shopify Store Builder

If you're considering launching an online store, choosing the right platform is crucial. Shopify stands out as one of the best solutions on the market for several reasons, making it the preferred choice for over 1 million businesses worldwide.

Ease of Use

Shopify is designed with simplicity in mind, allowing users of all technical backgrounds to create and manage their stores. Shopify’s intuitive drag-and-drop interface ensures that you can quickly set up your online store without needing advanced coding skills.

Scalability

Shopify is perfect for businesses of all sizes. Whether you're starting small or planning to scale into a global brand, the Shopify store builder grows with your business. With access to advanced tools like Shopify Plus for enterprise-level stores, merchants can upgrade their plans as their needs evolve.

Comprehensive Tools

One of the biggest advantages of the Shopify store creator is its comprehensive set of built-in features. From SEO optimization tools to integrated payment gateways, Shopify provides everything you need to run your business. 

How to Build a Website with Shopify: Step-by-Step Guide

If you are convinced about using Shopify website creator, then here are the next few steps on how to build a website with Shopify for you to get started.

Step 1: Define the Purpose of Your Online Business

The first step to build a website with Shopify is to define the purpose or aim of the website. 

• What kind of products or services are you planning to sell? 
• What is your target clientele? 
• What is your business niche?
• What are your business goals?
• What value are your customers receiving from your products and services?

By determining answers to these critical questions, you will be able to create a clear roadmap of the features and design elements needed to accomplish your goal.

Incorporating elements from the best Shopify product pages can significantly enhance the overall appeal and effectiveness of your online store.

Check out what your possible competitors are doing and what you would like to offer your customers differently. Once you have a clear plan, then you can create your online store with the help of the Shopify store builder.

Step 2: Sign Up For Shopify  

The next step to build your store is to create a Shopify account. Shopify offers a 14-day free trial, giving you time to explore the platform and see if it fits your needs. After signing up, you can select one of several pricing plans depending on your business size and goals.

Whether you are selling products you have crafted with your hands or using product-sourcing apps, Shopify's eCommerce platform provides endless possibilities to reach your customers both online and in-store.

Step 3: Choose a Website Host and Custom Domain Name

You can easily purchase your custom domain name and take advantage of Shopify's free Business Name Generator and Domain Name Generator tools to find the perfect web address for your store.

By managing your domain and business in one place, Shopify simplifies the process, making it easier than ever to build your brand. In just a few clicks, you can jump from naming your brand to securing the domain name to launching your small business.

With Shopify's free Business Name Generator, you can run a domain name search for business names and check domain availability, ensuring you get the domain name that perfectly fits your business and your personality.

Step 4: Choose a Layout and Theme 

During your free trial with Shopify, you will have access to free stock photos from Shopify's Burst stock photo library to bring your website to life. Plus, you can choose from the many themes the Shopify Themes store has to offer for your website design. 

You don't need to be a coding expert to design your website on Shopify. The themes come with easy-to-use drag-and-drop functionality, which makes designing your website a breeze.

For those looking to create a more dynamic and engaging website, a Shopify landing page app can be an invaluable tool. It allows you to design and optimize landing pages specifically for driving traffic and sales.

Step 5: Add Pages and Product Information in Shopify Website Creator 

With Shopify’s website builder, you can add or update information about your products, including their price, variants, and availability, directly from the Products page in your Shopify dashboard.

Remember to provide accurate and detailed information about your products, as they not only help customers find what they're looking for but it also makes it easier for you to organize your products. 

Shopify's easy editing features make it simple to modify product information for any existing product. But managing products is just the beginning! With Shopify, you can also create webpages for your online, such as your "About Us" or "Contact Us" page. Plus, you can even add a SEO-friendly blog to your eCommerce store to keep customers engaged with regular content updates. 

To ensure your pages load quickly and efficiently, watch the video below. This tutorial will guide you on how to increase your Shopify page speed using PageFly.

Step 6: Configure Tax Settings and Add Payment Details

Simplifying tax management for your online store is easy with Shopify. You can go to Settings > Taxes and duties to set up tax rates for your store.

The default sales tax rates are updated regularly, but it's important to confirm they are correct for your specific circumstances. 

As we discussed before, you can also enable a variety of payment methods for customers to choose from during checkout, so you can get paid in a way that works best for you.

Step 7: SEO Optimize Your Website 

Optimizing your online store for search engines can help you attract more traffic and customers, and with Shopify store builder's built-in SEO features, you can worry less. Shopify takes care of the basics, like auto-generated canonical tags and sitemap.xml files and themes that include social media linking and sharing options to boost your store's visibility.

By doing so, you can make it easier for search engines to recognize your store as a relevant match for queries related to your products. With Shopify's third-party apps, you get all the reinforcement you need to optimize your online store for search engines and drive more traffic to your site. 

Step 8: Preview, Test, and Launch the Store

Ensure your Shopify store is ready for launch by placing a test order to check that checkout, processing, inventory, shipping, and tax settings are working correctly. Remember to place at least one test order during setup or when you update payment settings. Before launch, you need to remove your store password to make the store live to the public. During the free trial, your store is password-protected, but you can remove the password and launch your store by selecting a subscription plan.

Key Features of Shopify Website Development 

Whether you're a budding entrepreneur or an established business owner, starting an online store can seem a bit challenging at first. This is because most website creators come with a certain amount of learning curve, which would make the platform not so user-friendly for beginners. However, that's not the case with Shopify.

So, let's explore some of the most amazing features that Shopify website development services & products has to offer (the best of many) and how they can help you as a future Shopify store owner.

Shopify POS

Image Credits: Shopify

In today's ever-changing retail landscape, businesses must adapt quickly to remain competitive. One of the best ways to do that is by utilizing Shopify POS. This point-of-sale system is a powerful and flexible solution for businesses looking to sell in person. With its comprehensive features and easy-to-use interface, Shopify POS is the perfect tool for streamlining your retail operations.

• You can sell almost anywhere, from brick-and-mortar stores to markets and pop-up shops.

• It syncs with Shopify to track orders and inventory across all sales channels.

• It has a fully customizable interface for a tailored point-of-sale system.

• Integrated hardware that works seamlessly with Shopify card readers and compatible accessories.

• Comes with advanced inventory management features, including generating purchase orders and transferring stock based on performance.

Payment Gateway and Integrations

Image Credits: Shopify

When it comes to running an online store, providing your customers with the right payment method is crucial. It's important to offer your customers a range of payment methods to ensure they have a seamless shopping experience. Shopify website development offers a variety of payment methods, from its own payment gateway to third-party providers, to ensure that you can meet your customers' needs. This includes:

• Shopify Payments: Shopify Payments eliminates the need for a third-party payment provider or merchant account and allows you to accept all major payment methods as soon as you create your store. 

• PayPal: One of Shopify's default payment providers, PayPal allows payment through credit cards, bank accounts, buyer credit, or PayPal account balances. Before collecting payments for orders made with PayPal, you need to set up your PayPal account.

• Other payment providers: In addition to Shopify Payments and PayPal, Shopify offers integrations with over 100 other payment providers worldwide. This ensures you can choose the best payment gateway for your business and your customers.

It is important to choose a payment gateway that is available in the countries your business is located in. 

Abandoned Cart Recovery

Image Credits: Shopify

In online retail, cart abandonment is a common phenomenon where customers add items to their shopping cart but leave the website before completing the purchase. With an average cart abandonment rate of 69.99% (source: baymard.com), taking the necessary steps to save your sales and revenue from dropping is imperative. 

Shopify enables businesses to recover their abandoned checkouts and aid in recovering lost sales, and increase their conversion rates.

With this particular feature from Shopify, you can easily identify customers who have added products to their cart but haven't completed the purchase. And the best part? You can send them a friendly email reminder that includes a link to their abandoned cart, giving them the opportunity to complete their checkout with just a click!

SEO and Marketing Tools

Image Credits: Unsplash

Once your store is up and running, it's time to focus on marketing and SEO to attract visitors and turn them into loyal customers. But where do you start? 

Fortunately, Shopify store builder has got you covered with a range of powerful marketing and SEO features that will help you grow your business and increase sales.

• You can create marketing activities and automation directly from the Marketing section of Shopify and watch as your sales soar.

• You can also set up discount codes for them to use in your online store or physical retail location.

• Shopify's SEO tools simplify optimizing your search engine ranking and help customers find your products.

• Shopify lets you integrate Google Analytics into your store so you can make better decisions about improving the customer experience on your site.

Customer Management Tools

Image Credits: Unsplash

Customer management is essential for any business, and Shopify makes it easy to interact with your customers. Shopify store builder comes with features that help you manage all your customer information, including their name and address, order history, and even group them according to similar characteristics to help you communicate with them more effectively.

• You can track your customers' purchases and interests and send targeted offers based on their purchase history or profile information.

• Organize your customers according to what they buy or how much they spend. This allows you to send targeted promotions to specific customer segments, which can increase sales and improve customer retention.

• You can also send email messages to individual customers or groups of customers using customer segments. 

All these features from Shopify are aimed at improving customer retention, increasing sales, and ultimately leading to a successful business.

Customizing Your Shopify Website Design for Maximum Impact

One of the most exciting aspects of using Shopify website creator is the ability to fully customize your Shopify website design. This customization is key to building a unique brand identity that stands out from competitors.

Tailor Your Homepage

Your homepage is the first thing visitors see when they land on your store. A well-designed homepage sets the tone for the entire shopping experience. Using the Shopify website builder, you can easily modify sections of your homepage to highlight best-selling products, showcase seasonal promotions, or share customer reviews.

When creating a high-converting Shopify store homepage, it's essential to focus on both design and functionality to capture your visitors' attention immediately. Using a tool like PageFly allows you to customize your homepage layout without any coding, ensuring a seamless user experience. PageFly's flexibility helps you optimize your Shopify store for better conversions, making it an ideal solution for merchants looking to improve their homepage design.

Custom Product Pages

Product pages are where customers make buying decisions, so it's essential to get them right. Shopify’s theme customization options allow you to control the layout of your product pages, including how product images are displayed, what information appears first, and how reviews are integrated.

You can even use apps to add extra features like 360-degree product views or customer testimonials, further enhancing the Shopify website design experience.

Source: Shopify 

Navigation and User Experience

A well-structured navigation menu is crucial for user experience. The Shopify store creator makes it easy to organize your store’s layout with clear and concise menus.

This ensures that customers can easily find what they’re looking for, whether it’s a specific product category or your store’s return policy. Shopify’s built-in navigation editor allows you to add drop-down menus, featured links, and search bars to streamline the customer journey.

Choose a Suitable Theme

You can start by adding products to your store or personalize your site’s appearance by selecting Customize Theme. Shopify includes a default theme for your store, equipped with their top-notch checkout process.

If you're looking to change the design, navigate to Online Store in the left sidebar to browse through a selection of free themes. Choose from popular options available in the website builder, or visit the Theme Store to explore professionally designed paid themes. Be sure to read reviews and examine the details carefully to find the ideal theme for your store.

Edit Your Store's Shopping Cart Page 

The cart page is critical for conversions and reducing cart abandonment. Optimizing your cart page includes:

• Displaying product details clearly, such as quantity, size, and price.
• Offering options for shipping costs or delivery estimates upfront.
• Including trust signals (e.g., security badges or customer support info).
• Providing easy-to-edit product options, like adjusting quantities or removing items.
• Consider adding upsell or cross-sell suggestions based on what the customer has added to their cart.

Optimize the Checkout Page 

The checkout process should be as seamless and intuitive as possible. Key optimization strategies include:

• Minimizing the number of steps to complete a purchase.
• Offering guest checkout for users who don’t want to create an account.
• Displaying clear shipping and payment options.
• Adding trust signals such as secure payment badges.
• Offering multiple payment methods to cater to different preferences.

Enhance Your Store with Shopify AI Website Builder Integrations

Post-launch Tips for Shopify Store Creators 

To ensure your Shopify store runs smoothly and drives more traffic and sales after the launch, here are 3 tips you can follow:

Run a Post-launch Promotion 

After you've launched your Shopify store, consider running a post-launch promotion, such as a sale or discount code, to encourage visitors to make their first purchase. You can also leverage social media and email marketing to promote your store and encourage repeat visits.

Optimize for Search Engines

As new Shopify store creators, focusing on search engine optimization (SEO) is essential to help your store rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). This includes optimizing your website content continuously, product descriptions, and metadata for relevant keywords. You can also build backlinks and guest posts on relevant blogs to improve your store's authority.

Leverage Customer Feedback

Gathering customer feedback to improve your store's user experience is important for Shopify store creators. Consider using a customer feedback tool or survey to collect feedback and suggestions for improvement. You can then use this feedback to optimize your website, product offerings, and customer service.

Conclusion

Shopify is a powerful and user-friendly store creator offering many features and benefits for first-time online store owners. From its intuitive interface and customizable themes to its comprehensive payment and shipping options, Shopify provides all the tools you need to build a successful e-commerce business.