Shopify Tutorial: The in-depth guide for beginners (2023)

Shopify is one of thempopular e-commerce platformswhich allows anyone to create and start an online store.With its user-friendly interface and rich feature set, Shopify has become the preferred choice for entrepreneurs, small business owners and established brands alike.

However, it can be overwhelming for newbies without a clear Shopify guide. To pave the way for a successful business, in this Shopify tutorial we will guide you through 9 steps on how to use Shopify:

• Step 1: Create a Shopify account
• Step 2: Explore the Shopify dashboard
• Step 3: Add your first Shopify product
• Step 4: Name your Shopify store
• Step 5: Add a custom domain
• Step 6: Choose a theme for your store
• Step 7: Configure the essential settings
• Step 8: Choose a plan and start the business
• Step 9: Optimize the store with Shopify apps

Without further ado, let's get the ball rolling!

Shopify Basics: Et blik

Before we get to the main part of the Shopify tutorial, let's learn what Shopify is and which onesAdvantages and disadvantages of Shopifyand how it works.

What is Shopify?

ConcerningShopify basicsThe platform is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) company that provides e-commerce solutions for merchants to sell anything online.Founded in 2004, Shopify has grown into a leading platform that hosts over 4 million businesses in 175 countries.

Shopify was built with multiple strengths to be a lucrative e-commerce platform for selling products online.First,Shopify has a user-friendly interfacefor creating and customizing online stores. In additionShopify App Storeis another unique strength of the platform,with 8000+ well-designed and mobile-friendly appswhich is rigorously evaluated by the Shopify team. This allows sellers to improve store options without negatively impacting store performance.

Besides,DieShopify Themes Storeoffers over 120 free and paid themes that you can use to change the look and feel of the online store to your heart's content. These themes are also expertly developed and optimized for mobile and desktop screens.

Besides,Shopify's extensive resources also help merchants succeed.like the Shopify blog, business courses, help and support, and the seller community.

How much does it cost to build a Shopify store?

Shopify offers a variety of pricing plans to suit different business needs and budgets.There are 3 plans in total $39/mo. up to $399/mo. including:

• Shopify Basic-Plan;
• Shopify;
• Advanced Shopify.

New sellers can use Shopify's 3-day free trial to test each plan. Then they can access it$1/month for 3 monthsFinancial support. In addition, traders canSave 25% moreafter 3 months with Shopify's annual plan.

In addition to the monthly subscription feesThere are additional sales fees to consider, such as transaction fees and fees for using third-party apps.

Total,the cost of building a Shopify storemay vary depending on the features and services you choose.Still, Shopify is generally considered an affordable option for businesses of all sizes. If you are not sure, you can take a look at some of themThe Shopify Competitorto better compare prices.

Shopify Tutorial: How to use Shopify effectively?

As mentioned above,Shopify makes it easy for anyone to start an online business.However, it can be a bit overwhelming for a beginner. To avoid unnecessary steps, we show you the fastest way to build a Shopify store.

If you prefer a visual Shopify tutorial, watch this video to quickly walk through the entire process in just 10 minutes:

Step 1: Create a Shopify account

Before creating a Shopify store, you must first have an account. Thanks to the comprehensive onboarding flow, creating an account requires little effort.

All you have to do is clickTry it for freebutton offShopify website. If you decide to get started, you can automatically take advantage of the $1/month for 3 months offer on Shopify after the 3-day free trial.

Next, the system may ask you several multiple-choice questions to learn more about you and your business, such as:

• Are you a beginner or an experienced seller?
• Where do you want to sell?
• What would you like to sell first?
• What would you like to name your store?
• Where will your business be located?

You can skip the section and create an account. There are 4 options for creating a Shopify accountEmail, Apple, Facebook or Google. You can choose the option that suits you best. The system will then take you directly to the Shopify dashboard.

Step 2: Explore the Shopify dashboard

Once you've completed the first step of creating a Shopify store and viewing the dashboard interface, it's time to explore everything behind a sales website. In this step, we'll show you the workspace so you can easily find where to navigate if you need to customize something.

At the top of the dashboard is a search bar, setup guide, notification panel and seller profile.This section is useful for sellers to find a feature, check notifications and customize their profiles.

The remaining parts of the dashboard are the view window and the sidebar.The sidebar has enough features to develop and grow a Shopify store for beginners. When you select an option in the bar, a specific page is displayed in the central window.

Step 3: Add your first Shopify product

In the next step, this Shopify tutorial will show you how to upload your items to the store. There are two standard methods:Upload each item individually and import in bulk from CSV files.

Click to upload a single itemProducts > Add your productsfrom the sidebar.

After that, the system will take you to the product page, where you can enter the product attributes, such as:

• Title;
• Description;
• Media;
• pricing;
• Invent;
• Shipping;
• Variants;
• product organization;
• search engine input.

When adding product information, also consider Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in the title and description to make it easier for customers to search.

• Go tosearch engine inputSection. click onEditto see how this product might appear in a search engine listing.

• From here, Shopify will ask you to fill out the formsidetitle,Meta description, AndURL.
• First, the descriptive title you entered will appear in the search results. After that,You need to add the product description that contains the most important keywords. The final step is to modify and create a URL that matches the information above.

However, when building a Shopify store, uploading individual items takes a long time when you have many items.Mass importing products using CSV files can speed up the process.

Among several methods, LitCommerce offers a flexible, automatic and advanced solution forShopify CSV-import.This app not only simplifies the product import process in Shopify stores, but also gives sellers access to many advanced features for managing bulk items, such as near-instant synchronization and a single dashboard to control multiple sales channels.

Step 4: Name your Shopify store

When creating Shopify stores, the name is perhaps one of the most important elements. The business name will impress customers at first glance, tell them something about your business and partly determine how your business will stand out from the rest.

If you don't already know the best way to name your Shopify store, don't worry. This Shopify tutorial suggests a checklist so you can refer to it and figure out what works best. A good name should:

• Be catchy, simple, memorable and easy to spell or pronounce.
• Insert a keyword;
• create a positive feeling;
• able to scale.

And here's how to name your Shopify store in three easy steps.

• First, hover over the bottom of the left sidebar and clickSettings. A window will appear, then go toStore details>Profile.
• ChooseEditto change the default name that is automatically assigned when you create an account. You can also edit themPhone numbers, business contact email address and sender email addressIn this episode.
• When you're done entering the new name for your Shopify store, clickSavingClick the button to make a change orcashierscancel.

Step 5: Add a custom domain

A custom domain plays an important role in establishing your business name, building trust online and increasing sales opportunities.This is because a relatively easy to find domain name is more attractive to potential customers when they do a web search to find a product.

When you start with Shopify, your store is assigned the domain name myshopify.com. To make changes, you can add a custom domain. There are several ways to do this, including:

• Buy a domain;
• Change the myshopify.com domain.

To edit or add a custom domain, navigate toSettingsfrom the administrator website. Then selectDomainClick in the sidebar to open the Domain Settings tab. Choose hereBuy a new domainto get a brand new one for your store. If you have a budget, you can do itChange myshopify.com to yourstore.myshopify.com, with "your store" as the phrase you'll use to name your Shopify site.

if you want oneinstant domain name matchIf you have a domain that reflects your brand and makes it easier for customers to find you, it's best to buy a new domain. You can do this directly through Shopify or purchase a domain from a third party and connect it to your Shopify store.

There is another way to change the default domain to one that better represents your brand. Shopify allows you to connect the existing domain to the newly created Shopify store. Go to the domain settings page to connect and press the buttonRegister existing domainTaste.

Step 6: Choose a theme for your store

In the next step of creating a Shopify store, e-commerce merchants are expected to start designing the storefront.With Shopify, this task can be done without any programming knowledgeas the platform offers many themes that anyone can use to decorate their store.

AnShopify Theme Storeare templates provided by Shopify or developed by third-party designers. Before buying, sellers should take the time to visit the demo store and gather feedback.

For beginners, it might be a better solution to choose a free theme to save some money. VisitThe best free Shopify themesfor a new sales website!

Install a theme on your Shopify store

To install a theme, go toShopify Theme Store. Shopify makes choosing a theme easy by offering several ways to find the best theme for your business:

• To narrow down the options based on your company's characteristics, clickcollectionsat the top of the page and select a category.
• Otherwise, you can choose to explore all the available themes in the storeAll topics. To refine your results, use the filters in the sidebar menu.

Once you've found a theme that best suits your business, choose itSe demobutikto see what a store with the selected theme looks like. Scroll down to explore the theme's features, reviews, support, and documentation.

Then clickTry the themeButton. The system will then ask you which store you want to contact. Select the store and you're done.

Customize a theme for your online store

You can also make some customizations to the chosen theme to suit your business needs and make it stand out from other online stores in the market.

From thatAdmin-dashboard, go toSales channels > Online store > Themes.Click on itAdjustClick the button next to the theme you want to change to start editing.

Customizing your store isn't too complicated.You can make changes to several pages, e.gHome, products, collections, blog,and more. All edited elements or parts are displayed on the screen, making the process easier for a beginner. Don't forget to clickSavingClick the button when you are done editing.

Step 7: Configure the essential settings

In this Shopify tutorial, we also highlight the essential settings for beginners who want to know how to set up a Shopify storePayments, checkout, shipping and delivery, taxes and fees and locations.

Now go toSettingsPage and let us briefly explain five important configurations that will help you run your online business smoothly.

1. Payments

This is how you let your customers pay for the goods they buy on your website. It is recommended thatMerchants should provide multiple and appropriate payment gatewaysto make the ordering process as convenient as possible for buyers.

For credit card payments, you can choose Shopify Payments or consider a list of more than 100 third-party providers. PayPal or Amazon Pay are also available for payments without a credit card.

2. Box

This is where you (as the store owner) confirm orders with buyers.In this section, you can display relevant information to remind customers of their order or delivery information.

Additionally, Shopify also lets you develop marketing tactics to increase the chances of more sales, such as: B. allowing your customers to sign up for email or text marketing.

3. Shipping and delivery

On this page you can set the delivery preferences for your company.Depending on their location, buyers can then select one of the options and the shipping zone or prices at checkout.

4. Taxes and charges

In many countries, it is mandatory to collect a tax on product sales and give it to the government. Shopify provides a solution to manage taxes and fees in its settings.

The tools simplify the tax calculation process by automatically applying standard tax rates based on the region where you are tax resident.In addition, a tax report is also available to help traders organize and submit the necessary tax information to the government.

5. Places

The locations can be anywhere, for example, branches, warehouses, direct shippers, or apps integrated into your warehouse.The maximum number of locations available depends on the plan you choose. If you are still in the 3-day free trial, you can open up to 4 locations.

Step 8: Choose a plan and start the business

Continue to the next steps in this Shopify tutorial. If your three-day trial has expired, it's time to choose a plan. You can use $1 per month agreement for the next three months on any plan, inclusiveBasic, Shopify and Advanced.

From the home page, navigate toSettings > Plan > select plan.The system shows you a table so you can compare the differences between the three plans.

After choosing a plan, remember to remove all storefront passwords to make the store public. Go toThemes > Disable Password.

Step 9: Optimize the store with Shopify apps

The final steps in building a Shopify store may be choosing apps to expand sales opportunities.Shopify has an extensive app store that offers over 8,000 free and paid apps for all kinds of optimization of your store.

Before installing an app,Be sure to read the reviews and check the app's compatibility with your theme and other apps you may have installed. Also remember that some apps may incur additional fees. Therefore, read the price information carefully.

To add an app to your store, go toShopify App Store, select the app you want to install and clickAdd appTaste.

Shopify Tutorial for Beginners: How to Make First Sales?

Use free traffic sources

For new sellers who have just set up a Shopify store, the first traffic sources to explore are the free ones that you can manually share with your network and relevant online communities.

They are a good place to start as these free traffic sources are relatively easy to access and always available. Here are some tips not to be missed:

• provide discount coupons;
• Add your store URL to your social media profiles;
• Don't be a sales addict; Try to offer value and make authentic connections.

Spend money on advertising

Getting more visitors quickly through paid advertising is one of the possible strategies to increase sales.This is because advertising makes it easier to target specific demographics, increases your reach more than organic posts and converts more paying customers.

Each advertising platform is unique. Thus,Sellers should choose a channel to promote their items based on the customer's personality and targeting methods. Below are some common channels and recommendations for specific approaches:

• facebook ad: A wide range of companies that sell physical products, digital products or services;
• instagram ad: Companies in the fashion, beauty, travel and food industry, but can work for any company that can produce high quality images or videos;
• Pinterest: Stores selling clothing, jewelry or home accessories with a visual or creative aspect;
• Google ads: Sellers looking to drive traffic to their site or generate leads.

Connect with existing audiences

The message can be ineffective if you are the only one talking about your brand. But thanks to the Internet, it is now possible for anyone to create a space where sellers and buyers can connect and communicate with each other without restrictions.

You can start spreading your content to everyone who lives nearby,Like your friends and people in the local Facebook community.However, at this point try to connect with them and start more discussions on different topics in your field. For example, if you sell clothes, don't push people to buy your items right away. Instead, show them some mix-and-match tips first and convert them to buying customers as awareness and your brand exposure increases.

By connecting and sharing, you can generate more traffic and build credibility for your brand.That way you can achieve two goals at the same time.

Sell ​​multichannel

Multichannel selling is a strategy that includes the integration process of your Shopify store and other marketplaces.By selling on multiple channels, you can increase your reach and leverage the strengths ofmany sales platforms, diversify revenue streams and speed up the first sale in your Shopify store.

However, managing multiple sales channels manually is never easy, even for a seasoned trader. Inefficient administration can lead to overselling, duplicate ads or a poor buying experience.

LitCommerce, a renowned multi-channel sales solution, can help you easily overcome these challenges and build a successful business across many sales platforms. This software allows you toManage orders, inventory and pricing from a single dashboardwhile providing a near-instant synchronization feature that simplifies your multi-channel sales process.

In addition, LitCommerce also supportsIntegrate your Shopify store with many popular marketplaces like eBay, Walmart Marketplace and more.

How to start a Shopify store: frequently asked questions

Are you creating a Shopify store - now or never?

That you have Shopify tutorial for beginners. By following the steps outlined in this Shopify guide, you can create your own Shopify store and streamline it to make bread and butter online and grow your business on this platform.

With enough dedication and effort, you can succeed in your e-commerce journey. To help you in this competitive game, we also provide more e-commerce information, insights, exchanges and tips on our websitedealer blogAndseller community. Listen!

Remember to also take advantage of multi-channel sales to further optimize your store.Write us a messageto find out at a glance how to expand your sales page to the best e-commerce marketplaces.