Lillian Purge · Shopify Web Designer

Shopify Web Design Guides

Everything worth knowing about designing a Shopify store, in one place. What a Shopify web designer does, how that differs from a developer, themes and custom builds, plus the ecommerce design guides that apply just as much to Shopify.

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6 Shopify guides
Plus ecommerce design
Written by: Andrew Odgers, Managing Director
Start here

The four to
read first

If you only read a handful, make it these. They cover what a Shopify designer is, how they differ from a developer and the big theme decision every store faces.

What Is a Shopify Web Designer? Designer vs Developer Themes and When to Go Custom Free vs Paid Themes
1. The basics

Start with the
foundations

New to this? Read these first. They explain what a Shopify web designer is, how the role differs from a developer and what actually makes a Shopify store design good.

Pillar

What Is a Shopify Web Designer?

What they do, plus whether your store actually needs one to sell well.

Read the guide →

Shopify Web Designer vs Shopify Web Developer

The difference between the two roles, plus which one your project needs.

Read the guide →

What Makes a Good Shopify Store Design?

The things that separate a Shopify store that sells from one that just looks nice.

Read the guide →
2. Themes and hiring

The theme
decision

The biggest early choice on Shopify is the theme. These cover how themes work, when a custom build is worth it, how free and paid themes compare and what to ask before you hire anyone.

Pillar

How Shopify Themes Work and When to Go Custom

How themes work, plus the point at which a custom build starts to pay off.

Read the guide →

Free Shopify Themes vs Paid Shopify Themes

Where a free theme is fine, where a paid one earns its cost and how to tell.

Read the guide →

Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Shopify Web Designer

The questions that separate a designer worth paying from one to avoid.

Read the guide →
Design and conversion

The rest applies to any store, Shopify included

How to design pages that convert, lay out product and category pages, keep a store fast and get the UX right are the same skills whatever platform you build on. Rather than repeat them here, we keep them in our ecommerce web design guides, which apply just as much to a Shopify store.

All Ecommerce Web Design GuidesThe full hub Designing for ConversionHomepage, checkout, mobile, trust Product Pages That ConvertDesign for the sale Category Pages That Rank and SellGroup products properly Site Speed and SalesWhy a slow store loses UX for EcommerceThe experience that sells
Shopify web design from Lillian Purge

Read up, then
let us build it.

When you know what you want, we will build the Shopify store, made to sell and to rank from day one. Take a one-off build from 900 pounds. Or get the whole store free as part of an SEO package from 350 pounds a month.

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Frequently asked

Guide questions

Where should I start with Shopify web design?
Start with the basics: what a Shopify web designer does, how that differs from a developer and what makes a good Shopify store design. Then move on to themes, where the big choice is a customised premium theme versus a custom build. Every one of those guides is linked here.
Do I need a custom Shopify theme?
Most stores do not. A well chosen premium theme, customised to your brand, covers the majority of businesses at a fraction of the cost. The themes guide in this hub covers how themes work, when a custom build is worth it and how free themes compare with paid ones.
Where are the guides on conversion and product pages?
Those live in our Ecommerce Web Design guides, because they apply to any platform, not just Shopify. This hub links across to them: designing pages that convert, product and category pages, site speed and UX. The design principles are the same whether you build on Shopify or elsewhere.
What is the difference between a Shopify designer and a developer?
In short, a designer shapes how the store looks and how it guides a customer to buy, whereas a developer handles the code and the more technical customisation behind it. There is a full guide on the distinction in this hub, since the two roles are often confused when hiring.