Shopify Website Development

Shopify is one of the most popular ecommerce platforms in the world, and it is easy to understand why. It is fast, reliable and comes with everything you need to run a professional online shop right out of the box. But there is a significant difference between a Shopify store that has been thrown together using a default theme and one that has been built properly by a developer who understands both the platform and what makes an online shop convert.

At Solar Web Design, we build bespoke Shopify stores that are designed around your brand, your products and your customers. Whether you are starting fresh with your first online shop or moving across to Shopify from another platform, we will build you something that looks great, performs brilliantly and gives your customers a shopping experience that keeps them coming back.

Is Shopify the Right Platform for Your Business?

Shopify is not the right choice for every business, and we will always give you an honest recommendation rather than just telling you what you want to hear. That said, there are certain types of businesses where Shopify genuinely excels and where we would recommend it with confidence.

Shopify tends to work particularly well for businesses that:

• Have a product focused business with a clear and manageable range of items to sell
• Want a platform that is very straightforward to manage on a day to day basis
• Need reliable, built in payment processing without a lot of technical setup
• Are planning to sell across multiple channels including social media and marketplaces
• Want access to a large library of apps to extend their store’s functionality
• Are growing quickly and need a platform that can scale without performance issues
• Prefer to pay a predictable monthly fee rather than manage their own hosting

If you are unsure whether Shopify or WooCommerce is the better fit for your business, we are happy to talk it through with you. Both platforms have their strengths and the right choice depends entirely on your specific situation.

You can also read more about our WooCommerce website development service if you want to compare the two options.

What We Build Into Every Shopify Store

A Shopify store built by Solar Web Design is not a theme with your logo dropped in. It is a fully considered, bespoke ecommerce experience designed to turn visitors into customers and keep them coming back.

Custom Shopify Theme Design

We design your Shopify store from scratch to match your brand and stand out from the sea of generic themes. Your homepage, collection pages, product pages and checkout flow will all be designed with your specific customers in mind. A store that feels like a real brand rather than a template builds trust, and trust drives sales.

Mobile First Build

More people shop on their phones than on any other device, so every Shopify store we build is optimised for mobile first. The browsing experience, the product pages and the checkout process will all be smooth and intuitive on a small screen, reducing the chance of customers dropping off before they complete their purchase.

Product Setup and Organisation

We handle the setup of your products, collections and variants so that your store is properly organised from day one. Clear, well structured collections make it easy for customers to browse and find what they are looking for, which directly impacts how much they buy and how often they return.

Payment and Shipping Configuration

We configure your payment gateways and shipping settings so that checkout is as smooth and straightforward as possible for your customers. Shopify Payments, PayPal, Stripe and a range of other options can all be set up depending on what works best for your business and your customers.

App Integration

Shopify has a vast library of apps that can extend the functionality of your store in almost any direction. Whether you need email marketing integration, a loyalty programme, advanced product filtering, a review system or anything else, we will identify the right apps for your needs and integrate them cleanly into your store.

SEO Setup

We set up your Shopify store with solid SEO foundations from the start. This includes optimising your page titles, meta descriptions, product descriptions, image alt text and URL structure so that your products and collections have the best possible chance of appearing in relevant Google searches. Shopify is a capable platform for SEO when it is configured correctly, and we make sure it is.

Speed Optimisation

Even on Shopify, a bloated theme or too many poorly chosen apps can slow your store down considerably. We keep things lean and well optimised so that your store loads quickly for every visitor, which matters both for the customer experience and for how Google ranks your pages.

Analytics and Tracking

We connect your Shopify store to Google Analytics and set up conversion tracking so you can see exactly how your store is performing. Understanding where your customers come from, what they look at and where they drop off is essential for making smart decisions about your marketing and your product range.

Shopify vs WooCommerce: Which is Right for You?

This is one of the questions we get asked most often, and the honest answer is that it depends on your business. Both platforms are excellent in the right hands and for the right use case. Here is a straightforward comparison to help you think it through.

Shopify is a hosted platform

With Shopify, everything is managed for you. Your hosting, your security updates, your platform maintenance. You pay a monthly subscription and Shopify takes care of the infrastructure. This makes it very easy to get up and running and means you have one less thing to worry about day to day.

WooCommerce gives you more ownership and control

WooCommerce sits on top of WordPress, which you host yourself. This means you own everything outright, there are no monthly platform fees and you have complete freedom to customise your store in any way you want. The trade-off is that you take on more responsibility for the technical upkeep of your site.

Shopify charges transaction fees

Unless you use Shopify Payments as your payment processor, Shopify charges a transaction fee on every sale. Depending on your plan and your sales volume, this can add up to a meaningful amount over time. WooCommerce does not charge transaction fees.

Shopify is generally easier to manage

For business owners who want a straightforward, reliable platform they can manage themselves without much technical knowledge, Shopify is often the easier option. The interface is clean, the app store is well organised and day to day tasks like adding products and processing orders are very intuitive.

If you would like to talk through which platform makes more sense for your specific situation, just get in touch and we will give you an honest, straightforward recommendation.

How We Build Your Shopify Store

We follow a clear, structured process on every Shopify project to make sure the end result is something you are genuinely delighted with.

1. Discovery and planning

We start by getting to know your business, your products and your customers. We talk through what you need your store to do, how you want it to look and feel, and what success looks like for you. This gives us everything we need to put together an accurate plan and quote.

2. Bespoke design

We design your Shopify store and share it with you for feedback before we build anything. You will see how your homepage, collection pages and product pages will look on both desktop and mobile so you can tell us exactly what you think before any development begins.

3. Shopify development

Once the design is approved, we build your store. We configure your theme, set up your products and collections, integrate your chosen apps, configure payments and shipping and make sure everything is thoroughly tested before launch.

4. Training and handover

Before we hand over the keys, we make sure you know how to use your store. We walk you through adding products, managing orders, running discount codes and any other day to day tasks so you feel confident managing things yourself from day one.

5. Launch

We take care of the launch process and make sure everything goes live smoothly. We monitor your store closely in the days after launch and are on hand to deal with anything that needs attention.

6. Ongoing support

We are here for you after launch. Whether you need help adding new products, adjusting your design, integrating a new app or anything else, just get in touch and we will sort it out for you.

Keep your Shopify store in great shape with our website maintenance packages.

Shopify Website Pricing

Our Shopify website builds start from £499 for straightforward stores with a clear product range. More complex stores with custom functionality, large product catalogues or bespoke app integrations will be priced accordingly. We will always give you a detailed quote before any work begins so you know exactly what you are getting and what it will cost.

Please note that Shopify’s own monthly subscription fee is separate from our development cost. Shopify plans start from around £25 per month, billed directly to you by Shopify. We will talk you through the right plan for your needs as part of the project.

Get in touch for a free, no-obligation quote on your Shopify store. Contact Solar Web Design today and tell us about your project.

Ready to Build Your Shopify Store?

Whether you are launching a brand new online shop or looking to move to a platform that better suits where your business is heading, we would love to help you do it properly. A bespoke Shopify store built by Solar Web Design gives you a professional, high performing online shop that you can be proud of and that your customers will enjoy using.

Shopify websites from £499. Bespoke designs, mobile first builds and ongoing support as standard.Get in touch with Solar Web Design today and let us build you a Shopify store that sells.