In 2020, it became clear for businesses that customers were increasingly shopping online. This showed that investing in a digital presence, i.e., setting up a website, had become too important to postpone.
A modern and stylish website is one of the most effective ways to quickly grow your small business. It helps you acquire new customers, improve user experience, and sell through your online store.
Moreover, creating a website is now easier than ever. Website builders allow you to easily design pages that reflect your brand. Along with these, business tools such as shipping services, online payments, and SEO are also included.
In this article, you can learn all the steps to set up a website using Shopify or a similar site builder.
How to Build a Website in 9 Steps?
- Determine the purpose of your website
- Choose a website builder
- Identify your hosting provider
- Select your domain name
- Choose a suitable design scheme
- Add necessary pages
- Connect an e-commerce payment system
- Integrate business tools
- Preview, test, and publish
1. Determine the Purpose of Your Website
Before creating your website, clarify your goals. What do you want to achieve with the website? This vision helps you determine which features to prioritize.
Common uses include:
- Selling physical or digital products
- Selling services
- Sharing company information
- Building brand identity
- Sharing announcements and updates via a blog
- Showcasing customer reviews
- Converting visitors into potential customers
- Growing your audience
- Ready-made templates and themes
- Customization options
- Visual/video content library
- Design tools
- Marketing and sales optimization
- AI-powered content creation tools
- Process payments
- Collect customer information
- Automate email communication
- Wix
- Squarespace
- WordPress
- Data transfer limits
- Email accounts
- Storage capacity
- Speed and security
- Unlimited bandwidth
- PCI compliance (payment security)
- Fast global servers
- Unlimited email forwarding
- Domain registration
- It should be short and relevant to your brand
- Preferably a
.comextension - Local extensions (.com.tr, .co.uk etc.) can be considered
- It can include keywords
- Compatibility with your industry and content structure
- Customization flexibility
- Mobile responsiveness
- Support for a large product catalog
- Prefer those with multiple variations
- Examine built-in features (e.g., search bar, media section)
- Don't get fixated on colors and fonts (can be changed later)
- Perform mobile responsiveness tests
- Work with a Shopify Expert if necessary
- Homepage: Explains who you are and what you offer
- Product Pages: A separate page for each product
- Contact Page: Form, email, social media links
- FAQ: Frequently asked questions
- About Us: Your brand story
- Policy Pages: Return, shipping, privacy policies
- Blog / Guide Content: For SEO and trust
- Shop Pay
- Google Pay
- PayPal
- Afterpay and other installment payment options.
- Build an email list
- Discover trending products
- Run Facebook ads
- Add live chat support
- Set up a loyalty program
- Analyze Google Analytics data
- Is the content displayed correctly?
- Are the links working?
- Is the mobile view appropriate?
- Are products, pages, and menus functioning correctly?
- Create a Shopify account
- Enter site information
- Choose a theme
- Customize the theme
- Create pages and content
- Add products
- Define payment methods
- Place a test order and launch
Once you have defined your goals, you can create a roadmap to achieve them. Remember: the website development process is a dynamic effort with no endpoint.
2. Choose a Website Builder
The fastest way to build a website is to use a website builder. These tools often allow you to design pages without coding, using drag-and-drop interfaces.
A good site builder includes the following features:
Shopify Website Builder
Shopify can be used for all types of websites, not just online stores. It offers customizable, mobile-friendly themes and 24/7 support. Additionally, you can:
without needing any third-party tools.
Shopify Alternatives
Compare platforms based on ease of use, design options, customization capabilities, pricing, and support according to your goals.
3. Choose Hosting
Every website is hosted on a server. Hosting companies store your site's data and files on these servers. When choosing hosting, pay attention to the following:
Features to Look for When Choosing E-commerce Hosting:
All Shopify plans offer fast and reliable hosting.
4. Choose a Domain Name
Your domain name is your address on the internet. It should be short, memorable, brand-consistent, and search engine friendly.
When choosing a domain:
You can get a domain from services like Shopify, GoDaddy, or Google Domains.
Check Domain Availability:
You can instantly check with Shopify's domain tool. Create creative alternatives to ensure uniqueness (e.g., iloveyourbrand.com).
5. Determine a Design Scheme
Once hosting and domain are ready, the design process begins. Site builders typically offer free and paid themes. When choosing a theme, consider:
The Shopify Theme Store has over 100 themes created by designers worldwide.
When choosing a theme:
6. Add Necessary Pages
While your website's content will vary by industry, the following pages should be present on almost every site:
Content Planning for SEO
To be visible on Google, target page titles, descriptions, and keywords. Keyword planning tools can help with this.
7. Integrate a Payment System
If you're selling products, the payment process must be seamless. Shopify offers Shopify Payments with all its plans. Additionally, you can offer:
You can receive payments directly without the need for third-party applications.
8. Add Business Tools
With over 8,000 apps in the Shopify App Store, you can:
With the right apps, you can enhance customer experience and boost sales.
9. Preview, Test, and Publish
Before launching your website, perform these tests:
Send it to friends or your team for feedback.
How to Build a Free Website with Shopify?
You can start with a 3-day free trial on Shopify, followed by your first month for only $1 USD. To build a website:
Looking for professional Shopify store setup? Check out our Shopify store setup service →