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Outsource Website Design: The Ultimate Shopify Merchant Guide
You know your products are awesome, but does your online store reflect that? From 2020 until now, outsourcing website design has become one of the smartest strategies to build a professional storefront without draining your time. If you are a busy Shopify merchant, outsourcing isn’t a luxury - it’s a strategic move to drive growth and scalability.
As a leading Shopify Page Builder, GemPages is uniquely positioned to empower merchants. This guide will break down everything you need to know to successfully outsource website design and quickly set up a high-converting store.
What is Outsource Website Design
Outsource website design means hiring an external individual or company to handle the creation, development, and maintenance of your online store’s look and feel. Instead of using your in-house team (or doing it all yourself), you delegate the entire project or specific tasks to experts outside your business.
For a Shopify store, this typically involves:
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Design an attractive, on-brand storefront.
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Building high-converting landing pages, product pages, and blog templates.
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Ensuring the site is mobile-responsive and lightning-fast.
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Integrating essential e-commerce features and apps.
More from GemPages: Shopify Tutorial: Everything For Success [2025]
Why Should You Outsource Website Design
Why should a growing Shopify brand consider hiring someone else to design their store? The numbers speak for themselves.
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Save your time: Building a custom website from scratch can take 40 to 100 hours. Outsourcing cuts it down dramatically.
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Access to Top Talent & Expertise: Outsourcing gives you immediate access to designers who specialize in Conversion Rate Optimization. They know the latest psychological triggers, layout best practices, and Shopify-specific tips for driving sales.
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Focus on Core Business: Outsourcing website design allows you to concentrate on what truly matters - product development, marketing, and customer service.
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Guaranteed Quality and Performance: Experts ensure your website complies with the latest standards, including Core Web Vitals (page speed) and a mobile-first design (important factors for both SEO and conversions). Studies show that a 1-second delay in page load time can result in a 7% loss in conversions.
Outsource website design to build high-converting Shopify stores faster.
What Kinds of Website Design Services
When you want to outsource website design, it is important to understand the types of services that the market is providing. Each type will suit different business goals, budgets and project sizes. Here are the most popular types of website design services today:
Full-service website design
This is the most comprehensive service type. The service provider will be in charge of every step from brand research, UX/UI, code development, SEO optimization to maintenance.
This kind of service is suitable for medium and large businesses or brands that need to build a website from scratch.
Landing page/sales page design
This service focuses on creating sales pages, landing pages or lead capture pages that are optimized for conversion.
This kind of service is suitable for shop owners, advertisers, or short-term marketing campaigns.
Website design service using Page Builder
Use tools like GemPages on Shopify to create a website without coding.
This kind of service is suitable for Shopify shop owners, individuals or startups who want to manage their own website.
UI/UX design service (interface & user experience)
Specializes in intuitive interface design and optimizing user experience (User Experience).
This kind of service is suitable for businesses that want to increase conversion rates or improve customer experience.
Custom Design & Development
Includes unique features, such as custom ordering, memberships, AI features, or API integration.
This kind of service is best for e-commerce or SaaS projects that require specific features.
How to Outsource Website Design for Your Shopify Store
If you run a Shopify store and want to upgrade to a more professional look and high-converting funnel, outsourcing your website design is a time and cost-saving solution. However, there are many different options, from agencies to Shopify experts to freelancers, and each has its own pros and cons.
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Agency - Outsourcing company |
Website Designer + Developer (Freelancer) |
Page Builder Expert |
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Who are they |
The company specializes in providing full website design & development services |
Shopify Certified Expert or Partner with experience in building & optimizing stores |
Cá nhân làm việc tự do, có kỹ năng thiết kế hoặc lập trình web |
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Best for |
Businesses want to build a professional brand and need a comprehensive support team |
Small and medium shop owners who want to improve the interface or specific features on their website |
Start-up, Shopify store owners who have limited budget and want to create high-performing sale pages |
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The cost |
From $5,000 to over $50,000 |
Between $50 to $150 per hour |
Between $500 and $5,000 |
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Advantage |
Professional, clear process, quality assurance & delivery time |
Deep understanding of website UI/UX |
Flexible, low cost, easy to communicate directly, deep understanding of Shopify store |
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Disadvantage |
High price, time consuming to negotiate & implement |
Depends on individual skills, risks on progress & quality |
Limited on large scale projects |
Agency - Outsourcing company
An Agency provides a full-service team including project managers, UI/UX designers, copywriters, and developers, a cohesive, end-to-end solution.
An Outsourcing company is suitable for large-scale projects, rebrands, and stores with complex, customized requirements.
This is the most premium option - from $5,000 to over $50,000 for a custom e-commerce store.
Website Designer + Developer (Freelancer)
A website designer and developer work directly with the store’s source code and theme files. Hiring both of them means you have to manage two separate freelancers, adding to your project management costs.
Therefore, this option is best for custom-themed Shopify stores needing unique features that require coding (eg., custom JavaScript).
About the cost, freelancers have deep technical skills but charge a high hourly rate, typically between $50 to $150 per hour.
Page Builder Expert
Page Builder Experts specialize in platforms like GemPages to visually drag-and-drop and customize pages. They focus on CRO elements (like countdown timers, stock counters, product bundle, sticky add to cart, and sales funnel) and layout structure.
This approach is future-proof, scalable and best for rapid development, high-conversion landing pages, and ongoing page optimization without touching the store’s core code.
This is the most flexible and cost-effective option for most growing Shopify brands - significantly lower than a full agency, which typically costs between $500 and $5,000 for a full store build, depending on the number of pages. Many of these Page Builder Experts are available on freelance platforms (see below) at competitive rates.
GemPages Insight: Since GemPages offers a large library of pre-built, conversion-optimized templates and elements - at an affordable pricing, you can design your own website and deliver superior results at a fraction of the cost.
More from GemPages: How to Create a Shopify Homepage Design that Captivates and Converts.
Outsource Shopify page design with GemPages experts is an option worth considering.
Where to Find Outsource Website Design Services
Finding the right person or team to handle your website design project can feel like a search for a needle in a haystack. To make the process smoother, we've broken down your best options into three main categories based on the type of professional you need.
Finding Dedicated Outsourcing Agencies
If your project is large, complex, or requires ongoing support and a full team, an agency is your best choice. They offer a structured process, accountability, and depth of expertise.
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Shopify Partner Program: A great place to find agencies and developers officially endorsed by Shopify who specialize in building and customizing stores. These partners already know the platform inside and out.
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Clutch or DesignRush: These sites provide verified client reviews, case studies, and detailed service descriptions, helping you compare full-service digital agencies that specialize in helping businesses outsource website design.
Finding Individual Freelancer Designers
Freelancers are perfect when you need a personalized touch, have a specific budget, or are looking for a long-term one-on-one working relationship.
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Upwork: Ideal for finding highly skilled freelancers who are looking for long-term engagements or complex projects. You can post a detailed job, interview candidates, and review their verified work history.
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Fiverr: Best for smaller, defined tasks or when you have a limited budget. It operates more like a catalog, where you buy a service package directly from the designer.
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Toptal: If you can’t compromise on quality and need a designer with a proven track record, Toptal rigorously screens its freelancers, ensuring you work with the top few percent of global talent.
Finding Page Builder Experts
If you are using a specific low-code platform (like Shopify with GemPages), the most knowledgeable experts often hang out in community spaces. Joining a group like Gempages Community will connect you directly with experts who live and breathe that specific tool. They often advertise their services and portfolio right within the community.
You can easily find GemPages Expert anywhere.
Final Thoughts
Ready to launch a high-converting store but short on time? The smartest step you can take is to outsource website design to professionals or leverage a Page Builder like GemPages. Whether you choose to hire a top-tier Expert or leverage our powerful features to DIY, GemPages is the foundation for your e-commerce success. Start your free GemPages trial today!
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