How to Start a Shopify Store Step-by-Step (No Experience Required)

Shopify is one of the most popular eCommerce platforms in the world, powering more than 28% online businesses in the U.S. With Shopify, you can easily connect to multiple channels like Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Instagram, etc., customize store design with drag-and-drop themes, and access thousands of apps to automate your marketing, shipping, and inventory. 

So if you’re ready to enter this profitable space but have never built an eCommerce website before, don’t worry, this guide is written for beginners. We’ll walk you through how to start a Shopify store step by step, with practical tips and insights from successful sellers to help you avoid common mistakes and get started the right way.

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Step 1: Plan Your Shopify Business

Nearly 70% of businesses that make it past the five-year mark attribute their long-term success to having a strong business plan in place. Planning your business gives you a clear roadmap for how your store will operate, grow, and stand out in the market. A thoughtful plan will not only guide your launch but also help you scale with purpose.

Choose a niche and products

Instead of trying to sell everything to everyone, it’s smarter to pick a niche where you can stand out and add real value. For beginners, here’re some popular Shopify niches, with strong revenue potential, you can choose to start with:

1. Pet toys

2. Cleaning products

3. Water bottles

4. Skincare products

5. Smartphone accessories

6. Vitamins and supplements

For more inspiration, check out our full list: 15+ Best Products to Sell on Shopify

Once you’ve got a few ideas, you need to do product validation to confirm that real people actually want what you plan to sell.

Ask yourself:

• Problem–solution fit: Does your product solve a real problem or fulfill a clear desire?

• Willingness to pay: Would customers actually spend money on it?

• Scalable demand: Is the market big enough to grow over time?

Use Google Trends to gauge search interest and see whether your idea is trending upward or declining. Jumping into a fading market is the last thing you want.

You can also explore online marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and social platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook to discover what’s already selling.

Research target audience

The better you understand your customers, the easier it is to design products and marketing that truly connect with them.

Start by defining your buyer persona: their age, lifestyle, goals, and challenges. For example, are your potential buyers new parents looking for baby gear? Remote workers building home offices? Outdoor enthusiasts upgrading their gear? 

If you’re part of the same community, you can gather real feedback from people who share your interests.

Some common ways to learn more about your audience:

• Run small surveys to collect insights.

• Host focus groups for direct feedback.

• Observe and analyze competitors’ customers: read reviews, comments, and FAQs.

Decide on business model

Next, decide how you’ll source and fulfill your products. Each business model offers different advantages depending on your skills, budget, and goals. 

If you prefer a low-risk start, dropshipping lets you sell products directly from suppliers who handle inventory and shipping. It’s beginner-friendly but offers lower profit margins and less control over quality. Meanwhile, print-on-demand works well for creatives who want to sell custom designs on items like shirts, mugs, or posters without managing stock, though fulfillment can take longer.

For those who enjoy hands-on control, selling your own products gives you full ownership of quality, pricing, and brand identity. It does, however, require upfront investment and storage space. Alternatively, you can try the reselling model, where you buy ready-made goods from wholesalers or suppliers and sell them under your brand. It’s fast to start and offers flexibility in what you sell, though competition can be high.

Step 2: Create a Shopify Account

Shopify offers a free 3-day trial, followed by $1/month for the first 3 months.

To get started, visit Shopify.com and click Start For Free.

Enter your email or use your Gmail, Facebook, or Apple account to create an account. 

Shopify provides you different methods to create a new account

Next, Shopify will ask you a few questions about your business. You can either skip them or choose the answers that best fit your preferences and business needs.

Shopify will ask you some questions related to your business

Step 3: Add Products to Your Store

Now it’s time to fill your store with the products you plan to sell. Adding products on Shopify is simple, and you can make them look professional with just a few details and visuals.

Add a new product

• From your Shopify admin dashboard, click “Products” on the left menu.

• Select “Add product” to open the product editor.

Click on Add product to start adding your first product to Shopify

Then, fill in the essential product information:

• Title: Keep it clear and descriptive.

• Description: Highlight features, benefits, and use cases.

• Media: Upload high-quality photos, videos, or even 3D models.

Each product listing will need a title, description, at least one product image, and a price

When learning how to start a Shopify store step by step, Shopify makes the product setup process even easier with built-in AI tools that help you create listings faster and look more professional.

For example, once you enter your product name, Shopify then automatically suggests a suitable category. You can also use its AI-powered description generator to craft polished, keyword-friendly copy in seconds. And if your photos need a touch-up, the AI image editing tool lets you create clean, consistent backgrounds or even match existing themes with just a click.

Once your visuals and details are set, move down to the Pricing section to enter your selling price. In the Inventory tab, enable “Track quantity” to monitor stock levels. If it’s a physical product, don’t forget to add the weight and shipping details, ensuring accurate shipping rates later on.

You need to provide product price, inventory, and some shipping information

If your product comes in different sizes, colors, or materials, scroll to the Variants section and click “Add variants.” You can set a unique price, SKU, and inventory count for each variation. This helps customers easily find the exact version they want.

For larger stores, Shopify also supports bulk uploads. Simply click Import, upload a CSV file, and Shopify will create multiple product listings automatically.

If you already have a CSV product file, simply import it to Shopify

Learn more: Product Page Optimization for Shopify: The Ultimate Guide

Organize products into collections

You may offer a range of products such as t-shirts, bags, accessories, and more. Grouping them into clear categories or collections helps keep your store organized.

To create a collection, go to your Shopify dashboard and click “Products” → “Collections” → “Create Collection.” 

Creating collections helps you manage your products more efficiently while also making it easier for customers to find what they’re looking for.

From there, you can name your collection, add a description, and upload a cover image that represents the group.

You can either manually select which products to include or set automated conditions (for example, all products tagged “summer” or “accessories”). Automated collections are especially useful if you plan to add many products over time, as new items that match your rules will be added automatically.

Customize your Shopify store pages your way

The powerful page builder lets you craft unique, high-converting store pages. No coding required.

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Step 4: Customize Your Shopify Store Design

When visitors land on your site, they immediately form an opinion about your brand within seconds. This first moment, often called the “decompression zone,” is where shoppers adjust to their new surroundings and decide whether to stay or leave. That’s why your store’s design plays such an important role in shaping trust and guiding the shopping experience.

To customize your Shopify store, from your Shopify dashboard, go to Online Store → Themes and click “Edit theme” on your active theme. 

The Horizon theme is set as the default, click Customize to begin tailoring it to your store.

Shopify themes are pre-built website templates that define your store’s layout, colors, fonts, and overall feel. When you first create a store, Shopify installs the Horizon theme by default.

However, you can explore the Shopify Theme Store to find a design that better fits your brand’s style. There are free and paid themes, ranging from $0 to $350 (one-time fee), each offering unique layouts, features, and customization options.

A tip here is to think about your brand personality when choosing a theme. Minimal and neutral designs work best for modern or luxury brands, while bold, colorful layouts can be great for creative or lifestyle stores. Make your theme reflect the experience you want customers to feel the moment they walk through your digital doors.

Not sure which theme is best for your store? Check out our complete guide on How to Choose the Right Shopify Theme for Your Store.

If you want more design flexibility but don’t have any coding experience, using a page builder is the easiest way to level up your Shopify store.

Customize your Shopify theme with GemPages

Looking for how to start a Shopify store step by step, Shopify’s theme editor is a great place to begin, offering basic customization through predefined sections and blocks. But if you want your store to truly stand out, GemPages lets you go further with advanced customization, without touching code. It gives you full creative control to design unique pages that match your brand and outperform competitors.

GemPages also comes with a large library of professionally designed templates, elements, and blocks, making it easy to build stylish, high-converting pages in less time.

GemPages is a Shopify landing page builder app that lets you design high-converting pages without coding.

Key features of GemPages include:

• AI-powered Image-to-Layout: Upload a screenshot or mockup, and GemPages instantly turns it into a matching layout.

• 200+ customizable templates: Use campaign-ready or evergreen templates and tailor them to your needs.

• Built-in A/B testing: Test headlines, layouts, or CTAs to see what converts best.

• Seamless integrations: Works smoothly with Klaviyo, Meta Pixel, Google Analytics, Judge.me, Loox, and Yotpo.

• Mobile-first design control: Customize desktop and mobile layouts separately for the best user experience.

• Advanced customization options: Add custom HTML, CSS, or JavaScript when needed.

• One-click global styling: Apply your brand fonts, colors, and styles across your entire site instantly.

Step 5: Add a Custom Domain

Your domain name is the web address where customers find your store. By default, Shopify gives you a free myshopify.com domain (like yourstore.myshopify.com) when you sign up. While it’s perfectly fine to start with, a custom domain makes your business look more professional, trustworthy, and brand-focused.

To set up your domain, go to your Shopify dashboard and open the Setup Guide. Click “Sell products → Add a custom domain → Add domain.” 

You can also find this option under Settings → Domains in the bottom-left corner of your admin panel.

You can choose between buying a domain from Shopify or using a custom domain

Here’s what you’ll see:

• Your default myshopify.com domain listed automatically.

• Options to either connect an existing domain or buy a new one.

If you already own a domain (for example, from GoDaddy or Namecheap), select “Connect existing domain.” Shopify will guide you through a few simple steps to verify and link it.

If you don’t have a domain yet, click “Buy domain” directly within Shopify. You can search for available names, choose your extension (like .com, .store, or .shop), and purchase it in just a few clicks. Shopify automatically configures the domain for your store, saving you from any technical setup.

Alternatively, you can buy a domain from a third-party registrar and connect it later using the “Connect existing domain” option.

Step 6: Set Up Shopify Essentials

With your products and design in place, next in exploring how to start a Shopify store step by step is to look for the essential backend settings that make your store fully functional and keep your customers confident when purchasing.

Payments

Shopify supports over 100 payment providers, giving you flexibility in how customers pay. The simplest and most convenient option is Shopify Payments, which allows you to accept major credit cards, debit cards, and digital wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay directly through your store. 

In the Payments section of your Shopify settings, you’ll find Shopify Payments listed first, if it’s available in your country.

You can offer multiple payment options for your customers’ convenience.

To activate it, you’ll just need to provide a few business and banking details.

Finishing set up to start using Shopify Payments

If you prefer other methods, you can also connect:

• PayPal: Automatically set up when you create your store. You only need to link your PayPal account to start receiving payments.

• Third-party providers: Ideal if Shopify Payments isn’t available in your region. Popular choices include Stripe, Authorize.net, and other localized gateways.

Checkout

This is where browsing turns into buying as it’s the final step that converts visitors into paying customers. A well-designed, smooth checkout process not only boosts sales but also builds trust and keeps shoppers coming back.

Setting up a smooth checkout process is crucial to prevent customers from dropping off when they’re already about to complete a purchase.

In the Checkout section, you can:

• Choose guest checkout or require account sign-in.

• Offer Shop Pay, Shopify’s express checkout option.

• Add custom order notes or thank-you messages to personalize the experience.

• Enable abandoned cart recovery emails to remind shoppers who didn’t finish checking out.

Shipping and delivery 

In the Shipping and delivery, you can define how products reach your customers and what costs are involved.

You need to be sure you’re offering the best rates and shipping options for your customers.

Start by defining your shipping zones and rates. Shopify automatically creates domestic and international shipping zones, but you can customize them based on where you want to sell. For each zone, you can set flat rates, calculated rates (based on carrier pricing), or offer free shipping as part of a promotion.

If you run a local business, you can also set up local delivery or in-store pickup. This is especially useful for sellers with physical stores, home-based operations, or regional customers. You can define your delivery radius, minimum order value, and custom delivery fees if needed.

If you’re using POD or dropshipping apps, most third-party suppliers handle shipping automatically. These apps calculate rates and handle fulfillment on your behalf. Still, it’s a good idea to review their shipping times and fees so you can clearly communicate expectations to customers on your store’s shipping policy page.

Learn more: How Does Shopify Shipping Work? Eligibility and Set-Up Guide

Taxes and duties

Taxes can be one of the trickier parts of running an online store, but Shopify automatically calculates basic tax rates based on your store’s location, so you don’t need to configure everything from scratch. 

Shopify can calculate and collect sales tax automatically based on your store location.

Go to Taxes and duties page to review or adjust your setup:

• Edit regional tax settings manually if your country or state has specific rules.

• Include taxes in your prices, this is especially useful for stores selling to regions like the EU or UK, where tax-inclusive pricing is common.

• Add duties and import fees for international shipping if you sell globally. This helps avoid unexpected costs for your customers at checkout.

Shopify also offers automatic tax calculations for supported regions, keeping your rates updated as regulations change.

Policies

Your store policies show shoppers that your store operates professionally and transparently, which can make all the difference in building credibility.

Shopify provides built-in templates for the key pages every store needs:

• Refund policy

• Privacy policy

• Terms of service

• Shipping policy

You can fully customize these templates to match your brand tone and business model. For instance, specify return time frames, add contact information, or include special notes about personalized or non-returnable items.

Once saved, Shopify automatically links these pages to your checkout, footer menu, and confirmation emails, ensuring customers can easily find them.

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Step 7: Add More Pages

As part of how to start a Shopify store step by step, in addition to your product catalog, you’ll need to include essential pages that help customers learn about your brand, get answers to their questions, and feel confident making a purchase.

Some must-have pages include:

• About Us (Our Story): An About Us page is a dedicated section of your website that explains who you are and what your brand stands for. It’s where you share your story, mission or vision, introduce your team, and highlight your journey and key achievements.

• Contact Us page: While other pages may take priority, the contact page deserves equal attention. If contact details aren’t easy to find, 44% of visitors will leave your site. This page should clearly display your email address, phone number, mailing address, and location.

• FAQ page: Answer common questions about shipping, returns, and sizing to reduce customer support requests. Since most businesses can’t provide 24/7 support, a clearly visible FAQ page helps set expectations, builds trust, and improves conversion rates.

• Thank You page: A thank you page confirms that an action has been successfully completed, acknowledges the user, and shares any next steps or helpful information. Though simple, it plays an important role by reinforcing trust, encouraging future engagement, and strengthening your relationship with customers.

• Blog page (optional): A blog is one of the simplest ways to increase visibility, rank on Google, and build lasting trust with your audience. By sharing product updates, helpful tips, or behind-the-scenes stories, you can engage readers while strengthening your SEO over time.

To learn more about best practices to create these pages, check out our dedicated articles: 

• How to Create an Impressive Shopify About Us Page

• How to Create A Contact Us Page on Shopify

• How to Create An Shopify FAQ Page

• How to Create Post-Purchase Pages

To create a new page, go to Online Store → Pages → Add Page.

You should consider to add popular pages as we’ve discussed 

You’ll be taken to a page editor where you can:

• Add a title and content (text, images, or embedded videos).

• Adjust your search engine listing preview: update the page title, meta description, and URL to improve SEO.

• Choose a page template if you want a specific layout.

Make sure to treat your other pages as just as important as your product pages.

Pro tip: Use GemPages to create stunning pages for your Shopify store

GemPages gives you complete freedom to design your Shopify store exactly the way you envision it. As one of the easiest yet most powerful page builder apps in the Shopify App Store, it lets you create high-converting pages with a visual drag-and-drop editor, no coding required. 

Whether you’re building product pages, landing pages, or full storefront layouts, GemPages helps you design faster, look more professional, and optimize every page for better conversions.

Step 8: Integrate Shopify Apps

The Shopify App Store offers 8,000+ apps designed to extend your store’s functionality, from marketing and sales to customer support, shipping, product sourcing, and analytics. Choosing the right apps can help you automate repetitive tasks, improve the shopping experience, and drive more revenue as your business grows.

For example, you can install apps to:

• Create high-converting pages: GemPages

• Capture and nurture leads with email or SMS marketing: Omnisend, Klaviyo

• Optimize your store for SEO and higher search visibility: TinySEO

• Add reviews, upsells, and loyalty programs to increase conversions: Judge.me

• Simplify order fulfillment, dropshipping, or print-on-demand: Auto DS, Printify

How to get started:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Apps and sales channels.

2. Click Shopify App Store to browse available apps.

3. Review app ratings, pricing, and features before installing to ensure it fits your needs.

GemPages is a great Shopify landing page builder tool that help you create stunning store

Start small by adding only essential apps, then expand your toolkit as your store scales. This keeps your store fast, organized, and focused on growing your business.

Step 9: Optimize for SEO

Good SEO helps your store appear in Google search results when potential customers look for products like yours. In fact, SEO can deliver up to 700% ROI when treated as a long-term growth strategy. So, by improving your store’s SEO, you’ll not only attract more visitors but also bring in the right kind of traffic.

Shopify includes built-in SEO features that make optimization simple, even for beginners. Here’s where to start:

• Edit title tags and meta descriptions: Go to each product, collection, or page and scroll to the Search Engine Listing Preview. Write a clear, keyword-rich title (under 60 characters) and a meta description (under 160 characters) that describe your product and encourage clicks.

• Use SEO-friendly URLs: Short, readable URLs always perform better than long, messy links. Shopify lets you edit these URLs directly from the same section.

• Add alt text to images: Every image should have alt text describing what’s shown to help Google understand your visuals and improve accessibility.

• Create internal links: Link related products and blog posts together. It helps search engines understand your site structure and keeps visitors exploring longer.

Step 10: Test and Launch Your Shopify Store

Now, you’re almost ready to officially launch your Shopify store, just a few more steps to go.

Test your checkout process

Before you officially launch your store, you need to make sure everything works exactly as expected, especially your checkout process. Even a small error here can cost you sales and hurt your store’s credibility.

If you’re using Shopify Payments, enable Test Mode so you can simulate a real transaction without charging your card. Then, go through the entire checkout flow like a real customer, add products to your cart, enter shipping details, and complete the payment.

Next, review how your order flow functions. Check that you receive order notifications as the seller, that the purchase appears correctly in your Orders dashboard, and that customers automatically receive an order confirmation email. While you’re at it, test different locations to confirm that shipping rates, taxes, and duties calculate correctly for each region.

Choose a Shopify plan

In the process of how to start a Shopify store step by step, upgrading from the free trial to a paid plan allows you to officially launch. Here’s a quick overview to help you compare your options based on goals and budget.

Learn more about Shopify plan to choose a best suite for your business: Shopify Plan Review: Full Pricing Breakdown & Real Costs Explained

If you’re still testing your store or market, or working with a tight budget, we strongly recommend starting with the Starter plan or the Basic plan to keep costs low while you validate your idea.

Announce your launch

Start building anticipation a few days before your official launch. Social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and Facebook Reels are great choices if you don’t yet have a follower base, as their algorithms can help your content gain traction quickly and reach a large audience in a short time.

If your budget allows, consider partnering with micro-influencers. Keep in mind that this is just the launch phase, so the goal isn’t profit yet, but visibility and traction. To boost excitement and drive your first sales, offer a limited-time discount or free shipping during the first few days. These early incentives create urgency and motivate people to take action.

How to Promote Your Shopify Store

Learning how to start a Shopify store step by step is only the beginning. Shopify is a powerful platform for building an eCommerce business, but it’s not a shortcut to instant success.

To turn your store into a profitable venture, you still need a clear marketing strategy to support your goals. Without one, it’s easy to end up like many store owners who launch a site but never generate consistent sales, let alone real profits.

Free traffic

If you’re just starting out, focus first on free (organic) marketing to grow awareness without spending a dime. With billions of active users worldwide, social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Pinterest are some of the best places to start promoting your Shopify store.

You can use these platforms to share your brand story, show off your products, and connect directly with potential customers. Try posting behind-the-scenes clips, product demos, or customer testimonials, anything that builds authenticity and trust.

Organic social media takes time and creativity, but the rewards are long-term. It helps you build a genuine audience that values your brand and converts at higher rates.

Paid Ads

Once you’ve established your presence and understand your audience, consider adding paid advertising to accelerate growth. Paid ads help you reach new customers faster and drive traffic to specific products or campaigns.

There are two main types of paid promotion to focus on:

1. Google Ads

Google Search and Shopping Ads let your store appear at the top of search results when people look for products like yours.Don’t forget to add negative keywords as these prevent your ads from showing up for irrelevant searches, saving you money and improving your click-through rate.

2. Social media Ads:

Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok offer various ad formats to fit your strategy. You can:

• Run Instagram Stories or Reels ads for quick engagement.

• Promote your products in the Feed or Explore tab for broader visibility.

• Feature your listings in the Instagram Shop tab, where shoppers already have high purchase intent.

Paid social media campaigns are powerful because they combine strong visual storytelling with precise audience targeting. You can define who sees your ads based on demographics, interests, or even previous interactions with your website.

Common Mistakes to Avoid when Starting a Shopify Store

Even though Shopify makes it easy to start an online business, many beginners stumble on the same pitfalls that slow down growth or hurt conversions. Here are some of the most common mistakes, and how to steer clear of them.

1. Ignoring mobile optimization

Nearly 70% of Shopify traffic comes from mobile devices. If your store isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re leaving money on the table. Test your site on multiple screen sizes to ensure images load quickly, buttons are easy to tap, and checkout flows smoothly. Shopify’s responsive themes make this easier, but it’s worth double-checking before launch.

2. Launching without testing the checkout

It’s surprising how many stores go live without testing their checkout. A broken payment button or incorrect shipping rate can ruin first impressions. Always place a test order before launch to confirm everything works.

3. Not setting clear policies

Customers want to know they can trust your store. Missing or vague refund, shipping, and privacy policies can lead to abandoned carts. Use Shopify’s built-in policy templates, customize them for your business, and make sure they’re easily accessible in your footer and during checkout.

Final Thoughts

With the right strategy, tools, and mindset, you’ll know exactly how to start a Shopify store step by step and launch a professional store ready to sell to a global audience.

Shopify gives you everything you need to get started, but you bring the creativity, passion, and persistence that turn a store into a brand. So take the leap and start building something that’s truly yours.

Ready to elevate your Shopify storefront?

Take your storefront to the next level with GemPages page builder. Free plan available. Upgrade as you scale.

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How to Start a Shopify Store Step-by-Step: FAQs

How much does it cost to start a Shopify store?

Shopify offers several pricing plans to fit different needs. The Starter plan starts at around $5/month, ideal for selling via social media or links. The most popular option for new sellers is the Basic plan, which costs $39/month (or $29/month when paid annually). You can also start with a 3-day free trial to explore features before committing. Additional costs may include a custom domain (around $10–$15 per year) and optional apps or themes to enhance your store.

Can I sell anything on Shopify?

No. While you can sell most physical products, digital downloads, services, or subscriptions, Shopify restricts certain categories such as adult content, illegal goods, and regulated items like alcohol or tobacco. Always review the Shopify Acceptable Use Policy before listing products to ensure compliance.

How long does it take to make your first sale?

It depends. Some sellers make sales within days, while others take weeks or months to gain traction. Consistent optimization, strong product descriptions, regular promotion, and data-driven improvements are key factors that influence how quickly you reach your first sale.

Topics: 

Shopify Guide