You’ve found a great template or theme, you’re happy to go it alone without the help of a Shopify web designer, but you just want to make sure you aren’t missing a trick. Well, read on, friend. We’ll cover some of the lesser-known tips to designing a Shopify store.

  1. Keep it simple

    2. It might be tempting to overload your home page to showcase all your goods, but save it for the product pages. Minimal designs help your audience find their way around your website. As web design guru Steven Krug’s book says: “don’t make me think.” You want your users to navigate around your website as easily as possible.

    Don’t get too creative with the layout. By now, websites have an established layout that helps users navigate intuitively. For example, if you’re looking for a shopping cart, you’ll immediately head to the top right of the webpage. If you want to head to the homepage: top left. Want to check out the sitemap? Scroll to the footer, of course. Messing with this existing web language isn’t worth it.

  2. Speed her up

    3. We’ve mentioned the importance of a speed website several times in past blogs, but it bears repeating. If a visitor comes knocking on your website, your page needs to load up in under 3 seconds, or they’re moving on to your competitor.

    Make sure your website is up to par. Any Shopify web designer worth their salt will know to do these three things to speed up your website:

    • Quit using carousels.

      They’re laggy and don’t add much in terms of design. Though they can be useful in some instances, they often carry more baggage than their worth.

    • Streamline your apps.

      Your theme may come with apps, widgets, and plugins that you just don’t need. Throw them overboard and leave only the essentials.

    • Use smaller image files.

      Sure, we want glossy product images, but there’s no need for huge image files on your website. Most Shopify web designers recommend 2048 x 2048px for square product photos. This allows for hi-res images with zoom capabilities. Also bear in mind when you’re exporting an image that JPEG’s are lighter than PNGs.

    Check the speed of your website both before and after you’ve made these changes using Google’s PageSpeed insights tools and see what progress you’ve made. Still, need to cut back some more? Get in touch with a Shopify web developer to see what extra changes you can make.

  3. Make it your own

    4. Themes and templates are an efficient way to start a new eCommerce business. Assuming you have the content ready you can have an attractive website up and running within a matter of hours.

    But there is a downside. Because Shopify is such a popular and easy-to-use platform, many people are using the same templates, and, well, they all look the same. We recommend using the time and resources you saved on web development to invest in making your business language (what most people refer to as your “branding”) unique.

    What separates you from your main competitors? What unique spin have you brought to the market? Make sure you convey it clearly, not only through your words but also through your web design and image choices. Most importantly, make sure it’s consistent so that your customers aren’t confused by your messaging or what you stand for.

So there you have it. 3 Shopify web design tips to get you started. If you want to find out more about setting up and running an online store, check out more of our articles specifically related to Shopify.