How to Find & Hire Shopify Developers

Check Your Shopify Developer’s Portfolio

The most critical factor you should be guided by when looking for and hiring an expert Shopify developer is their portfolio. It is the first thing you start from, in addition to the experience, skills, and knowledge of your candidates.

Why is a portfolio so important? It’s simple: in this way, you can see with your own eyes what solutions the developer can implement and whether these solutions meet the needs of your commercial business.

You’ll also want to know if Shopify experts have worked on projects in your or related niche. By looking at their previous cases, you can imagine whether they can do something similar for your online store.

Another portfolio-related factor you should consider is the freshness of your potential vendors’ projects. It is vital before hiring Shopify developers because the success and competitiveness of your online store directly depend on the novelty of the solutions implemented by them.

Furthermore, pay attention to the brands your Shopify development candidates cooperate with. Are the products or services of online stores developed by your potential service provider in demand? What is the position of these e-commerce businesses in the market, etc.?

For example, GenovaWebArt has a comprehensive portfolio and works with companies in various niches. Our clients include sportswear brands such as Ten Thousand, beauty retailer Winky Lux, stationery brand Paper Republic, and even fitness food delivery company Workout Meals. Looking at our previous work, you can understand how experienced our specialists are.

In addition, the brands for which we have developed or designed Shopify stores are commercially successful (A/B testing also played an important role in this). For example, childcare products merchant Kit & Kin received positive feedback from Vogue. Ten Thousand has more than 200 ambassadors — famous athletes from around the world who test the brand’s sportswear.

So remember that the portfolio is the primary factor that will help you find a worthy Shopify developer.

What Affects the Cost of Hiring a Shopify Expert

There is another thing that will help you understand how to hire a Shopify expert. Specifically, these are factors on which the salary of such a specialist depends. Here’s what you should pay attention to:

Project Complexity

The complexity of your online website directly affects the hourly rate of hiring a Shopify developer. The more features you need to implement and the more sophisticated the design of your commerce platform, the more expensive the expert services will be, and vice versa.

Project Duration

Another factor that affects the salary rates of Shopify developers is the duration of your project. With long-term cooperation, you can hire experts at reasonable prices, but the price tag for services will be higher in urgent situations.

Expert’s Location

Of course, the cost of the Shopify developer’s services will depend on the employee’s location. Developers typically charge the prices that are standard in their country or city.

Hiring Model

Shopify developer salaries will also vary significantly based on the hiring model. While freelance experts typically charge less for their services, in-house specialists will cost you more. Another option is hiring remote workers, which gives you more flexibility in choosing developers following your financial capabilities.

How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Shopify Expert?

Let’s now talk about the main matter: how much it cost to hire a Shopify expert.

As we have already mentioned, the salary of a Shopify specialist depends on his location. Another factor is the level of expertise. For example, the average cost to hire Shopify developers in the US is $8,328 per month. At the same time, the lowest rate is $6,250 per month for junior specialists and $11,667 for more advanced experts.

If we talk about freelancers, they usually work on an hourly basis. According to Upwork, the freelance Shopify developer hourly rate is as follows:

• $15 per hour for beginner specialists
• $33 per hour for intermediate specialists
• $95 per hour for expert specialists

However, it is worth knowing the Shopify developers’ rates in countries other than the United States to understand their services cost better.

US vs. Non-US Shopify Developer Rates

Let’s now compare the average rate of hiring a Shopify developer in different countries. Check it out in the table below:

As you can see, Switzerland, the USA, and Canada have the highest rates for hiring a Shopify developer. At the same time, it is worth paying attention to experts from Eastern Europe, in countries such as Ukraine or Poland, where you can find quality services at a reasonable price.

Where You Can Find Shopify Experts

If you require hiring a Shopify expert, there are many places where you can find one. The choice of a platform for searching depends on your hiring approach. 

For example, you can look for freelancers on freelance platforms or attract in-house workers through a job aggregator website.

Here are some popular platforms where you can find your perfect candidate:

Shopify Experts

Where else to find Shopify experts if not on the official Shopify marketplace? Here you can locate certified specialists in development, design, marketing, and even more: everything you need to make your online store work properly.

Upwork

If you opt for a freelance hiring model, Upwork may help you find the right talent. Choose candidates with the skillset, experience, and expertise you require: from beginners to advanced specialists. Plus, get access to increased workflow flexibility.

Toptal

Another freelance platform where you can find remote Shopify experts is Toptal. Focusing on software engineers, designers, and project managers, Toptal offers 3% of the top freelance specialists for hire.

Clutch

You can find a Shopify development service provider on Clutch. This platform provides insights into the ratings of companies around the world. Be sure that you will find your ideal vendor among them.

You may always get in touch with dev companies directly in addition to browsing platforms for Shopify specialists. GenovaWebArt has an expert team ready to bring any of your e-commerce store ideas to life: from Shopify app development to 3D models implementation.

Things to Consider to Find and Hire a Shopify Developer

Well, you already know the average salary rates and platforms for finding specialists. But how to hire a Shopify developer, and what to pay attention to exactly? Here are some tips to help you engage the right expert.

Experience

In addition to reviewing portfolios, you should ensure that the candidate has relevant experience. It’s the guarantee of your further successful cooperation.

Think carefully about what services you need. It can be a Shopify website development from scratch or the implementation of the subscriptions to your existing online store. You may also need a Shopify website designer and other specialists to make your business run smoothly.

So be sure to learn more about the experience of your potential service provider before starting a collaboration. You can interview a Shopify expert, study feedback from previous customers, etc.

Skills

Another thing to ponder is your Shopify expert skills. First of all, make sure that the specialist has sufficient technical knowledge. For example, if you want to build an online store with many complex features, you should consider hiring expert Shopify developers.

Typically, the technical skills of a Shopify developer include:

• Understanding of all Shopify platform’s features
• Knowledge of web server operation
• Ability to develop custom Shopify themes
• Knowledge of such technologies as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, and SERV
• The ability to develop a Shopify website from scratch and update an existing one
• Ability to integrate an online store with payment systems
• Ability to develop widgets
• Ability to install security patches
• Bug fixing skills

Your candidate’s soft skills are equally important. You most likely need an employee who completes tasks on time, demonstrates initiative, and has great leadership abilities.

Communication

Communication is the key to successful cooperation. It is especially true for e-commerce businesses. If your Shopify developers have poor communication skills, they can harm your online store by being unreachable or not clearly explaining their actions. That is why you need to understand how communication will take place in your team.

Time Zone

If you plan to hire a remote Shopify expert, you should consider the difference in time zones. It all depends on what approach to cooperation is comfortable for you. However, a significant time difference can negatively impact your team’s productivity and lead to missed deadlines.

Timeline

When looking for a candidate, you should also consider the timeline of your project. You may need to hire a freelancer to make minor improvements to your existing online store. On the other hand, full-time dedicated Shopify experts are best suited for long-term projects.

Budget

The budget you set for developing your Shopify store will also be a decisive factor in the search and hiring of employees. By choosing the option of remote cooperation, you can find experts anywhere in the world at the most favorable rates. Yet, our advice is to avoid chasing the cheapest prices but always to consider the ratio of price and quality of services.

Long-Term Relationships

Finally, always look for candidates for long-term relationships. Even if, at the moment, you only need some updates to your online store. Long-term commitment means you can reach out to your Shopify partner anytime and get the best solutions for your business.

Conclusion: Why Hire Shopify Experts at GenovaWebArt

GenovaWebArt is ready to become your reliable Shopify services vendor. Our portfolio includes more than 200 completed e-commerce projects in various industries.

With us, you can hire Shopify website designers, front-end and back-end developers, business analysts, and project managers to grow your online store. The amount of services we provide is as extensive as our portfolio.

By collaborating with our dedicated team, you can get:

• Shopify app development
• Shopify theme development and customization
• Shopify Scripts implementation
• Shopify design
• Migration to Shopify
• And many other services

Therefore, if you aim to create a Shopify store from scratch or improve an existing one, GenovaWebArt experts are at your service. If you have a project idea or any questions, feel free to contact our dedicated team.