Shopify Website Developer: How to Verify That You Have a Good One

What Does a Shopify Developer Do?

A Shopify developer is a professional who specializes in building, designing, and customizing Shopify websites. Their core role involves engineering and optimizing online stores to help businesses meet their eCommerce goals.

Here are some of the essential tasks a Shopify web developer performs:

• Theme Customization

Shopify developers know how to choose a Shopify theme and customize its design to match the brand and enhance user experience. They can also adjust the store’s layout, typography, color scheme, and other visual elements.

• App Integration and Development

Decent Shopify experts can integrate various apps and plugins to improve the store’s functionality or develop custom applications from the ground up. Their tasks may involve adding payment gateways, social media integrations, customer relationship management software, and many other features.

• Store Optimization

Shopify store developers can optimize the eCommerce website for better performance and faster loading speed. They ensure the online store works well with search engines and provides a seamless shopping experience.

• Custom Development

Shopify developers can also create custom features and functionalities for the store that are unique to the business’s needs. They may build custom themes, plugins, and extensions to add more capabilities to the website.

These are just a few of the basic tasks that a Shopify expert can tackle and that you should look out for when choosing one. But there are more. Once setting up your store, the developer will teach you to manage it properly and offer ongoing support and maintenance to ensure your eCommerce website aligns with the latest trends and customer demands.

How to Identify Reputable Shopify Web Developers

If you’ve hired staff before, you probably know that a CV doesn’t always fully reflect expertise and skills. Finding a good Shopify website developer is even more challenging if you're not familiar with the technical aspects of web development. Yet, there are a few key factors to consider that can help you identify a reputable expert. Here are some essential points to look out for:

Reviews

First, when choosing a Shopify specialist, check their online reviews and ratings. Next, examine previous clients’ testimonials to see their satisfaction with the specialist’s work. Platforms like Clutch, Upwork, and LinkedIn are good sources for verified reviews.

Portfolio

Review the developer’s portfolio to see examples of their work. Look for projects similar to what you want to achieve with your website. A portfolio can also give you a sense of the developer’s design aesthetic and technical skills.

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.

Communication Skills

Good communication is vital when working with a Shopify web developer. A great expert should be responsive, transparent, and able to explain technical concepts in a way that’s easy to understand. You may also want to schedule a meeting or a call to assess their communication skills.

Technical Skills

Ensure the developer has experience working with Shopify and the necessary technical skills to complete the project. You can ask for a code sample or quiz the developer on their knowledge of Shopify’s API, liquid code, and CSS. 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

Problem-Solving Skills

Find a Shopify developer who can troubleshoot and solve any occurring issues promptly. You can assess their problem-solving skills by asking them about challenging projects they have worked on and how they overcame obstacles.

Project-Management Skills

A decent Shopify developer should have strong project management skills to ensure the project is completed on time and within budget. Ask the expert about their PM process, including how they communicate progress updates and handle revisions.

Considering the above points is your way to make an informed decision and hire a Shopify developer who fits your business.

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.

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.

Before Cooperating with a Shopify Web Developer: Main Considerations

Before you find a Shopify developer and start collaborating with them, you need to realize that just checking their skills is not enough. There are some other critical considerations to go over before starting your eCommerce project, such as:

• Understanding what your business requires from the eCommerce site. It includes defining the project scope, identifying your target audience, and outlining your business objectives and vision.
• Setting clear and measurable goals for your eCommerce site.
  Establishing what you want to achieve through the website is also critical. Outline your objectives, like increasing sales, improving brand awareness, or providing better customer service. These will help guide the project’s direction and ensure everyone is on the same page.
• Defining your budget on an eCommerce website. Another important consideration before cooperating with a developer is your budget. It would help if you had a clear idea of how much you can spend on your Shopify project and discuss this with your potential developer or agency upfront.

Once you’ve decided on your business requirements and objectives, you can move on to selecting a cooperation model. Typically, there are a few options:

Hiring Shopify Freelancers

Freelancers are self-employed individuals who work independently, offering their services to multiple clients. These experts can be cost-effective for smaller projects, as they typically charge lower rates than agencies. However, working with freelancers can also come with risks, such as communication issues, lack of accountability, and the potential for unreliable work quality.

Hiring Shopify Corporate Agencies

These are typically large agencies offering various services, including website development, marketing, and branding. They have teams of professionals working on different projects, with Shopify websites among them. The benefits of working with corporate agencies include access to a broad range of expertise and resources, better accountability, and often more streamlined communication. Nevertheless, they can also be more expensive than working with freelancers.

Hiring Shopify Expert Agencies

These agencies specialize only in Shopify development and typically have a Shopify certification. The advantages of working with expert companies include in-depth knowledge of the platform and a focus on creating high-quality Shopify websites. While this cooperation option is more expensive than hiring freelancers, the benefits of this approach significantly outweigh this drawback.

How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Shopify Expert?

Now that you know the tips for hiring the right Shopify expert, you may ask: how much does an eCommerce website cost? And what is the price of hiring a Shopify web developer? In this regard, several factors come into play. They are as follows:

• Scope of work. Your project’s size, type, and complexity influence the final price of development services. A simple Shopify store with basic features will take less time and cost than a complex one with custom functionality.
• Project’s timeline. An expedited or rushed project may require the Shopify developer to work overtime, ultimately increasing the overall cost.
• Required customization. Highly customized designs and functionality will take more time and effort from the developer, leading to higher costs.
• Developer’s experience and expertise. A Shopify web developer with years of experience and a strong portfolio will typically charge a higher rate than a beginner or less experienced professional. Highly skilled workers may also have specialized expertise in design, app development, or marketing, which can impact their rates.
• Developer’s location. The location of the specialist can also impact the cost. For example, Shopify developers based in countries with a lower cost of living may offer lower rates than those found in more expensive locations.

As you’ve learned the price-influencing factors, let’s see how much it costs to hire Shopify developers in different countries.

As you can see, the Shopify developer salary rates differ significantly from country to country. It’s also essential to remember that each project is unique, and the cost of hiring will depend on various factors. It’s always a good idea to get quotes from multiple developers and compare their rates and expertise to find the best fit for your project and budget.

What Affects the Cost of Hiring a Shopify Expert

There is another thing that will help you understand how to find and 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.

Shopify Agencies vs. Freelancers: Pros and Cons Checklist

If you’re still doubting which cooperation approach will suit your project perfectly, see our comparison of Shopify development agencies and freelancers. Here are the main advantages and drawbacks of each collaboration model:

And let’s now look at which benefits and limitations you can expect when you hire a Shopify developer freelance.

Choosing the most suitable cooperation model depends hugely on your project requirements and budget. So, weigh the above pros and cons to make an informed decision.

GenovaWebArt Experience as a Certified Shopify Development Agency

GenovaWebArt is a Shopify design and development vendor certified by Shopify. Since 2012, we’ve been delivering successful online stores that help eCommerce businesses boost sales and attract more customers.

Our Shopify experts facilitate businesses’ growth by assisting in various processes. We can leverage our expertise to help you in the following matters:

• How to develop a custom Shopify theme?
• How to streamline inventory and product management?
• Which Shopify pricing plan is right for me?
• What Shopify app to install?

These are just a few questions for which we have a solution. On top of that, we provide a range of Shopify-related services, including the following ones:

• Shopify theme development and customization
• Shopify app development
• Shopify design
• Shopify solutions development from scratch
• Shopify replatforming
• Shopify Plus development

Speaking of freelancers vs. agencies, we advise you to choose the second. And it’s not just because we are an agency. It’s due to the undeniable advantages you’ll get when you hire professional Shopify developer.

In particular, companies like GenovaWebArt have a team of experienced professionals with specialized skills in various areas beyond just Shopify development. We constantly hire experts who cover niche tasks to ensure we can provide comprehensive services to our clients.

At GenovaWebArt, for example, we have four distinct specializations in Shopify theme development, each delving deeper into separate niches and engaging in specific tasks. Thus, while one of our professionals is an expert in marketing solutions, the other focuses purely on integrations. It means you can be sure you’re getting a wide range of expertise to benefit your eCommerce business.

At the same time, the project manager is responsible for communication in our agency and knows what resources to attract to perform the tasks you set most effectively. We also practice the interchangeability of Shopify developers on projects, thereby reducing the bus factor. Ultimately, at GenovaWebArt, you can find a Shopify developer at an affordable cost who will deliver online stores like this:

You can view even more eCommerce projects in our portfolio.

Conclusion

Hiring a skilled Shopify web developer is a crucial step in ensuring the success of your eCommerce business. A well-designed and functional website can make all the difference in attracting and retaining your customers.

It’s also critical to carefully evaluate your options, whether hiring a freelance Shopify developer or working with an agency, and to consider factors such as budget, the scope of work, and the specialist’s experience.

If you have any questions or want to hire someone to run Shopify store, our team at GenovaWebArt is here to help. We have an extensive background in Shopify development and can ensure you make the best decision for your business. So don’t hesitate to reach out and schedule a consultation with us.