Here is a step-by-step process about how you can set up your store with Shopify. Shopify offers a free 14-day trial that gives you enough time to set up your store before committing on any payments.
Sign Up with Shopify
To sign up with Shopify, just go to the homepage and click on the “Get Started” button on the top right corner of your screen. You will be redirected to a webpage where you must input some details about your website. If you are only looking for a trial to check how things work, then you can select the “I’m just playing around” option from one of the dropdowns.
Set Up of Your Website
After the signup, you will be redirected to an admin page where you can choose the layout and design of your website. There is an option available to customize the looks of your website. This will take you some time to figure out – you need to understand which template will suit your website the best.
There are some free templates available for you to pick from. You will also be shown a demo of how your website will look after you pick the template. You can change the layout of your website anytime and can upgrade to a premium template after paying the required fee.
Make sure to check the reviews of each theme to get a better idea of the functionality of the template beforehand.
Customize Your Theme
After you have set up the theme, you can customize it with the “Customize Theme” option. This will take you to a page where you can make subtle changes to your website so that it doesn’t look like a duplicate of another store. You can change several minute details which will eventually turn your website into a unique website!
You can change the colour, font, add a favicon (a simple icon that will be visible on the tab when someone opens your website), logo, banners, etc. You can link your website to social media websites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and do so much more.
Get A Domain Name
The next step is to set up a domain name for your website. Go to the “Domain” option on the left and the new page will show you two options where you can either buy a new domain or upload an existing one. If you choose to buy your domain, then another small window pops up where you can add the name of your choice. Enter the domain name of your choice and check the availability. You can also choose which extension you want for your website. After which, it displays a price which you must pay to buy the domain name.
In case the domain name of your choice in unavailable, Shopify suggests some other available domain names which can be used by you instead. There is a “Learn more about Domains” link as well, where you will be taken to another Shopify page giving you all the details you need to know about domain names.
There is also a Business Name Generator in Shopify that will give you available suggestions.
Upload Products
With the layout and the domain name of your website set up, you can start uploading your products onto the website. There is a ‘Products’ option on the navigation bar on the left, which will redirect you to an upload products page.
Add the required details and select the save option for as many products as you like.
You also have the option of importing products from another website, in case you were already operating from another website. There is also a product variant option if you need to upload the details of a similar product onto your website.
Add A Payment Gateway
Head onto the “Payments” option under Settings to add a payment gateway for your website. This page allows you to pick from several different authorized payment gateways like PayPal, Stripe, Authorize.net, and many more. Input all the settings you want for your payment gateway like accepting credit cards, and alternative and manual payment methods here and save your settings.
Make It Live
Before you make your website available for use, there are some other details that you need to add for your delivery and tax payment processes. Make sure to fill in all the details in this page. You can also use Google Analytics which will help you track your store visitors easily.
You can use a Shopify Bogus Gateway to test your delivery system too on the ‘Payments’ page. This tool allows you to understand how your delivery process works in practice.
With Shopify, you can successfully set up the first version of your e-commerce website at a minimal cost. You always have the option of upgrading your plan to a premium plan before your trial period expires to enjoy greater benefits.
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