How to Set Up a Shopify Store (Step by Step Guide for Beginners)

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Starting your first online store can feel overwhelming — but Shopify makes it surprisingly simple. With just a few clicks, you can go from an idea to a fully functioning e-commerce business.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through exactly how to set up a Shopify store step by step, even if you have no technical experience. By the end, your store will be ready for customers.

Step 1: Create a Shopify Account

1. Go to Shopify.com.
2. Click Start Free Trial.
3. Enter your email, store name, and password.
4. Answer a few quick questions about your business.

💡 Tip: Your store name doesn’t have to be final — you can change it later and connect your own custom domain.

Step 2: Choose Your Shopify Plan

Shopify offers several pricing tiers:

• Basic Shopify – great for beginners.
• Shopify – best for growing stores.
• Advanced Shopify – for scaling businesses.

👉 You can start with a free trial, then choose a plan once you’re ready to launch.

Step 3: Add Your First Products

1. From your Shopify admin, click Products > Add Product.
2. Enter a title, description, and images.
3. Set the price and inventory levels.
4. Add variants (e.g., size, colour) if needed.

💡 Pro Tip: Use high-quality images and keyword-rich descriptions — this improves both sales and SEO.

Step 4: Customise Your Theme

1. Go to Online Store > Themes.
2. Choose from free or paid Shopify themes.
3. Click Customise to adjust colours, fonts, and layout.
4. Add your logo and brand images.

💡 Tip: Start with a clean, simple theme. You can always upgrade later.

Step 5: Set Up Payments

1. Go to Settings > Payments.
2. Enable Shopify Payments (accepts credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay).
3. You can also add PayPal or other third-party providers.

Step 6: Configure Shipping Settings

1. Go to Settings > Shipping and Delivery.
2. Add your shipping zones (e.g., UK, EU, US).
3. Set shipping rates (free shipping, flat rate, or carrier-calculated).

💡 Pro Tip: Offering free shipping can increase conversions.

Step 7: Connect Your Domain

1. In Shopify admin, go to Settings > Domains.
2. You can buy a domain directly from Shopify, or connect one from providers like GoDaddy or Namecheap.

Step 8: Launch Your Store 🚀

Before going live:

• Double-check product listings.
• Test checkout with a test order.
• Preview your store on mobile.

Once everything looks good, remove the password under Online Store > Preferences — your store is live!

Bonus: Essential Apps to Install

• Email Marketing (Shopify Email, Klaviyo, or Mailchimp).
• SEO & Image Optimisation (e.g., TinyIMG).
• Reviews (e.g., Judge.me).
• Analytics (Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel).

Conclusion

That’s it — you’ve successfully set up your Shopify store. With your products, theme, payments, and shipping in place, you’re ready to start selling online.

👉 Next, check out our guide on How to Optimise Shopify SEO to make sure customers can actually find your store in Google.