Shopify Expert: Missions and Added Value

Managing an e-commerce business can quickly become exhausting, between product commercialization, inventory replenishment, and customer relations. When a company's growth starts to overwhelm the e-commerce manager, it's time for them to outsource certain tasks and call upon a Shopify expert. The expertise of a Shopify expert, whether freelance or a web agency, is very broad, and the missions they can undertake are varied. Indeed, they can work on projects ranging from development to marketing and beyond. Here are the services that Shopify experts can offer to improve an e-commerce business. At Stellar, we carry out store migrations and redesigns as well as Shopify SEO missions.

1. Market Analysis

If an online store is underperforming, with stagnant figures or unmet objectives, it's entirely possible to seek help from a Shopify expert for market analysis. By conducting a website audit, the Shopify expert identifies weaknesses (user experience, SEO, etc.) and can provide the client with recommendations for improvement. The goal of this mission is to optimize the strategy to increase traffic and, consequently, sales.

2. Online Store Creation and Migration

Shopify experts are known for working on all sorts of online store configurations. This can involve creating an e-commerce store from scratch, but they can also perform the migration of an existing store from one platform to Shopify. In this case, the Shopify expert's job is to set up the correct parameters, install the necessary applications and features, and securely transfer data (in the case of a migration).

3. Theme Customization

Shopify is one of the most popular e-commerce platforms due to its ease of use. Indeed, it allows any business, regardless of size, to easily create an online store. To do this, Shopify offers many themes that can be obtained for free or at a low cost (for a price between €0 and €300). However, every store is unique, and if an e-commerce merchant has a precise vision and finds it difficult to find a theme that perfectly suits them, it is better to opt for customization. It is entirely possible to contact a Shopify web designer for the design of a custom theme.

4. Integration of Apps and Features

While Shopify subscriptions each come with a certain number of features, they are not always sufficient to meet the needs of an e-commerce business. However, it is always entirely possible to create custom features. But without development knowledge, it can be difficult to implement them. One of the main missions of a Shopify expert is to integrate features according to the e-commerce merchant's specifications.

5. User Experience Optimization

In e-commerce, a low conversion rate can also be due to a poor user experience (UX). The user must benefit from fluid navigation. For an optimal user experience, a Shopify expert can intervene to:

• correct errors and bugs;
• optimize loading speed;
• improve navigation;
• analyze content consistency;
• identify and remove unnecessary steps.

All these points must be worked on to make the Shopify store intuitive and encourage users to buy or return.

6. Mobile Optimization

Once an online store is fully configured, it is important to configure it for all digital devices (phone, tablet, etc.). This is known as a "responsive" website. In other words, it is a site whose design adapts in real-time to the size of the screen on which it is displayed. Today, most users visit sites on their mobile rather than on a computer. If the site is not accessible or the experience is not optimized, an e-commerce merchant risks missing out on a significant portion of the public, and therefore many sales.

When adapted for mobile, a Shopify store:

• is more likely to be suggested by Google when users search on their smartphone;
• has the ability to generate more sales thanks to an optimized user experience.

This is therefore a key step in the strategy of a brand with a Shopify store.

7. SEO Score Improvement and Content Optimization

Beyond working on the design to achieve a beautiful site, it is essential to work on natural referencing (SEO) so that the Shopify store is visible and performs well. For a Shopify store to rank high in search results, it needs top-notch SEO. This helps attract customers to its website rather than to competitors. Considering that most users do not go beyond the first page of Google search, the store will not get much traffic if it does not appear on that page. Here are the main missions of an SEO expert.

1. They check all pages of the store to ensure it does not contain broken links or duplicate content.
2. They take care to use the right keywords in page titles and content.
3. They pay particular attention to the length of URLs, which should preferably be short.
4. They organize internet links in accordance with the SEO strategy.

Shopify experts know the Google ecosystem inside out and are well-versed enough in the CMS to get the online store listed among the top solutions in search engines.

8. Marketing Consulting

Whether it's a small, medium, or large business, it's important to always communicate with your audience. Shopify experts are there to help e-commerce businesses develop a stable marketing platform. To do this, they can work on various missions.

1. Emailing strategy: contrary to popular belief, emails are still a significant source of revenue in e-commerce. A Shopify expert can intervene in a company to help implement this strategy. From email automation to newsletters, they support their client to help them increase conversion rates.
2. Campaign creation: if natural referencing is already well-established, it may be interesting to move on to creating Google Ads, Instagram Ads, and Facebook Ads. On these platforms, it is possible to reach thousands of users. Each of them has a specific algorithm, and the Shopify expert knows how to leverage it to boost an online store.
3. Content creation on social networks: this is an essential tool for communicating with the public. Shopify experts can help a company in researching and creating content. They study the target audience's profile to find ways to reach them.

The main mission of a Shopify expert is to find solutions for e-commerce, for the e-commerce merchant's current challenges, regardless of the tasks involved. Their primary mission is therefore to analyze where improvements need to be made.