How to choose a Shopify agency, in short: start with stores they have built that you can visit and buy from, then ask how they handle themes, apps, speed, migrations and ownership. The best agencies keep the app list short, explain theme choices plainly, and put ownership of the store and its code in your name. A badge or partner listing tells you an agency works with Shopify; it doesn’t tell you whether they will build a store that sells.
Start with live stores
Ask for three to five live stores the agency built. Then:
- Open each on your phone and add something to the cart
- Run each through PageSpeed Insights and note the mobile score
- Check how product pages look with long names, many variants or no image
- Look at the collection pages and filters with a real catalogue size
Screenshots and mockups show design. Live stores show whether the design survives real products and real phones.
How to choose a Shopify agency: the ten questions
1. Will you use an existing theme or build a custom one?
A good answer explains which and why. A well-chosen theme, customised, is right for many stores and costs less. A custom theme is right when the brand or the catalogue needs it.
2. Which apps will the store need, and what will they cost each month?
A good answer is a short list with prices. Every app adds a monthly fee and often some script that slows pages. An agency that reaches for an app for everything will leave you with high monthly costs.
3. How will you keep the store fast?
A good answer mentions image sizes, limiting apps, and testing on mobile before launch. Ask for their typical PageSpeed mobile scores on live stores.
4. Who owns the store, the theme code and the accounts?
A good answer: you do. The Shopify store should be in your name, with the agency given staff or collaborator access. Custom theme code should be yours after payment.
5. How will you move my products and customers?
A good answer explains how product data, customer accounts and order history are imported, how they will be checked, and how old URLs will redirect so search traffic follows. Our website migration checklist covers the details.
6. Who will I deal with day to day?
A good answer names a person and a response time. Ask whether the agency does the work itself or passes it to others.
7. How do you test before launch?
A good answer includes test orders with real payment methods, discount codes, shipping rates for each region, tax settings, emails sent to customers, and mobile checks.
8. What is included, and what isn’t?
A good answer is a written list. Product data entry, product photography, copywriting and app costs are common exclusions.
9. What happens after launch?
A good answer covers a period of free fixes for problems caused by the build, and the cost of ongoing help.
10. Can I talk to a client whose store you built?
A good answer is yes.
Red flags
- The agency wants to create the store in its own account
- A long list of paid apps with no explanation
- No live stores, only design mockups
- Prices with no breakdown of what is included
- Promises of specific sales results
- Pressure to sign a long retainer before the store is built
Agency, freelancer or doing it yourself?
Doing it yourself on a Shopify theme is reasonable for a small catalogue and a tight budget.
A freelancer suits a contained job, such as customising a theme section or setting up an app.
An agency or studio suits a full build, a migration or a store that needs custom design and testing across many products.
For prices, read what an e-commerce website costs. Our own e-commerce builds cost $500 to $5,000; our e-commerce and Shopify page explains how we work, and you can put any of the ten questions to us through the contact page.