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Shopify Expert vs. DIY: Making the Case for Professional Assistance
Whether you’re a seasoned e-commerce veteran or just getting started, one of the most important decisions you’ll have to make is creating a Shopify store on your own or hiring someone else to do it for you.
If you’ve never set up an e-commerce store, choosing to do it yourself can be challenging. However, using an expert also has its pros and cons. But don’t worry, this article is here to help!
Shopify Expert vs. DIY
In this guide, we’ll look at some critical factors that decide whether DIY is suitable for you or if hiring an expert is better. We’ll also look at some of the pros and cons of each approach so that you can make an informed choice about how best to proceed with your business.
The Appeal of DIY for Shopify Store Setup
DIY (do it yourself) is attractive for a Shopify store setup because it can be a cost-effective way to get your store up and running. It’s also a good option if you don’t want to spend the time or money hiring someone else.
In addition, you’ll likely have more control over the look and feel of your e-commerce site when setting up your own storefront from scratch. You might even find that open-source solutions like Magento or PrestaShop offer more flexibility than Shopify (though this isn’t necessarily true).
Challenges of DIY Shopify Store Setup
You might be thinking, “I can do this myself.” But before you get started, consider the reasons for hiring a Shopify expert to do it for you.
Time and effort required
Setting up your own store requires more than just installing the software. Some of the other actions required include:
- Creating and uploading products
- Designing a logo and other branding graphics
- Writing product descriptions and marketing copy for each product page (or at least deciding which ones)
- Figuring out how payments work on Shopify
This is just the start, too…the list goes on for getting your store set up completely!
Plus, if something goes wrong in any part of the setup or even if they’re done right but not optimised, it could lead to lost sales or unhappy customers who can’t find what they want when they come looking for it.
Risks
There are many risks associated with doing it wrong/not doing it right/not having the right skills or experience needed for success in eCommerce today.
As we’ve said above, and especially when working with clients who are newbies themselves, to minimise risk, hire an expert who has been through all these steps hundreds of times before!
Shopify experts know precisely where potential pitfalls lie so they can help clients avoid them altogether (or at least minimise their impact).
The Role of a Shopify Expert
What is the role of a Shopify expert in helping you build your online store?
Shopify experts take care of almost everything to help you set up the store, run it, and ensure everything is working correctly. These experts will also assist with marketing, social media, and SEO.
With the DIY approach, some of the questions you need to solve when setting up an online shop include:
- How do I design my website?
- What kind of payment solutions should I use?
- How do I get customers on board after making their first purchase?
These questions may be answered by reading articles on Shopify’s website or watching YouTube videos about how others have done it. Still, these resources don’t advise which specific solutions are best suited for each situation (and there are many).
Benefits of Hiring a Shopify Expert
The benefits of hiring a Shopify expert are many. First, you don’t need to be an expert to run your business. You can focus on what matters most: growing your brand and making money.
Second, you’ll save time and money by hiring someone who knows how best-of-breed technology solutions work together so that you don’t have to spend hours researching different options before deciding which services are right for your business (or, even worse – make bad decisions!).
Plus, expert help is available 24/7, so if something breaks or goes wrong at 3 a.m. on Sunday, there’s someone ready with answers or solutions!
Cost Considerations: DIY vs. Hiring an Expert
When it comes to cost, there are a few factors to consider, including how much it costs to hire a Shopify expert.
Hiring an expert will most likely be more expensive than doing it yourself. However, this is only true if you’re going at it alone and not hiring help from other people, which can also get pretty pricey.
When you hire someone who knows what they’re doing and has experience with Shopify stores of similar size and complexity as yours (or even smaller), they’ll be able to set up the site quickly.
Your business website also functions appropriately while still looking great on mobile devices, desktops/laptops alike! This means less time spent troubleshooting issues. Some of the problems may include software bugs and slow load times.
One reason for slow page loads is too much content being loaded onto each page, which makes them take longer than usual for users’ browsers (like Chrome) because there’s just too much stuff happening simultaneously without any way for visitors’ computers or ours either!
Hiring a Shopify expert could cost between 500USD and 25,000USD. DIY will cost you time, and time is money. You’ll need a few weeks to set up the store and optimise. Like every business, like every industry, you’ll create and revise your marketing strategy and campaigns for months.
Focussing your time on what you’re good at will save you time and money. You may choose to do some of the tasks and outsource the rest. Getting investors to fund the setup is worth considering if you’re a startup business.
Customisation and Scaling: DIY vs. Shopify Expert
If you’re a new store owner, the DIY approach can be a great way to get your feet wet. It’s also an excellent option to test different product ideas and determine what works for your business before making significant investments.
However, hiring a Shopify expert may make more sense for long-term success if you want to scale quickly or have already invested in building an audience through Facebook ads or other paid advertising channels.
With their expertise in eCommerce design and development, they’ll be able to customise your store to look good on all devices (phones/tablets/desktop computers) while increasing conversions with improved functionality and usability improvements such as search engine optimisation (SEO).
Time and Efficiency: DIY vs. Shopify Expert or Professional Support
Time and efficiency are two of the most significant factors in choosing between DIY or professional support.
Hiring an expert might be the way to go if you have a tight deadline or your project is large in scope (and therefore time-consuming).
A significant advantage of going with an expert is that they can get your store up faster than if you did it yourself. This can save precious hours of work time and energy that would otherwise be spent on learning how Shopify works to set up an online store from scratch.
Conclusion
Shopify Experts and the DIY approach can be successful, but each has strengths and weaknesses. If you’re considering launching a Shopify store and want to work with an expert, you must know what you’re getting into.
This article has outlined some of the key differences between hiring an expert and doing it yourself so that you can decide which option is best for your business needs.