How to start a Shopify store, step by step

You have a product, or an idea for one, and you've decided to sell it on Shopify. The sign-up takes minutes. What trips beginners up is everything after it: which settings matter before launch, what order to do them in, and what can wait. This is the order we'd follow, based on Shopify's own setup checklist, with the spots where beginners usually lose an afternoon.

Who this is for

This is for someone opening their first online store: a handful of products, no developer, and no existing website to migrate. If you're still choosing a platform, start with Shopify vs Wix, Shopify vs Squarespace or the Shopify vs WooCommerce series, then come back here.

Before you sign up: three decisions

Shopify's checklist opens by asking you to decide what you want the store to do. Doing that first saves you setup work later:

• Where you'll sell. Only your own website, or also in person (Shopify POS), on social channels, or in marketplaces? You can add channels later, but it shapes which settings you care about now.
• Where you'll ship. One country or several? That decides your markets, shipping zones and tax setup.
• Who handles tax advice. Shopify can calculate tax at checkout, but tax compliance is your responsibility. It's worth a short conversation with a local accountant before your first sale, not after.

You don't need to pick a paid plan yet. Shopify lets you build during a free trial and choose a plan at the end. Check Shopify's pricing page for current plans and trial terms in your country; they change often enough that we won't quote them. You also need to be at least 18 to hold a Shopify account.

Step 1: Create your account

Go to shopify.com, click Start for free, and sign up with an email and password (or a Google, Apple or Facebook login). You can add billing details now or skip them, and you can skip the setup questionnaire too. It only tailors the suggestions you'll see in the admin.

One choice to slow down on: your store's myshopify.com address. Shopify says it can be changed only once, so pick something close to your brand name. Customers will usually see your custom domain instead, but this address stays attached to your store.

Step 2: Fill in the basics in Settings

Before you add products, open Settings and work through the parts that affect every order:

1. Store details: store name, legal business name, business address, and default currency. Set the default weight unit now, since shipping rates depend on it.
2. Email: set your sender email and follow Shopify's steps to authenticate it (SPF and DKIM). Without authentication, order confirmations can land in your customers' spam folders.
3. Password page: new stores stay password-protected until you launch. Set the visitor message so anyone who finds the store early knows it's coming.

Step 3: Shipping, taxes and payments

These three settings decide whether checkout works. Set them up before you worry about how the store looks:

• Markets: if you'll sell to more than one country, set up your markets first, because shipping and pricing hang off them.
• Shipping: create shipping zones and rates for where you deliver, and add local pickup or local delivery if you offer them. Accurate product weights matter if your rates are weight-based or calculated. If different products need different rates, see our guide to shipping rates by product.
• Taxes: add your tax registrations for the places you're required to collect. Shopify calculates tax but doesn't file or remit it for you unless you use its automated filing service where available.
• Payments: turn on Shopify Payments if it's available in your country, or connect a third-party provider. Using a provider other than Shopify Payments can add a Shopify transaction fee depending on your plan. Check the current rules on the pricing page.

Step 4: Policies, checkout and domain

Add your refund, privacy, shipping and terms of service policies under Settings → Policies. Shopify has templates, but read them and edit them to match what you actually do. Some sales channels, such as Google & YouTube, require visible refund and terms policies before you can list there.

Review your checkout settings (customer accounts, contact method, marketing opt-ins), then connect a domain. You can buy one through Shopify or connect one you already own. Shopify notes that a newly connected domain can take up to 48 hours to work fully, so don't leave this until launch day.

Step 5: Pick a theme and add products

Browse the Shopify Theme Store and preview a few free themes before paying for one. Free and paid themes differ mostly in layouts and built-in sections, and a free theme is plenty for a first store. Customise it in the theme editor: logo, colours, homepage sections, then header and footer menus.

Then add products. Shopify requires only a title and a price, but a product that sells needs more:

• Clear photos with descriptive alt text.
• A title with the important words first. Long titles get cut off in search results.
• A description that answers the questions you'd get by email: size, materials, care, delivery time.
• Weight, SKU and inventory, if you track them.
• A stable URL handle. Avoid changing handles after launch, since that can hurt search rankings.

Group products into collections so your menus have something to point at. For a first store with a few products, one or two collections is enough.

You'll see Sidekick and Shopify Magic in the admin. They can draft product copy and answer "where is this setting?" questions. They're handy, but edit anything they write so it sounds like your brand and states facts you can stand behind.

Step 6: Place test orders

Don't launch before you've bought from your own store. Shopify gives you three ways to test checkout without real charges: its Test payment gateway, Shopify Payments test mode, or a third-party provider's test mode. Each one takes test card details, not real cards.

• Run a successful order and a failed one.
• Check that shipping rates and taxes are correct for each zone you ship to.
• Check that the confirmation email arrives, and that it doesn't land in spam.
• Practise fulfilling, partially fulfilling, refunding and cancelling an order from the admin.

Then turn test mode off. Real customers can't pay while it's on.

Step 7: Choose a plan and launch

You need to choose a paid plan before you can remove the password during a trial. Once you have, preview the store one last time: policies, contact details and shipping rates should all be final, because the store is public as soon as the password comes off. Then go to Online Store → Preferences and turn off password protection.

After launch

Launching doesn't mean anyone will find you. A few things to do in the first week:

• Search basics. Write a homepage title and meta description, and submit your sitemap in Google Search Console. Shopify notes that indexing isn't instant and can take a few days.
• Channels. Add Google & YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, or the Shop app if they fit your customers. Each has its own eligibility rules.
• Apps. Install apps only when the store is missing something you need. Every app adds scripts and a bill, and some keep charging until you uninstall them.

FAQ

How long does it take to start a Shopify store?

Signing up takes minutes. Getting to a store you can launch depends mostly on your products. Settings, shipping, taxes and payments can be done in a sitting, while writing product pages and taking photos usually takes longest. Budget time for test orders and for your domain to connect before launch day.

Do I need to pay for Shopify before I start building?

No. Shopify lets you build during a free trial and pick a plan at the end. You do need a paid plan to remove the password and launch. Check Shopify's pricing page for current plans and trial terms in your country.

Do I need a custom domain to launch?

No. Your store works on its myshopify.com address. A custom domain looks more trustworthy and is easy to buy through Shopify or connect from a registrar you already use. Connect it a couple of days before launch, because it can take up to 48 hours to work fully.

Which Shopify apps does a beginner need?

Fewer than you think. Shopify and a free theme already cover products, checkout, discounts, shipping rates and basic SEO. Add an app when you hit a real gap, like reviews, subscriptions or complex shipping rules, and uninstall apps you stop using so they stop billing.

How do I test my Shopify store before going live?

Turn on Shopify's Test payment gateway or Shopify Payments test mode, then place orders with test card details. Check shipping, taxes, emails, refunds and fulfilment from the admin, then switch test mode off so real customers can pay.

Ready to build? Start the trial, work through the steps above in order, and don't take the password off until your test orders are clean.

Start a Shopify trial →