February 22, 2023
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Trust is a huge factor in any form of collaboration. So who to trust with building the perfect online home for your product? Here's 5 steps to finding the ideal Shopify Expert to translate your vision into e-commerce success.
Shopify endorses experts in the following categories:
In our experience, most retailers require Store Setup and Design first - but you may need to build an app, or further assistance with marketing.
Whatever the service, at this stage you'll want to write a specification of what you need for your project. This is where you will:
Shopify insists that all Experts upload at least two examples of their previous work before their listing is live. This is their chance to make a great first impression. Take a close look: is it close to what you're looking for?
If you want a responsive website (and you should), read through the Expert's offer to see that building responsive is part of their services. You can also check that their own website is responsive - it takes a moment. Simply move your mouse to the edge of the browser window, until the cursor turns into a double-sided arrow. Click and drag to narrow the window's width. If the website's content easily adjusts to the new window, it means it's responsive, and will display well on smaller devices such as smartphones and tablets.
While you're visiting the Expert's website, have a good look around. Firstly, are you impressed by their own site? Then consider looking at their portfolio and client testimonials (surely they will have a dedicated page), and also read through the team's profiles: these are the people you might soon be working with.
All Experts have a selection of reviews, listed by most recent. Each review comes with a 1-5 star rating, and the overall rating is displayed on the listings page.
Narrow down the list of Experts to those that have good reviews, and a reasonable number of them. Like with most things though, it's more about the quality than the quantity. Some Experts will have a high number of reviews, but that's because their business model is to carry out lots of small pieces of work. If you are looking for Store Setup and Design, it's worth choosing those who can handle a complete and complex project: in this case, look for the overall rating obtained for work of this kind.
Now that you know how complex your project is going to be, and which Experts have the credentials to match, make a shortlist. Don't use up too much of your time contacting a huge number of experts - start with the 3-5 you like the look of.
You can quickly contact each of them by using the 'Contact Shopify Expert' button at the top right of each profile.
This is their first opportunity to shine: they may be good at designing and building websites, but do they have the customer service skills to match? Observe how quickly it takes for them to respond to your enquiry, and how useful the response is.
Have you received a few good replies? Were you impressed with the way Experts handle enquries? Great. Now you can seal the deal. Naturally, not before you speak to them in person. Don't be afraid to ring them with any questions - or better, make a list of what you'd like to ask, and discuss in a meeting. It's a good idea to have the meeting at the Expert's office, to get a final feel for the way they work and their overall environment. If for any reason this is not possible, aim for at least a good Skype chat - on top of their technical knowlege and ability, you'll want to establish if the team are personable, as a good relationship will make working together smoother.
Head over to Shopify Experts to begin your search!
