You want to be an entrepreneur? I’ve got you.

Why? Because I was just like you… burning passion, but stuck on what to do, where to go, who to ask. So, I’m going to tell you what I wish I had been told earlier,  and I’ll even let you in on a few secrets most E-commerce website developers don’t want you to know.

So remove your own barriers of inhibitions, and I’ll remove their barriers of entry for you.

Okay, enough context, let’s get straight to the point - here’s how to set up your online store, and leverage the most of what any e-commerce tool like Shopify offers so you don’t have to shell out those big bucks when you’re first starting.

But wait, let’s first get a few No-Nos out of the way, before we can move onto the Yays:

• One, the Internet is a vast place. Use it. Get inspiration from websites you admire and love, and choose one aesthetic you feel embodies your brand.

• Two, you don’t have to start from scratch. There are so many templates available for free. Shopify itself has customizable templates, as well as paid ones, along with support in case of fixes. Most of your favourite brands on Shark Tank India were all made using Shopify! So don’t Skip(pi) this post.

• Three, are you reading this on your mobile? Chances are your customers will probably be on-the-go as well. DO NOT forget about making it mobile friendly.

• And Four, like a child, your website will grow and learn as you do too. So keep working on it and watch it flourish.

Okay, woah, now onto the fun part. Read along and you’ll be developing e-commerce websites in no time as a Shopify expert.

What’s the one thing you NEED to have to build your e-commerce store?

If you said, money, get that inhibitor out of your head, because you and I are going to make a jhakaas store for almost free.

Websites should have been your answer:

1. FOCUS on homepage - What action do you want your visitors to take? Is it human? You have to design your homepage with your visitors and business objectives in mind. A good homepage should hero your products or your store and accommodate visitors looking for a specific outcome.

   
   

In today’s saturated markets, stand out with your stellar website.

2. CUSTOMIZE themes and CREATE templates - Within Shopify Admin (Online Store option), you have two options to customize any Shopify page, including product page templates. You can use Shopify’s free templates and personalize it with a little extra pizazz and code for button size, text color, cart page appearance, typography, etc.  Take a look at this for inspiration: https://www.shopify.com/online

• DELIVER value with blogs - Okay, so you’re selling something, be it , tees, teas, swiss cheese or even the freshest honey from the bees. But why? Talk about your story, who you’re doing it for and why. Build a community. Don’t sell to them, solve a problem they may not even have known of. Shopify helps you do this by taking care of SEO for you, so more people can be reached, and even lets you schedule posts.

• TAKE them on a journey - When you saunter down the street into your favourite mall, or shop, how is it that you walk out a few bags heavier and a smile on your face? What is your journey? Likewise, when building your online store, think about the journey you want your customers to take. The Navigation option helps points customers in the right direction but more than that boosts chances that they will make a purchase and return in the future.

• What DO you MAINly do? Through the Domains option under Online Store, you can change your primary domain name (which ideally should tell everyone what you do).

And last but not least

Preferences - This basically has to do with telling Google what you do. It’s that little bit of text that gets displayed under each site of your Search.

I know this might seem a lot, but let’s get you started, after all, Rome wasn’t built in a day. And if you want to read more on:

Product pages - Increase Shopify Conversion