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Shopify Website Design

Make your Shopify store easier to browse, trust and buy from.

We'll reply with a written proposal: the work, what we need from you and an estimated timeline.

What this fixes

A beautiful homepage can't save a store that makes buying hard.

Before spending your design budget, we find the menu, product choice, mobile, content and Shopify platform problems that make shoppers hesitate.

  • The design ignores your real products

    Perfect-looking product cards break when product names are long, photos are missing, some sizes or colors are sold out or an offer needs an honest explanation.

  • Shoppers can't find the right product

    Unclear menus, weak collection pages and hidden details for comparing products make browsing harder than it needs to be.

  • Mobile pages are just shrunk-down desktop pages

    A desktop layout can fit on a phone and still frustrate shoppers with buttons too small to tap, crowded content and slow responses.

  • Apps make the store feel patched together

    Reviews, bundles, subscriptions, search and chat apps often fight for attention or don't match the look of your store when nobody decides what each one is for.

  • Your team can't make updates safely

    One-off page layouts and product details copied by hand make everyday promotions slower and raise the chance of customers seeing facts that don't match.

  • Platform limits show up after the design is approved

    A design can rely on checkout, theme or app features that your Shopify plan and chosen tools don't actually support.

What you receive

Shopify website design in seven areas of work, taking your store from scattered ideas to a plan a developer can build.

Softscotch turns the business decisions behind your Shopify store into an approved design system that works on every screen size and that a theme developer can build. You receive clear priorities for how shoppers move through your store, a plan for how your menus and pages are organized, sample designs for your homepage, collection pages, product pages and cart, designs that show real product situations (such as sold-out items or long names), accessibility and speed requirements, and a written handover. Setting up your store, moving your product catalog and building custom apps are separate, unless your proposal names them.

Your proposal names the shopping journeys, page designs, situations, devices and review rounds included. Store setup, catalog work, custom development and ongoing improvement stay separate unless they are listed.

Store experience review

We find the shopping journeys, pages, devices and real product situations that matter most, then rank the problems the design needs to solve.

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Menus and product-finding plan

We organize menus, collections, search, filters and buying advice around the words customers use to describe and compare your products.

Page template and building-block plan

We plan reusable Shopify templates, sections and blocks (the building pieces of a Shopify theme), with clear content needs, settings your staff can edit and combinations that work.

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Designs for your key store pages

We design the approved homepage, collection page, product page, cart and supporting pages, showing realistic prices, product options, stock levels, reviews and other proof, and error messages.

Mobile, accessibility and speed requirements

We set out how pages adapt to each screen size, keyboard and focus needs (for people who don't use a mouse), color contrast, animation, images and video, and how heavy each part is, so trade-offs are clear before handover.

Content and app decisions

We link each fact customers see to the person who owns it, and decide where approved apps appear, how they fit in and what shows when information is missing.

Clickable prototype and build handover

We package the approved screens, different situations, rules for each building block, images and files, content needs and checks the developer can use to confirm the build is right.

Visual direction for your store

We set the look of your store, including fonts, colors, photo style, buttons and spacing, based on your brand, and show it on a real product page and collection page before we design every template, so you can approve the direction early.

Why Softscotch

Your team approves a store experience that can really be built, not a set of perfect-looking mockups.

We design with your real products, what Shopify themes can actually do, how the store behaves on phones, what your staff need to edit and clear checks you can measure, so the handover can be built and reviewed.

We design with your real catalog

Sample products, the range of content you really have and sold-out situations reveal practical design problems before theme building starts.

The design works with Shopify, not against it

Decisions about templates, sections, blocks, the theme and apps are based on what Shopify actually supports and on the plan and account choices you give us for the project.

Accessibility starts at the design stage

Keyboard use, focus, contrast, zoom, animation, images and video and how things work on touch screens are built into the design plan for each part, not left until launch week.

Speed trade-offs are clear

The handover points out image, font, animation and app choices that could make your most important pages heavier or slower.

Outside costs and tasks are named early

Theme licenses, apps, checkout requests, content, catalog work and custom development are listed separately before your team approves a design direction.

The handover can actually be built

Your developers receive designs for every screen size, content rules, images and files, notes on how things should behave and checks to confirm the build, instead of screens that leave them guessing.

Design decisions

The 36 decisions behind a Shopify store that both customers and staff find easy to use.

See how customer evidence, product content, Shopify's limits, how each part behaves when clicked or tapped, quality checks and ownership turn into a design that can be built.

Customer and business brief
Shopper tasks and starting point for each pageAgree which customers, shopping tasks, pages people arrive on, devices and countries the first design direction must serve.
Collecting real product situationsGather realistic examples of products, offers, missing content, sold-out items, empty pages, errors and translated text for the design work.
Evidence from customers and supportUse customer questions, searches on your store, common support issues and problems seen while people shop to test your team's assumptions.
Map of store limitsRecord the chosen theme, Shopify plan, apps, countries, catalog, policies and team limits that affect what can be designed and built.
What to promote firstName the products, offers, profit margin or stock considerations and customer decisions the store should support first.
How designs will be approvedAgree how your team will review content, mobile layouts, accessibility, speed trade-offs and staff editing for each important page design.
Product content and inputs
Map of the facts customers seeLink each product, option, price, stock, shipping, returns and policy fact to an approved field, a backup for when it's missing and an owner.
Reusable content planPlan Shopify metafields and metaobjects (custom fields for storing extra product and store information) for repeated specifications, proof and buying advice, so staff don't copy the same content into every page.
Rules for content that fills in automaticallySet out which Shopify fields can automatically fill each section and block, including what customers see when information is missing.
What to trackName the allowed tracking events, such as product views, option choices, add to cart and checkout, that the developer must check, along with consent rules and where the data is reported.
Shopify design structure
How your theme is organizedPlan reusable Shopify JSON templates, section groups, sections, theme blocks and app blocks (Shopify's standard building pieces), without designing flexibility the platform doesn't support.
How shoppers move around the storeMap menus, labels, breadcrumb trails, routes through collections, search, filters and ways back on track around words customers understand.
How product information is organizedLink each visible part of the page to approved product and option fields, metafields and metaobjects, with sensible backups when something is missing.
Country and checkout limitsAllow for translations and content for each country, then flag checkout or customer account requests that depend on features Shopify supports and on what your plan allows.
Designs for your key store pages
A design system for every screen sizeSet reusable rules for layout, text styles, colors, spacing and how things respond to clicks and taps, for the approved Shopify templates and building blocks.
Product and option situationsDesign how photos and video, options, price, stock, subscriptions, quantity, errors, the add-to-cart button and confirmation messages work for sample products.
Collection and product-finding situationsDesign product cards, badges, color swatches, filters, sorting, search, recommendations, pages with no results and ways to get back on track.
Cart and offer situationsDesign totals, cart changes, shipping messages, bundles, subscriptions, extra product suggestions and offer conflicts, without distracting from checkout.
Quality requirements
Accessibility requirementsSet out page structure for screen readers, keyboard use, focus, zoom, contrast, animation, images and video, touch and how buying controls update, for both the build and the review.
Limits for theme weight and appsSet design limits for fonts, images and video, animations and outside features, then record each app's purpose, where it appears, its owner and what happens if it fails.
Consistent product factsRequire the product, option, price, stock, shipping and returns details customers see to match your approved store records.
Checklist to approve the buildGive the developer checks for browsers, devices, content, languages, the live store and the Shopify theme editor, based on the approved design.
Prototype and review
Review of customer tasksReview how typical customers find, compare, choose and buy, and get back on track when something goes wrong, across your main products and devices.
Review of how products are foundCheck important searches, filters, searches with few or no results, sold-out products and other ways to reach a product.
Review of speed risksFlag design choices involving building blocks, images and video, fonts and apps that the developer should test for speed on your most important pages.
Review of how products are promotedReview how proof, offers, product choices and checkout prompts support your agreed sales rules, without hiding important information from shoppers.
Business and experience measures
Signs from the shopping journeyName the signals available for later comparison, such as how easily products are found, product choices, add to cart, checkout starts and errors.
Experience quality checksSet out how the developer will record accessibility issues, errors when using the page, content exceptions and problems staff have when editing.
Speed by page type and deviceAsk for checks on loading time, response to taps and clicks and how stable the layout is while loading, for each important page type and device, with the limits of each test made clear.
Business contextPlan to read the conversion rate (the share of visitors who buy) alongside profit margin, returns, stock and customer quality, where reliable data is available.
Limits of what results can proveKeep apart a finished design and build, the changes seen in the store afterward, the credit platforms give and real proof of cause and effect.
Handover and ownership
Safe way to buildRequire the developer to build and review in an unpublished or development theme (a private copy customers can't see) before any approved change goes live.
Version and approval planSet out how code changes and theme editor changes will be reviewed, approved and backed up while the store is being built.
Guide to using each building blockWrite down each building block's purpose, the fields staff can edit, the versions allowed, combinations to avoid and its owner.
Owners for apps and contentGive an owner to each app, product field, piece of reusable content, translation, promotion and policy the design uses.
Rules for changes after handoverExplain which later theme, app, content and catalog changes need a design review or another round of build testing.
Research and implementation tools

Shopify design tools we use: they support decisions, they don't replace them.

The tools change with your platform and business, but every tool has to give us a useful input, a way to check the build or a real result, not just another unexplained score.

What we review

Seven reviews show what's ready, what needs a design decision and what's outside the scope of this work.

Each review links a problem for shoppers or your staff to a design answer, the person who approves it and a check the developer can run when building it.

Check 01 · Your current store

Where customers struggle today

We review your most important shopping tasks, page designs, devices, countries and real product situations before choosing a design direction.

You receive a ranked list of problems, with examples, the customers affected, the design answer and who approves it.

Map of shopper tasks scopeWe trace how your main customers find, compare, choose and buy, recover when something goes wrong and reach support, starting from the pages they're likely to arrive on.
Starting point for each page startWe list the live home, collection, product, cart, landing and content page designs that this project may change.
Real situations collected inputWe collect loading, long, missing, sold-out, on-sale, subscription, empty, error and translated examples for review.
Customer evidence structureWe use available analytics, searches on your store, common support issues and what we see when people use the store to test assumptions.
Map of limits go liveWe name the theme, Shopify plan, app, catalog, policy, country and team limits that could restrict the design.
Approval checklist controlWe agree the content, mobile, accessibility, speed and staff editing checks for your most important page designs.
Check 02 · Finding products

How customers find the right product

We organize menus, search, filters, collections and buying advice around the words customers use and the way your products really group together.

The design covers how your store looks and works for shoppers. Reorganizing your catalog, keyword research and cleaning up product data stay separate unless they are listed.

Menu structure scopeWe set out the main menu, links inside pages and footer links, with clear labels and a sensible number of choices.
Collection plan inputWe map the approved product groups, collection rules, filters, sorting choices and how products are promoted.
Search situations structureWe design search suggestions, helpful results, few results, no results, errors and ways to get back on track.
Comparing products go liveWe show price, stock, options and the facts people need to decide, in a way that's easy to compare on product cards and product pages.
Buying advice controlWe place buying guides, FAQs, policies and support content where they answer a real customer question.
Product-finding tests testWe review typical tasks where shoppers find and compare products, and pass any catalog or search problems to the right owner.
Check 03 · Theme fit

How the approved design fits Shopify

We plan templates, sections and blocks that support the customer experience and are practical for your staff to edit.

What your theme and account can do is confirmed during the build. The design never promises page-builder flexibility that Shopify doesn't support.

Page template limits scopeWe give each reusable template a clear job, based on the page's purpose and the customer's task, instead of copying a layout for every page.
Section and block plan structureWe decide which design patterns belong in sections, theme blocks, app blocks or smaller reusable pieces.
Design style rules go liveWe set the text styles, colors, spacing, layout and animation rules the developer can apply the same way everywhere.
Theme editor settings controlWe set out staff-friendly labels, sensible default settings, useful ready-made presets and a manageable number of versions.
Content that fills in automatically testWe show where suitable Shopify fields, metafields and metaobjects should fill the design, and what appears when they are empty.
Rules for each building block measureWe write down each building block's owner, purpose, editable fields, allowed versions and combinations to avoid.
Check 04 · Buying decisions

What customers need to choose and buy

We design product, collection and cart parts using your real product options, prices, stock, photos, offers and exceptions.

Your team approves product and policy facts. The design makes them easier to use, but it never makes up business information that is missing.

Product and option situations scopeWe design option choices, combinations that aren't available, price, photos, stock, quantity and the message shoppers see after adding to cart.
Proof and buying advice go liveWe place benefits, specifications, sizing, reviews, shipping, returns and FAQs where they help someone decide to buy.
Product card design controlWe make price, sale, stock, badge, color swatch and image displays accurate, easy to read and easy to compare.
Filters and sorting testWe design how filters look when chosen, unavailable or empty, and how shoppers get back on track, based on the approved product details.
Cart and offer situations measureWe show totals, cart changes, free-shipping thresholds, bundles, subscriptions, extra product suggestions and offer conflicts, without hiding the way to checkout.
How app features behave ownerWe set out what shoppers see while an app is loading, if it fails or when it's unavailable, for any buying feature an app controls.
Check 05 · Easy for everyone, and fast

Making the store easy to use, beyond good looks

We set out how pages adapt to each screen and respond to shoppers, while keeping images, video, fonts and outside features within agreed design limits.

The handover contains design requirements and review checks. It is not an accessibility certificate or a guaranteed speed score.

Page structure and keyboard checks scopeWe set out headings, page regions, clear names for buttons and links, the order focus moves in, visible focus and keyboard use for your most important buying controls.
Zoom, touch and animation checks controlWe set out how pages reflow and zoom, turning the phone sideways, tap target sizes, swipes, reduced animation settings and how the on-screen keyboard behaves.
Accessible images and video testWe mark where useful image descriptions (alt text), purely decorative images, captions, video controls and no-autoplay settings are needed.
Speed limits measureWe set targets for the build covering animations, fonts, images sized for each screen, files loaded from other sites and outside features, for each building block.
Pages and devices to test ownerWe name the sample page designs and devices the developer should test, and make clear the limits of lab tests and real-visitor data.
What must be fixed before launch startWe set out which serious accessibility, function or speed problems must be fixed before the launch is approved.
Check 06 · Content and apps

Where the content for each part of the page comes from

We connect each part of the page to approved Shopify data, and place outside app features with a clear purpose, owner, cost and backup plan.

Whether an app is available, works with your theme or changes in future depends on the app maker. We don't claim any partnership or approval.

Map of content sources scopeWe name the approved product, policy or editorial field behind each visible part of the page.
Metafield and metaobject plan testWe set out reusable facts and content, with the type of each field, which products it applies to, owners and checks on what staff can enter.
Map of app placements measureWe choose where app blocks or app embeds should go, where the chosen app supports it, and note anything that must be switched on first.
Limits for each app ownerWe review app permissions, added page weight, features that duplicate each other, reliance on the app maker, risk from updates and what happens if the app fails.
Languages and countries plan startWe plan button and label text, plus long, missing, plural or country-specific content, for the named languages and countries.
Checkout limits inputWe flag checkout or customer account requests that need supported Shopify extensions (some only available on certain plans) or a separate development decision.
Check 07 · Build handover

What your developer receives

We package approved designs for every screen size, rules for each building block, images and files, content needs, outside tasks and checks to confirm the build, ready for build planning.

The design handover supports the build. It doesn't include theme development, store setup or measuring and crediting live results, unless your proposal names them.

Safe build requirement scopeThe build and review must happen in an unpublished or development theme, using realistic store data.
Technical checklist measureWe give the developer the required theme code checks, plus tests of the most important tasks for shoppers and staff.
Tracking requirements ownerWe list the product, option, cart and checkout events that need to be set up separately and checked in a way that respects customer consent.
Approval package startWe record the approved screens, how each part behaves, images and files, content needs, open outside tasks and known limits.
Safe launch requirement inputThe build plan must keep a copy of the previous theme you can go back to, or a written way to switch off a part that causes problems.
Brief for future improvements structureWe name the shopping journey, accessibility, speed and sales signals that can guide later improvements after launch.
What changes

What changes after the Shopify design project: three stages, from your current store to a handover ready to build.

Before

Your team has a live store or early ideas, but the most important customer journeys, gaps in content and Shopify limits haven't been worked out yet.

  • Customer problems are unclearMenu, product-finding, product choice and mobile issues all compete for attention, with no agreed order of priority.
  • Inputs are incompleteProduct content, images, apps, policies and sales rules are at different stages of readiness or have no clear owner.
  • Build limits are uncertainTheme, Shopify plan, app, checkout and staff editing limits haven't been tested against the experience you want.
Approved sample designs

Decision makers can review the proposed customer journey across the agreed key page designs, devices and realistic product situations.

  • The direction is clearThe plan for menus and pages, visual rules and sample homepage, collection, product and cart designs all line up with the brief.
  • Real situations are coveredMobile layouts, long and missing content, sold-out products, errors and where apps appear are all part of the review.
  • Approval is controlledNamed reviewers decide what is accepted, what needs changes and what stays a separate building or store setup task for later.
Handover ready to build

Your developer receives the approved design, rules for each building block, images and files, content needs and the checks needed to plan the theme build.

  • Rules for every screen size are clearEach important building block includes how it behaves on each device, how it responds to shoppers, the range of content it must handle and key accessibility requirements.
  • Outside tasks have ownersTheme, apps, catalog, written content, images, checkout requests, connections to other systems and store setup are each given an owner or left out.
  • Build checks are readyThe handover names realistic data to test with, checks to confirm the build, open decisions and the approval needed before launch.
Your type of business

Shopify design for your type of business: it changes with your products, customers, risks and how you operate.

Our way of working stays the same, while the data, proof, safety checks, how long customers take to buy and what counts as a good result change with your market.

Local

Local and multi-location

Connect stock, in-store pickup, delivery, location details and service-area policies to the right store and the right customer situation.

FocusContent for each location, pickup situations, directions on mobile
MeasureHow easily shoppers find you, completed pickups, location errors
Online sales

Ecommerce and retail

Design for large catalogs, product options, promotions, stock, returns and repeat purchases, without hiding important terms.

FocusProduct-finding system, product situations, cart and offers
MeasureProducts found, errors when buying, conversion rate weighed against order quality
Software

Software companies (SaaS)

For software or digital products sold through Shopify, make plans, license terms, delivery and account access easy to understand before purchase.

FocusPlan comparison, digital delivery situations, account guidance
MeasureCompleted checkouts, problems getting started, refunds
B2B

Business-to-business (B2B) and professional services

Support business buyers with bulk order details, specifications, quote or account routes and country-specific availability, where your Shopify plan supports them.

FocusSpecification layout, business buyer situations, account and quote routes
MeasureGood-quality inquiries and orders, ordering errors, account tasks completed
Health

Healthcare and wellness

Keep ingredient, usage, warning, suitability and policy content traceable to its source, while avoiding health claims you can't back up or unsafe personalization.

FocusControlled content fields, reviewer ownership, accessible guidance
MeasureContent mistakes, common support issues, quality of purchases
Regulated

Finance, insurance and legal

For regulated products or services, keep rules for where you're licensed, approvals, required notices, consent and sensitive data in every situation each part of the page can show.

FocusLayouts for required notices, language and country controls, launch approval
MeasureCompliance mistakes, tasks completed, issues passed to support
Education

Education and training

Make course facts, access terms, schedules, entry requirements and digital or physical delivery clear, with strong accessibility.

FocusCourse content plan, comparison, accessible enrollment route
MeasureCourses found, enrollment errors, help with access
Media

Publishers and media

Support fast publishing schedules, subscriptions, editions, bundles, usage rights information and finding products through articles and other content.

FocusEditorial page designs, subscription situations, staff editing
MeasureRoutes from content to products, completed subscriptions, time staff spend on edits
Marketplaces

Marketplaces and directories

Large catalogs or catalogs supplied by many sellers need consistent product identities, product cards that are easy to compare, ways to handle exceptions and clear limits around marketplace-style apps.

FocusSystem for catalog situations, product finding, review of outside dependencies
MeasureData exceptions, how easily products are found, errors when buying
Travel

Travel and hospitality

Experience, gift and booking products need to show dates, locations, places left, how to redeem, cancellation and availability that depends on an app.

FocusAvailability situations, where policies appear, backup if an app fails
MeasureBooking errors, questions about policies, completed purchases
Industrial

Industrial and manufacturing

Show specifications, which parts work together, documents, packaging and buying limits, without squeezing complex products into generic product cards.

FocusOrganized specifications, product comparison, accessible documents
MeasureSpecification mistakes, good-quality inquiries and orders, returns
Membership

Memberships and communities

Membership and subscription offers need clear information on access, renewal, cancellation, who can join and customer account situations, across apps and checkout.

FocusSubscription option situations, account guidance, checks on apps the store relies on
MeasureCompleted subscriptions, access problems, quality of members who stay
Clear ownership

Who does what: we design the agreed experience, and your team owns the business facts and the decision to go live.

These columns show what Softscotch delivers, which outside tasks we coordinate and which products, content, accounts, costs and approvals stay with you.

We design

The agreed store experience and a handover your developer can build.

  • Review your most important shopper tasks, page designs, devices, real content situations and store limits
  • Design the approved menu and page organization, visual rules and building blocks for every screen size
  • Cover realistic home, collection, product, cart and supporting page situations named in your scope
  • Set out the proposed Shopify templates, sections, blocks, fields and where apps appear
  • Set accessibility, mobile, speed and build approval requirements the developer must meet
  • Deliver approved screens, building block rules, images and files, outside tasks and handover notes
We coordinate

The outside tasks that decide whether it all works.

  • Work with the owners of your catalog, product promotion and content plan to gather what we need
  • Work with app makers and owners of custom connections where the theme's control ends
  • Work with whoever sets up payments, tax, shipping, order fulfillment and policies in your store
  • Work with the owners of Shopify Markets, translations and content for each country
  • Work with the owners of customer follow-up, offer and subscription rules, without making up sales rules ourselves
  • Work on analytics, cookie consent, testing and how financial results are defined
You review & sign off

Your business keeps control of the facts and sales decisions.

  • Approve the priorities, the limits and the written scope of work
  • Confirm customer, product, price, stock, policy and day-to-day business facts
  • Review sensitive claims, permissions and policy decisions
  • Approve the parts of the page customers see, the apps the store relies on and the design handover
  • Confirm what counts as a good result and how money is measured
  • Keep the final say on access, outside spending, legal decisions and when the new design goes live
How it fits together

How Shopify design works: what goes in, how your theme is built, the safety checks and the follow-up.

The first row shows this service in detail. Around it, the wider system connects winning new customers, the store experience, data, day-to-day operations and reporting.

Shopify Website Design

01
Store experience check

Shopper tasks, page designs, devices, countries, the range of your content and unusual situations set the design starting point.

02
Menus and page organization

Menus, collections, search, filters, buying advice and ways to get back on track are organized around the words customers use.

03
Online Store 2.0 theme structure

JSON templates, section groups, sections, theme blocks and snippets (Shopify's current theme building pieces) create a reusable system your staff can edit.

04
Product and collection pages

Product, option, product card, filter, promotion, cart and offer parts cover real situations on every device.

05
Accessibility and speed

Checks on page structure and controls, plus limits for each building block, protect ease of use, loading speed, response to taps and layout stability.

06
Content and apps

Metafields, metaobjects, content that fills in automatically, app blocks and app embeds each have set fields, placements, owners and backups.

07
Launch and measuring results

Development themes, version tracking, checks, tracking tests, change notes, approval and a way to roll back keep the launch under control.

08
Shopify Store Setup

Products, collections, Shopify Markets, payments, tax, shipping, apps and setting up the store for launch are quoted separately.

09
Shopify SEO & CRO

Search demand, technical SEO, ongoing work to help shoppers find you and controlled tests to turn more visitors into buyers stay a separate area of work.

The connected growth engine

Catalog and product promotion

Supplies product groups, fields, stock, prices, promotions and decisions on which system holds the true facts used by each part of the page.

Development

Owns custom apps, back-end systems, API connections (secure links between software) and headless builds (a custom front end separate from Shopify's theme) beyond the written theme scope.

Payments and order fulfillment

Confirms checkout, tax, shipping, pickup, delivery, returns and the day-to-day facts shown to customers.

Product data files and marketplaces

Keeps product and offer facts matching when parts of your store depend on connected sales channels, such as Google Shopping or marketplaces.

Customer follow-up marketing

Sets the rules for consent, collecting contact details, subscriptions, loyalty, offers and after-purchase messages used in the store.

Analytics and finance

Sets the allowed tracking events, source totals, margin, returns and the limits of the evidence for the report after launch.

One connected scope. Shopify Website Design is coordinated with the strategy, creative, experience, data and reporting it depends on, so responsibilities and handoffs stay visible in one written plan.

What to expect

How long Shopify design takes: a step-by-step design cycle with clear sign-off points.

Research and choosing a design direction usually take one to two weeks, followed by two to four weeks for the sample page designs and a handover a developer can build from. How ready your content is, how complex your catalog is, your apps, the countries you sell to, the number of revision rounds and how fast you approve can all make this take longer. These are planning estimates, not promised dates.

Shopify website design: from research to handover

Days 1–3

Access and design brief

We confirm your customers, products, goals, what your current store shows, your theme and apps, countries, content, owners, review rounds and approval rules.

KPI Brief agreed
Days 3–7

Shopping journey and store review

We review your most important buying paths, menus, product finding, sample products, real situations, mobile problems and Shopify limits.

KPI Priorities ranked
Weeks 1–2

Design direction and structure

We present the menu and page plan, the design direction, the approach for key building blocks and content needs for your review.

KPI Direction approved
Weeks 2–4

Sample page designs

We design the agreed homepage, collection, product, cart and supporting page situations for desktop and mobile, using approved content.

KPI Designs reviewed
Weeks 3–5

Changes and requirements

We make the included rounds of changes, then write down the accessibility, speed, app, content and Shopify build requirements for your developer.

KPI Design approved
Weeks 4–6

Handover ready to build

We deliver approved screens, designs for every screen size, building block rules, images and files, content needs, open outside tasks and checks to confirm the build.

KPI Handover delivered

Our full growth plan (all services together), month by month

Month 1

Setup and first launch

Agree priorities, fix the biggest problems and launch the first approved work once we have access, content, budget and your sign-off.

KPI First work live
Month 2

Build and improve

Use the first report to improve the live work and build the next agreed materials, campaigns, pages or follow-up steps.

KPI Improvements live
Month 3

Do more of what works

Do more of the messages, audiences, pages or channels that the results show are working, while keeping budgets and quality checks within the limits we agreed.

KPI What works, expanded
Month 4

Strengthen results

Fix weak handovers between teams, gaps in tracking and anything slowing delivery, then test the next priorities against measures that matter to your business, such as lead quality and sales.

KPI Blockers removed
Month 5

Turn more visitors into customers

Improve the offer, message, page and follow-up steps wherever the results show people getting stuck or leads that aren't a good fit.

KPI Improvements to win more customers live
Month 6

Plan the next round

Review what changed, what the results really show, what should stop and which work deserves budget and attention in the next period.

KPI Next round agreed
How we compare

How our Shopify website design compares: much more than a set of pretty screens.

The difference is a written link between what customers need to do, accurate product facts, the building blocks of your theme, what staff can edit, proof that the build works and the next business decision.

The risk of using a different agency for everything
  • Approves perfect desktop screens before checking real product and error situations
  • Draws one-off page designs and sections with no clear rules for reuse
  • Hard-codes repeated content into theme settings or Liquid (Shopify's theme code)
  • Adds apps without deciding where they go, their speed cost, their owner or when to remove them
  • Calls a few phone-sized screenshots a mobile and accessibility review
  • Treats a lab speed score as a guarantee of how fast the store is for real shoppers
  • Promises checkout changes before checking what your Shopify plan and extensions allow
  • Leaves launch checks, tracking and roll-back decisions until the build has already started
  • Hands over screens with no content rules and no requirements for staff editing
  • Gives the redesign credit for any change after launch
vs
Softscotch
  • Starts by recording shopper tasks, page designs, devices, the range of your content and limits
  • Designs normal, long, missing, sold-out, translated and failed situations
  • Uses JSON templates, sections, blocks, metafields and metaobjects on purpose
  • Gives every app a purpose, placement, speed limit, backup and owner
  • Combines hands-on checks of controls and accessibility with automated test results
  • Reads lab and available real-shopper speed data with its limits made clear
  • Matches checkout and account requests to features Shopify supports on your plan
  • Gives developers launch, technical check, approval and roll-back requirements
  • Writes down staff editing needs and rules for using each building block
  • Keeps apart a finished design, build quality, changes seen afterward and real proof of cause
The numbers

Results from Softscotch client work.

These totals come from work for Softscotch clients across search, paid ads, websites and lead generation, as published on softscotch.com. Past results don't guarantee future results.

$12M+Ad spend managed for clients
87,200+Leads generated for clients
2,140+Search terms ranked on Google's first page
$28M+Revenue generated for clients
Client case studies

All six Softscotch client stories.

Every Quick Story currently published on Softscotch.com, covering education, ecommerce, healthcare and SaaS. Stock photography represents each client industry; the figures are reported historical results and do not guarantee future performance.

Education consultant speaking with a prospective student Education Ads + local SEO
+183%leads

183% more leads for an education consultancy

WordPressQuora adsLocal SEO
The challenge

An education consulting business in India needed to build its digital presence and lead flow from scratch.

What changed
  • Built a new WordPress website
  • Used Quora ads to grow daily lead volume
  • Added Local SEO and community engagement
+183% leads25+ leads/day-38% bounce rate+273% new users
Bright modern home interior representing the home-solutions client Home solutions Shopify + SEO
+82%Shopify sales

Home-solutions ecommerce growth

ShopifyOrganic searchAmazon ads
The challenge

A home-solutions business was dependent on business-to-business (B2B) marketplaces, losing sales and recovering from a Google penalty.

What changed
  • Resolved the Google penalty
  • Revamped the website and online store
  • Improved organic visibility and Amazon campaign performance
+82% Shopify sales+147% organic+23% Amazon ROAS
Mother and baby representing the lactation-consultant client Health consultant $20/day
5/daybooked calls

Five booked calls a day for a health consultant

Facebook adsGoogle AdsLocal SEO
The challenge

A Houston lactation consultant needed to recover a malware-damaged website and rebuild local patient acquisition.

What changed
  • Rebuilt the hacked site and migrated it to secure hosting
  • Ran targeted Facebook and Google campaigns
  • Reached top-three local Google positions
5 calls/day$20 daily spend+87% local traffic+34% new users
Ecommerce owner preparing customer orders beside a laptop Ecommerce 10 months
+315%organic traffic

315% organic growth for an ecommerce site

Content strategyOn-page SEO
The result

Softscotch reports a 315% increase in ecommerce organic traffic over 10 months through focused on-page SEO.

What changed
  • Optimized product and collection pages
  • Improved the links between pages and the page addresses (URLs)
  • Made the site easier for Google to explore and better matched to what people search for
+315% organic10 monthsProductsCollections
SaaS team reviewing campaign data around a laptop SaaS platform Cold outreach
16%reply rate

9% close rate for a transcription SaaS

ProspectingSMTP
The challenge

A transcription platform needed a qualified prospect list and a reliable email-sending setup for outreach we managed.

What changed
  • Built a comprehensive prospecting list
  • Managed the cold outreach campaigns
  • Set up reliable email-sending servers (SMTP)
9% close rate16% reply rateSaaSManaged outreach
Healthcare professional consulting with a patient Healthcare 6 months
+182%organic traffic

182% organic growth for a healthcare clinic

HealthcareOn-page SEOOff-page SEO
The challenge

A clinic in a competitive location needed to build organic search visibility from the ground up.

What changed
  • Built the clinic's foundation for unpaid (organic) Google search
  • Combined on-page and off-page SEO
  • Reached top-five positions in Google Search
+182% organic6 monthsTop 5 Google
01 / 06
In their words

Teams that stopped leaving clicks on the table.

★★★★★

"The Softscotch team has been a solid partner as our business evolved over the last five years. Unlike most agencies, they have never charged us for work that falls outside the agreement. That is what sets them apart."

IM
Imtiyaz MominHairareus
★★★★★

"Without their knowledge, we would be in a very different place than we are now. Whenever they find something that can be improved, they implement it quickly. I could not be happier with their performance and response time."

AP
Aaron PaulsonBaby Pavilion
★★★★★

"Softscotch goes above and beyond the scope. The time, effort and dedication they put in is like having your own in-house marketing team. They are not just another marketing company."

TM
Tabassum MithaniTRS Care
★★★★★

"We are extremely happy with Softscotch, such an attentive team. No project is too small, and they give their 100%. We are extremely satisfied with their work."

SH
Safiya HafiziSimply Lactation
★★★★★

"Softscotch is a great team to work with: transparent, reliable and genuinely invested in the growth of your company. They are good partners to have by your side."

MJ
Malvika JainCyclop
★★★★★

"The Softscotch team has been a solid partner as our business evolved over the last five years. Unlike most agencies, they have never charged us for work that falls outside the agreement. That is what sets them apart."

IM
Imtiyaz MominHairareus
★★★★★

"Without their knowledge, we would be in a very different place than we are now. Whenever they find something that can be improved, they implement it quickly. I could not be happier with their performance and response time."

AP
Aaron PaulsonBaby Pavilion
★★★★★

"Softscotch goes above and beyond the scope. The time, effort and dedication they put in is like having your own in-house marketing team. They are not just another marketing company."

TM
Tabassum MithaniTRS Care
★★★★★

"We are extremely happy with Softscotch, such an attentive team. No project is too small, and they give their 100%. We are extremely satisfied with their work."

SH
Safiya HafiziSimply Lactation
No black box

You'll always know exactly what we changed.

Plenty of agencies go quiet after the audit and you never quite know what you're paying for. We do the opposite. You get a live view of every change and what it moved, in plain language you can act on.

Your delivery, at a glanceSample
Changes shipped12
Pages reviewed28
StartMidpointNow
Delivery activity✓ Up to date
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Live client dashboard

Every change, score and ranking in one place you can open any time, not a monthly PDF you wait around for.

This week, explainedSample
✓Titles updated
Ready for your review
SSSoftscotch weekly update
0:00
2:00
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Weekly video summary

A short screen-recorded video (Loom) each week walking you through exactly what shipped and what it moved, so nothing is a mystery.

The change is clearSample

Before

Titles30 / 100
Structure42 / 100
Content28 / 100

After

Titles84 / 100
Structure79 / 100
Content90 / 100
Same page. Reviewed changes.
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Before/after score per page

See the exact lift on every page we touch, not a vague "it's improving" you have to take on faith.

Your weekly reportSample
01
What shipped

Approved page updates are live.

02
What we learned

Product details need a review.

03
What happens next

Confirm the next priority pages.

HTML mockupExplore mockup ↗

Plain-English reporting

Clicks, rankings and revenue, explained in words you can act on, instead of a wall of charts about how often you were seen (impression charts.

Your data. Your view.Sample
Organic search
StartMidpointNow
Sample report preview↗
HTML mockupExplore mockup ↗

Reports on demand

Ask for any cut of the data whenever you need it and get it, no waiting for the end of the month.

Every step, visibleSample
  1. ✓
    Proposed

    Softscotch prepares the change.

  2. ✓
    Approved

    Your team gives the go-ahead.

  3. ✓
    Published

    Checked live and recorded.

HTML mockupExplore mockup ↗

Ethical, transparent, always on

One accountable team, strictly white-hat (only methods search engines and platforms allow), no shortcuts and no surprises. Support whenever you need it.

One plan, full-stack access

One Softscotch plan gives you access to the full service stack, coordinated around your priorities.

You do not need a separate agency or retainer for every channel. Your plan can draw from search, paid media, web, ecommerce, outreach, automation, lead generation, messaging, content, creative and operations. The agreed scope sets what is active, in what order and at what capacity.

Pricing approach

One price for everything, not a stack of separate retainers.

You get one price for your whole marketing, not a separate retainer for every service. SEO, paid ads, your website, automations, cold email and newsletters, we run all of it as a single scope, so you get the most result for what you pay. Agencies sell each of these on its own, so the invoice climbs whether or not that line drives a single lead.

Bought separately, service by service

A different agency or retainer for each service. The bill stacks up fast, and keeps climbing whether or not each one moves a single lead.

SEO (technical, on-page, content)$2,000–3,500/mo
Local SEO+$750–1,500/mo
Programmatic SEO+$1,000–2,500/mo
CRO & landing pages+$2,000–3,500/mo
Paid ads (Google & Meta)+$2,500–4,000/mo
Marketing automations+$1,500–3,000/mo
Cold email outreach+$1,500–2,500/mo
Email marketing & newsletters+$750–1,500/mo
Website management & care+$750–1,500/mo
WordPress build & setup+$2,500–6,000 once
10 separate services$12,750–23,500/mo

Plus the one-off build, and a fresh contract, kickoff and onboarding delay for every new service you add.

All of it, one scope

We run your whole marketing as one engagement, so you get the most result for what you pay, not a pile of disconnected invoices.

  • SEO: technical, on-page, content, local and AI search
  • Template-built pages (programmatic SEO), links from other websites (backlinks) and authority
  • CRO and landing pages
  • Paid ads across Google and Meta
  • Automations, cold email and newsletters
  • WordPress build, setup and ongoing care
  • One team, one roadmap and one point of contact
  • Reporting tied to qualified leads and revenue
Everything above. One flat monthly fee.A fraction of the cost of the stack on the left
Plus free access to our own platforms
Post InstantlyVerified WidgetsTrending FunnelsBrands for CreatorsDarnItSEOGoHighLevel

Priced to your site after the audit. No sticker price, and no per-service creep.

What shapes your quote
Site sizePage count, templates and how much of the site actually needs work.
Market competitionHow hard the terms you want to win are, and who you are up against.
Content needsHow much new writing, rewriting and production the plan calls for.
Build complexityYour website platform (CMS, the system you edit your site in), your other tools and how involved the changes are to make.
Final pricing comes after the audit, once we have seen the four things above on your actual site. You get a written scope and a fixed quote before any work begins: no lock-in, no surprise line items, and no upfront number that ignores your market.
Request a custom scope
Questions, answered

Shopify website design FAQs: what to confirm before you hire anyone.

These answers cover what you receive, theme and app limits, accessibility, speed, checkout, timing, outside costs, building the design and who owns what.

Filter
What is included in Shopify website design?

The written scope can include a review of your current store and shopping journeys, a plan for menus and page organization, a design direction, rules for how building blocks adapt to each screen size, sample homepage, collection, product and cart page designs, real content situations, accessibility and speed requirements, where apps appear and a handover for your developer. The exact page designs, devices, countries, review rounds and deliverables are listed before work begins.

Can you redesign an existing Shopify theme?

Yes. We first look at your current store experience, theme, apps, custom code, how your staff work in the store and evidence on speed. The design can work within a suitable existing theme or set a new direction, but buying a theme, developing it and launching it are separate unless they are listed.

Does this include building a custom theme?

Not by default. This service creates the agreed store experience and a design plan your developer can build from. Customizing your existing theme or building a custom theme can be quoted separately, once we understand the theme's quality, how well your apps work with it, what your staff need to edit, your budget and the total cost.

How do you handle Shopify apps in the redesign?

For each named app, we review what it does for customers, where it should go, how it fits visually, the risk of slowing pages down, its owner and the backup if it fails. Whether it truly works with your theme, how it's styled and how it's set up depend on the app blocks, embeds or API connections the app supports, and must be checked in your actual store. App fees and changes the app maker makes stay outside our control.

Does the design include accessibility requirements?

Yes, to the level stated in your proposal. We consider page structure, keyboard and focus behavior, zoom, contrast, animation, images and video, tap target sizes and how buying controls update. The handover supports the later build and testing. It is not a legal review, a certificate or a guarantee that the store meets every accessibility law everywhere.

Will the new design make the store faster?

The design can cut unnecessary page weight by setting practical rules for images and video, fonts, animations and apps. But real speed depends on the final theme code, your content, apps, traffic and shoppers' devices. We don't guarantee a speed score or a Core Web Vitals result (Google's page speed and stability measures).

Can you use Shopify metafields and metaobjects in the design?

Yes. Where information repeats or changes by product, collection or country, the design can set out Shopify metafields or metaobjects (custom fields for extra information) and where they should automatically fill the page. Creating the fields, filling in the data, moving content and connecting fields to the design are only included when your proposal says so.

Can you redesign Shopify checkout and customer accounts?

We can design checkout branding and extension ideas that Shopify supports, but only after your plan, account and technology are confirmed, because some checkout changes are only available on certain Shopify plans. Building checkout and customer account changes is separate, and changes Shopify doesn't support are not offered. Shopify can change which features and plans are available at any time.

Can the theme support multiple languages and Shopify Markets?

Yes, when it's named in your scope. We can design for long and missing translations, local button and label text and store situations specific to each country. Producing translations, setting up Shopify Markets (Shopify's tool for selling in different countries) and legal accuracy stay with their named owners unless they are listed.

Should we move Shopify to a headless storefront?

Not by default. A headless storefront (a custom-built front end that runs separately from Shopify's themes) should only be used for a clear, written need that a standard Shopify theme can't meet well. It adds extra development, hosting, preview, analytics, SEO and day-to-day running work, and it doesn't guarantee a faster store or more sales.

What do you design first?

We start with the customer journey and the sample page design that best brings out your key business, content and Shopify decisions. After that, the order follows the effect on customers, what depends on what, accessibility or speed risk and the approvals needed for the remaining page designs.

Do you build the approved design?

Only when theme development is listed in your proposal. The standard handover gives your developer the approved screens, how pages adapt to each screen size, rules for building blocks and content, images and files, outside tasks and checks to confirm the build. Store setup, catalog work, connections to other systems and custom apps are separate services.

How do you measure Shopify design success?

During the design stage, success means the agreed customer journeys, sample page designs, realistic situations, screen size rules and build requirements have been reviewed and approved. After a separate build and launch, shopping experience and sales signals can be compared, but normal before-and-after changes don't prove the design caused the difference.

Can you guarantee more sales, a higher conversion rate or a speed result?

No. Customer behavior, traffic, products, prices, content, apps, how well the design is built, Shopify itself and later changes are all outside what the design work controls. We commit to the agreed design work, review process and handover, then state clearly what was delivered and what still depends on the build and launch.

How long does the first round of work take?

Research and choosing a design direction usually take one to two weeks. Sample page designs and the handover usually need another two to four weeks. The number of page designs, how ready your content is, how complex your catalog is, apps, countries, review rounds and how fast you approve can all make this take longer. Your proposal gives the actual schedule.

How is Shopify website design priced?

Pricing depends on how deep the research goes, how many page designs and building blocks are needed, how ready your content is, which devices and countries are covered, limits from your apps, how detailed the clickable prototype is, the accessibility review, the number of revision rounds and what the handover must include. Theme licenses, apps, written content, photos and video, store setup, development, connections to other systems and specialist reviews are separate unless they are listed.

Is there a long-term contract?

Your signed proposal or agreement states how long the work lasts, the notice period, renewal, payment and how either side can end it. Please don't assume any business terms from this page alone.

What do we receive at handover?

The exact package follows your proposal. It can include the approved shopping journey and menu and page plan, sample desktop and mobile screens, a list of building blocks and page designs, rules for how things behave and for content, app decisions, accessibility and speed requirements, links to images and files, open outside tasks and a checklist to approve the build.

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