In the dynamic world of e-commerce, Shopify stands out as one of the most powerful platforms for launching and managing your store. However, to get the most out of this solution, it's crucial to collaborate with a skilled and experienced Shopify expert . With a multitude of professionals on the market, finding the right partner can quickly become a challenge. That's why we've created this comprehensive guide to help you navigate this process. From assessing technical skills to understanding your business vision, we'll offer practical advice and strategies to identify the expert who will propel your store to new heights. Get ready to achieve your entrepreneurial dreams with the expertise of a Shopify expert!
Why hire a Shopify expert?
Hiring a Shopify expert means entrusting the creation of a high-performing store to a professional capable of optimizing every detail for SEO and conversion, while freeing you from technical constraints so that you can fully concentrate on your business.
Hiring a Shopify expert gives you the assurance that your store will be set up correctly from the start. From theme selection to feature customization, every detail counts in delivering a smooth and engaging user experience. Shopify experts have in-depth knowledge of best practices in design, navigation, and functionality, ensuring your site is both visually appealing and performs well.
Furthermore, a Shopify expert can help you integrate third-party apps and payment solutions , improving your store's efficiency and customer satisfaction. They can also provide ongoing support, helping you resolve technical issues and adapt your site to new market trends. In short, a Shopify expert is a strategic investment to maximize your online sales potential and ensure your business grows.
Criteria for selecting a Shopify expert
Your Shopify project priorities
Define your priorities, because your budget is certainly not unlimited and not all experts have the same skills: what is most important to you? A flawless customer journey? Ultra-optimized mobile navigation? Minimal loading time (performance)? Perfect SEO markup? A complex migration from Prestashop, WooCommerce, or BigCommerce? 100% custom development? A specific and distinctive brand design? Special features? The implementation of a sophisticated email marketing strategy? The most affordable online store possible?
Examples of Shopify stores
Study the examples of completed Shopify online stores: does the expert have examples of stores in your sector? If so, do they seem aligned with your expectations and priorities? The examples should also give you an initial idea of the budget to expect: if they are particularly aesthetically pleasing and customized stores with advanced features (bundles, subscriptions, diagnostics, huge catalogs, etc.), you should obviously expect a significant budget. If it's simply a template design with basic pages, it will likely be the opposite.
Shopify Certifications
Check the professional's qualifications and certifications. Shopify offers official certifications for experts, ensuring they have undergone rigorous training and possess the necessary skills to optimize your store.
Customer reviews
Check online reviews, testimonials from previous clients, and case studies to assess their success on past projects. A Shopify expert with strong recommendations and a solid portfolio is more likely to deliver quality results. Don't hesitate to ask for references and contact some of their past clients directly to get honest feedback on their experience.
KPIs and numerical projections
Verify the expert's compatibility with your vision and business objectives. What are your ambitions for the coming months? Have you defined the expected increases for each KPI?
The different types of Shopify experts
Shopify developers
As mentioned earlier, there are several types of Shopify experts, each with specializations that can address different aspects of your online store. Shopify developers specialize in creating and customizing websites. They are proficient in programming languages such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Liquid, Shopify's template language. They can create custom features, integrate third-party applications, and optimize your site's performance.
Shopify designers
Shopify designers, on the other hand, focus on the aesthetics and user experience of your store. They have an eye for graphic design and can create attractive and intuitive interfaces. A good Shopify designer can transform a standard theme into a unique store that reflects your brand identity . They are essential for attracting and retaining customers through effective visual presentation.
CRO / e-commerce strategy experts
They transform existing traffic into sales by leveraging data and experimentation. They analyze the customer journey (product pages, shopping cart, checkout), prioritize the pain points that cost the most revenue, and conduct A/B tests to validate each improvement. Their approach combines merchandising, offers (bundles, targeted discounts, upsells), social proof, and perceived value optimization. They guide their decisions using clear KPIs: conversion rate, average order value, purchase frequency, and margin, while ensuring alignment with customer acquisition costs.
UX and mobile first experts
They design interfaces that reduce cognitive effort and streamline navigation, starting with mobile devices where the majority of traffic occurs. They structure a clear architecture, useful filters, readable product pages, and always-visible CTAs, paying particular attention to perceived speed and readability. They work with mockups and prototypes tested with users. Their obsession: minimizing steps, maximizing clarity, and making the purchase process intuitive. The result: fewer abandoned carts, more items added to the cart, and a seamless journey from the first scroll to checkout.
SEO experts on Shopify
SEO experts master the technical-semantic-popularity triad applied to Shopify. They clean up the foundation (markup, internal linking, performance, variant/collection management, clean redirects), build a content strategy aligned with search intent, and secure migrations to preserve historical data. They optimize page templates (collections, products, blogs) with clear schemas, structured data, and internal linking that promotes high-value pages. Their performance is driven by rankings, qualified traffic, and organic revenue, not just impressions. The goal: to create a sustainable SEO asset that reduces reliance on ads.
Ads experts (Meta, TikTok, etc.)
They orchestrate paid acquisition by combining creativity, targeting, and incremental measurement. They design platform-native creatives (UGC, short hooks, catalog formats), segment audiences by maturity level, and synchronize the Shopify product feed in real time. Their method relies on learning loops: message testing, iteration on creatives that hook, and dynamic budget allocation based on MER/ROAS and opportunity costs. They align their campaigns with the sales calendar, inventory, and margins to buy profitable revenue rather than just clicks. The result is measured by both cost per add-to-cart and per order, as well as customer lifetime value.
Email marketing experts (Klaviyo, Sendinblue, Omnisend, etc.)
Email marketing experts transform attention into retention through automated flows and precise segmentation. They build essential sequences: welcome, abandoned cart, post-purchase, reactivation, as well as content campaigns that deliver value, not just promotions. They leverage Shopify events (product views, categories, AOV, purchase frequency) to personalize content, recommendations, and sending timing. Their guiding principles: deliverability, open/click rates, revenue per recipient, and the share of revenue generated by email without cannibalizing profit margins. The goal: to increase LTV and smooth revenue between acquisition peaks.
Where can I find Shopify experts?
Finding qualified Shopify experts may seem daunting, but there are several resources to help you in this quest.
Freelance platforms like Malt are excellent places to find Shopify experts. These sites allow you to view freelancer profiles, their experience, ratings, and rates. You can post a job detailing your needs and receive proposals from various experts, making it easy to compare and select the right one.
Professional social networks like LinkedIn are another valuable resource. By using relevant groups and hashtags, you can connect with Shopify experts and view their recommendations and portfolios. Additionally, online forums and communities dedicated to e-commerce and Shopify can provide recommendations based on real-world experiences and discussions with other entrepreneurs.
Evaluate the skills of a Shopify expert
Interviews are an essential step in assessing the expert's suitability for your needs. Prepare a list of relevant questions that cover their technical skills, experience, and work approach. For example, ask them how they would address a specific problem you've encountered, or how they optimize the performance of a Shopify site. This will give you insight into their expertise and problem-solving abilities.
Finally, it's important to test their practical skills. You can start by asking them to complete a small task or a test project, such as configuring a specific feature on your store. This will allow you to see their work method, speed, and accuracy.
Also, some Shopify experts write e-commerce blog articles and this is obviously a good way to judge their skills.
Mistakes to avoid when choosing a Shopify expert
When choosing your Shopify expert, there are certain points to consider to avoid working with the wrong person. The first mistake is focusing solely on cost. While budget is an important factor, choosing the cheapest expert can sometimes lead to mediocre results. It's essential to find a balance between quality and cost by evaluating the added value the expert brings to your project.
Furthermore, you must pay close attention to communication with your partner. Collaborating with a Shopify expert requires fluid, clear, and regular communication. Ensure that the expert is available, responsive, and able to understand your needs. Communication problems can lead to misunderstandings, delays, and frustrations. You need to feel that your project is their priority, and that it's not just another project they're working on simultaneously, which risks falling behind schedule and being rushed.
Some experts are very good at hiding past negative experiences with their clients. Do some research, and not just on their website or the platform where you found them: Google and ChatGPT might help you find important information. We already mentioned this earlier, but we'll repeat it here because it's extremely important: contact former clients!
Pricing and budget for a Shopify expert
The cost of hiring a Shopify expert can vary considerably depending on several factors, such as experience, location, and project complexity. Understanding these variations is important for creating a realistic budget tailored to your needs. Shopify experts may charge by the hour, day, or project.
Let's be specific:
- A senior Shopify expert who wears many hats will charge you between €600 and €1000 per day.
- An intermediate profile with a few years of experience, relatively versatile, will charge you between €400 and €600 per day.
- A junior profile with little experience will charge you €150 to €400 per day.
Contact a Shopify expert
If you would like to hire a Shopify expert, please write to us and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Shopify Expert FAQ
How can I choose the right Shopify consultant?
Clarity of priorities, relevant industry references, methodology (audit → roadmap → execution), tracked indicators, and actual availability. Ask for an action plan and quantifiable results, not just a portfolio.
What should be included in the quote sent by the Shopify expert?
Objectives, detailed scope, dated deliverables, assumptions, limits, schedule, price per batch, payment terms, and conditions (maintenance, warranties, code ownership).
Shopify expert: what KPIs does he base his work on?
Conversion rate, average basket size, purchase frequency/LTV, velocity (LCP), share of revenue from email/SEO/Ads, ROAS/MER, cart abandonment rate, and availability/tracking errors.
How long does a project completed by a Shopify expert take?
2 to 6 weeks for a lean implementation on a specific theme. 6 to 12 weeks for a custom project or a complex migration (catalog, integrations, SEO).
How does this differ from a Shopify agency?
The consultant is more direct, flexible, and operationally involved. The agency provides a multidisciplinary team and capacity—often more expensive, but suited to large projects.
