Becoming a Shopify developer could be one of the most profitable careers for a tech-savvy individual. Comparing Shopify’s 27% market share to WooCommerce’s 24%, Shopify is one of the largest e-commerce platforms globally.
Shopify is a platform that facilitates online sales by providing a multitude of useful integrated tools for website construction. Without knowing any code, businesses may use pre-designed themes and templates to create their dream store.
Given how simple it is to work with Shopify, one may question why the field of Shopify development is so profitable.
In a nutshell, versatility is one of Shopify’s main advantages. Even if there isn’t much coding required to create a website, you can add custom designs, apps, integrations, and tools to make a website more creative and distinctive. Business executives can design the ideal store atmosphere for their target audience by collaborating with a Shopify developer.
Who is a Shopify Developer?
A Shopify developer can take many different forms, ranging from becoming a Shopify agency lead team member to freelance professionals who provide their skills in app and theme design on an as-needed basis. These web developers may extend their experience across a variety of contexts, or they may focus solely on Shopify web development.
Shopify developers are quick learners who have a deep understanding of the essential components of the Shopify ecosystem. The majority of experts will feel comfortable dealing with:
- Data protection tools and SSL certificates are examples of security solutions.
- App connections to workflow, marketing, and sales services provided by third parties.
- Tools for analytics and reporting that offer teams personalized insights.
- Themes and templates created especially for payment gateways and Shopify checkout processes.
- Navigation and inventory management tools.
You must study every aspect of frontend development, web design, and user interface design to become a proficient Shopify developer. Additionally, you might require some prior experience creating themes and templates.
What Does Professional Shopify Developers Do?
Modern bespoke Shopify stores are created in close collaboration with businesses by Shopify developers. While it is feasible to create a Shopify store without a developer, working with professionals such as a Shopify agency usually enables businesses to achieve much more.
A Shopify developer will do the following tasks:
- Engage in in-depth work with organizations to comprehend their unique UX and UI requirements, target market, and potential website design enhancements that could increase conversions.
- To increase a website’s functionality and profitability, develop, create, and integrate Shopify apps into already-existing storefronts.
- To showcase a company’s distinct branding, customize and create themes or templates specifically designed for Shopify stores.
- To make sure the website keeps functioning properly, carry out a variety of short- and long-term site audit duties and maintenance.
- Use checkout features, payment gateways, and other special tools to make sure that transactions are easy to understand and uncomplicated.
- Assist clients in comprehending and utilizing the many features of the Shopify e-commerce platform by including distinctive user interface and user experience components.
- To maximize the performance of the store, make sure that marketing tools, Shopify apps, and platform APIs all work together seamlessly.
How to Become a Shopify Developer
Having the appropriate education can pave the way for success whether you want to work as a freelancer or build agency websites on Shopify. Basic familiarity with a variety of frontend and backend development technologies, such as Liquid, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, is required. Additionally, you’ll need to be well-versed in the functionality of the Shopify platform. This also lets you scale up your career and become a part of a professional and industry-known Shopify agency.
Step 1: Decide what your development focus is
Selecting your Shopify workflow is the first step towards becoming a Shopify developer. Would you rather work on creating entire Shopify websites from the ground up? If so, you will want a solid understanding of Shopify in addition to some basic HTML and CSS skills.
As an alternative, you may concentrate on two particular Shopify design components:
1. Theme development
You must be proficient in HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, and the markup language (Liquid) to be successful as a Shopify theme developer. A Shopify Partner account (for testing themes) and a rudimentary understanding of the Command Line are also necessary for Shopify theme development.
2. Shopify App Development
You can use almost any programming language, such as PHP, Node JS, or Ruby and Python, to focus on developing Shopify apps. You should have a solid grasp of JavaScript and React in addition to a foundational understanding of CSS3 or HTML5. In addition, app developers require a Shopify Partner account and solid understanding of the GraphQL API environment.
Step 2: Develop the right developer qualities in yourself
Any type of developer needs specific attributes to succeed, especially in the cutthroat world of freelancing these days. For example, being a good communicator who can communicate with consumers and establish a solid understanding of their unique demands is necessary to work as a Shopify developer.
Additionally, you’ll need to have a solid grasp of the e-commerce industry and the priorities of your target audience. Customers will find you more reliable if you can demonstrate your understanding of e-commerce. Other traits to cultivate are as follows:
- Problem-solving abilities: Just like any other setting, Shopify occasionally has problems that need to be resolved. Researching problems and coming up with solutions fast is essential.
- Collaboration abilities: To build the ideal solution for your client, you might have to collaborate with different specialists and designers as a developer.
- Resilience abilities: This is particularly the most important thing – if you’re planning to scale your career in freelancing, as you might not always find work as easily as you’d like. Or, compared to working with an established Shopify agency.
Step 3: Explore Shopify developer resources
As a Shopify developer, your chances of success increase with the number of resources available to you. The good news is that there are many excellent solutions available because Shopify is such a well-liked tool for creating e-commerce websites.
Start by visiting the Shopify website, where you can find a ton of articles, blogs, and instructions to assist you learn about the many aspects of the technology. For a comprehensive collection of easily available tools created by outside businesses, you can also Google “Shopify Guides.”
Other useful resources include:
- Shopify Community Groups: You may learn a lot from other developers and stay informed about Shopify developments by participating in social media groups like the Shopify Entrepreneurs Facebook group. Here, you might be able to locate some freelance clients.
- Shopify Partner Academy: This resource, offered by Shopify, gives users access to a variety of opportunities to hone their talents in areas such as theme and app development.
- Learning Resources: For Shopify partners and developers looking to take advantage of new online opportunities, webinars, and online courses can be quite helpful. Check out some of Skillshare’s courses, such as Shopify Essentials for Web Developers.
- Liquid Cheat Sheet: As a Shopify developer, you’ll need to be conversant with Shopify’s Liquid scripting language. Online resources such as cheat sheets and coding examples can be quite beneficial when you’re first starting.
- Shopify Channels: If you’re looking for advice on how to take full advantage of the newest features or tools offered by Shopify, check out the official Shopify channels on Twitch and YouTube.
- Theme Kit for Shopify: This is a straightforward command-line utility that updates your store with fresh Shopify themes whenever you make changes at the local level.
Final Verdict – Become a Shopify Developer
The next stage is to apply for the appropriate roles when you’ve learned more about Shopify, decided which path you want to take for your company, and confirmed that you have access to all the necessary resources. Applying to be a developer on a reputable Shopify agency is the best course of action in this case.
