How to Choose a Shopify Agency: 12 Questions Worth Asking

Finding someone to build your Shopify website is easy enough. Finding someone you’d happily trust with a sizeable chunk of your marketing budget? Slightly trickier.

Especially when every agency seems to offer beautiful design, exceptional service and ecommerce expertise.

You’d almost think they’d all copied each other’s homework.

But behind the impressive portfolios and convincing pitches, there can be some pretty big differences in experience, technical ability and how agencies approach your business.

And those differences tend to become rather important once the project gets going.

So we’ve rounded up 12 questions worth asking before choosing a Shopify agency, including a few warning signs we’d suggest keeping an eye on.

What should you look for in a Shopify agency?

A good Shopify agency should know its way around ecommerce. We’re talking design, development, SEO and all the technical bits that make an online store tick.

But we’d be looking for something beyond an impressive portfolio.

Someone who actually understands your business. Who your customers are, why they buy from you and what’s currently getting in their way.

Because there’s no point having an award-worthy homepage if people can’t work out how on earth to buy anything.

12 questions to ask before hiring a Shopify agency:

1. What Shopify experience and credentials do you have?

Shopify might be one of the biggest names in ecommerce, but that doesn’t mean every agency offering it knows the platform inside out.

Find out how much experience they have, what kinds of stores they’ve built and whether they hold official Shopify Partner credentials. Shopify’s Partner Directory is another useful place to do a little digging.

And while credentials can offer reassurance, don’t let them distract you from the important stuff.

Can this agency actually solve the problems your business has?

2. Can you show us ecommerce websites you’ve actually built?

Every Shopify agency will have a few beautiful websites to show you.

And while we’re all for admiring a good bit of design, we’d encourage you to be slightly nosier.

What wasn’t working before? What did they change? Did customers find it easier to shop? And were there any measurable improvements?

Our work with Higher Nature is a good example. We looked at how customers found products, navigated the store and discovered subscription options, then developed a Shopify experience around those needs.

After all, nobody wants to spend five minutes admiring a gorgeous website and another twenty trying to figure out how to use it.

And if an agency’s throwing around impressive percentages, don’t be afraid to ask where those numbers came from.

3. How will you get to know our business?

If an agency starts talking about beautiful layouts and exciting homepage animations before they’ve even asked what your business does, we’d be raising an eyebrow.

They should want to understand who’s buying your products, why people choose you and what’s currently getting in the way.

Maybe you’re trying to increase conversions, encourage repeat purchases or get customers spending a little more each time.

Those are all different challenges, and they deserve different approaches.

A good agency should understand what you’re trying to achieve before telling you how to achieve it.

Otherwise, you’re essentially paying someone to make an educated guess in a very nice font.

4. How do you approach ecommerce conversions?

We’re never going to argue against beautiful design. We’d be in completely the wrong business.

But an ecommerce website has to work for the people actually shopping there, not simply look impressive in a portfolio.

That means clear navigation, helpful product pages, a good mobile experience and a checkout that doesn’t test anyone’s patience.

Ask whether the agency studies existing analytics and customer behaviour before recommending improvements.

Are shoppers struggling to find products? Leaving certain pages? Abandoning baskets just as they’re about to buy?

Because if you don’t know where customers are getting stuck, you’re essentially guessing what needs fixing.

And guessing can get pretty expensive.

If product pages are part of the problem, we’ve also put together a guide to Shopify product page optimisation, covering the little things that can make buying considerably easier.

5. Will our Shopify website be bespoke or built using a theme?

Shopify themes can be brilliant. They’re often a practical, cost-effective option, and there’s absolutely no shame in using one.

But if an agency’s charging you for a bespoke Shopify website, you’d probably like to know how much of it is actually bespoke.

Is the design being created around your business, or is someone taking an existing theme and giving it a new outfit?

Neither approach is necessarily better. It depends on what you need, how much flexibility you want and where the business is heading.

Just make sure you know which one you’re buying before the invoice arrives.

6. How will you protect our SEO?

If your website’s already bringing in customers through Google, the last thing you want is a shiny new Shopify store that sends all that hard-earned traffic packing.

Changing platforms, moving pages and altering URLs can all affect your SEO, so a good agency should have a proper plan for protecting it. And while you’re at it, it’s worth understanding what good Shopify SEO looks like once the new site is live.

We’re talking existing rankings, 301 redirects, URL mapping, internal links and all the technical bits that nobody gets particularly excited about until something goes wrong.

And if you’re migrating from another platform, this becomes especially important.

Red flag: An agency that tells you SEO can wait until after launch.

That’s a bit like moving house and deciding you’ll check whether your furniture made it there next week.

7. Can you handle our integrations and technical requirements?

Your Shopify store isn’t going to be working alone. It’ll probably need to connect with your inventory, payment providers, fulfilment systems and whatever accounting software your finance team swears by.

And then there’s usually that one ancient system that’s somehow still keeping the entire business running.

An experienced agency should understand these requirements early, work out what can be handled through existing apps and identify where custom development might be needed.

Better to uncover the complicated stuff during planning than when everyone’s getting ready to press the launch button.

8. Who will actually be working on our website?

The team pitching for your project might be fantastic. But we’d suggest making sure they’re not about to vanish the moment you sign on the dotted line.

Ask who’s actually working on your website, who’ll manage the process and how you’ll be involved along the way.

There should be a clear system for feedback, progress updates and getting questions answered.

Because you probably don’t want to spend the first few weeks being passed between four different people, each convinced someone else is dealing with it.

9. What’s included in the quote?

Let’s say you’ve approached two Shopify agencies.

One quotes £8,000. The other quotes £25,000.

You could be forgiven for wondering whether the second agency is planning to build the website out of solid gold.

But before dismissing the more expensive option, take a closer look at what’s included.

Strategy, bespoke UX design, integrations, SEO migration and training can add considerably more work than a straightforward theme setup.

Neither approach is automatically better. It depends on what your business actually needs.

Ask for a clear breakdown, understand any ongoing costs and make sure you know what happens if the scope changes.

A cheaper website is only a bargain if it does what you need it to do.

10. How do you test everything before launch?

A website might look beautiful on a designer’s enormous monitor.

But what happens when someone tries to use it on a slightly battered iPhone while sitting on the train?

A good agency should be testing how the website works out in the wild, from browsing products and completing purchases to payments, shipping and integrations.

Accessibility matters too, as does making sure everything behaves properly across different devices.

Because a quick look around the homepage isn’t quite the same as knowing your website is ready for the big wide world.

11. Will we be able to manage the website ourselves?

Shopify is designed to make managing an online store relatively straightforward.

It’s one of the reasons we’re such fans of Shopify and WordPress. We’ve written a little more about why we love WordPress and Shopify, particularly when it comes to giving businesses greater control over their websites.

So if your team needs a developer every time you want to update a product or change a homepage banner, something’s probably gone a little sideways.

Ask what you’ll be able to manage independently, what training the agency provides and how everything will be handed over.

And make sure the right ownership and account access arrangements are in place.

You want to feel confident running your website, not slightly nervous about touching anything.

12. What happens after launch?

There’s something rather satisfying about launching a new website. Months of planning, designing and developing finally come together, and everyone’s feeling pretty pleased with themselves.

But what happens on Monday morning?

Your business will keep changing, customers will keep behaving in unexpected ways and there’ll inevitably be things you want to improve.

Ask about ongoing support, conversion optimisation and future development. Who do you call when something breaks? And what happens when you’ve got a new idea?

Because launch day should be the beginning of something good, rather than the moment your agency waves goodbye.

How to compare Shopify agencies

Once you’ve spoken to a few agencies, we’d recommend comparing their answers against the same criteria.

What to compare	What to look for
Experience	Relevant Shopify projects and proven expertise
Strategy	Understanding of customers and commercial goals
UX and design	Decisions informed by customer behaviour
Technical skills	Clear plans for integrations and development
SEO	Migration planning and technical checks
Pricing	Transparent scope and ongoing costs
Support	Clear aftercare and future development options

Score each agency out of five, giving more weight to the things your business actually needs.

It’ll help you make a slightly more informed decision than simply going with whoever had the nicest presentation and the best selection of biscuits.

Shopify agency red flags worth knowing

A few things would make us think twice:

• Guaranteed sales or Google rankings. Nobody can promise either with certainty.
• No interest in your business. If they haven’t asked about your customers, what exactly are they designing around?
• Vague proposals. You should understand what you’re paying for.
• No relevant projects. Beautiful mock-ups don’t prove someone can deliver a working ecommerce store.
• Suspiciously cheap quotes. You might have found a bargain. You might also have found half a website.
• No SEO or migration plan. Particularly worrying when you’ve got organic traffic worth protecting.
• No ongoing support. Your website will still need looking after once the launch celebrations are over.

One warning sign doesn’t automatically mean you should walk away.

But an agency should be able to answer reasonable questions without making you feel awkward for asking them.

Shopify agency FAQs

How much does a Shopify agency cost in the UK?

That depends on whether you’re after a relatively simple Shopify store or something with a few more bells and whistles.

Custom design, complex functionality, integrations and moving an existing website across can all add to the cost.

A theme-based build will usually be more affordable than something completely bespoke.

The important thing is understanding what’s included in each quote, rather than automatically going with whichever number looks nicest.

Do I need an official Shopify Partner?

Not always. Shopify Partner credentials are a nice bit of reassurance, but they don’t automatically make an agency the right choice.

We’d want to know what it’s built, who it’s worked with and whether it understands the challenges your business is facing.

Because you can’t exactly wave a shiny badge at a broken checkout and expect it to fix itself.

Should I choose a local Shopify agency?

That depends on how you like to work. Some businesses love a good face-to-face meeting, while others are perfectly happy collaborating remotely.

And while having an agency nearby can be handy, we’d be more interested in whether they’re actually any good.

So if you’re looking for a Shopify agency in London, focus on their experience, communication and the quality of their work.

Because sharing a postcode doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll work well together.

Should I hire a freelancer or a Shopify agency?

A freelancer can be a brilliant option for smaller projects or when you need someone with a particular skill.

But if your Shopify website needs strategy, design, development and SEO all working together, an agency might make more sense.

It really depends on what you’re trying to achieve and whether you’ve already got some of that expertise in-house.

Find a Shopify agency that understands your business

Choosing the right Shopify agency isn’t something we’d recommend deciding over a quick coffee and a peek at an impressive portfolio.

You’re trusting someone with an important part of your business, so it’s worth finding out how they think, how they work and what happens when things get complicated.

That’s why, at Giant Peach, we start by understanding the business behind the website. Then we bring together strategy, UX, design and development to create something that makes sense for both your team and your customers.

Because a website that’s beautiful but a nightmare to manage isn’t exactly what anyone had in mind.

Ready to give your ecommerce website some attention? Have a nose around our Shopify design and development services.

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