Top 8 Questions to Ask When Hiring a Shopify Developer

Powering over 1.7 million businesses in 175 countries, Shopify is undoubtedly one of today’s most sought-after hosted eCommerce platforms. It has a market share of 32% and ranks among the top two eCommerce platforms.

Some notable features that encourage online merchants to switch to Shopify are easy setup, flexibility, relatively affordable pricing plans, out-of-the-box marketing tools, smooth operation, and no hosting worries as it is a SaaS platform. According to a report, Shopify is the top eCommerce platform that online merchants love to migrate to.

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However, what bothers online merchants most in their Shopify journey is hiring the right developers. The most common challenge they face is ‘what to ask when hiring Shopify professionals?’ To help you out in your pursuit to hire the best Shopify developers, we have curated a list of relevant questions that you must ask your potential developer to find the best talent for the job.

Top Questions to Ask a Shopify Developer

• Are you an agency or a freelancer?
• How long have you been in the Shopify eCommerce development?
• Do you understand SEO?
• Do you have experience with my store’s theme?
• How will you make my Shopify store unique?
• Do you offer free minor updates and bug fixes?
• Are there any hidden charges involved?
• Do you provide expedited delivery for rush projects?

Are you an agency or a freelancer?

Shopify developers are available to hire as a company or freelancer, so choosing between two always remains a dilemma for many entrepreneurs, especially startups. The answer to this question is quite simple. If you want help with just one aspect of your Shopify store, then you can consider going with a freelancer. However, if you’re looking for a team of experts to handle everything from design to marketing, going with an agency would be wiser.

Whether you are just starting or running a well-established eCommerce company for years, a company is always a better option than freelancers. There are many perks of going with a company that freelancers never offer, like a dedicated account manager, a non-disclosure agreement, and a dedicated team of Quality Analysts. Additionally, you don’t have to hire different professionals for different tasks, which leads to higher costs in the long run when you hire multiple freelancers. So it is recommended you go with a reliable Shopify agency.

How long have you been in the Shopify eCommerce development?

This might sound basic to you, but the answer to this question lays the foundation of the following conversation. This is the question that will help you determine the capability and quality of the Shopify developer. Since custom eCommerce development is different from building a regular website, it becomes imperative to ask your prospective developer how many years of experience they have in Shopify development and how many Shopify projects they have worked on to date. Look for someone who has at least 4-5 years of experience in building custom Shopify stores.

The best way to determine if the developer is suitable for your project is by asking them about their most recent project. Let them explain their specific role in the project and ask them if they have done a similar job to yours in the past. Thus, you’ll be able to understand how well-versed they are with the latest trends and technologies and whether or not they have worked on something exceptional so far. In essence, make sure whoever you’re going to hire has been eating, drinking, and sleeping Shopify for years, as your eCommerce business deserves only experienced and skillful professionals.

Do you understand SEO?

Nowadays, having a lot more than a basic understanding of Search Engine Optimization has become obligatory for every developer, and Shopify developers are no exception to this rule. Ensure your Shopify developer is familiar with all the latest SEO tactics, both technical and content, and can build an SEO-friendly Shopify store that will attract a massive amount of organic traffic from search engines.

SEO is absolutely essential if you want your Shopify store to be found easily by the target audience that needs what you are selling. You might have already allocated an additional budget for marketing, but you still would not want to miss out on the organic traffic, right? So make sure your Shopify developer keeps up with the latest search engine trends and updates to make your store more visible in search engine results.

Do you have experience with my store’s theme?

There are hundreds of Shopify themes in the market, and each of them offers a different set of features to users. Not all Shopify themes are the same, and their markup often differs. Ask your developer if they have worked on your theme or a similar one in the past. Clarifying if the developer has experience working on your theme will ensure they can execute the task more quickly and efficiently.

Most importantly, a seasoned Shopify developer will always ask this question first. If they haven’t, make sure you ask them. There is no doubt that any prior experience with your store’s theme will increase your developer’s chances of delivering you quick and great results. You can also ask if they can build a custom Shopify theme for your store.

How will you make my Shopify store unique?

There are numerous Shopify stores, and many of them are probably selling similar products to you. That means you need to stand out from your competition to be successful and survive in the market. In other words, if you want to be a leader in your field, you need branding, a USP, and captivating design elements that make your brand memorable.

Considering the scope of your project, you can ask your developer what particular functionality or features you should add to your shop to make it unique. An experienced Shopify developer should be able to give you valuable advice on this matter. From their ideas, you can judge how well they understand your business and project scope.

Do you offer free minor updates and bug fixes?

In the business world, no correction is made for free. However, when a Shopify developer doesn’t include free bug fixes and minor updates in their package, it simply means that they are focusing only on money, not on the quality of work. Minor fixes and updates matter a lot to you as a client since you don’t want to spend a fortune on them. Of course, there must be a limit. A round or two of revisions are normal.

If your potential Shopify developer doesn’t offer any minor updates at all, it is a clear sign that they will treat every change as a new order and charge you extra for simply fixing minor bug issues. Steer clear of such developers as you might require some changes or updates sooner later. Instead, hire Shopify experts who don’t charge extra for updates and bug fixes to have room for minor changes.

Are there any hidden charges involved?

Some Shopify developers, especially freelancers, may initially quote you a low price and add up the hidden costs later on completing the project. You wouldn’t want to be surprised after the project commences. So make sure there are no hidden costs and your developer maintains complete transparency for the quote.

Do you provide expedited delivery for rush projects?

In today’s highly dynamic, fast-paced business world, time is money! Sometimes you may have a rush project or task that should have been completed yesterday. This is what freelancers can never offer due to insufficient resources to handle projects with extremely tough deadlines.

On the other hand, a top-notch Shopify development agency can provide expedited delivery to its clients due to a large team of developers, having experience in delivering rush projects on time, and a perfectly adjusted, smooth workflow for such situations. Hence, ask the individual or firm if they have had any experience with ASAP projects to ensure they will be on board when the need arises.

To Sum Up:-

The key to a successful Shopify store is getting the right development team by your side to handle all the challenges coming your way. These are just a few basic questions that you might ask your prospective individual or firm to make sure whoever will be working on your project is a highly skilled Shopify professional. Of course, you should ask as many questions as you have to clarify all the doubts before making the final decision. By asking the right set of questions, you can differentiate between the good, better, and the best and end your hunt for the right Shopify developer.