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Shopify is a great eCommerce platform, maybe even the best eCommerce customer management system. But in recent years, many clients of mine have been asking if Shopify can be used for websites that aren’t eCommerce. In the past, the answer was no, but very recent developments to the Shopify base code and Shopify App Store have made it possible to run a successful business website for a very low cost. So is there a way to set up Shopify for other website purposes?
The quick answer is yes! But here are some important things to consider before starting your free two-week trial on Shopify:
- Look around to see if WordPress or Wix might scale for your business better in the future. Both Wix and WordPress currently offer better customization button support. Although you can run a business website on Shopify, it requires a bit of creativity when you aren’t primarily selling products as part of your business model.
- Explore if your brand could benefit from selling merch products through Printful or another “Print on Demand” drop shipper. Offering merchandise for your brand is a great marketing tool that can also be an easy revenue source. Print on Demand merchandise can be very beneficial for startups because it requires low effort and does not require high investment costs to get started.
- Recognize that you might be a little limited in design. WordPress, Wix, and many other alternatives offer a better overall customization experience if your heart is set on a certain design.
The Benefits of Using Shopify for Your Service Website
- Shopify designs and develops its own apps that can help you build an intuitive and simple customer experience in just a few short clicks!
- Shopify website hosting is very fast and comes with a bunch of great security, speed and SEO features to help you get the basics right without needing to write any code!
- Getting started on Shopify is very easy and Shopify is great at supporting its merchants to scale their business growth over time.
- The Shopify “Point of Sale” option allows your brick-and-mortar business to sell in-person products, or even schedule services to your local customers.
For more of the great benefits of using Shopify, check out my article on the pros and cons of using Shopify for eCommerce. If you look at have looked at these options are have determined Shopify might be a good fit for your business, read on!
Step 1: Find your Primary Call to Action For Your Business Website
A call to action is a statement that asks the recipient to take immediate action. The call to action is often an imperative sentence phrased as a command. A call-to-action can be used in advertising, marketing, and other contexts where it is desirable to get people to take some sort of action.
Some examples of calls to action are:
- Buy now!
- Sign up today!
- Subscribe now!
- Download our whitepaper now!
It’s important to know what call to action your business is going to use in your marketing because your website needs to be both contextual and congruent with the ads and posts you run. When you know what you want to do for your call to action, the next step is to execute a design strategy to optimize towards that call to action on Shopify.
Step 2: Find an App on the Shopify App Store that Enables Small Business Website Best Practices
Now that you know your Call to Action and the Conversion action you want your users to take, the next step is to get creative with Shopify Apps. The Shopify App Store is a great place to find apps that can help you convert leads for your call to action. There are many apps that can help you with lead generation, form tools on Shopify, and more.
Shopify apps are a lot like plugins on WordPress. They are tools you can use for free, paid, or at a monthly subscription to add extra functions to your Shopify website. Don’t just start adding apps all over the place though. Adding apps that don’t get used can slow down your website which can hurt your organic SEO ranking. Instead, be mindful of the goal in mind, your budget, and what you need the app to do. Be aware that there are oftentimes apps that can do multiple things so it might be worth it to buy a more expensive monthly app that can do 10 marketing conversion items instead of running 3 apps that are cheaper but less organized.
Some of the most popular apps on the Shopify store are free though! For more app guidance, check out my free list of preferred apps I use on Shopify every day! Click Here
Step 3: configure it within your store or in the app settings.
Most apps within the Shopify app store will require some third-party configuration. This can be as simple as signing up for an account and setting up your integration I’m a new browser window. But it can also be as complicated as adding another line of code to your website’s theme files and manually verifying the installation worked correctly.
Most of the time though, this shouldn’t be a problem. Shopify Apps are amazing in comparison to WordPress plugins. Shopify requires all apps go through a rigorous review process. The app review process on Shopify requires that an app is transparent about its pricing, that the app clearly and succinctly explains what it can and cannot do.
To make it even better, merchants can leave verified reviews for apps once they have installed it and tested it out so you know when an app is trustworthy or not. But as always, exercise caution when installing anything on your website. Common sense is important so don’t go giving away your entire website permissions to a simple scheduler app 😉
Did you like this article? If so, consider reading my guide to improving your Shopify Website’s Speed and Performance.
– M.M.
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Disclaimer: None of the information presented on this site constitutes legal, business, tax, or medical advice. In each scenario, it’s recommended to first chat with a medical, legal, business, or tax professional before making any decisions.
