Setting Up A Shopify Store: Frequently Asked Questions

You may be migrating from another eCommerce platform or starting an online business for the first time. Searching for the best platform for your store, you must have come across Shopify as one of the most promising options—and you must have a lot of questions. Here are some of the most common questions merchants interested in setting up a Shopify store have, together with straightforward answers our Shopify experts have provided.

1. VAT rates in Europe vary per country. Can we set a different VAT rate for each country with Shopify Markets?

Yes, you can specify the VAT rate per country with Shopify Markets. The corresponding VAT rate will be applied automatically at checkout.

2. What is the SEO-friendly way to set up international domains for different countries with Shopify?

There are different ways to set up international domains, each with its own SEO considerations. But if you’re setting up Shopify Markets for the first time, using subfolders is your best option.

Subfolders are subdirectories or paths within your primary domain. For example, if your store’s domain is johns-apparel.com, you can create a subfolder for Canada with the URL johns-apparel.com/en-ca and a subfolder for France with the URL johns-apparel.com/fr-fr

Subfolders are a great option because:

• They require minimal setup.
• They allow you to direct visitors to the URL that matches their language and location preferences.
• Because subfolders use your primary domain, your region-specific URLs benefit from your store’s existing search ranking and domain authority.

3. If I have customers from different regions, will my Shopify store’s load times vary depending on where the customer is located?

Load time for Shopify stores will be consistent regardless of where the customers are accessing the stores from. No significant difference in load times is to be expected between geographical regions. Shopify uses a CDN and servers in different regions worldwide, which helps ensure consistent load times for users globally.

4. Do Shopify Plus users have advantages in terms of bandwidth? 

Shopify Plus has advantages over other plans in terms of custom data transfer limits, a dedicated account manager, and advanced features to optimize online stores and reduce bandwidth consumption, among other things. However, it’s important to note that all Shopify plans come with unlimited bandwidth, and exceeding data transfer limits is not a common issue for most businesses. Businesses should carefully consider their needs and budget before choosing a Shopify plan. 

5. Why don’t Shopify URLs have .html at the end? Is it bad for SEO?

Shopify URLs don’t have .html at the end because they use a URL structure that is optimized for SEO. Including .html in URLs is not necessarily bad for SEO, but it can make your URLs longer and less user-friendly. Shopify’s URL structure is designed to be short, simple, and easy to understand, which can improve both user experience and SEO.  

6. Does Shopify CDN entail additional costs? Which is the best professional solution for CDN for Shopify?

CDN is included in every Shopify plan and does not entail additional costs. Moreover, the content delivery network provided by Shopify is backed by Cloudflare, a world leader in CDN services. Cloudflare CDN is easily the top choice in the industry today. 

7. Do I need to use EV SSL to make my Shopify store secure?

The use of an EV SSL certificate is not fundamental to the success of a Shopify store, but it can provide additional security and trust for customers. It is ultimately up to the merchant to decide if they want to invest in an EV SSL certificate for their store.

8. Can various prices be set for the same product in different stores in Shopify?

Yes. Shopify supports up to 50 markets, with price differentiation per market. It’s also good to note that several countries can be combined under a single market. This way, more than 50 countries can be served despite the limit. For example, countries like Germany, Italy, Spain, France, and Hungary, where the currency is EUR, can be united under one EU market. Another example would be to combine “Other Countries,” with USD as the main currency, and have limited products set for that specific market.

9. Is it possible to use a different CDN from that which Shopify uses by default?

It’s possible to use a different CDN with Shopify but it’s not recommended. Shopify uses CloudFlare CDN, which is a first-rate solution. And CDN also already comes included in all Shopify plans.

10. Why doesn’t minification always work with Shopify?

Shopify automatically minifies CSS and JavaScript files that use valid syntax up to ES5 when they are requested by the storefront. Minified Javascript and CSS files lead to shorter load times for the browser as they are cached until the next file is updated.

Shopify delivers the original version instead of the minified version of JavaScript or CSS in the following scenarios:

• Minifying the file will result in a larger file, which can happen if a file is already minified with better compression
• The file has the extension .min.js or .min.css

11. Why should I choose Shopify for my store?

With Shopify, you can enjoy the following benefits:

• Low acquisition cost for software licenses: If you looked into creating a professional webshop, you know that this can cost a four-figure sum in license fees only. With Shopify, these initial costs are reduced to a minimum thanks to a monthly fee. 
• Low staff costs: Start with a pre–configured basis shop and you don’t have to worry about performance, maintenance, or security. That lets them save on staff costs for network technicians and safety experts. 
• No long–term contracts & write offs: You can cancel their subscription to the SaaS solution any month and are not bound to long–term contracts or write–offs for software licenses. 

A Shopify shop can easily be scaled. The provider guarantees an equally steady performance even with increasing website traffic by using global Shopify servers. If your standards need raising, additional features can be purchased and used immediately.

12. How do I know which Shopify plan is right for me?

Shopify offers a variety of useful tools and pricing options to fit different budgets. Merchants who are just starting out can opt for Shopify Basic. If you feel that it is too limited for your needs, it’s best to precisely identify your requirements and carefully review each plan to find the one that matches them.

SHOPIFY 2023 PLANS

13. How much do Shopify extensions usually cost?

Shopify extensions typically cost 10 EUR per month. And many extensions can be obtained for free.

14. How do I find the right theme for my Shopify store?

There are 110 official Shopify 2.0 themes and countless third-party ones. The key is to choose the best base you could build upon. Consider the look and feel you want your store to have and the functionalities that you want to have.

15. Is it possible to use tables to set shipping rates in Shopify?

Yes. It is easy to use tables to set shipping rates in Shopify.

Still unsure if Shopify is the best platform for your store? Have a chat with our Shopify experts and they’ll be glad to answer specific questions about your needs. Send an email to [email protected] or contact us here.

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