10 Easy Steps to Start Your First Shopify Store in 2025 (Even If You're Totally New)
So, you’ve been thinking about starting a Shopify store, huh? Maybe you’ve seen others making money online and thought, “Why not me?” Whether you want to turn a hobby into a side hustle or build the next big thing, you’re in the right place. Shopify makes it super simple to launch your own online store — and you don’t need to be techy at all.
Here’s a friendly, step-by-step guide to get your store off the ground in 2025:
1. Sign Up for Shopify (They’ve Got a Free Trial)
Head over to Shopify and click “Start Free Trial.” You’ll enter your email, pick a password, and name your store. Don’t stress too much over the name — you can change it later if needed.
Once you’re in, Shopify will ask a few quick questions to customize your experience. Just go with whatever applies to you!
2. Choose a Plan (After the Trial)
Shopify’s free trial lets you explore everything, but when you’re ready to launch, you’ll need a plan. For most beginners, the Basic plan (about $39/month as of now) is perfect. It gives you everything you need to sell online and even in person.
Pro tip: Shopify sometimes offers promo deals — watch for those!
3. Pick a Niche + Know What You're Selling
Before you dive into design, make sure you know:
1) What products you're selling
2) Who you’re selling to
3) What makes your product/store different
Are you selling handmade candles? Trendy phone cases? Eco-friendly pet supplies? Try to pick a niche that excites you and has demand.
4. Add Your Products
Now for the fun part: adding your products! Go to “Products” in the Shopify dashboard and click “Add product.”
Here’s what to include:
- Product title (keep it clear)
- Description (talk about the benefits and features)
- High-quality photos (you need good pics!)
- Price
- Inventory details (if you’re keeping track)
- Variants (like sizes or colors, if needed)
If you’re using a dropshipping app (like DSers or Spocket), you can import products directly — just make sure to customize the descriptions.
5. Choose a Theme (AKA Your Store’s Look)
Click “Online Store” → “Themes.” Shopify gives you free and paid themes. The free ones are totally fine to start with — “Dawn” is a popular choice that’s clean and modern.
You can click “Customize” to adjust:
- Fonts and colors
- Homepage layout
- Header and footer
- Images and sections
Don’t worry about making it perfect. You’ll tweak it as you go!
6. Set Up Your Pages
Besides your homepage and product pages, it’s good to add:
- About Us (tell your story)
- Contact (email or contact form)
- FAQs (to save you from answering the same questions 100 times)
- Shipping & Returns (be clear about policies)
To create these, go to “Online Store” → “Pages” → “Add Page.”
7. Set Up Payment + Shipping
Go to “Settings” → “Payments.” Shopify lets you accept:
- Credit cards (via Shopify Payments)
- PayPal
- Apple Pay, Google Pay, etc.
Super easy — just follow the steps and connect your bank account.
Then go to “Settings” → “Shipping & Delivery.”
- Add shipping rates (flat rate, free shipping, or real-time rates)
- Decide where you’ll ship to
- Make sure you know your product’s weight if you're charging by it
8. Get Your Domain
Time to look official! Instead of “your-store.myshopify.com,” you can get your own .com domain.
Go to “Settings” → “Domains.” You can:
- Buy a domain through Shopify (easy, starts around $14/year)
- Or connect one you already own
A custom domain builds trust and looks way more professional.
9. Set Up Your Legal Pages
Shopify helps with this too! Go to “Settings” → “Policies.” You can generate templates for:
- Refund policy
- Privacy policy
- Terms of service
These will show up in your footer. Just read through them and adjust anything specific to your store.
10. Launch Your Store!
Once your products are loaded, your theme looks good, and you’ve tested your checkout — hit “Remove Password” in the Online Store settings. Boom. You’re live!
After that:
- Share your link on social media
- Start posting on TikTok, Pinterest, Instagram — wherever your customers hang out
- Consider running some ads or offering a discount for first-time buyers
Final Tips:
- Don’t overthink it — just start. You’ll learn as you go.
- Update your site regularly as you figure out what works.
- Focus on creating value for your customers, not just making sales.
Starting a Shopify store in 2025 is totally doable — even if you’ve never sold anything online before. With a little time, consistency, and effort, you can absolutely build something awesome.