Questions to ask a Shopify agency before you sign.

Scope and who does the work

Ask who will actually build your store, by name and role. Many agencies sell with senior people and deliver with juniors or subcontractors. That can be fine, but you should know, and you should know who checks their work.

Ask exactly what is included, in a written list: pages and templates, number of products imported, apps installed, integrations, redirects, tracking, training and support after launch. Anything not on the list is extra.

Ask how changes are priced. Scope always shifts, so find out how changes are quoted, who approves them and whether there is a contingency. And ask what they need from you, and when. Product data, images, copy, logins and decisions cause most delays, and a good agency tells you up front what it needs and by when.

Theme or custom build

Ask whether you are getting a theme, a customised theme or a custom build. All three are legitimate, and they differ hugely in price and in what it costs to change things later.

A theme is an existing Shopify theme set up with your brand. It suits most new stores and tight budgets; just make sure you are not paying custom prices for theme work. A customised theme adds sections or changes, and suits most growing stores, as long as the changes do not break theme updates. A custom build is a theme built from scratch for you. It suits unusual products, large catalogues and specific buying journeys, but can leave you dependent on the agency for every change.

Ask to see how you will edit pages after launch. If simple changes need a developer, that is a running cost.

Published UK guide prices give a sense of scale. One agency's ranges put a standard Shopify build at £5,000 to £15,000 and a custom Shopify Plus build at £15,000 to £35,000. Our own Shopify builds start at £6,000, scoped after a Discover audit.

Apps and running costs

Ask which apps you will need and what they will cost each month. Shopify apps often charge monthly, and some charge by order volume. A store can easily end up paying more in apps than in Shopify itself, so ask for a list with current prices.

Ask whether any of those features could be built without an app. Some can be built into the theme instead, removing a monthly fee and a source of slower pages.

Then ask for the total monthly cost after launch: the Shopify plan, apps, payment fees and any care or support retainer, in writing.

Tracking and reporting at launch

Ask how they will set up and test tracking. A new store should launch with GA4 ecommerce events, ad platform conversions and consent all working and tested. Ask how they will prove it: a test purchase on each payment method, checked in GA4 and in each ad platform.

Ask whether your revenue in GA4 will match Shopify. It will not match exactly, because of consent, refunds and tax settings. A good agency explains the expected gap and how they will check it is normal. A vague answer here usually means tracking is an afterthought.

If you are migrating, ask how they will protect your search traffic, and ask to see the redirect plan and how it will be checked before and after launch.

Ownership and handover

Ask who owns the store, the theme and the code. The answer should be you, once you have paid. Watch for agencies that keep the theme licence, the domain or the Shopify account in their own name.

Ask whose accounts everything will be in. Shopify, the domain, GA4, Tag Manager, ad accounts and every app should be in your name, with the agency given access.

Ask what happens if you part ways: what you will receive, such as logins, documentation, theme files and a list of everything installed, and how much notice either side needs to give.

Red flags, and when you do not need an agency

Be wary of a fixed price with no written list of what is included, no staging or preview store before launch, or a promise to sort out tracking after launch. Be wary of a migration with no redirect plan, pressure to sign a long support contract before the build is finished, accounts set up in the agency's name, promises of rankings or revenue figures, and an agency with no similar work it can show you, even privately.

Not every store needs an agency. You may be better off without one if you have a few dozen products and a simple catalogue, a well chosen theme does almost everything you need, someone on your team is comfortable setting up Shopify with good guidance, or your budget would do more for you spent on photography, copy or ads.

In that case, a good theme, a few hours of an experienced freelancer for setup and tracking, and a clear launch checklist may be all you need. If you are comparing agencies, a Discover workshop at £950 helps you write the brief, set the questions and check the quotes, whether or not you end up working with us.