7 Critical Factors to Consider When Choosing a Shopify Agency

Why Choosing a Shopify Agency Feels Like a Gamble

Finding a Shopify agency takes about five minutes. Finding one that won't waste your money and time? That's a different story entirely.

The market is flooded with agencies making identical promises. "Fast delivery." "Competitive pricing." "Expert team." These phrases have been repeated so often they've become meaningless. Every agency website reads like it was generated from the same template—because, frankly, many of them were.

Here's the real problem: most business owners don't understand Shopify's technical side well enough to evaluate what an agency is actually doing. You're essentially trusting strangers with a critical piece of your business infrastructure, and you have no way to verify their work until something breaks. I've seen this dynamic destroy relationships and drain budgets more times than I can count.

That's why I want to walk through seven factors that actually matter when you're making this decision. Not marketing fluff—practical things you can check and verify yourself.

What a Portfolio Actually Tells You (And What It Hides)

Everyone says "check our portfolio." Nobody explains how to check it properly.

Live Sites vs. Screenshots

First thing: verify that the projects in an agency's portfolio are still live. Sounds obvious, right? But I've reviewed agency portfolios where half the sites had either shut down or been completely rebuilt by someone else. That's a massive red flag.

Some agencies are still showcasing work from 2021 or 2022 as their flagship projects. If nothing good has happened in four years, what does that tell you? When a site is live, run it through PageSpeed Insights yourself. Takes thirty seconds and tells you more than any case study.

Industry Range

An agency that's only built fashion stores might struggle with your B2B industrial supply business. The reverse is also true. You want to see variety, but variety with consistent quality underneath it.

A Real Example Worth Mentioning

Last year, a cosmetics brand hired an agency whose portfolio was exclusively food and beverage sites. The result was predictable: product variants—colors, shades, sizes—were handled poorly. Customer experience suffered badly. They had to switch agencies mid-project, essentially paying twice for the same work.

Could a food-focused agency have pulled it off? Maybe. But the risk wasn't worth it.

Technical Capability: Theme Customization or True Development?

This is the factor most people miss entirely.

Can the agency only modify existing themes, or can they build from scratch? Using a pre-built theme isn't inherently bad—sometimes it's the smartest choice. But you need to know whether an agency chooses themes because they're appropriate or because they can't do anything else.

Ask about Liquid coding experience. Ask about API integrations. Ask about custom app development. If they look uncomfortable answering these questions, you have your answer.

Questions That Reveal the Truth

• How many years have you been developing Liquid themes?
• Which Shopify API integrations have you completed?
• Can you build a custom checkout experience?
• Have you delivered any headless Shopify projects?

Here's something that frustrates me: when you ask an agency "Can you do X?" and they respond with "Shopify doesn't allow that." Nine times out of ten, Shopify absolutely allows it—the agency just doesn't know how. Yes, Shopify has limitations. But the platform is far more flexible than most agencies admit.

Communication: Will You Have a Single Point of Contact?

You might disagree with me on this, but I think communication matters as much as technical skill.

• Will you have one project manager, or will you talk to a different person every time you call?
• How often will you receive project updates?
• What channels are available for urgent issues?
• How does the revision process work, and how many rounds are included?

Test their communication speed before signing anything. If the initial proposal takes two weeks to arrive, expect similar delays throughout the project. The pattern is usually set from the first interaction.

Is the Pricing Model Actually Transparent?

Why do Shopify agency prices vary so wildly? You'll see quotes ranging from $500 to $50,000 for what appears to be similar work. The difference isn't just quality—it's scope and business model.

Fixed price, hourly rate, or retainer? Each model has trade-offs, but transparency is non-negotiable. If a proposal includes vague language like "additional development charged separately," demand specifics. What counts as "additional"? How much will it cost? Get it in writing.

A Practical Comparison Approach

Get detailed proposals from at least three agencies. When comparing them, ignore the total price initially. Focus on what's actually included. Product uploads, SEO configuration, training sessions—these items often make the real difference between quotes. The cheapest option frequently becomes the most expensive once you add the extras.

Post-Launch Support: This Is Where Relationships Actually Begin

Your site going live isn't the finish line. It's the starting point.

That might sound like a cliché, but watch what happens after launch with most agencies—they vanish. The enthusiastic project manager who answered emails within hours suddenly takes a week to respond. The "dedicated support" mentioned in the sales pitch turns out to mean a generic help desk ticket system.

Before signing, clarify exactly what post-launch support includes:

• What's the process for fixing bugs discovered after launch?
• Is training provided? On what specifically?
• Is a maintenance package required or optional?

The most common complaint we hear from businesses is exactly this: the agency "disappeared" after delivery. Make sure support terms are explicitly defined in your contract. And ask whether they'll provide guidance on topics beyond pure development—things like product photography optimization or conversion rate improvements. A good agency offers commercial perspective, not just technical execution.

How to Actually Check References

Calling the references an agency provides is almost useless. Of course those people are happy—the agency specifically chose them because they'd say nice things.

What you should do instead: find the owners of sites in the portfolio yourself. Use LinkedIn. Use the contact forms on their websites. Reach out directly and ask three simple questions:

• Did the project finish on time?
• Did you go over budget?
• Would you work with them again?

Those three answers tell you more than any testimonial page ever could. And pay attention to hesitation. If someone pauses before answering "Would you work with them again?"—that pause is significant.

What Does Shopify Partner Status Really Mean?

Shopify runs an official Partner Program with different tiers. Being a Shopify agency with Partner status means they've completed a certain number of projects and met specific requirements. But Partner status alone doesn't guarantee quality.

Why it matters:

• Partners get priority support from Shopify
• They have early access to beta features
• They've gone through training and certification processes

That said, I've seen excellent work from non-Partner agencies. Small teams that simply haven't hit the project volume threshold but do exceptional work. Use Partner status as one filter among many, not as a definitive quality marker.

Some Final Thoughts

Choosing a Shopify agency is the beginning of what should be a long-term relationship. You're not just buying a website—you're selecting a partner for your growth journey. Trust your instincts during initial meetings. If you walk out of a discovery call without feeling confident, don't convince yourself otherwise.

The agencies that work out are usually the ones that felt right from the first conversation. The ones that don't? In hindsight, there were always warning signs from day one.