If you’re starting a dropshipping business, one of the first challenges you’ll face is building a website that actually works. I get messages all the time from people asking, “Anton, I’m not a designer; how hard is it to build a Shopify site?”
The truth is: it’s not hard. You don’t need to be a coding expert, and you don’t need the world’s most beautiful design. What you do need is a clean, trustworthy Shopify website that makes people feel confident enough to buy.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through how to build a dropshipping website on Shopify step by step. Whether you’re just getting started or you’ve struggled with store design in the past, this process will help you create a site that looks professional and is ready to make sales.
500 High-Ticket Dropshipping Niche Ideas
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Step 1: Sign Up For Shopify
The first step is simple: create your Shopify account.
Shopify offers a free trial, and setup only takes a few minutes. Once you’re in, you’ll have access to your Shopify dashboard, the control center for your entire business. From here, you’ll build your site, manage products, accept payments, and customize settings.
Pro tip: Don’t overthink this part. Just sign up, name your store (you can always change it later), and get inside your dashboard.
Step 2: Choose and Upload a Theme
Your theme is the foundation of your website design. Shopify gives you a default theme (“Dawn”), but you can explore free and paid options in the Shopify Theme Store.
Look for a theme that is:
If you’re a Drop Ship Lifestyle member, you’ll also have access to our custom DSL theme, pre-optimized for high-ticket dropshipping stores.
Step 3: Register Your Domain Name
Nobody wants to buy from myshopify.com. You’ll want a branded domain like YourStore.com.
You can buy a domain directly through Shopify (easy setup, around $14/year) or connect one you’ve already purchased.
Choose a name that’s memorable, niche-relevant, and professional. If you’re stuck, check out my guide on how to choose a dropshipping store name.
Step 4: Create Product Collections
Collections are like categories; they make it easy for shoppers to browse.
For example, if you’re selling high end pet supplies, you might have collections like:
- Crates and Kennels
- Dog Doors
- Gates and Fences
- Carriers and Strollers
- Beds and Mats
- Best Sellers
- Staff Picks
- On Sale Now
Set up your collections early so you can organize products as you go. Collections can be manual (you add products yourself) or automated (Shopify assigns products based on tags, price, or brand).
Step 5: Upload Products
Now it’s time to add products to your store. If you already have supplier files (.CSV), import them directly. Otherwise, add demo products while you finish your store setup.
Each product should include:
Preview your product pages as you go to ensure they look trustworthy and professional.
Step 6: Add Pages and Blog Posts
Beyond product pages, every store needs supporting pages that build trust:
You should also set up a blog. Blogging helps with SEO, builds authority in your niche, and gives customers a reason to trust your store.
Remember: Posts are blog posts, Pages are content (not a product).
Step 7: Build Your Menus and Navigation
Once your products, collections, and pages are in place, organize them with menus.
Keep navigation simple and intuitive. Your main menu should highlight your most important collections and pages. Your footer can include quick links like About Us, Contact, and Policies.
The easier it is for shoppers to find what they want, the more likely they are to buy.
Step 8: Customize Your Theme
This is where your site starts looking like a real store. Use Shopify’s drag-and-drop editor to:
Don’t stress about making it “perfect.” Focus on clean design and easy navigation.
Step 9: Configure Your Store Settings
Before going live, check your Shopify settings:
At this stage, you’ll also want to remove the password protection from your site so it’s live to the public.
Step 10: Install Shopify Apps
Finally, install Shopify apps that extend your store’s functionality. For high-ticket dropshipping stores, I recommend:
Don’t go overboard. Start with just a few apps that improve customer trust, automation, and conversions.
Final Thoughts
Building a dropshipping website on Shopify doesn’t have to be intimidating. You don’t need to be a web designer or coder; you just need to follow the right steps.
Here’s a quick recap of the process:
Once you complete these steps, your Shopify store will be ready for real customers and sales. From there, it’s all about driving traffic and optimizing for growth.
If you want help setting up your store the right way, join my free training where I show you the exact system I’ve used (and taught thousands of students) to build profitable dropshipping businesses.
This is really Nice Information you shared with us appreciate it
Always happy to share, David!
Hi! Anton,
Well, I must say it is a joy to read a site that is not repetitive and has a robot video that prattles on for two hours and has nothing at the end accept a box for your credit card details.
I know I have to get something going and at 69 with having had some serious illness short-term memory is a problem, so a lot of notes are going to have to be written.
This is all very mind blowing and I am needing to get something going to supplement my below poverty pension as physical work is limited these days.
I know you have probably outlined in the above but if there is any positive direction for starting you could give I will be very appreciative. I suppose the first thing is to sign up but I have not seen any cost yet for your course and you obviously do not do this for nothing. I would have to rob Peter to pay Paul so I need to know the cost.
Hi Paul,
Glad to hear that you’re still learning and building new businesses at 69 years of age!
A good starting point would be to join me on a live training webinar that I am hosting this Thursday evening. I will show you how to get started and also do a live Q & A so you can ask me any pending questions that you have in real time.
Here’s the link to register for the webinar:
Drop Ship Lifestyle Webinar
Thank you!
Anton
Anton,
What do you think of buying a ready store. I think it saves time, specially procrastination time. I think sometimes the fastest way to jump in gets the thing moving. I was checking on shopify exchange platform but then today came across bebiggy.com. They are offering turnkey shopify stores at competitive prices. Do you still think I should built my own or buy from them. I’m leaning towards buying.
Hi Az,
Buying established stores can be a good move if you’re an expert marketer and find good value but please DO NOT buy anything advertised as a “turn-key” store.
These are copy and paste websites who are sold to beginners and IMO they’re worth less than $0.
Hope that helps!
Thanks. And also a common question:
should one go with a niche or general store? Particularly if one is a beginner.
Will suppliers of product A be ok and willing to accept a store if it’s already selling completely unreleated to A and also in different niche products B, C, D, etc?
100% a niche store.
This leads to higher conversion rates and better profitability from paid ads.
Is it ok to have similar products from multiple suppliers on your store? Will suppliers themselves be down with that?
Of course! Picture walking into a Dicks Sporting Goods and buying Nike shorts with an Adidas soccer ball. It’s the same thing 🙂
I enjoyed reading these 10 easy steps how to build my own shopify store. But I need to learn more on how to upload and describe suppliers products . By paying,the basic plan of $29/ month,can I start to build up my store?
Hi Rosebella.,
The $29/month plan is more than enough to use when building and running your store 🙂
Here’s our partner link:
Best Shopify Offer
^^ If you sign up through that link you get a 21 day free trial and then save 10% for your first year, and we earn a referral fee. Win-win 🙂
Also, if you want to know more about supplier sourcing and product selection, I’d highly recommend you sign up for the free webinar I’m hosting next Thursday.
Here’s the registration link:
Drop Ship Lifestyle Webinar
Thank you!
Anton
I would love to start.
What’s holding you back, Angel?
Hey Everyone,
As many of you already know I created Drop Ship Lifestyle after selling a network of eCommerce stores and then trying to find a community of other store owners to network with… What I found was a bunch of scammers who promised newbies they would get rich quick by following their push-button systems!
This led me to create a new community along with online training that shares how to build a REAL online business.
I’d love to hear what you think… it’s a 2.5 hour dropshipping webinar designed to help you drop ship profitably… all for free.
Be sure to click here to check it out and send me your feedback!
If you go through the How To Drop Ship Profitably webinar and still have questions just contact me and I will help you out.
– Anton