The term “Shopify web developer” can mean a number of things. At its worst, it means somebody else signs into your Shopify account and creates your website for you. At its best, it is a coder/programmer who creates custom themes (template) and custom elements for your Shopify website. The idea behind hiring a Shopify developer is probably so that you can make your website more unique and original. If you would rather do this yourself instead of hiring somebody, then here are a few things you should know.
You Will Need to Learn Coding
It sounds a little obvious, but yeah, you are going to have to learn how to be a developer and a programmer if you want to become a Shopify developer and start working on your own Shopify website.
A Shopify theme is very similar to a WordPress theme, except that WordPress uses the markup PHP and Shopify uses Liquid. There are a few things you will have to learn in order to become a fully-fledged Shopify developer. Here are a few of the most important.
- A basic knowledge of command line
- A basic knowledge of jQuery
- A knowledge of JavaScript
- A strong knowledge of HTML5 and CSS3
- Ruby and Liquid
Some of these requirements are a little bit vague, so we will cover them a little more in the next tip because it isn’t a black and white as it seems.
Understanding What You Need to Know
A basic knowledge of the command lines is going to help you automate the programming process. If you are planning on working as a full-time or part-time developer for hire, then understanding the command line will make it easier in the long run.
You do not need an in-depth understanding of jQuery, but many Shopify libraries use jQuery, so again, if you are learning how to be a Shopify because you plan on doing a lot of Shopify programming in the future, then learning jQuery is a good thing.
JavaScript, CSS3 and HTML5 are essential. You are becoming a web developer within a SaaS system (Software as a Service), which means you need to start out by learning how to be a website developer so that you can grow into the role of being a Shopify website developer.
Learning Ruby and Liquid is kind of the final stages of becoming a Shopify website developer. Liquid and Ruby are pretty much the same things. It is like asking you to learn British English and US English. Liquid is a mixture of HTML and the Ruby language.
What if I Decide to Hire a Shopify Developer?
Again, you need to make sure that your Shopify web developer is not just somebody who signs in to your account and builds your website for you–because just about anybody could do that. What you need to do is decide what you actually want and then try to find it yourself through the resources that Shopify offers. If you cannot find it, then narrow down your general goals and get in touch with a developer to see what they can do or add to help you reach your goals.
It is not about hiring somebody to do all the work for you, it is about hiring somebody to do the tasks you need to be done. If you are struggling to find a good developer, then opt for a well-known and recognized name, like the team at Collective Fab Agency, and you can get your Shopify website fixed up for a fair price.
