Over the past couple of years I have had dozens of folks ask me who designed and created my website. My answer is always this: ME!!!!!

Yep, I have always done my websites. Some of it required some knowledge of html code, but that wasn't always the case.  Most e-commerce sites (websites that host your website with tools meant to help you as a seller/business) have templates you can use to create your site.

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Over the past 10 years, I have used a handful of various e-commerce sites like: GoDaddy, Etsy, Wordpress, Wix and Weebly.  They all had their positives and negatives, but none of them seemed to help me streamline my site in a way that helped ME as a business owner.

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But here is the thing, in the end it really isn't just about ME is it?  What about my clients? I want them to have the best experience on my site as they can. I want their navigation to be easy, layouts to be navigable and the entire process of cruising through my website an enjoyable one.

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Then I stumbled on Shopify.  I had heard of it here and there, but never gave it much thought as I assumed it was like all of the others.  Wow, was I completely wrong.

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After using Shopify's free trial, I was hooked.  The build-your-own templates were incredibly easy to use as well as navigate. The customizable options for layouts allow you to really build your site how you want it.

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-Maybe you want a nice 'note' attached at the top of each page with a link directing people to exactly where you want them to go.

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-How about 'featured items' on your landing page for visitors to see without spending tons of time navigating to find. 

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-Let's say you are selling a product that has variable options (a t-shirt in multiple colors, products in various sizes, etc).  Well, that is built into your Shopify Product section!

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-An easy to use, already built for you shopping cart? Yep, Shopify has that.

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-Hundreds of App plug-ins you can integrate to your site to help you build it how you want (plug-ins are apps like 'pop-ups, social proof, product locks, email subscriptions, etc that allow you to customize your site experience).

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-Direct linking to your social media channels? Done and done.

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-Website analytics, both live and collected so you are able to see who your visitors are, where they are from, what pages they visit the most, and how they found your site im the first place.

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-Discount codes and options for visitors? You bet.  It is super easy to incorporate these into your Shopify site.

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-Shipping solutions to clients in almost any place in the world? Well, that's easy!

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The list goes on and on.  I could literally blog for wayyyyy longer than you probably want to read. Why would I want you to know all this in the first place? Because, I want you to succeed, plain and simple.

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If you are hesitant about spending money on trying out a new e-commerce platform, don't forget the part above about how I enjoyed a free trial.  Yep, Shopify offers a free trial so you can give it a solid chance to see if it is a good fit. Free is awesome because you really have nothing to lose by trying. 

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I think you should try out Shopify yourself and see if it is something you can add to your aresenal of awesomeness. I use it. Honestly, out of all the platforms I have used, Shopify exceeds all of them.