Tools & Apps to Build a Successful Online Business

Here's a list of faves based on client results and our own experience. We love to share what works! Disclosure: We only recommend products we would use ourselves or recommend to our clients. All opinions expressed here are our own. This page may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, we may earn a small commission. 

Store Setup | Reviews & Wishlists | Product Customization | Customer Management | SEO | Email & SMS Marketing | Sales Channels | Boost Sales | Measure for Success

 

SUCCESSFUL SHOPIFY STORE SETUP

Congrats on selecting Shopify to build your eCommerce business! The resources below will help set you up for success - branding, theme selection, make your website accessible and back up all of your hard work. Don't have Shopify yet? Sign up for your free trial today!

  • Recommended Shopify Theme

    Unlimited mobile-first design possibilities, super fast, built-in marketing capabilities, SEO functionality and more. Contact us for additional benefits and save $$.

    Get "Be Yours" Theme ($280)
  • AI Business Name Generator

    We tested quite a few and this one is our favorite. Try different keywords and synonyms for best results.

    Namelix (free)
  • Branding Color Guide

    Get some ideas for your brand and logo colors by understanding how it connects to the emotion of your customers.

    View the Guide (free)
  • Online Graphics & Video Creation

    Easy-to-use image editing features, thousands of custom templates and stock images, background remover, and more!.

    Get Canva Pro ($13/mo)
  • Logo/Branding Design on a Budget

    The creative platform for custom graphic design: logos and more. Hire a talented designer or start a design contest..

    Go to 99Designs ($299+)
  • Check Spelling & Grammar

    Free tool to make sure your spelling, grammar and tone are optimized. Chrome browser extension available. 

    Get Grammarly (free)
  • Accessibility App for Shopify

    Avoid lawsuits and ensure everyone  is able to enjoy your website , regardless of ability! WCAG and ADA compliant..

    Get AccessiBe ($49+/mo)
  • Translate Your Store

    Instantly sell in new markets by translating your store with Weglot. No duplicate websites. Fast, simple integration..

    Get Weglot (free+)
  • Collect International Duty & Tax

    Grow your business globally. Avoid abandoned carts and rejected packages. Let them pay duties, taxes, & fees up front.

    Get Zonos ($2,500/yr)
  • Backup Your Shopify Store

    Rewind provides account-level backups of your Shopify store - including all of the data and content you have built into it..

    Get Rewind App ($9+/mo)
 

REVIEWS + REWARDS + WISHLISTS

A reviews app is a must for social proof and SEO (your customers will use keyword phrases). We don't recommend the free Shopify Reviews app. Also consider rewards and wishlists.

  • Customer Reviews

    Product and site reviews including photo, video and Q&A. Great for social proof and boosts SEO. Connect to GMC.

    Get Judge.Me (free+)
  • Customer Wishlist

    Full-featured & mobile optimized. Drive traffic & sales with personalized email & social campaigns based on activity.

    Get Wishlist Plus (free+)
  • Loyalty & Rewards

    Turn your customers into repeat purchasers by creating a powerful rewards program. Keep your brand top of mind.

    Get Smile.io (free+)
 

PRODUCT CUSTOMIZATION

You may need to either add product options for your custom or personalized products or edit many products at once, here are some recommended apps to help you.

  • Create Custom Products

    Build custom products with options including dropdowns, calendar, file upload, swatches, button, checkbox & more.

    Get G-Variants (free+)
  • Size Chart Builder

    A tool to add useful size chart tables on your product pages. Limitless custom size chart creation. Available as a popup.

    RT Size Chart Builder (free)
  • Easily Edit Multiple Products

    Very powerful editing capabilities. Easily bulk edit (even metafields). Schedule updates! Select the app from the dropdown..

    Get Bulk Product Edit (free+)
  • Accept Donations

    Allows your customers to make custom donations throughout your Shopify store, including POS and post-checkout.

    Get DonateMate (free+)
 

CUSTOMER MANAGEMENT

It's important to not only stay on top and manage your customer communication, issues, etc. but keep your customer list clean by removing fake accounts. Here you will find some tools to help you with that.

  • Stop Fake Orders, Accounts & Bots

    Protect your shop from form spam and bots. Stop fake orders and fake accounts. Protect your store in real-time..

    Get Shop Protector (free trial)
  • Omnichannel Helpdesk App

    True omnichannel customer management including SMS, phone, live chat, FB and IG comments and DMs, all in one place..

    Get Gorgias ($10+/mo)
 

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (SEO)

SEO should be one of your top priorities since it will explain to Google (using relevant keywords) what each web page is about and when done right will also make your SEO results irresistible to your potential customers.

  • Google Business Profile for Search & Maps

    Reach your customers via Google, increase your visibility on Google, gain credibility with reviews, and control your business information.

    Google Business Profile (free)
  • Apple Business Connect for Apple Maps

    Connect with customers and manage your information such as business location, business hours, contact information, photos, and reviews.

    Apple Business Connect (free)
  • Learn How to Implement Shopify SEO

    If you’re looking to learn how to implement SEO related configurations in Shopify, check out the included guides and resources.

    View Resource
  • Keyword Research Tool

    Keyword research tool to understand keyword search volume, identify seasonal trends, find trending topics, & more.

    Go to Google Trends (free)
  • Super Charge Google Trends

    Discover trends before they’re trending. Glimpse tracks every topic across the internet to identify growing trends..

    Glimpse Trends or Reports (free+)
  • Get Blog Content Ideas & More

    Discover what people are asking about. Just enter 1 or 2 words about a topic. An untapped goldmine of content ideas.

    Go to Answer The Public (free+)
  • AI Create Website Content

    Supercharge your content marketing. AI makes it fast & easy to create content for your blog, social media, website, and more!.

    Get Jasper AI (free trial)
  • AI Text Generator

    Magic Write in Canva Docs is your very own AI text generator to help you get out a first draft, fast. Start with a prompt and watch!.

    Get Canva Magic Write (free+)
  • SEO Tool

    Ubersuggest is a FREE SEO tool that enables you to do keyword research, analyze competitors, do site audits and more!

    Get Ubersuggest (free+)
 

EMAIL & SMS MARKETING

Email and SMS marketing is still one of the best ROIs (return on investment) for your business to encourage visitors to become customers and bring customers back to buy more.

  • Spam Trigger Words To Avoid

    Keep your emails out of your customer's spam folder. Spam trigger words to avoid or reduce in your subject line in an easy list.

    View Free Resources
  • Replace Ugly Shopify Notifications

    No coding knowledge required! Easily replace your ugly, boring Shopify notification emails with beautiful emails..

    Get Orderly Emails App ($99/yr)
  • Email & SMS Marketing with Klaviyo

    Full-featured platform. Send automated email and SMS sequences based on the visitor/customer interaction with your brand..

    Get Klaviyo (free+)
  • Email & SMS with Omnisend

    Provide an omnichannel customer experience and design a single automated workflow that can do email and SMS..

    Get Omnisend (free+)
 

SALES CHANNELS

There are different sales channels to consider depending on your niche and where your best-fit customers can be found. Feel free to experiment with any of the channels below.

  • List Products in Google Search & Ads

    Add your brand alongside the Google search results when someone is searching for your products. Requires feed app.

    Google Merchant Center (free)
  • Submit Products to GMC

    Sync your products to Google Merchant Center, list products for free on Search, YouTube and more.

    Shopify Google Sales Channel (free)
  • Sell on Amazon, eBay, Google, Walmart

    Create, manage and sync product listings, keep inventory and product details in sync, receive and fulfill orders directly in Shopify.

    Codisto (free trial)
  • Your Own Branded Mobile App

    Deliver an amazing shopping experience for your customers with a mobile app that looks and works exactly how you want it to..

    Get Vajro (30-day free trial)
 

BOOST SALES

There are several different methods to increase your sales, conversions and AOV (average order value). Here are some apps to help you with that.

  • Convert More

    Convert more visitors into customers, create upsell & cross-sell campaigns, capture email addresses without popups and more..

    Get Vitals App (7-day free trial)
  • Push Urgency, Trust & More

    Increase sales with urgency, countdown timer, trust, BOGO, trust badges, promos, and more. Select app from the dropdown..

    Ultimate Sales Boost App (free+)
  • Subscription & Autoship

    Give your shoppers more options and increase your customer lifetime value (CTV) by offering subscriptions. Easy setup.

    Get Recharge App (30-day free trial)
  • AI Customer Journey Personalization

    Upsells, cross-sells and merchandising. Build engagement with post-purchase, re-order landing pages, and smart links..

    Get ReBuy App (21-day free trial)
  • Thank You Page UpSell & CrossSell

    Custom thank you page with upsells, cross-sells, pop-ups, upsell product recommendations, and urgency timers.

    Get ReConvert (30-day free trial)
 

MEASURE FOR SUCCESS

If you aren't measuring the results of your marketing efforts, you are just guessing - which means you are losing money and slowing down your business growth. Here are some tools to help you analyze your marketing so you can do more of what's working.

  • Google Analytics - GA4

    The more you track, the better you can understand what's working. Evaluate conversion rates, sales channels, ROI, etc.

    Google Analytics (free)
  • How-To Set Up Google Analytics

    Here's the step-by-step process to setup and connect Google Analytics with your Shopify store.

    How-To Set Up GA (free)
  • Measure & Monitor Google Search

    Tools and reports help you measure your site's Search traffic and performance, fix issues, and do well in Google Search results.

    Google Search Console (free)
  • Monitor Website User Actions

    Very insightful. Understand how users behave on your site, what they need, etc Heatmaps, recordings & more..

    Get Hotjar (30-day free trial)