Common technical issues

Technical Q&A
1

Hey everyone, I’m Just getting started with my business. And I will like to know the common issues that occurs when building my store with zero experience.

2 Likes
2

Hi @Novacart001

Welcome and congratulations on starting your business!

It’s totally normal to face some challenges in the beginning. Here are some common issues people run into when building a Shopify store with little or no experience:

1. Theme customization
Many beginners struggle with adjusting layouts, colors, and sections to match their brand.

2. Product setup
Adding products correctly (images, descriptions, variants, pricing) can be confusing at first.

3. Payment & checkout setup
Setting up payment gateways and testing checkout properly is often overlooked.

4. Mobile responsiveness
Stores may look good on desktop but not on mobile if not tested properly.

5. Apps overload
Installing too many apps can slow down the store and create conflicts.

6. SEO & speed optimization
Beginners often ignore SEO basics like meta titles, descriptions, and image optimization.

7. Navigation & user experience
Poor menu structure or confusing layout can affect conversions.

Tips to avoid issues:
Start with a simple theme (like Dawn)
Focus on clean design and clear navigation
Test everything (cart, checkout, mobile)
Avoid installing unnecessary apps

If you ever get stuck, feel free to ask—happy to help

Best regards,
Devcoder :laptop:

4

Hi @Novacart001,

Welcome to Shopify, and congrats on getting started.

If you are building your first store, these are the common technical issues I would watch for:

  1. Too many apps installed too early
    Apps are useful, but installing too many before you know what you need can slow the store down or create conflicts.

  2. Mobile layout issues
    Always test your homepage, product pages, cart, and checkout flow on mobile, not only desktop.

  3. Product content gaps
    Make sure product titles, descriptions, images, variants, alt text, and pricing are complete.

  4. Slow third-party scripts
    Chat widgets, popups, reviews, analytics, upsells, and tracking tools can add scripts that affect performance.

  5. Leftover app code
    When you uninstall an app, some theme code or scripts may still remain. It is worth checking the theme after removing apps.

  6. Discount and checkout testing
    Test discount codes, automatic discounts, shipping rates, and checkout before sending traffic to the store.

My suggestion would be to keep the store simple at the beginning, install only the apps you really need, and run a basic QA checklist before launching.

I also build a Shopify app called Checkpoint: Store Scanner that helps merchants check for issues like leftover app code, slow scripts, unused metafields, large files, product content gaps, and discount problems. It includes free scans, so it may be useful once your store is closer to launch.

Hope this helps.

5

Hi **Novacart001,

Your Product niche should be in such a way that it gains the trust of the customer. In short your product should speak for itself. Without knowing what kind of product you are selling one cannot determine the challenges you might face while starting your business. Let us know first what your product niche is so that we can guide you accordingly how should you begin**

6

Yes — keep launch simple and fix only revenue-blocking issues first.

Use Shopify’s free Shopify Dawn theme, then do this exact order:

  1. Add only products first: clear title, price, variants, shipping weight, 5+ good images, alt text.

  2. Configure payments and place a real test order end-to-end.

  3. Set shipping zones/rates and verify taxes.

  4. Test full store on mobile first (most traffic is mobile).

  5. Install maximum 1–2 essential apps only. Too many apps usually inject JS/CSS and slow stores.

  6. Compress images to WebP/JPG before upload, avoid sliders/video banners on homepage.

  7. Build simple navigation: Home / Catalog / Track Order / Contact / Policies.

  8. Add trust basics: refund policy, shipping policy, contact email, product reviews later.

  9. Run Google PageSpeed after setup—fix biggest issue only, usually images or apps.

  10. Launch when checkout works perfectly, not when store looks “perfect”.

Biggest beginner mistake: spending weeks designing and zero time testing checkout. If customers can’t buy smoothly, nothing else matters.