Shopify Theme Upgrade Tips 2024

My Perspective on Websites: Websites = Development Cost x Maintenance Cost. The most frequently overlooked and ignored aspect is "maintenance cost." This includes time, manpower, and financial costs. This concept applies to all website building methods, whether using a site builder platform or custom development by engineers. Below, we use upgrading or changing themes in Shopify as an example. (Last updated: 2024/07/28)

“Sharing Practical Experience, Not Just Online Data Compilation” – Irving

Considerations for Upgrading Shopify Themes and Costs of Website Development and Maintenance-Irvinglab

🚀 Shopify Theme Upgrade or Change Considerations 2024

I divide the process into three major tasks to ensure that every detail is addressed, preventing major issues post-upgrade. The critical elements like product pages, purchasing processes, and discount information must be meticulously maintained. The most challenging transition is from Shopify 1.0 to Shopify 2.0. Therefore, constant review, documentation, and communication with the team are crucial to ensure smooth completion.

🍎 1. Shopify Theme

Custom theme settings need to be transferred from the old theme to the new theme. Theme settings and app embeds are relatively easy, but transferring general page templates and product templates can be more complicated.

🥕 Page Creation Methods

Shopify Custom Theme Templates: Upgrading themes can be time-consuming and labor-intensive since each page template must be manually set and applied after the new theme is published.

Shopify App Page Editors: Tools like PageFly Page Builder make the upgrade process much easier, allowing almost seamless transition with auto-generated page templates, though some minor adjustments may be necessary.

🥕 Custom Code

All custom code (Liquid, CSS, JavaScript) must be identified and transferred to the correct locations in the new theme. The complexity increases with significant changes in code structures between iterations, potentially extending the work hours.

🍎 2. Shopify Apps

Different Shopify apps have varied installation and removal settings. List all apps and review the installation methods and processes through online documentation, tutorials, or customer support to avoid missing critical steps during the upgrade.

All Shopify apps need to be checked individually and “reconfigured if necessary.

Some Shopify apps require no action at all.
Some apps are installed only on specific themes, so they need to be reinstalled on the “unpublished new theme.”
Some Shopify apps must be reinstalled and can be pre-installed on the “unpublished theme.”
Some Shopify apps need to be configured after the theme upgrade is completed.
Some apps have detailed installation steps that require “manual code insertion.”
Custom Shopify apps need their code to be transferred.
Some apps do not allow installation in a “development store,” meaning they cannot be tested in a sandbox environment.

🍎 3. Website Tracking Codes

Analytics and advertising codes are crucial. Ensure they are functioning correctly post-upgrade. Verify if initial setups were manual, integrated through Shopify, or set up via other apps.

🥕 Common Tracking Codes

GA (Google Analytics): Can be set up manually or linked through Shopify.
GSC (Google Search Console): Typically verified through GA, requires the highest GA permissions.
Meta Pixels (Facebook Pixels): Manual setup or linked through Shopify.
Google Ads Tracking Code
Google Ads Remarketing Code
GTM (Google Tag Manager): Some codes are set within GTM, such as GA or Google Ads.

🥕 Other Tracking Tools

Twitter Analytics
Microsoft Clarity
Hotjar
…

（The above content will be continuously updated in the post. Feel free to bookmark and return anytime to read the latest updates.）

Design and Marketing Tools

ActiveCampaign: Email marketing and newsletter system (the best alternative to MailChimp)
Canva: Online graphic design tool, a real lifesaver if you don’t have a designer on your team! It solves all your marketing, social media, graphic design, and presentation needs with a wide range of templates.
Envato Elements: Unlimited downloads of paid resources including images, videos, music, sound effects, graphic designs, illustrations, presentation templates, and more. This is a platform I frequently use for various materials.
GetResponse: All-in-one marketing platform that includes email marketing, landing page creation, marketing automation, and more. You can start with a free account and upgrade as needed. This software is similar to Hubspot.
PickFu: An online research tool that allows you to conduct tests, optimizations, and instant consumer surveys to replace guesswork. With PickFu, you can instantly gather opinions from up to 500 US consumers. By seeking collective wisdom, it helps you make better business decisions.
SurveySparrow: Omnichannel Experience Management Platform for conducting customer satisfaction surveys across various channels.
Qwary: A CX (Customer Experience) platform that helps businesses collect customer feedback and improve shopping experiences and product performance through beautifully designed professional surveys. It allows measurement of NPS, CSAT, and CES.
Opinion Stage: Create free quizzes, polls, and forms with visually appealing designs and good functionality. It also offers paid plans to increase the number of responses per month.
Typeform: Elegant online form builder.
UXPressia: Quickly create professional Customer Journey Maps, Personas, and Impact Maps with various ready-to-use templates.
Surfer: SEO tool primarily used by content editors. It offers AI-generated SEO copy, keyword recommendations, SEO audits, and a visually appealing interface.
CopyAI: An AI-powered copywriting generator that creates high-quality copy for your business.
ABtesting AI: Have you tried optimizing your website with AB testing? Try AI testing with a free plan available.
Frase: Use AI to assist in searching, writing, and optimizing SEO articles with ease.
AppSumo: One-time payment platform for discounted digital software (greatly reduces costs).
Tidio: Design a high-quality online chat tool for your website.
Help Scout: Online customer support platform (alternative to Zendesk).
HeySummit: Host virtual online summits.
SimplyBook: Online appointment scheduling system and app booking software.
Liinks: One-page multi-link website that integrates multiple social and official website links.
LearnWorlds: Create and sell online course websites.
Teachable: A platform for creating and selling online course websites.
Make: A visual automation workflow tool that allows data integration and seamless movement between various software applications, enhancing work efficiency.
Piktochart: An information chart design tool.
ClickMagick: While searching for AB testing tools, I came across ClickMagick, which offers this functionality. After watching introductions from other YouTubers and finding it user-friendly, I decided to give it a try.
MotionElements: A platform for professional video materials, templates, and plugins.
MotionVFX: A platform for professional video materials, templates, and plugins.
Payoneer: A secure and fast one-stop solution for cross-border payments.
Wise: A cross-border account for international payments and receipts.
Surfshark: I recently started using Surfshark VPN, and it’s been great! Originally, I wanted to browse certain foreign websites that automatically redirected me, but using a VPN solved this problem.
Firstory: The most comprehensive and powerful podcast hosting platform for platform deployment, sponsored subscriptions, and advertising revenue. It eliminates all the tedious publishing processes by automatically distributing your recorded audio files to platforms such as KKBOX, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.
Continuously collecting and researching more…

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If you have any questions, please feel free to fill out the form and leave a message or email me at irving@irvinglab.com. You can also reach out to me through the Facebook or have a direct online chat. Let’s communicate and grow together! You can check out my web design portfolio to see my work. Join the Shopify website design and development learning community on the Line group to exchange ideas and learn together! However, please note that users in the United States cannot join the Taiwan Line group. Therefore, I have also created a Telegram community where valuable experiences from both platforms will be shared and organized. To further understand our services, you can add Irvinglab’s Line@ official account and leave a message for us.

Shopify Theme Upgrade Tips 2024

🚀 Shopify Theme Upgrade or Change Considerations 2024