How to hire a Shopify developer

A Shopify developer can help you customize your Shopify storefront and build sales features that Shopify doesn’t natively support. If you want to boost your online sales, hiring a Shopify developer is a great choice.

However, you should hire a Shopify expert who can ensure your online store is customer-friendly and free of bugs. Failing to do so may result in hiring someone who lacks the necessary expertise, leading to a website plagued with issues and inefficiencies.

In the worst cases, these issues can lead to a site that’s not operational or accessible. This downtime can be costly for your business, so you want to ensure you hire someone with the right skills.

In this guide, we’ll explain how to hire a Shopify developer and where to find the best developers.

What you need to know before hiring a Shopify developer

Here are some questions to ask yourself before you hire Shopify developers.

Do you need a developer for a Shopify store?

First, do you really need a Shopify developer? The answer depends on factors like how you want your store to look and whether Shopify natively supports the sales features you need. (In simpler terms, are the sales features you're looking for already built into Shopify as standard options?)

Shopify’s tools enable anyone to build a basic storefront without coding. You can choose a ready-made theme and make some basic changes to align it with your brand.

However, for your store to stand out with a fully custom theme, you’ll need to hire a professional Shopify developer. A custom theme can help your store attract customers and make the online shopping experience more memorable.

You may also need a developer if you want sales tools that Shopify doesn’t already offer. For example, integrating your Shopify store with a custom inventory management system requires a developer to build that integration. A developer can also help you build custom apps – like one that generates product recommendations based on customer data.

Do you need a full-time or contact developer?

If you have a large online store, hiring a full-time Shopify developer is worthwhile. Having a developer on your staff makes changing your storefront easier as your business’s needs change. A full-time developer can also play a larger role in your design process and collaborate with your marketing team to find ways to increase sales.

But if you just want to make small changes to an existing theme or need code for a single integration, hiring a contract developer might be the better option. A contract developer can be cheaper since you’re paying for specific work only instead of adding a salaried employee to your business.

What compensation and benefits should you offer?

To attract top Shopify developers, offer a competitive compensation package. According to CloudDevs, Shopify developers earn an average of $50/hour in the US, while annual salaries vary by state. To make your pay competitive, aim for better than the average. 

Benefits like paid time off, health insurance, and retirement matches can increase the value of your compensation package. Many Shopify developers also prioritize roles that offer remote or hybrid work arrangements.

Skills to look for in a Shopify developer

Here are some key skills to look for when you hire Shopify developers.

• HTML and CSS proficiency: Shopify themes are primarily coded in HTML and CSS3, so developers should be highly proficient in these programming languages.

• JavaScript experience: Coding dynamic elements in Shopify, including those in themes and apps, usually requires JavaScript knowledge. 

• UI/UX design: Shopify developers must make decisions about the thematic elements that will impact customers’ experience in your online store. So, they should be familiar with principles of UX design.

• Clean coding: Developers must write clean code that’s reproducible free of bugs. Errors in your code can result in site downtime and lost revenue.

• GitHub experience: Candidates should be comfortable using GitHub’s version control system to manage their code and collaborate with other developers.

• Collaboration: Shopify developers will work alongside UI/UX designers, sales managers, marketers, and others in your business. They should have excellent teamwork qualities.

Where to find skilled Shopify developers

To attract skilled developers to your company, you must advertise your Shopify developer job description in places where developers will see it. Here are some of the best places to advertise for a Shopify developer.

Shopify Partners

Shopify Partners is an online freelancer marketplace run by Shopify where businesses can hire experts to help with their stores. Posting your job description here ensures that developers experienced at building Shopify themes and apps will apply.

Online job boards

Popular online job boards like Indeed, Glassdoor, and ZipRecruiter are home to thousands of Shopify developers actively searching for new jobs.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn enables you to search for Shopify developers and see their work experience. You can even message top developers to encourage them to apply for your role. 

GitHub

GitHub is the most popular place for Shopify developers to share their code. You can browse GitHub to see examples of developers’ work and reach out directly to experienced programmers to invite them to apply for your job.

Freelance marketplaces

Freelance marketplaces like Upwork and Freelancer are excellent places to advertise your job if you want to hire a contract developer rather than a full-time employee.

Social media

Advertising your job on social media can help you attract applicants through word-of-mouth from their friends and family who see your post. Job-seekers can also find the jobs you post if you use relevant hashtags. For example, post your job on X (formerly Twitter) using hashtags like #shopifyjobs, #shopifydevelopers, and #shopifyexperts.

2 creative ways to find Shopify developer candidates

Getting creative with how you share your job description and connect with candidates can help you attract more applications from qualified Shopify developers. Try these two ideas.

1. Network at Shopify Unite

Shopify Unite is Shopify’s annual developer conference. The company announced the conference will be going virtual in 2024, making it easier for anyone to join.

This is a great opportunity to meet Shopify developers and invite them to apply for your role. You can also learn more about the latest trends in Shopify development, which can help you formulate interview questions to ask candidates.

2. Recruit from developer bootcamps

Many online and in-person bootcamp programs teach coding skills to individuals who want to change careers. These include CareerFoundry, Fullstack Academy, and Springboard. You can reach out to instructors to ask whether they have soon-to-graduate students who might be a good fit for your developer role. Then, invite those students to apply.

If you do recruit from bootcamps, consider students who have backgrounds in UI/UX design, graphic design, or marketing, as well as experience using Shopify. These students may be able to use their experience to suggest improvements to your online store in addition to programming those changes.

How to select the best Shopify developer candidates

Once you have a pool of applications for your Shopify developer role, you must efficiently evaluate candidates. The best way to do this is to use a skills-based hiring platform like TestGorilla.

TestGorilla offers a Shopify test you can use to assess each applicant’s ability to develop themes and apps in Shopify. There are also tests for HTML, CSS, and JavaScript programming, UI/UX design, and managing code in GitHub. 

You can pair these technical assessments with tests designed to evaluate candidates’ soft skills. TestGorilla has tests for problem-solving, communication, time management, and attention to detail.

In addition, personality tests can help you fully understand how your applicants approach work and how they’ll mesh with your existing ecommerce team.

TestGorilla enables you to combine up to five tests to craft a custom assessment. You can also add one-way interview questions to your assessment, which is a great way to learn more about candidates’ Shopify experience.

Common mistakes when hiring a Shopify developer

Ensure you find the best Shopify developer by avoiding these common mistakes.

Hiring web developers without Shopify experience

Creating a Shopify storefront requires more than knowing how to build a website. Developers who know the Shopify platform inside-out can eliminate unnecessary work by leaning on Shopify’s native sales tools and apps. They also bring critical UI/UX and ecommerce experience that ensures customers love to shop at your online store.

So, in most cases, your job description and skills assessment should prioritize previous Shopify experience. (The exception would be if you want to hire for an entry-level position and provide your developer with the guidance and support necessary to learn all about Shopify.) Require past work experience involving Shopify and assess candidates with TestGorilla’s Shopify test.

Not highlighting what your company can offer

Focusing only on what you’re looking for in a Shopify developer during your hiring process is tempting. But keep in mind that developers are also evaluating whether they want to work for your company.

So, highlight the reasons why top developers should work for your business. Offer competitive pay and advertise the benefits your company offers – like paid time off, health insurance, remote or hybrid work, and parental leave. If you have a great company culture, tell candidates about it.

Many Shopify developers prefer to work for companies that offer a degree of creative freedom or the ability to work alongside experienced UI/UX designers. So, mention these opportunities or other ways you’ll support a developer’s ability to grow within your role.

Hire a top Shopify developer with TestGorilla

A Shopify developer can help you customize your online store and introduce advanced selling features that boost your sales. They also help ensure that your Shopify store is user-friendly so customers love to shop there.

Hiring the best Shopify developer starts with asking yourself pertinent questions about your needs. Then, advertise your role in places where skilled developers will find it. Once you have an applicant pool, use TestGorilla to assess candidates’ Shopify skills and quickly identify the best candidates.

So sign up for a free TestGorilla account or schedule a product demo today to see how we can help you hire the best Shopify developer for your business.