How to hire a Shopify developer in Pakistan (and what to ask first)

Quick answer

To hire a good Shopify developer in Pakistan, look at stores they've built that are live and selling, ask what they customized versus what came with the theme, and make sure you'll be able to edit the store yourself. Get a written scope with a timeline and price before any work starts.

• ✓Judge a developer by live stores you can open on your phone, not screenshots.
• ✓Ask exactly which sections were custom-built in Liquid.
• ✓On-page SEO and speed should be part of the build, not an add-on.
• ✓You should own the store, domain and theme, and be able to edit them after launch.

In this article

1. What to check before you hire a Shopify developer
2. Questions to ask, and what good answers sound like
3. How I work with clients
4. Next step

Hiring someone to build your online store is a big decision. The right developer gives you a store that looks good, works on a phone and brings in orders. The wrong one leaves you with a slow site you can't edit and a bill for fixing it.

I'm Isha Imran, and I design and build Shopify stores for businesses in Pakistan. This guide is what I'd want a business owner to know before hiring anyone, including me: what to check, which questions to ask, and what the answers should sound like.

What to check before you hire a Shopify developer

• Live stores, not just screenshots. Ask for links to stores they have built that are selling today, and open them on your phone.
• What they built versus what came with the theme. Most stores start from a theme. A good developer can tell you exactly which sections they customized or built in custom Liquid.
• Whether you can edit the store yourself. You should be able to change text, images and products from the Shopify admin without calling the developer every time.
• Design and development together. If one person designs and another builds, ask who owns the final result. Details often get lost between the mockup and the live store.
• SEO and speed basics. Titles, meta descriptions, headings, image alt text and fast pages should be part of the build, not an extra you discover later.
• A clear scope before work starts. You should know what you're getting, in what order, and what happens after launch.

Questions to ask, and what good answers sound like

Should I use Shopify or a custom website?

For most product businesses, Shopify is the right choice: payments, orders, inventory and apps are already solved, and you manage everything from one dashboard. A custom website (for example in Next.js) makes sense when you need features Shopify can't offer easily, a custom admin panel, or full control over your data. A good developer recommends the one that fits your business, not the one they prefer to build. If you're also weighing a marketplace, see Shopify vs Daraz.

What is custom Liquid, and do I need it?

Liquid is Shopify's theme language. A theme gives you a starting point. Custom Liquid sections add parts of the store that are specific to your brand, such as a collection layout, a size guide or a delivery information block, while keeping them editable in the Shopify theme editor. If your store looks like every other store on the same theme, custom sections are usually the fix.

Can Shopify handle cash on delivery in Pakistan?

Yes. Cash on delivery can be offered as a payment method on Shopify, and for many shoppers in Pakistan it's the option that makes them comfortable ordering. On Savroon, cash on delivery, delivery cost and the exchange policy are shown clearly throughout the store, because those answers matter as much as the product photo. My guide to Shopify payment gateways in Pakistan covers COD setup and the other payment options in detail.

What does on-page SEO include for a Shopify store?

On-page SEO is everything on the store itself that helps search engines understand it:

• a clear title and meta description for the homepage, collections and products
• one clear main heading (H1) on each page
• descriptive product and collection text written for real searches
• image alt text that describes the product
• internal links between related collections and products
• connecting the store to Google Search Console to see how people find it

It doesn't guarantee a ranking, but it gives your store a fair chance to show up for the right searches.

Why does a store feel slow on mobile?

The usual causes are very large images, too many apps loading scripts on every page, and theme features nobody uses. Compressing and resizing images, removing unused apps and keeping the homepage focused often makes the biggest difference. Most of your customers are on a phone, so this is worth fixing before spending on ads.

How much does a Shopify store cost, and how long does it take?

It depends on the number of products, how much custom design you need, and whether you need custom sections, SEO or speed work. Be careful with a fixed price given before anyone understands your business. Ask for a written scope with a timeline and price after a first call. For a line-by-line breakdown of what you'll pay for, read how much a Shopify store costs in Pakistan.

Will I be able to update the store myself?

You should be. Ask the developer to show you how you'll change text, images and products after launch, and what support they offer when you need the next round of changes.

How I work with clients

1. Understand. A short call about your business, your customers and what the store needs to achieve.
2. Design. Layouts in Figma that you review and approve before any code is written.
3. Build. Shopify with custom Liquid, or a custom Next.js build when the project needs it.
4. Optimize. On-page SEO, image and speed improvements, and Search Console setup.
5. Launch and hand over. A live store you can manage yourself, with support after launch.

Some of the stores I've designed and built are Savroon, a menswear brand selling across Pakistan, The Pastel Jade, a handmade ceramics brand from Lahore, and Skivera Beauty, a skincare store built from scratch in Next.js.

Next step

If you're looking for a Shopify developer in Lahore or anywhere in Pakistan, tell me a little about your business on the contact form. You can also read more about me first.

Sources

1. Shopify Help Center: Manual payment methods
2. Shopify Help Center: Shopify Payments supported countries

Written by

Isha Imran

Shopify developer and UI/UX designer in Lahore. I design and build Shopify stores and custom Next.js websites for brands like Savroon and The Pastel Jade.

More about me →