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Digital products are a great way to make money online. They have challenges like every other business, but you can turn in some serious profit and spend so little on inventories when done right.

Most digital products are created just once and are resold to numerous buyers without the need for restocking. Yet they appeal to customers daily because the product is readily available immediately after purchase. 

In this guide, I will explain to you how to start selling your digital products on Shopify step by step. This guide is beginner focused. This means if you hadn’t used Shopify before or just decided to sell your digital goods online, this is the guide for you. 

Steps to Start Selling your Digital Products on Shopify

Step 1: 

The first thing you want to do is decide which digital products you want to sell. Most start professionals fail to map out the kind of products they want to create and jump into the market without any plans, leading to failure. To get started, you can use a list of the most popular digital products. 

Digital products compete against free products online. For your customers to willingly pay for a product they are more likely to get for free, what you offer needs to stand out. So, to be able to beat this disadvantage, you need to;

• Research online, get the free resources, and study them
• Learn how you can make yours different and improved

Step 2:

The next step is to create your product. Whether it’s online services, digital downloads, audio, videos, or even NFTs, you need to have digital goods before you can think of setting up a store. Stores don’t run without products unless you have some magic beans, but if you’re just a regular person looking to turn their knowledge into income and grow a brand, then you’re going to need a product. 

Step 3:

Then, set up your store. Shopify is a great place to start selling your digital goods, especially if you have no web development or design knowledge and plan on DIYing your way to e-commerce. (However, you can hire professionals to design for you if you prefer)

All you have to do is visit the Shopify website, signup for the 14 days trial and choose a plan. If you’re a small organization or it’s just you, you should consider going for the basic plan for $29/month, as the significant difference between that and other plans is the number of staff access and shipping discount. Once you sign up for Shopify, you will be asked to fill in details about yourself and your store name. Make sure to fill in your store details accurately, as you won’t be able to change them, especially if you don’t plan on buying a domain name. However, I will advise you plan for a domain name as it makes you more professional than the yourstore.myshopify.com address you will be given at the start.

Step 4:

Now your store is all set up, the next thing you want to do is buy a domain name and choose a theme for your store. Selecting the right theme can boost your customer’s experience when they browse through your Shopify store and can be the determining factor between conversion and bounce rate. 

When choosing your theme;

• Check the features they offer and compare them with others. For example, a quick buy feature can help boost your conversion.
• Check for negative feedback. If the theme of your choice has negative feedback, you should go through it and find out what other users didn’t like about it to best equip you for holistic decision-making. 
• Test the theme on your store and get a real-time feel of how it looks. 

Step 5:

You have decided on a good theme, a domain name representing your brand, a logo, and a store name. The next thing is to add your product to Shopify. Shopify doesn’t create provisions for digital assets, but you can add them by downloading the Uplinkly Digital Downloads and choosing your plan. Uplinkly digital downloads have four main plans, 

FREE PLAN

Free

• Up to 10 Products
• 500MB Storage
• Unlimited Support

STARTER PLAN

$9/month

• 20 Products
• 3Gb Storage
• PDF Stamping
• Professional Design Implementation & Support
• Unlimited Support

PROFESSIONAL PLAN

$19/month

• 50 Products
• 10Gb Storage
• PDF Stamping
• Professional Design Implementation
• Free Customization
• Free Theme Integration
• Unlimited Support

BUSINESS PLAN

$49/month

• Unlimited Products
• 100Gb Storage
• PDF Stamping
• Professional Design Implementation
• Free Customization
• Free Theme Integration
• Unlimited Support

If you’re just starting and want to see how well the app integrates with your store, you can begin with the free plan and later upgrade to a professional or starter plan, depending on what you think works best for you. But if you’re an e-commerce business looking to sell digital assets, you should consider the business plan.

Step 6:

Once you’ve picked your plan, the next step is to add your product. When creating your product description, you want to optimize for search engines and search for keywords used by your target audience when they search for similar products online. Add these keywords naturally to your product description.

Learn more about writing product descriptions.

Step 7:

Now, you have a final look of your store. Your product is live, and your store can be seen when someone types in the URL on their web browser. Your next step should be marketing. 

Blogging: Shopify has a built-in blog option for you, making it easier than paying a web developer to install a blog for you. 

Creating blog posts can help you optimize for search engines and rank higher on SERP(search engine result page)

Creating a blog post for your online brand;

• Perform keyword research. You should use proper keyword tools to search for the right keywords for your brand.
• Research the market. Knowing what your competitors are doing gives you an advantage and helps you create blog posts that get seen. Also, make sure to talk in-depth about the topic.
• Make sure you’re solving a problem for your customers. 

Consider paid advertising. Running paid advertising on social media or google is a great way to drive traffic to your store.

Conclusion

Deciding to sell digital products, like any other form of e-commerce, might prove challenging at first, but with an agile strategy and a marketing plan, you are sure to succeed. So, follow the steps above to get you started as a Shopify merchant.