Starting an ecommerce business on Shopify is easier than ever. Follow this comprehensive tutorial to launch a fully-functional, professional-looking online store in less than 60 minutes.

Step 1: Sign Up for a Shopify Free Trial

To get started, sign up for a free 14-day Shopify trial. Just enter your email address and password.

Shopify will ask some optional questions about your business. You can skip them for now.

Next, name your store. You can change this later if you want.

Enter your business location and create your Shopify ID. Shopify will build your backend in just a few seconds.

Step 2: Install a Theme

Click “Online Store” on the left menu. Shopify automatically installs the debut theme called Dawn. Let’s customize it.

On the Theme Store, search for “Craft” and click “Add Theme”. Give it a moment to install.

Then click “Publish” to make Craft your live theme.

Step 3: Customize the Theme

Click “Customize Theme” to edit widgets. Under “Colors”, pick an accent color to brand your store.

I chose a coffee brown since I’m selling coffee products. Do the same for your niche.

Make the background white for a clean look.

Step 4: Choose a Custom Font

In “Typography”, change headings to a unique font for your brand. Pick one that suits your style.

Set the base font to the same one for consistency. This makes your store feel more custom.

Step 5: Add Branding Elements

Upload your logo in 512 x 512 px. Add it to the header.

Create 16 x 16 px favicon matching your brand. Upload this too.

Add your brand color and logo to checkout for a branded buying experience.

Step 6: Set Up Site Structure

Delete any unnecessary homepage sections to simplify initial setup. We’ll add back what we need.

Leave featured collection, collection list, and footer. We’ll populate these soon.

Use the left menu to drag in a new “Featured Collection” section to break up content.

Step 7: Create Collections

We need collections to populate the homepage sections. Go to “Products”>”Collections” and click “Create Collection”.

Add a title, description, image (Placeit is great for lifestyle mockups), and select “Manual”.

Create 3-4 collections like this. Repeat for all your product categories.

Step 8: Add Products to Collections

Click “Add Product” and create a test product listing with images and details. Select a collection.

Do this for 4-6 sample products. Add them to your manual collections created earlier.

Drag and drop to rearrange collection order as desired.

Step 9: Set Up Menus

Click “Navigation” on the left. In footer menu, add links to collections, blog, and policy pages.

In main menu, add About, Contact, etc. Organize menu items logically.

Step 10: Create Policy Pages

Every store needs policies. Go to Settings>Policies and click “Create New Page” for each one.

Start from a template if offered, but customize the content. Provide your own email/address where required.

Step 11: Build an About Page

Under Pages, click “Add Page” for your About Us. Add images, text, spacings, etc.

Include your brand story, values, team members, or anything a customer might want to know.

Step 12: Set Up Checkout

Click “Checkout” in theme customizer. Add your logo and color theme so it matches your branding.

Step 13: Update Footer

In theme editor, click footer. Add custom text and enable social media icons.

Step 14: Finalize Homepage

Return to homepage sections. For collections, select the ones you created earlier.

For featured products, manually choose products to showcase. Rearrange as desired.

Step 15: Create a Product Page

Select “Default Product” in theme editor. Delete unnecessary sections to avoid repetition.

Step 16: Enable Payments

In admin, click Settings>Payments. Add PayPal account or enable Shopify Payments.

Provide business details when prompted to activate Shopify Payments.

Step 17: Set Up Shipping

Click “Shipping” on left. Delete pre-populated rates. Create zones and customized rates.

Consider factors like weight, price ranges, regions, etc. Offer free shipping incentives.

Step 18: Choose a Paid Shopify Plan

Shopify defaults you to the $29 Basic plan. Downgrade to $14 for a professional online store.

Select monthly billing until you confirm your business is viable for long term.

Step 19: Buy a Domain Name

In Settings, go to Domains. Search for an available .com name (e.g. yourstore.com). Buy it!

Confirm the registration email they send you within 15 days.

Step 20: Set Store Preferences

Update store name, description, social accounts etc under Store Preferences.

Install recommended GDPR/CCPA privacy apps if selling internationally.

Step 21: Unpublish Store Password

Last, disable password protection under Store Preferences>Storefront Password so it goes fully public.

Congratulations, your Shopify store is now complete! Add products, customize further, run ads, and start selling.

Key Takeaways for Launching a Fast Shopify Store:

• Use a premium theme for a professional look – Free debut themes seem generic. Spend just $14-60 on a quality theme like Craft.
• Focus on quality over quantity – Carefully craft 10 amazing products rather than quickly loading 100 low-quality ones.
• Optimize for conversions – Persuade visitors to buy with appealing branding, product photos, copy, incentives like free shipping, etc.
• Build in compliance – Add key policy pages, privacy apps, shipping zones, etc so everything meets legal and regulatory requirements.
• Work efficiently – Follow a structured checklist to create a complete store quickly rather than getting distracted by non-essential features.
• Go lean at first – Minimize upfront costs with a monthly plan, free theme trial, and adding apps/services only as needed.
• Keep iterating – Consider this a foundation to build upon. There are always improvements you can make over time.

I hope this step-by-step Shopify tutorial gives you the confidence and framework you need to turn your ecommerce idea into reality quickly and affordably. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments!