Why these questions matter

Shopify powers more than 2 million online stores, so the talent pool is massive—but not always qualified. By firing the right questions early, you’ll uncover:

• Hidden costs (apps, maintenance, support)
• Technical gaps (Liquid, performance, SEO—and whether they’re ready for Hydrogen)
• Cultural fit with your timeline, team vibe, and growth goals

Invisible Building is a Shopify-only studio headquartered in Belfast, working with retailers across the whole island of Ireland and further afield. Every question below has been pressure-tested on real discovery calls, then refined into a script you can copy-paste.

The 15 essential questions (and what to listen for)

1. Are you a certified Shopify Partner?

   Why ask: Certification means they keep pace with Shopify updates.

   Red flags: Vague answers or badges from the Stone Age.

2. How many Shopify projects have you shipped in the last 12 months?

   Look for: At least 3–5 launches—recency matters because the platform evolves monthly.

3. Do you have feedback from recent clients who had similar goals?

   Pro tip: Go for fresh references, not that one success story from 2019.

4. What’s your typical project timeline—from kickoff to go-live?

   Benchmark: 4–8 weeks for a theme tune-up, 8–16 for a bespoke build.

5. Who’ll handle the work—your in-house team or subcontractors?

   Listen for: Clear org chart, named project lead, and honesty about any outsourced tasks.

6. How do you scope and price projects (fixed, hourly, retainer)?

   Watch out for: Surprise app fees, stock-photo up-charges, or extra QA rounds.

7. Which apps or integrations do you install on 90 % of stores—and why?

   Good sign: Evidence-based picks (think Klaviyo, Judge.me) with ROI stats, not “because everyone uses it.”

8. How will you optimise Core Web Vitals and page-speed scores?

   Checklist: Theme-bloat surgery, image compression, Shopify CDN, critical CSS—the usual speed cocktail.

9. What’s your approach to Shopify SEO—both technical and content?

   Expect: Clean URL structure, metafield game plan, JSON-LD schema, and a human-first keyword roadmap.

10. Have you worked with Shopify Markets or international domains?

    Why it matters: Multi-currency and localisation can nuke checkout if mishandled.

11. Do you offer post-launch support, and at what cost?

    Model: Hourly retainer or prepaid block—just make sure the SLA is in writing.

12. Why Shopify? Do you specialise exclusively in it—or juggle other CMSs too?

    Smart answer: Teams that live and breathe Shopify (like us) usually bring deeper platform insight and faster problem-solving. Jack-of-all-CMS agencies can spread themselves thin.

13. How do you handle version control and deployment?

    Best practice: GitHub + Shopify Theme CLI (or a Hydrogen pipeline)—no cowboy coding in Production.

14. What metrics define project success, and how do you report them?

    Expect: Conversion-rate lift, AOV, site speed, and dashboards you can actually read.

15. Can you walk me through a recent challenge and how you solved it?

    Why ask: Reveals their problem-solving chops—and how candid they are about missteps.

How to use these questions during your vetting call

• Email the list in advance so the developer can prepare real answers.
• Record the call (with permission) for easy playback.
• Score each answer 1–5 in the free checklist below—let the sheet auto-rank the winner.

Download your free checklist 📋

Grab the Google Sheet → make a copy, score candidates, and let the formulas do the ranking.

Need a Notion template instead? Drop us a line and we’ll send it your way.

Next steps

If this feels like a lot to juggle, book a quick 30-minute discovery call with Invisible Building. We’ll walk through our own answers—no hard sell, just honest guidance.

Prefer to see proof first? Check out Inside the Build: 4 Case Studies from Invisible Building for a peek behind the curtain.

About Invisible Building

We’re one of the few studios in Northern Ireland laser-focused on Shopify. From lightning-fast migrations to headless builds, our team blends design, development, and growth strategy under one roof—so your store converts higher and scales harder.

Ready to turn browsers into buyers? Let’s chat →