---
title: "How to choose a Shopify agency: questions to ask"
author: "Performetic Ekibi"
url: "https://www.performetic.com/en/blog/how-to-choose-a-shopify-agency"
published: "2026-10-08T08:00:00.000Z"
updated: "2026-10-08T23:13:00.436Z"
---

# How to choose a Shopify agency: questions to ask

> To choose a Shopify agency, first confirm it is a Shopify Partner that accesses your store through a collaborator account, and that the store and every related account stay in your brand's name. Then test its theme approach, app discipline, 301 migration plan, local payment and invoicing setup, speed targets, tracking and post-launch support with specific questions.

## How do you choose a Shopify agency?

To choose a Shopify agency, start by confirming it is a real Shopify Partner that accesses your store through a collaborator account rather than your password. Your store, domain and ad accounts should stay in your brand's name. Then test its theme approach, app discipline, migration plan, payment and invoicing setup, speed targets and tracking with concrete questions.

Shopify agency proposals look alike, and every portfolio looks polished. What separates them is the detail they give when you ask how the work actually gets done. The questions below are built to draw that detail out.

## How can you verify that an agency is a Shopify Partner?

Start with the Shopify Partner Directory. Shopify tiers listed partners as Select, Plus, Premier and Platinum, based on their experience and track record on the platform, and profiles show reviews, work samples and certifications. If an agency calls itself a Shopify specialist but has no trace in the directory, ask why.

The second proof is technical. To request collaborator access to your store, an agency needs a Shopify Partner account. So the agency should send a request from its Partner dashboard, not ask you for admin credentials.

### How does collaborator access work?

According to Shopify's Help Center:

- The agency sends an access request from its Partner dashboard. You review it, choose which areas it can reach through roles, and approve it.
- Under Settings, Users, Security you can set a four-digit collaborator request code, so only partners you share it with can send a request.
- Collaborator accounts don't count toward your store's user limit.
- Store ownership can't be transferred to a collaborator. You can remove access at any time, and access expires automatically after 90 days without a login.

This is what keeps the store yours if the relationship ends.

## Whose name should the store and accounts be in?

Not just the Shopify store. Everything around it belongs to the brand: the domain, the Google Analytics 4 property, Google Ads and Meta ad accounts, the Meta business portfolio, paid app subscriptions and the theme license. The agency joins these as an admin or partner. Letting the agency pay and re-invoice you feels convenient until you part ways. Put "all accounts and theme code belong to the brand" in the contract in plain words.

## Premium theme or custom theme?

Ask about Online Store 2.0 first. Online Store 2.0 themes use JSON templates, so you can add sections to most pages and edit them in the theme editor without a developer. You shouldn't need the agency for every small change.

Choosing between a premium theme and a custom build is as much about maintenance as budget. A premium theme from the Theme Store gets updates from its developer, but heavy custom code inside the theme files makes those updates harder to apply. A custom theme fits your brand exactly, and its upkeep is entirely on you and your agency. Ask: "Who updates this theme two years from now, and how?" If the answer mentions neither version control nor documentation, be careful.

## Why does app hygiene matter so much?

On Shopify, many features come from apps, and each one means a monthly fee and possibly extra code on your storefront. With the app blocks introduced in Online Store 2.0, an app's code is removed from the theme when you uninstall it. Older apps can leave code behind in theme files. A good agency ends the build with a list of every app, what it does, what it costs per month and what breaks if you remove it. "You might need it later" costs budget and speed.

## How do you protect SEO during a migration?

If you are moving to Shopify from another platform, your URLs will almost certainly change, because Shopify serves products under /products/ and collections under /collections/. Shopify's URL redirects work as 301s and can be imported in bulk from a CSV file. Ask the agency for a written migration plan that covers these steps:

1. Crawl and list every indexed URL on the old site.
2. Build a redirect map that matches each old URL to its closest new equivalent.
3. Carry over titles, meta descriptions and product copy as they are or improved.
4. Import the 301s by CSV and spot check a sample one by one.
5. Watch the 404 and indexing reports in Google Search Console for several weeks after launch.

Shopify only lets you redirect from a broken URL, one that returns a 404, so discuss any overlap between old and new paths in advance. For settings after launch, use our [Shopify SEO checklist](/en/blog/shopify-seo-checklist).

## What should you check for payments and invoicing in Türkiye?

At the time of writing, Türkiye is not on Shopify's official list of countries where Shopify Payments is available. The list can change, so check the current status in the Shopify Help Center. Without Shopify Payments you use a third-party provider; local providers such as iyzico offer Shopify integrations. Shopify's documentation says third-party transaction fees apply to transactions through third-party gateways, and the rate depends on your plan, so factor that cost into your plan choice.

The questions here are practical. Which local payment provider have you taken live before? How do installment options appear at checkout? Are e-Archive and e-Invoice documents created automatically after an order, and through which integrator? Who handles shipping integration and the KVKK privacy notices? An agency that can answer with screenshots has done this before.

## How should you discuss speed and Core Web Vitals?

"We'll score 90 in Lighthouse" is not enough on its own. Google's web.dev guidance says a good experience means LCP within 2.5 seconds, INP of 200 milliseconds or less and CLS of 0.1 or less, measured at the 75th percentile of page loads. Ask the agency to target the Core Web Vitals report in Search Console, which reflects real users, rather than a lab score. App count, image sizes and theme choice move these numbers.

## How should GA4 and Meta Conversions API be set up?

If purchase data doesn't reach the ad platforms correctly, ad budgets are spent blind. Ask how GA4 ecommerce events and Meta's server-side Conversions API will be connected. A simple check: place a few test orders before launch and compare the order count in Shopify with GA4 and Meta Events Manager. Finding a mismatch before launch is far cheaper than finding it after.

## What questions should you ask a Shopify agency?

| Area | Question to ask | What a good answer includes |
|---|---|---|
| Partner status | Do you have a Partner Directory profile? | Profile link, tier, reviews |
| Access | How will you access the store? | Collaborator request, role-based permissions |
| Ownership | Whose name will the store and accounts be in? | All in the brand's name |
| Theme | Is it Online Store 2.0 compatible, and who updates it? | Version control, written maintenance plan |
| Apps | Which apps will you install and why? | App list with purpose and cost |
| Migration | How do you build the 301 map? | URL mapping sheet, testing and monitoring |
| Payments and invoicing | Which local providers and integrators have you used? | A live example with screenshots |
| Speed | Which metric are you targeting? | Field data from Search Console |
| Tracking | How do you verify purchase data? | Test orders compared across tools |
| Support | What support do we get after launch, and for how long? | Duration, response time and scope in writing |

## Which red flags should make you walk away?

- Asking for your admin password, or offering to open the store under its own account.
- Saying "your SEO won't be affected" without a concrete migration plan.
- Guaranteeing rankings, revenue or ROAS.
- A proposal that says nothing about post-launch support, code ownership or exit terms.
- Suggesting a new paid app for every need.
- Vague answers to questions about local payments and invoicing.

Performetic is a Shopify Partner, and we handle store builds together with advertising and measurement. You can see the scope on our [Shopify agency service](/en/services/shopify-agency) page, read more about us as an [ecommerce agency](/en), or ask for a [free growth audit](/en/contact) of your current store.

## Key takeaways

- Verify partner status in the Partner Directory and access through a collaborator request.
- Keep the store, domain, ad and analytics accounts in your brand's name.
- Ask for an Online Store 2.0 theme approach with a written maintenance plan.
- A 301 map, testing and Search Console monitoring are non-negotiable in a migration.
- Check the current Shopify Payments status from the official list and include payment fees in your plan choice.
- Validate speed with field data and tracking with test orders.

## FAQ

### Should a Shopify agency ask for my admin password?

No. A Shopify Partner agency sends a collaborator access request from its Partner dashboard. When you approve it, you decide through roles which areas it can reach, and you can remove access at any time. Collaborator accounts don't count toward your user limit, and store ownership can't be transferred to them.

### Is Shopify Payments available in Türkiye?

At the time of writing, Türkiye was not on Shopify's list of supported countries for Shopify Payments. The list can change, so check the Shopify Help Center for the current status. Without it, you use a third-party provider such as iyzico, and plan-dependent third-party transaction fees may apply.

### Is a premium theme or a custom theme better for Shopify?

It depends on budget and maintenance capacity. A premium theme receives updates from its developer, but heavy custom code makes those updates harder. A custom theme fits your brand exactly, though its upkeep falls entirely on you and your agency. In both cases, ask for Online Store 2.0 compatibility and a written maintenance plan.

### Will I lose SEO traffic when moving to Shopify?

An unplanned migration carries a real risk, because URL structures change. A 301 map that matches old URLs to their new equivalents should be built, imported into Shopify by CSV and tested. After launch, the 404 and indexing reports in Search Console need monitoring for several weeks.

## Sources

- [Collaborator accounts (Shopify Help Center)](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/your-account/users/security/collaborator-accounts)
- [Shopify Payments supported countries and regions (Shopify Help Center)](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/payments/shopify-payments/supported-countries)
- [URL redirects (Shopify Help Center)](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-store/menus-and-links/url-redirect)
- [Online Store 2.0 (Shopify Developers)](https://shopify.dev/docs/storefronts/themes/os20)
- [Web Vitals (web.dev)](https://web.dev/articles/vitals)