Guides
Guides for people who run the store.
Field notes on Shopify design, custom themes, speed and web design. Written by Lloyd Robinson from stores he runs and stores he builds, for owners in Crewe, Liverpool, Manchester and the rest of the UK.
Shopify design · 9 min
12 Shopify conversion tips that actually move revenue
Practical Shopify conversion tips from live stores: product pages, navigation, trust, speed and checkout, in the order that tends to pay back.
Read the guideStrategy · 28 August 2026
Shopify or a custom website: how to choose in 2026
A practical comparison of Shopify and a custom-built website: flexibility, speed, search and who owns the work.
8 min readMotion sites · 2 August 2026
Do motion websites pay off?
When interactive and scroll-led websites return their cost, and when they are a vanity project.
7 min readShopify apps · 18 July 2026
When do you need a custom Shopify app?
Custom app, App Store app, or theme code: how to decide, and what a well-built app looks like.
7 min readDevelopment · 5 July 2026
A practical guide to Shopify Core Web Vitals
What actually slows a Shopify store, and the order to fix it so the scores reflect the phones your customers use.
8 min readProcess · 20 June 2026
How to write a website design brief
The short brief that gets a useful proposal: goals, audience, examples, scope, content and who decides.
6 min read