We build custom Shopify themes and customise existing ones for UK brands. That covers new Online Store 2.0 themes, custom sections and blocks your team can edit without a developer, and fixes to themes that have become slow or hard to change. We write the Liquid, CSS and JavaScript ourselves and hand over code that is easy to maintain.

Theme work is one part of our wider Shopify development service. If your store needs functionality a theme can't provide, see Shopify app development.

What does a Shopify theme developer actually do?

A Shopify theme is the storefront layer: Liquid templates, sections, blocks, CSS, JavaScript and settings. Checkout is hosted by Shopify and is not controlled by theme code, so theme work covers everything from the homepage to the cart.

Typical theme work includes:

New custom themes built around your design and product range.
New sections and blocks, such as size guides, comparison tables or lookbooks.
Separate templates for different product types or collections.
Rebuilding old vintage themes on Online Store 2.0.
Clearing out years of leftover app code and quick fixes.

Online Store 2.0, sections and blocks merchants can edit

Online Store 2.0 moved templates from Liquid files to JSON. A JSON template is a list of sections and their settings, so your team can add, remove and reorder sections on any page in the theme editor. It also brought app blocks and the ability to connect section settings to metafields.

We build sections with editing in mind. Settings get clear labels and sensible defaults, and we keep copy out of the code so text changes don't need a developer. A good section is hard to break: if someone leaves an image empty or adds a very long heading, the layout still holds.

One limit worth knowing: a JSON template can hold up to 25 sections and each section up to 50 blocks. That's plenty for most pages, but it affects how we structure long landing pages.

Metafields, metaobjects and structured content

Product information often doesn't fit the default fields. Care instructions, ingredients, materials, sizing notes and technical specs belong in metafields, not pasted into the product description.

Metafields hold extra data on products, variants, collections and other resources. Metaobjects let you define your own content types, such as a designer profile or a stockist. Sections can then pull this data automatically, so one product template works for hundreds of products. The same data can also drive filters, feeds and any headless build later.

Theme app extensions or code in the theme?

Apps add features to the storefront in two ways. Modern apps use theme app extensions: app blocks you place in sections, and app embeds that load site-wide. They can be switched off in the editor and are removed cleanly when the app is uninstalled. Older apps edit theme files directly or inject scripts, and often leave code behind after removal.

When a feature is specific to your store, we'll usually write it into the theme. When the same logic has to work across several themes or stores, or needs a backend, a theme app extension in a custom app is the better home. We'll tell you which we'd pick and why.

Custom theme or customise an existing one?

The answer depends on how far your design sits from what a theme already does.

Approach	Good fit when	Watch out for
Customise a paid Theme Store theme	The theme is close to what you need and you want a small number of changes	Code edits are not carried over when the theme developer releases an update, so heavy changes leave you stuck on an old version
Build on Dawn or Horizon	You want a custom result on a clean, well-documented base from Shopify	You still need to design and build everything that makes the store yours
Build from scratch	Your design, content model or performance needs don't fit any existing theme	Most upfront work, and you own every line of the code

Dawn has been Shopify's reference theme since Online Store 2.0 launched. Horizon is its newer reference theme, built around theme blocks that can be nested inside each other. Both are free and open source, which makes them a sensible base for many custom builds.

Paid themes often carry features you won't use, and their JavaScript loads either way.

Accessible and fast by default

We work to WCAG 2.2 AA: proper heading order, keyboard-friendly menus and drawers, visible focus states, labelled form fields and enough colour contrast. UK retailers also have duties under the Equality Act 2010.

Speed is easier to build in than to add later. We use responsive images, load the main image early and lazy-load the rest, and keep JavaScript small and specific to each section. If your current store is already slow, our Shopify speed optimisation service starts with a free audit.

Is headless Shopify worth it?

Headless means Shopify runs products, inventory and checkout while a separate front end handles the storefront. That front end might be Hydrogen, Shopify's React framework, or a Next.js app, both pulling data through the Storefront API.

It makes sense when you need things a Liquid theme handles badly: content-heavy sites that mix editorial and commerce, complex product configurators, several storefronts on one catalogue, or a front end shared with a mobile app. We build these as web applications in TypeScript and Next.js.

For most stores it isn't worth it. You lose the theme editor unless you add a separate CMS, many apps stop working on the storefront, and you take on hosting and a codebase that needs ongoing work. A well-built Online Store 2.0 theme can be just as fast.

How a theme project runs

Discovery call. We talk through your store, your design and what isn't working now.
Written scope and fixed quote. You get a clear list of what we'll build and a fixed price before any work starts.
Build on a development theme. Work happens on a duplicate or unpublished theme, so your live store isn't touched. Code is kept in version control.
Review. You get preview links to test on your own devices and in the theme editor.
Publish. We go live at a quiet time and check key pages, the cart and tracking afterwards.
Support. We stay on hand for fixes and future changes.

FAQs

How much does a custom Shopify theme cost?

It depends on the number of templates, how custom the design is and what has to be migrated. A few new sections is a small job. A full theme from scratch is a much larger one. We quote a fixed price after a short discovery call, once we know what you need.

Will a new theme affect my SEO?

Changing theme doesn't change your URLs, products or collections, because those live in Shopify, not in the theme. What can change is page titles, headings, structured data and page content. We check those carry across and test speed before the new theme goes live.

Can you work on our existing paid theme?

Yes. We can add sections, change templates and fix problems in most Theme Store themes. We'll flag where heavy changes would make future theme updates difficult, and keep our edits in separate files where we can, so it's clear what is ours and what came with the theme.

Can my team edit the theme after you've built it?

That's the point of building on Online Store 2.0. Content, images, section order and most layout choices are managed in the theme editor. We set up sections with clear settings and show your team how to use them, so day-to-day changes don't need a developer.

Do you work with design agencies?

Yes. We are happy to build from designs supplied in Figma or similar. We review designs early and point out anything that will be awkward on Shopify, such as layouts that won't suit the theme editor, so problems are caught before the build starts.

If you're planning a new theme or need changes to your current one, get in touch and we'll arrange a call.

Shopify Theme Development