Shopify can quickly sink if you have a bad design.
Why? Because we are all shallow.
You have less time to make an impression. Your design can influence 94% of your website’s performance.
Although how quickly you answer your questions is a factor, users form their opinions based on other factors, but the visual component shapes their first thoughts.
You need to find the right designer or developer to ensure your website succeeds.
We can infer three things from the fact that you are reading this article:
- That you already know.
- You are trying to choose between Shopify Experts and Fiverr.
- It is important to find a freelancer who isn’t a waste of time.
We understand your pain and wrote this for you.
Let’s take a look at the differences between Fiverr & Shopify Expert and what you can do to avoid spending money on developers or designers that are shady.
What is the difference between Shopify Experts and Fiverr?
Fiverr has one of the largest freelancing databases around the globe.
It currently houses more than 830,000 freelancers (who Fiverr calls sellers) and more that 50 million transactions every month.
Fiverr allows you to find freelancers for all things: content creation, logo design and even help with Shopify stores.
Shopify Experts still exists as a network of agencies and freelancers that offer assistance to merchants in their stores. Any merchant can access it through their Shopify dashboard.
Shopify has vetted all those who sell their services on the Shopify Experts platform to help merchants with issues related to marketing, sales development, store setup and content branding.
This means that a Shopify Expert will be labeled as a Shopify freelancer or agency. They’ll have to prove it.
You may be wondering. You might be thinking: A freelancer is a freelancer. Does it matter if they are found on Fiverr or Shopify Experts.
Answer: It doesn’t matter what agency or freelancer you hire.
You can search for “Shopify Experts” and find all the images and badges available. Any freelancer from any part of the globe can copy this code and paste it into their Fiverr profile. then calls themselves Shopify Expert. Many of these people are fakes.
Some agencies and freelancers work on both platforms. It’s important to only hire those who have been verified by Shopify Experts. You’re not hiring fraudsters.
You’ll end up paying peanuts and getting monkeys.
Fiverr’s talent screening process
Fiverr offers two types of services to its sellers: Fiverr, and Fiverr PRO.
Regular Fiverr levels do not require vetting. You will need to look at reviews left by businesses that have hired these freelancers and their feedback if you want to hire them. Fiverr Pro freelancers can be checked (to a degree) to ensure they are capable of doing what they claim.
Every Fiverr Pro freelancer has been thoroughly vetted by the platform’s “Pro Vetting Process.”
Fiverr states that each seller must apply to Fiverr Pro to provide information about their work history, past clients, certifications, work samples, and other relevant information.
We receive thousands of applications and the Fiverr Pro results are the best 1%. We are committed to providing the best service to our buyers and hold ourselves to the highest standards.
Freelancers must prove they are able to pass the vetting process.
- Verification of identity and personal information
- Experience and work history
- Education and certification
- Online presence and social appearance
- Customer-centric and behavioral approach
- Language proficiency
Shopify Experts vetting their talent
Shopify has vetted a Shopify Expert as a freelancer or agency.
Shopify refers to those who can market themselves as Shopify Experts as “a cultivated community of trusted and motivated Shopify ambassadors who actively assist merchants in growing their businesses through providing high-quality services.”
Shopify has selected “Shopify experts” who have demonstrated a deep and authoritative knowledge of Shopify, and a desire to learn more.
Shopify Experts allows you to browse lists of experts and click on their profiles to find:
- Here are links to Shopify’s portfolio of stores
- What services they offer
- They have a minimum project budget (they won’t work with anyone unless they’re willing to pay their minimums).
- Testimonials (which are only from Shopify store owners who have hired them for a project).
Shopify monitors them once they have been verified as Shopify Experts. They lose their verification badge if they don’t perform as expected.
Experts are reminded that Shopify can contact them to verify their eligibility to continue being an Expert under the Shopify Expert T&Cs.
Stay vigilant — Shopify experts are everywhere
It is a little strange that Fiverr has an exclusive URL for Shopify Experts, when not all the agencies and freelancers listed on the URL are Shopify Experts.
This is the screenshot we received when we entered the Fiverr Shopify Experts URL.
This list of agencies and freelancers will surprise you. There are Shopify Experts who have been verified and legitimate. There are also tons of sellers who claim to be Shopify Experts, but they aren’t verified and have never done a single job.
Like this Fiverr freelancer.
Seems legit.
Before we could have a deeper discussion, the seller claimed to be an expert. I asked them to verify their Shopify Expert store.
They responded with this.
Plot twist. Shopify Expert is now closed. Strange, considering that this freelancer used it to attract people to hire him.
I felt a rat in my stomach, so I did some digging.
Just like that, I was dismissed for asking for verification of the Shopify Expert status. It’s easy to see that the seller wasn’t a Shopify Expert and was not a good choice for any kind of outsourcing work.
Merchants need to look a little deeper when outsourcing their work.
Use Fiverr instead
You are the “Shopify Expert”
Yes, they were found on the Fiverr homepage. This is the default search page on the site, and it’s where most sellers are located.
This section is open to everyone. Anyone can upload a photo to their profile and be a Shopify Expert.
It wasn’t a good start to my first experience as a Shopify Expert freelancing on Fiverr. What happens when we go back to Fiverr’s “Fiverr Pro” section and start again searching?
It was a shambles to the “free-for-all” over the main Fiverr website in terms of price points and reviews. The first search result I found claimed to also be a Shopify Expert.
And I sent the exact same message to Young Einstein.
This time, the freelancer was a Shopify Expert who operated his business on Shopify Expert and Fiverr.
If you do some digging, it seems that Shopify Experts can be found on Fiverr.
How can you find better freelancers through Fiverr Pro or Shopify Experts?
You are hiring an agency/freelancer for their expertise and talent, not the platform.
Shopify Experts is where Shopify Experts comes in handy. It basically takes care of the vetting process. It’s likely that you will spend a lot of time vetting freelancers and agencies before outsourcing on Fiverr.
Are you looking for an expert? You can go straight to the source (Shopify).
There are over 830,000 Shopify Experts and more than 830,000 freelancers available on Fiverr. Finding the right place to outsource can be difficult and time-consuming.
Shopify Experts is an excellent way for merchants find legitimate matches when outsourcing their work. You can find Shopify Experts even if you’ve found a trustworthy agency or freelancer on Fiverr.
You may be able to find Shopify Experts if you aren’t looking to hire one and are willing to gamble on Fiverr’s thousands of unvetted freelancers. You could also pay peanuts to get monkeys.
It’s up to YOU to decide what success means to your Shopify store.
How to Make sure a Shopify Expert Freelancer Is Worth Your Money
What do their reviews say?
As with any other outsourcing job, it is important to check the reviews of a company before you hire them.
Shopify Experts integrates a rating system into its platform. Only legitimate buyers can leave reviews.
Shopify Experts searches for “Custom Features/Code”, and a number of experts are available to hire.
Let’s take a look at what Union Works’ customers have to say about the work they do. We can see from their profile that they are able to build custom features and codes, as well product builders and delivery date pickers.
So far, so good. What do their customers think? Scrolling down a bit further on their profiles revealed that 53 customers have given 5 stars.
Merchants can find reviews on the platform easily and make an informed decision about whether they want to request a quote or not.
How does their work compare to the one before?
Another great feature of Shopify Experts is the ability to upload only legitimate, completed work on an expert’s portfolio.
To find a trusted expert for a store remodel, we searched the Shopify Experts database and came across XgenTech.
Merchants can view their portfolio by scrolling down their profile. This allows them to see if their style and capabilities are right for what they need.
Again, merchants save a lot of time by having all the information on one page. It also speeds up the hiring process.
Is the price reasonable?
This is one the most useful features Shopify Experts has to offer.
The platform’s experts will identify their minimum project cost and notify merchants if they aren’t ready to spend it. If that happens, the expert won’t accept your project.
This is visible when you choose a service from the site. It is listed under “Starting price”:
This is a great way to find experts you can afford and those who do.
