Solved: All-in-one Freelancer for Shopify Setup – Good Idea?

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out! Happy to give you some initial thoughts on your project. It's a common situation, launching a new brand and wanting to get it right from the start. You've asked about budget, phasing, and what to watch out for when hiring a freelancer, and I've got some pretty strong opinions on this based on what I've seen work and, more often, what I've seen go wrong.

The short answer is that your current plan to hire a single freelancer for everything is probably the biggest risk you're taking. We'll get into why, but the core of my advice is about shifting your focus from a checklist of tasks to a phased strategy that actually builds a profitable business, not just a pretty website with some ads pointing at it.

We'll need to look at the 'All-in-One' Freelancer Myth...

Alright, let's be brutally honest from the start. The idea of finding one reliable freelancer to handle Shopify development, theme customisation, SEO, Meta Ads, Google Ads, and social media content is a fantasy. It's the number one trap I see new eCommerce founders fall into. You're not looking for a freelancer; you're looking for a unicorn that can do the job of five different specialists. And I can tell you from experience, those unicorns don't exist.

Think about it this way: would you hire a single builder to design your house, lay the foundations, do the plumbing, handle all the electrics, and then do the interior design? Of course not. You'd hire an architect, a structural engineer, a plumber, an electrician, and a designer. Each is a specialist in their own field. Digital marketing and eCommerce is no different. The skills required to build a technically sound, fast-loading, and conversion-optimised Shopify site are completely different from the skills needed to write compelling ad copy, navigate the complexities of the Google Ads auction, or create engaging social content.

Someone who claims they can do it all is a generalist. They'll likely be mediocre at everything. They might be able to set up a basic theme, but will they know how to optimise it for page speed and mobile conversions? They can probably launch a Meta campaign, but do they understand how to structure it for scaling, how to properly test audiences, or how to diagnose a high CPA? Almost certainly not. You'll end up with a functional but clunky website and ad campaigns that burn through your cash with little to show for it. It's the most common story we hear when clients come to us after a failed launch.

What you're proposing isn't a single "project"; it's a series of distinct, highly specialised projects that need to be executed in the right order. Looking for a package deal to cover all of this is essentially asking for a discount on failure. It's far better, and ultimately cheaper, to pay a specialist for their expertise in one area than to pay a generalist to mess up five.

I'd say you need to phase the project, and the website is phase one.

This leads directly to your second question. You should absolutely split this into phases. In fact, thinking in phases is the only way to do this without setting a pile of money on fire. Your project has two main, distinct phases:

Phase 1: Build a Machine that Converts Traffic into Money. This is your Shopify store. Notice I didn't say "build a website." A website is a collection of pages. A conversion machine is a carefully constructed environment designed for one purpose: to turn a visitor into a customer. This goes way beyond "theme customisation and product uploads."

This phase should be your entire focus initially. Here's what a proper conversion-focused build involves:

• Target Audience Deep Dive: Before a single page is designed, who are you selling to? What are their pain points? What language do they use? What are their objections? Your entire website copy, from headlines to product descriptions, must speak directly to this person.
• High-Quality Product Photography/Videography: This is non-negotiable for eCommerce. Your product images are your digital salesperson. If they're blurry, poorly lit, or don't show the product from multiple angles (ideally in use), people will not buy. It screams amateur and untrustworthy. I remember one eCommerce client selling cleaning products; we saw a 190% increase in revenue partly because we advised them to overhaul their imagery to show the products in action in real homes.
• Persuasive Product Descriptions: "Made from cotton" is a feature. "Stay cool and comfortable all summer long with our breathable, lightweight cotton" is a benefit. Your descriptions need to sell the outcome, not just list the specs.
• Trust Signals: Why should anyone give you, a brand new store, their credit card details? You need to build trust instantly. This means clear return policies, customer reviews (even if you have to get them from friends and family initially), trust badges (secure payment logos), a professional "About Us" page, and easy-to-find contact information.
• Mobile-First Design: Over half, and often up to 70-80%, of your traffic will be on a mobile phone. Your site must be flawless on mobile. This means large, easy-to-tap buttons, simple navigation, and a streamlined checkout process. Test it on your own phone. If it's even slightly annoying to use, you'll lose sales.
• Page Speed: If your site takes more than 3 seconds to load, you're losing customers. A good developer will optimise images, leverage browser caching, and minimise code to ensure the site is lightning fast.

Only once this machine is built and you've had friends, family, and ideally a few initial customers go through the buying process and give feedback, should you even think about Phase 2.

Phase 2: Drive Quality Traffic to the Machine. This is your digital marketing. Your ads are just the fuel for the engine you've built. If the engine is faulty (i.e., your website doesn't convert), pouring more fuel (ad spend) into it is a complete waste. You'll get clicks, you'll get visitors, but you won't get sales. You'll just have a high bill from Google or Meta at the end of the month.

This is the most common and costly mistake. Founders get excited, launch a half-finished site, and immediately throw thousands of pounds at ads, then wonder why they have a 0.5% conversion rate and a negative return. You must prove the store converts first, even with a small amount of traffic, before you scale up your ad spend.

You'll need a realistic budget, and it's not about the 'cost'...

Okay, the budget question. "What's the ideal budget range?" is impossible to answer because it depends entirely on the quality of the freelancer and the value of what you're building. A cheap freelancer will give you a cheap result that costs you more in the long run. An expert costs more upfront but builds an asset that generates returns for years.

But the real way to think about this is to stop focusing on cost and start focusing on investment. The question isn't "how much does a website cost?" but "how much can I afford to spend to acquire a customer and still be profitable?" The answer to that lies in your Customer Lifetime Value (LTV).

If you don't know your numbers, you're just gambling. You need to have a rough idea of:

• Average Order Value (AOV): How much does a customer spend on average per purchase?
• Purchase Frequency: How many times will a customer buy from you in a year?
• Gross Margin: After the cost of goods sold, what percentage of revenue is profit?

Once you understand how much a customer is worth to you over their lifetime, you can work backwards to determine a sane advertising budget. Most healthy businesses aim for a 3:1 LTV to Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) ratio. This means if a customer is worth £300 to you in profit, you can afford to spend up to £100 to acquire them.

Suddenly, the discussion changes. A £50 Cost Per Purchase from an ad campaign might seem expensive on its own. But if that customer is worth £300, it's an incredibly profitable investment. You're putting £50 in and getting £300 out. How many times would you want to do that? This is the maths that allows businesses to scale aggressively and intelligently.

You probably should focus on one ad platform to start.

Your request mentions setting up both Meta Ads (Facebook/Instagram) and Google Ads. This is another classic mistake for a new launch. It splits your focus, your budget, and your learning. Each platform is a complex ecosystem that requires dedicated attention to master. For a new brand, you should pick ONE platform, prove your business model on it, achieve profitability, and only then consider expanding to a second.

So, which one do you choose?

Google Ads is for capturing existing demand. People go to Google with a specific problem or need. They are actively searching for "women's running shoes size 6" or "handcrafted leather wallets." If your product is something people are already searching for, Google Ads (specifically Shopping and Search campaigns) can be incredibly powerful. You're putting your product directly in front of someone with high purchase intent. The downside is that it can be very competitive and expensive, especially for popular product categories.

Meta Ads is for creating demand. No one goes on Instagram to look for a new type of cleaning product they've never heard of. But if you can show them a compelling video ad of that product effortlessly cleaning a tough stain, you can create the desire and drive a purchase. Meta is brilliant for visually appealing products, new or innovative items, and brands that can tell a story. It allows you to reach people based on their interests and behaviours, even if they aren't actively looking for you. For many of the eCommerce clients we've worked with, like a women's apparel brand that saw a 691% return or a subscription box that hit a 1000% return, Meta was the primary growth driver.

The choice depends entirely on your product and your customer. Are they problem-aware and searching for a solution (Google)? Or do you need to interrupt their scrolling with a beautiful image or video to make them aware of your product (Meta)? Pick one, dedicate your initial £1-2k/month ad spend to it, and focus all your energy on making it work. Once it's a profitable channel, you can use the profits to fund your expansion into the next platform.

This is my main advice for you...

So, to bring it all together, what should you actually do? You need to throw out the idea of an all-in-one package deal and adopt a strategic, phased approach with specialists for each step. This is the only way to "do this right the first time." It's slower, it requires more management from you, and it might seem more expensive upfront, but it's infinitly less risky and has a much, much higher chance of success.

I've detailed my main recommendations for you below:

I know this isn't the simple answer you were probably looking for. It's more work and requires you to be much more involved. But building a successful eCommerce brand isn't simple. The landscape is littered with failed stores that were launched with the "set it and forget it" mindset you get from a package deal. By taking a phased, specialist-led approach, you de-risk the entire process and give yourself the best possible chance of building something that not only launches, but lasts.

Hiring experts for each phase might seem more expensive initially, but it's an investment in getting it right. A good Shopify developer will build a site that converts higher, meaning every advertising pound you spend later will be more effective. A good ads manager will find profitable customers faster and scale your campaigns more efficiently, generating a return that far outweighs their fee. The cost of hiring a generalist isn't just their fee; it's the months of wasted time and thousands in lost revenue from a poorly executed launch.

This is precisely the kind of situation where expert guidance can make a massive difference. We spend all our time in ad accounts, launching and scaling brands like yours. We've seen what works, what doesn't, and how to avoid the costly mistakes that sink most new stores.

If you'd like to chat through your plans in more detail, we offer a free, no-obligation initial consultation. We can take a look at your product, discuss your ideal customer, and give you a much clearer, tailored strategy for your launch. It might be the most valuable 30 minutes you spend on your business this year.

Regards,

Team @ Lukas Holschuh