7 Solid Reasons Why You Need a Shopify Page Builder App

We all know that Shopify is pretty easy to build and set up.

However, you might be unaware that these basic templates and themes are not going to suffice if you want your online store to stand out.

If you want your store to look more appreciable and you want to be different from your competitors you're gonna need to do something different. And Shopify definitely has limits over customization, so how do you achieve your desired website without coding?

The answer is Page Builder Apps. In this blog, we’ll discuss multiple reasons why you need a page builder app for your Shopify store. But before that, there are multiple areas to gain clarity at.

So, let’s start with our discussion on the basics.

What is a Shopify Page Builder App?

A Shopify page builder app is a third-party plugin that helps merchants create and customize web pages for their online store without needing extensive technical knowledge or code. With a page builder, you can create a highly customized page by dragging and dropping elements onto a template and adjusting it to match your preferred headings, images, buttons, and lists.

Shopify page builders are very useful for eCommerce business owners who have already used Shopify to set up and manage their online stores. Also, it’s necessary to note that every page builder is different from each other. Some of them allow the creation of multiple kinds of pages, while others may focus on a specific web page; such as landing pages, blog pages, and product pages.

However, you might have a constant doubt about why a Shopify store owner would invest in a page builder when they already have Shopify’s default page builder to make a customized web page.

Well, the thing is that Shopify’s default theme editor (or drag-and-drop page builder) is quite limiting. Let’s learn how.

Understanding the Challenges of Traditional Shopify Theme Editor

Shopify offers a variety of themes to get you started. All of these themes come with a specific set of features, elements, and functionality.

However, if your business requires advanced customizations, other than those offered by these themes, you may encounter multiple challenges, including:

• Difficulty in implementing unique design elements or functionality due to its rigid template structures.
• Increased development cost and time due to the need for developers to integrate advanced features.
• Difficulty in scaling design and functionality as the business grows.
• Compatibility issues when integrating third-party apps or plugins to existing themes.
• Lack of essential eCommerce features such as advanced product filtering, dynamic content, or personalized experiences.

… And more.

So yes, when it comes to complicated design changes with Shopify’s default page builder, such as formatting blog posts, adjusting headers, sidebars, footers, and more, everything has limits that can't be extended without custom coding.

Now this makes it clear that if you want to build an advanced page without actually relying on custom code, page builders are your way to go. Let’s move forward to gain a deeper understanding of what kind of features or advancement a page builder can bring in.

What Are Some Beneficial Features of a Page Builder?

To overcome the limitations of Shopify’s drag-and-drop builder, many merchants are turning to third-party page builder apps. They come with a range of features that help you with improved customization without having technical know-how.

Here I’ve added a list of multiple built-in features that you may find with Shopify page builder apps.

If I convey it in short, Shopify Page Builder apps can help cross boundaries that are present with Shopify’s default theme builder.

And that’s not all! There are multiple other reasons why you should invest in a Shopify page builder app and we are discussing them in the next section. Let’s move to understand this hot topic of our article.

7 Solid Reasons Why You Need a Shopify Page Builder App

Until now we have seen what a page builder app for your Shopify store is and how it helps tackle challenges with Shopify’s traditional page builders. And it's time to gain a deeper understanding of the benefits of investing in page builder apps that your online store needs.

Let’s start with it.

#1 — Helps Build Lightweight and Responsive Landing Pages

We all know the necessity of user experience and responsiveness when building landing pages.

Visitors have short attention spans and slow-loading landing pages can lead to a significant increase in bounce rates, negatively impacting conversion rates and ad ROI. Additionally, with a growing number of mobile users, it has become a necessity to create web pages that seamlessly adapt to different screen sizes to provide optimal user experience.

If you expect this from Shopify’s default theme builder, it may fall short in delivering it. This is because its default page builder comes with multiple limitations for design flexibility, code structure, and image optimization that can affect web performance and user satisfaction.

On the other hand, if you choose to get ahead with Shopify page builder apps, specifically those designed to address these challenges—offering advanced features such as image/video compression tools, mobile-first design, and more—you can create landing pages that load quickly and flawlessly on all devices.

Furthermore, many of the page builders allow coding with various other languages (such as HTML, JS, CSS), whereas Shopify limits coding to its own CSS language (Liquid), which helps them ensure a smoother user experience.

#2 — Helps Build Highly-customized Pages Without Coding

A basic-looking website is simply not enough for your users.

Sending your hard-earned website traffic to an under-optimized, generic, and static page is a waste of your time, effort, and money. To engage with the right audience cleverly, you need to build a highly customized web page that consists of each necessary element to create an enjoyable shopping experience with your brand.

And we saw that Shopify provides a basic drag-and-drop builder which limits the ability to build sophisticated designs. So achieving a truly different look may require coding expertise. The only issue is that people choose Shopify to build a store without custom coding, and now they are asked to write code.

One of the biggest advantages of using a page builder is its ease of use with flexibility to make high-end customizations.

You will find multiple-page builder apps that provide you with the freedom to focus on creativity and strategies rather than creating confusion by introducing technicalities. With these page builder apps, you can experiment with page layout, and colors, and create a web page that meets your unique business needs.

Page builders make your designing process much more straightforward, accessible, and user-friendly for anyone, regardless of their technical background.

#3 — Allows Hyper-personalization

We've all experienced the ability of Instagram to suggest posts and products that feel almost relevant – this is hyper-personalization.

The meaning behind personalization is easy – customers expect brands to recognize them. One of the research also revealed that more than 80% of customers are willing to make a purchase when brands offer personalized experiences.

eCommerce personalization allows you to treat each of your customers differently based on their on-site behavior and their data, which is quite helpful for delivering unique shopping experiences. Personalization includes product recommendations, ad targeting, push notifications, dynamic pricing, and more.

Shopify definitely has personalization capabilities but is limited to a certain level. Shopify page builders on the other hand provide better tools and integrations that help deliver highly personalized experiences. Those advanced set of features may include:

• Customer data Integration into the CRM platform for a unified view of customer interactions.
• Dynamic content to display products based on conditional logic.
• Behavioral targeting to capture abandoned cart users and offer personalized discounts.
• Customer segmentation to suggest products or content based on user demographic, behavior, purchase history, and more
• Creation of personalized ads for specific customer groups.

This level of personalization helps build deeper connections with customers, helps with customer retention and increases revenue.

#4 — Increased Control Over the Look & Feel of the Store

Every Shopify store owner dreams of building a store with an entirely distinct look, however, the default theme builder cannot keep up with it. Many store owners feel limited by pre-designed templates, making it hard to create a unique and memorable online store. This lack of creative freedom can make it difficult for a brand to stand out in a crowded marketplace.

And we all know that a store's appearance is its first impression on customers and it should be great.

Shopify page builders work like a great solution here, offering unmatchable control over every element of the store's design. With their ability, you can customize layouts, colors, typography, and even animate sections. This level of control over store design can help you (store owners) create a truly personalized shopping experience that reflects your brand perfectly and resonates well with your audience.

This also helps create a strong and lasting impression on customers.

#5 — Provides Better Insights & Analytics

Understanding customer behavior and how your website is performing is key to making smart decisions about your website design. While Shopify offers analytics tools, it often doesn’t provide detailed information to understand the areas that really help optimize your store.

To gain a clear idea of what your customers might like and where your website design can improve, you need to gain detailed insights into your web traffic, user behavior, and conversion rates. When you analyze your website for these metrics, you can make better decisions on what features to keep and how to market your products through them, in order to drive conversions.

Most of the Shopify page builder apps come with advanced analytics tools that provide you with a complete view of your website’s performance. They track user integration, allow access to heatmaps, measure conversions, and highlight customer pain points. So, when you choose to invest in page builders you also get access to their advanced analytics tools that are essential for continuous improvement and making data-driven decisions.

#6 — Increased Efficiency & Quicker Time to Market

Getting your product or service quicker to market is highly necessary for gaining market share and to stay ahead of competitors.

However, designing and building an online store or even a landing page takes a lot of time, resources, and expertise. And Shopify’s default theme editor is no doubt functional, but it can slow down the designing process due to its limited amount of templates availability.

Shopify page builder apps on the other hand can make the store creation process faster and easier. The thought itself is already excellent. And yes, it’s true that with the drag-and-drop interfaces and pre-designed templates of page builder apps, the time spent on design and development is greatly reduced.

This is possible because these third-party page builders often allow advanced customizations without the need for extensive coding and design skills, allowing you to quickly launch your landing page or any web page of your preference.

#7 — Requires Little Upkeep and Is Easy to Manage

Managing a website is a time-consuming task, especially when you’re planning for campaigns and want to build dedicated landing pages. Though Shopufy’s default page builder offers some level of ease in management, it falls short when it comes to complex design adjustments, often asking for custom code. This requires coding knowledge or dependence on developers, which turns out to be both time-consuming and costly.

Shopify page builder apps, on the other hand, are designed with ease of management in mind. They provide intuitive interfaces and drag-and-drop functionality that allow merchants to make changes quickly and easily. Whether it's updating product images, modifying text content, or adjusting page layouts, these platforms empower store owners to maintain their websites without the need for technical expertise.

On top of that, many page builders offer version control, backup features, and more to ensure that things are easy to revert. This level of control and flexibility simplifies website management and allows you to focus on other aspects of your business.

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So, until now we understood how Shopify page builders can revolutionize your online store by offering design freedom, personalization, and efficiency. Let’s also check how page builder apps stack up against Shopify’s default page builder.

Shopify’s Default Page Builder Vs. Shopify Page Builder Apps

In this section, we’ll compare page builders in a handy table that helps you pick key points and make up your mind to invest in a page builder. Let’s go.

This comparison table clearly outlines the key differences between Shopify's default page builder and dedicated page builder apps, allowing you to make informed decisions based on their specific needs. Also, you can see how beneficial these third-party page builder apps are, and you might be interested in investing in them.

So, in the next section, I’ll introduce you to some of the best page builder apps for Shopify that you can rely on. Let’s go.

What Are the Best Shopify Page Builder Apps?

While multiple great Shopify page builder apps are worth your investment, I’ve tried to sort out the top 4 based on our experience.

1. PageFly
2. Shogun
3. GemPages
4. Replo

Let’s get to understanding them in detail.

1. PageFly

Pagefly is an easy page builder for Shopify. It allows you to design your own custom pages on Shopify to optimize the store design and performance. The page builder supports all types of web pages, including home pages, landing pages, and product pages.

The platform is beginner-friendly and comes with multiple built-in features, such as:

• No-code Drag-and-drop
• 200+ Third-party Integrations
• Custom Coding
• Animation & Effects
• Lazy Load
• Control Over Header & Footer
• Global Styling
• Reusable Page Sections
• Pre-built Sections and Elements
• SEO Optimization Tools

Pricing Plans of PageFly:

PageFly comes with flexible pricing that allows you to build a web page experience with powerful features.

• Free Plan — $0
• Pay-As-You-Go Plan — If you need 10 published slots per month, the cost will be $29 which is $2.9 per slot.
  • (Ideal for businesses with fluctuating page needs.)
• Unlimited — $99 per month
  • (As the name suggests, it allows unlimited published slots.)

For businesses requiring multiple blog posts, a $49 per month add-on is available for both the Free and Pay-As-You-Go plans, providing unlimited blog post creation. The Unlimited plan includes unlimited blog posts at no extra cost.

2. Shogun

Shogun is the best no-code visual page builder for Shopify. It helps you build high-converting web pages including the home page, landing page, and product page, with its most advanced visual editor. Some of the main features of Shogun include:

• Generative AI
• Conversion Tracking
• Heatmaps
• Dynamic Content
• Custom Code Elements with AI Copilot
• Content Syncing Across Stores
• Custom CMS Collections
• Personalization
• Reusable Content Sections
• SEO Tools
• Bulk Publishing and Scheduling

Here, check more on how PageFly and Shogun compare each other.

Pricing Plans of Shogun:

Shogun also comes with 3 different pricing plans.

• Build Plan — $39 per month, including 25 published pages and 2,000 monthly tracked users.
• Grow Plan — $249 per month, includes creation of unlimited published pages with 10,000 monthly tracked users.
• Advanced Plan — $499 per month, includes multiple advanced functionalities for teams at scaling eCommerce companies.

We can admit that Shogun is quite expensive when compared to Shopify. Also, if you want to compare PageFly and Shogun in-depth, here’s your guide: PageFly Vs Shogun.

3. GemPages

GemPages is an intuitive drag-and-drop page builder for Shopify that allows you to create visually stunning and high-converting pages for all types and purposes. The main features include:

• Drag & Drop Editor
• Responsive Web Design
• Sales boosters (Countdown Timer, Stock Counter, Popup, and more)
• GemAI Image-to-Layout
• Mobile Editing (RWD)
• Unlimited Draft Pages
• SEO Controls
• Custom Code
• Templates & Blocks Library

Pricing Plans of GemPages:

GemPages also comes with a free plan that includes basic features and allows publishing 1 page.

Let’s understand the rest of the pricing plans.

• Build Plan — $23 per month with unlimited published pages.
• Optimize Plan — $47 per month with unlimited published pages and many more features.
• Enterprise — $159 per month with unlimited published pages and unlimited features.

4. Replo

Replo is the leading landing page builder for Shopify. The platform comes with great features and allows the building high-quality, conversion-tested web pages without the need for a designer or developer. The main features include:

• Drag-and-drop builder
• Global Sections
• In-app Analytics
• Pre-built templates
• Replo AI
• Private Slack Support Channel
• Custom Integrations
• Pre-built Sections and Templates

Pricing Plans of Replo:

Replo also comes with a free plan with unlimited features, users, and previews; quite convenient for those looking to try it out.

Here’s an overview of additional pricing plans:

• Basic Plan — $99 per month, including up to 10 published pages, posts, and sections; with unlimited features.
• Standard Plan — $249 per month, including up to 30 published pages, posts, and sections; with unlimited features.
• Growth Plan — $499+ per month, including up to 100 published pages, posts, and sections; with unlimited features.
• Enterprise Plan — Custom pricing with unlimited page creation and dedicated support to match your priorities.

That was the overview of top page builders that help you build a landing page for your Shopify store.

Also, your final decision on choosing the best page builder will depend on your business requirements and will depend on your own circumstances. So, make thorough research on them and decide on the page builder that works best for you.

Conclusion

Your standalone online store may not be enough to capture user attention and drive sales.

Shopify page builders offer tools and flexibility to create exceptional shopping experiences that resonate well with your audience. When you have the freedom to design, personalize, and optimize in your unique way, you’ll be able to build aesthetically pleasing web pages and also convert the best.

From bringing in more visitors to reducing cart abandonment rates, Shopify page builders help undeniably. So, when are you looking to invest in them and make a place for your business in this competitive world?

For any further queries or information, do contact our experts. 😀