How to create a theme template in Shopify (for new & product pages)

In the world of Shopify web design, creating a custom theme template is crucial for making a store stand out. Whether showcasing a new collection or revamping product pages, having a unique design can make all the difference. Creating these templates might seem daunting, but with a little guidance, you can create engaging and effective templates. This guide will walk you through the process step-by-step, giving you the confidence to tackle even the most challenging design projects.

Knowing where to start can take time and effort with so many available tools and options. Instant is a Shopify product page builder for creating beautiful, customized templates for your store.

Table of Contents

• Understanding Shopify themes & templates

• Why use templates for your Shopify store

• How to create a theme template in Shopify for a new page

• How to create a theme template in Shopify for a product page

• 3 best practices for adapting your Shopify template

• Optimize your Shopify store for conversions without breaking the bank with Instant's Shopify product page builder

Understanding Shopify themes & templates

When you start a Shopify store, you’re getting an e-commerce platform and a set of themes and templates that give your store a polished, professional look. Think of these as the backbone of your store’s design. They dictate how each page looks, from the homepage to product listings, so everything fits together visually.

What are Shopify page templates? 

Shopify page templates are like pre-set layouts that come with your chosen theme. They control where: 

• Text

• Images

• Colors

• Buttons

Go to each page to keep your store’s look consistent across different sections. With these templates, you can organize your content to match your brand, making creating a cohesive shopping experience for your customers easy. When you choose a theme, like “Dawn” or “Crave,” you’re not just picking a color palette or font style; you’re picking a whole set of templates tailored for specific pages, like product pages, collection pages, and even your homepage. 

How Shopify templates work

Here’s how templates keep your store looking organized and on-brand:

Creating pages with default templates

Whenever you add a new page in Shopify, whether a product page, an FAQ, or a blog page, it automatically uses the default template from your theme. Each theme has its default templates, so if you’re using “Dawn,” your new pages will adopt that theme's style, fonts, and layout. These templates handle everything from headers and footers to text styles and spacing.

Selecting and switching templates

Want a different look for a certain page? Shopify makes it easy to switch templates within your theme. Let’s say you want your homepage to have a different layout than your product pages, or maybe you want one product to showcase extra images or details. 

Simply enter your page settings and select another template from a dropdown menu. This feature is perfect for focusing on certain collections or high-profile products.

Theme-specific templates

Every theme in Shopify has a unique set of templates, so switching themes can give your store a complete design makeover. For example, if you start with the “Dawn” theme and later try “Crave,” all your page templates will change to match the new theme’s style. This can give your store a fresh new look across all pages in just a few clicks.

Adding custom content

Once you’ve selected a template for a page, you can add specific content like:

• product descriptions

• Images

• Videos

Without changing the template itself, Shopify’s editor lets you customize the text and images for each page within the template’s structure, making it easy to manage your content without touching any code.

Consistent customizations across pages

One of the best things about templates is that they keep your design consistent across similar pages. If you add a “Featured Products” section to your product page template, that section will appear on every product page using that template. This makes it easy to maintain a consistent style across your store, though it also means you’ll need a custom template if you want something unique on a specific page.

Why use templates for your Shopify store

Affordable and flexible solutions

Creating a website from scratch can be costly, ranging from $12,000 to $150,000. Shopify templates offer a budget-friendly alternative with many free options to customize your store beautifully. Even premium themes, which offer additional features, are just a few hundred dollars, still significantly cheaper than starting from scratch. 

Traditional websites require maintenance costs between $400 and $60,000 per year, which can be burdensome for small businesses and nonprofits. Shopify themes reduce these costs and allow you to design your store precisely how you envision it.

Personalize your store with ease

Are you worried about your Shopify store looking like everyone else's? Fear not. Shopify themes are highly customizable, allowing you to adjust:

• Colors

• Fonts

• Layouts

• Navigation

Instant Page Builder can assist you with customization to match your brand's unique style. It's a quicker, cheaper alternative to hiring a developer or starting from scratch.

User-friendly and accessible

You are building a website used to be daunting, requiring extensive coding knowledge and time. Shopify has democratized the process, enabling anyone to create a professional-looking store. You don't need a technical background to install and customize a Shopify theme. Just a few clicks, and you're good to go.

Effortless mobile responsiveness

In the past, developers had to create separate versions of a website for desktop and mobile users, complicating maintenance and increasing costs. Responsive web design changed that, but it still required developers to ensure compatibility across devices. With Shopify themes,mobile responsiveness is built in, so you don't have to worry about making your site look good on any screen size.

Launch your store quickly

Time is money, especially in eCommerce. Installing a Shopify theme or template takes just a few minutes, allowing you to get your store up and running quickly. Once your store is set up, you can focus on marketing and driving traffic to your site rather than waiting weeks for a site to be built.

Elevate your Shopify store with Instant

Are you looking to enhance your Shopify store with advanced, customizable pages? Instant is a user-friendly Shopify product page builder for eCommerce teams and agencies. With its intuitive drag-and-drop interface, you can quickly design high-converting pages without coding. 

Try Instant's Shopify product page builder today!

How to create a theme template in Shopify for a new page

1. Unleash the power of Shopify’s theme editor

Open up Shopify’s theme editor by heading to your Shopify admin. Navigate to Online Store > Themes, then click Customize on your current theme. If you want direct access to your theme files, go to Actions > Edit Code. This is where you’ll start shaping your store’s unique look.

2. Crafting your unique template

In the code editor, look for the Templates section. Click on Add a new template and decide which page you want to customize. Name your new template file, like “custom-about” for a specialized About page. Shopify will create a .liquid file for you, such as page.custom-about.liquid.

3. Customizing the code to perfection

Open your new .liquid file in the Templates section. Include or tweak HTML, Liquid (Shopify’s templating language), and CSS to achieve the ideal layout. You could use Liquid tags like {% section 'custom-section' %} for dynamic content. When satisfied, save the changes and check out your creation.

4. Putting your template to work

Head to Online Store > Pages in your Shopify admin and pick the page you want to customize. Under Template, select your new template from the dropdown menu. Click Save to make it official.

5. Enhance with dynamic sections

If your theme supports Online Store 2.0, add dynamic sections to your new template through the editor. Open the Customize section in your theme. Choose the page with your custom template and add sections from the Add section menu. Personalize each section to craft a rich, engaging page.

6. Testing and tweaking

Preview your new page template on various devices. Ensure everything:

• Links

• Buttons

• Dynamic elements

Look and function as intended. If something’s off, go back into the Edit Code section to tweak it.

How to create a theme template in Shopify for a product page

Theme customization: Your first step

Kick things off by logging into your Shopify admin. Head over to Online Store > Themes. Once there, click Customize on the theme you’re working with. You can explore the theme editor, where you’ll find options to tweak various templates, including your product page.

Creating your template: A blank canvas

In the theme editor, locate the dropdown for Product template types. Click on Create template. Give it a memorable name like “New Product Layout,” and choose “product” as the template type. This is where your creativity takes over.

Adding your personal touch: Sections and blocks

Shopify 2.0 uses sections and blocks as the building blocks of your page. Add, remove, and rearrange elements to achieve the look you desire. Place images, descriptions, and reviews in the order you prefer. The editor allows easy adjustments without diving into code.

Accessing the code editor: No need to worry

Start by navigating to Online Store > Themes in your Shopify admin. Find your theme, click Actions, and select Edit Code. It might sound intimidating, but it’s pretty straightforward.

Setting up your new template: Choose your format

Within the Templates folder, click Add a new template. Opt for “product” as the template type and give it a recognizable name. For Shopify 2.0 themes, go with JSON; for older themes, stick to liquid.

Copying & pasting: Yes, really

Open the default product template file, usually named product.liquid, and copy everything inside. Paste it into your new template file. Make sure to swap out any instances of “main-product” with your new template’s name to keep things organized.

Save and enjoy: Ready for action

Once you’ve made your changes, hit Save. Your custom product template is now ready to use across your store.

3 best practices for adapting your Shopify template

1. Image-centered design: Make your products shine

When it comes to online shopping, visuals speak louder than words. Your product pages should have images on the front and center. According to MDG, 67% of online buyers say images are a key factor in purchasing decisions. 

What does this mean for your Shopify store? Ensure your product images are large, high-quality, and easy to view. Larger images boost conversions and make your products more shareable on social media. To keep your site running smoothly, use the right image dimensions to improve load speed, faster pages rank better on Google, and reduce bounce rates. And don’t forget features like zoom-in functionality or multiple angles to give customers a complete look at your products.

2. Mobile-friendly design: Keep shoppers happy on the go

With mobile shopping taking over eCommerce, your product pages must be fully optimized for mobile users. Shopify’s themes are often mobile-friendly by default, but if you customize your product page, ensure it remains fully functional and visually appealing on smaller screens. 

During customization, preview the mobile version often. Ensure buttons, images, and text scale properly and that elements like sliders or dropdowns work smoothly on touchscreens. And keep it simple: avoid overwhelming mobile users with too much information. Stick to essentials like:

• Product images

• Clear call-to-action (CTA)

• Concise product descriptions 

3. Incorporating converting features: Seal the deal

To persuade visitors to purchase, add features that can tip the scales in your favor. Upselling and cross-selling are great ways to encourage additional purchases. Offer product upgrades (like gift-wrapping or extended warranties) or cross-sell related products at a discount (e.g., “buy with this and save 10%”). Use clickable buttons for size, color, and style variations to make it easier for customers to visualize different versions of your product. 

Dynamic image changes based on selected options can boost engagement. Don’t forget that social proof incorporates reviews, trust badges, and social media counters to build customer confidence. Seeing what other customers say or how many have bought a product can motivate buyers. With global customers, showing prices in their local currency reduces friction during checkout. Ensure your template supports automatic currency conversion based on the user’s location.   

Optimize your Shopify store for conversions without breaking the bank with Instant's Shopify product page builder

Struggling to craft the perfect Shopify page without coding? Instant is a user-friendly product page builder that lets you easily design advanced pages. Its intuitive drag-and-drop interface puts you in control. Create high-converting landing pages, captivating blog posts, and irresistible product pages. Plus, you can seamlessly integrate Instant with Figma and other eCommerce tools. It’s time to elevate your online store performance and boost conversions.

Building Shopify pages: No coding required

Are you tired of wrestling with code to create Shopify pages? Instant changes the game. With its intuitive drag-and-drop interface, you can design and publish advanced pages without any coding knowledge. Customize your store's design and create high-converting landing pages, blog posts, and product pages in minutes. It's a game-changer for eCommerce teams and agencies.

Elevating your Shopify store's design

Want to enhance your Shopify store's design? Instant makes it possible. With its seamless integration with Figma and other eCommerce tools, you can create fully customizable pages that align with your brand's vision. This user-friendly page builder lets you completely control your store's design without sacrificing creativity. It's the perfect solution for enhancing your online store performance and increasing conversions.