Shopify Admin Dashboard: An Easy Guide for 2024 (+ 6 Tips)

So, you've decided to jump into the awesome world of Shopify, huh?

Whether you're looking to sell handcrafted jewelry, unique tees, or maybe your secret recipe cookies, Shopify can take your business to new heights.

But before you start selling, there's something super important you need to become familiar with – the Shopify admin.

But what is the Shopify admin, how do you find it, and how exactly does it work?

Don't worry; we'll walk you through all that and more in this guide!

Ready? Let's get started!

What is Shopify admin?

First things first, let's break down the term 'Shopify admin.'

Shopify admin is an online interface provided by Shopify. You can use it to set up, manage, and grow your ecommerce store.

From adding products and processing orders to designing your store and talking to your customers!

In a nutshell, it's the control room of your online store!

Now that you know what Shopify admin is, let's get you logged in, shall we?

How do you log into your Shopify admin account?

Alright, let's log into the Shopify admin!

First, if you haven't created a Shopify account, you will need one.

Don't worry; it's as easy as pie!

1. Click here – or on the bar below for a free 3-day trial + 3 months for only $1 per month:

2. Fill in your email, password, store name, and goals. Voila! You've got yourself a Shopify account.

Now, how do you get to the Shopify admin?

Let's say your store's name is 'SuperCoolStore.'

To get to the Shopify admin, all you need to do is:

1. Open your web browser (like Chrome or Firefox).
2. Type in 'supercoolstore.myshopify.com/admin' (but use your store's name, of course!).
3. Hit enter, and you're there!

You're so close! Now, let's get you logged in:

1. Enter your email and password on the page you just landed on.
2. Click the 'Log in' button.
3. Welcome to your Shopify admin dashboard!

10 Sections of the Shopify admin dashboard

Now that you're on the homepage of the Shopify admin let's explore all the sections it offers!

1. Orders

The ‘Orders’ section is where you'll find all the orders that customers place in your store.

1. Overview. When you click on 'Orders,' you'll see a list of all the orders. Each entry will tell you the order number, who bought it, how much they paid, and the status (like if it's been shipped out):

2. Order details. Click on an order, and you'll find what products they bought, where it's shipping to, and more:

3. Fulfill items. This button is one of the most important ones. It's where you make sure the orders are shipped out. You can print packing slips, buy shipping labels, and even send your customers updates about their orders!

Basically, 'Orders' is where you keep track of the orders that are coming in and the packages that are shipping out.

2. Products

Next up is the 'Products' section. This is where you manage all the amazing products you're selling:

1. Adding products. Click on 'Add product,' and you can list all the cool products you're selling. You can add photos, set prices, and write a description about each item.

2. Inventory management. This is where you keep an eye on how many products you have in stock. You can see how many units you have left and even set it up so it tells you when you're running low:

3. Collections. Here, you can organize your products into collections. Like, you can have one for 'Pirate Gear' and another for 'Treasure Maps.' It helps your customers find what they're looking for!

3. Customers

Let's dive into the 'Customers' section now!

This is like the place where you get to know everyone who visits (and buys something from) your store.

1. Customer list. Here, you'll see a list of all the people who've shopped at your store. You can see their names, how much they've spent, and even how many orders they've placed:

2. Customer profiles. Click on a name, and you'll see a profile. You can see their contact info and order history and even make notes:

3. Segments. You can make groups of customers based on things like how often they shop or where they're from:

Knowing your customers can help you understand your target audience!

4. Content

Next up is the 'Content' section. Here, you can manage all your media files and even create metaobjects!

1. Metaobjects. Metaobjects are custom, multi-field objects. Think about things like product highlights or size guides:

2. Files. This is where you can manage your product images:

5. Analysis

The 'Analysis' section within the Shopify Admin contains charts, graphs, and numbers that tell you how your store is doing.

1. Analytics and reports. Here you can find reports that tell you all sorts of helpful things, like how many people visit your store, what they're buying, and where they come from:

2. Live View. Fancy seeing what's happening in real-time? With Live View, you can see how many people are in your store right now and if they have anything in their carts already!

6. Marketing

Now, it's time to discuss the 'Marketing' section! This is where you can let the world know about your store.

1. Marketing analytics. This is where you see how well your marketing is doing. You can see which campaigns are bringing in sales and which ones need a new angle:

2. Campaigns. Here, you can create marketing campaigns. Whether you want to send emails or create ads, this is where you make it happen:

3. Automations. Here, you can set up automations, like sending an email whenever someone abandons their cart, without having to do it yourself:

7. Discounts

As you can guess, the 'Discounts’ section is where you can create all sorts of discounts for your customers!

1. Creating discounts. Here you can create all sorts of discounts like coupon codes or special sales.

2. Promotions. You can also set up promotions that automatically give customers a discount on certain items or orders.

8. Sales channels - Online Store

Next up is the 'Sales Channels - Online Store' section. Be aware this is an essential one!

1. Customizing your store. Here, you can make your store look like a million dollars. Click the 'Customize' button to choose your online store's colors, banners, layouts, and much more!

2. Blog posts. Here, you can write blog posts about your products or share stories about your brand.
3. Pages. This is where you create and edit pages for your store. Check out the ten standard pages for any Shopify store here!
4. Navigation. This is where you decide how your customers navigate through your store, creating menus and links that lead them to the products.

9. Apps

With Shopify Apps, you can make your life easier and your store even more amazing.

1. App Store. In the Shopify App Store, you can find apps for everything – from chatting with your customers to applications that help with shipping.

2. Installing apps. Found an app you like? Click 'Add app' to install it on your store. Tip: You can find the 16 best Shopify apps here!
3. Managing apps. In this section, you can manage all the apps you've added:

10. Settings

Last but definitely not least, we arrived at the 'Settings.' Here are some of the most important things in this section:

1. Store details. Here, you can set things like your store's name, currency, and language.

2. Payments. This is where you set up how to collect money from your customers. You can choose different payment gateways.
3. Shipping and delivery. This is where you set up shipping rates and methods and manage how your products are delivered.

6 Tips for using the Shopify admin

Alright, now that you're familiar with the Shopify admin, let's dive into some handy tips to make your experience a little smoother.

1. Use the search bar for easy access to features and settings

First, you don't have to get lost in the sea of options!

The Shopify admin has a search bar at the top. If you're looking for something specific, just type it in there:

Whether it's a setting, feature, or order, the search bar is your best friend in finding things super quickly!

2. Check if your product is in stock

Imagine this: a customer gets super excited about a product but then sees it's sold out. Bummer, right?

But here's the thing, it may not be out of stock at all!

So, head to the 'Products' section and ensure all inventory counts are correct. You can even turn on the 'Continue selling while sold out' setting:

3. Set up your shipping rates correctly

Shipping can be a bit tricky, but getting it right is super important.

If you set it too high, customers might abandon their carts. Set it too low, and you might end up paying from your pocket.

Take some time to calculate the right shipping costs, and make sure those are configured correctly in the Shopify admin.

4. Secure your Shopify admin account

As you know, your Shopify admin is crucial to your online store, and you don't want any intruders getting their hands on it.

Make sure to use a strong password by mixing up letters, numbers, and symbols.

Also, enable two-factor authentication. This means you'll need something else (like your phone) to log in, making it harder for anyone else to get in.

5. Bookmark the Shopify admin in your browser

Now here's a pro trick: bookmark the Shopify admin page in your browser.

Why? To save time!

This way, you don't have to type in the address every time you need to access your store.

Just one or two clicks, and you're in!

6. Regularly backup your store data through the Shopify admin

Imagine if you lost all the data in your store. Scary, right?

That's why it's essential to regularly back up your store data through Shopify admin.

To learn how just check out our article: Shopify Store Backups: The Definitive Guide (2024)

FAQs about the Shopify admin

If you have any more questions about the Shopify admin, check out these FAQs!

Summary

Before we go to the conclusion, we've created a quick summary of this article for you, so you can easily remember it:

• The Shopify admin is your control center for managing everything in your online store, from products and orders to customer data.
• Learn the simple steps to create your Shopify account and log into your Shopify admin with ease.
• The Shopify admin dashboard has ten key sections, including orders, products, customers, and marketing.
• Use the search bar at the top for fast access to any features and settings.
• Secure your Shopify admin account by using a strong password and enabling two-factor authentication.
• Regularly back up your store data through the Shopify admin.

Conclusion

And there you have it! We've reached the end of our journey through the ins and outs of Shopify admin.

From logging in to all the features, we've covered a lot today.

We wish you lots of success with your ecommerce store. Thank you for reading this article, and happy selling!

Want to learn more about Shopify?

Ready to move your Shopify store to the next level? Check out the articles below:

• 17 Shopify Pros and Cons (Is It Still Worth It in 2024?)
• Shopify Store Checklist: The Ultimate Launch Guide (2024)
• Shopify Dropshipping: A 20-Step Guide to Starting Your Store

Plus, don’t forget to check out our in-depth how to start a Shopify store guide here.