OCEANSIDE VS. SHOPIFY.
Shopify is built for online stores, and you set up and run the store yourself. If your business sells services rather than products, a site designed and managed for you usually fits better.
| SHOPIFY | OCEANSIDE TECHNOLOGY | |
|---|---|---|
| WHO DESIGNS IT | You do, starting from a Shopify theme and adjusting it until it's close to what you want. | We do, and it's built for your business. We learn how it works first, then design the site around it and show you a preview before we build. |
| HOW IT LOOKS | Similar to other stores built on the same theme, and not unique to your business. | Unique to your business, designed around how it works and what sets it apart. |
| WRITING THE COPY | You write every product description and page yourself, and add the photos for each one. | We can write professional copy for every page of your site, or work from copy you already have. |
| LOGO & BRANDING | You design your own logo and branding, or find a designer to do it separately. | We can design your logo and branding for your site and the rest of your business. |
| SEO & AI SEARCH | You fill in each page's search settings yourself in Shopify's SEO tools. | We set up and optimize your site to be found in search engines and in answers from AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. |
| DOMAIN & EMAIL | You buy a domain and set up email yourself, through Shopify or another provider. | We can register your domain or move the one you have, and set up email on it for you. |
| CONTENT UPDATES | You log in and make each change by hand in the Shopify admin, from prices to pages. | With our Manage plan, tell us what's changed and we'll update it for you. You can also update your content yourself in your site's custom admin panel. |
| HOSTING & MAINTENANCE | Shopify runs the hosting. You set up and keep track of the store's settings, its theme and any apps you add. | There's nothing technical for you to keep track of: we host it, back it up, watch for problems and apply security updates, if you subscribe to our Manage plan. |
| WHAT YOU DO | Learn Shopify, then build, stock and run the store yourself. | Tell us about your business. We take care of the rest. |
WHEN SHOPIFY FITS
You sell products online, and stock, checkout and shipping are the heart of the business. A store platform is built for exactly that.
WHEN WE FIT
You sell services, appointments or your expertise rather than products. You want a site that explains clearly what you do, and you'd rather someone else wrote it and managed it.
I sell a few products as well as services. Do I need Shopify?
Not always. Tell us what you sell and how, and we'll help you work out whether you need a full store platform or whether something simpler does the job.
Can I move my Shopify store to you?
Yes. We move everything across and build it into a new site designed for your business: your products, pages, images and anything else the store needs. There's nothing for you to export or set up.
Do you write the copy, or do I?
Either. We can write professional copy for every page of your site, and it's included in every website build. If you already have copy you like, we'll work from that instead.
Do I need to learn anything to have a site with you?
No. We design it, build it, load your content and launch it. If you want, our Manage plan manages it from there, so there's no complicated editor to learn and nothing technical to keep up with.
Can I still update the site myself?
Yes. Your site comes with a custom admin panel where you can update your content whenever you like. The layout is part of the design, so it stays looking right whatever you change.