SHOPIFY THEME DEVELOPMENT

Australian Shopify theme development is mostly about putting Afterpay in the right place, collection page SEO content, and undoing what too many apps have done to your load speed

We customise and develop Shopify themes for Australian brands — fixing BNPL placement, building SEO-capable collection page sections, and cleaning up the performance damage that accumulated app-by-app over three years.

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Afterpay and Zip widget repositioning at the product price line via Liquid template edits · Collection page SEO content sections built for above and below the product grid · LCP improvements from app script cleanup and deferred loading implementation · Responsive image srcset fixes for mobile visitors downloading desktop-resolution files
This is for you if

Who This Is For

You are on a premium paid Shopify theme. It looked good when you launched and your brand photography fills it well. But you are now running eight to twelve apps and your mobile PageSpeed score is under 40. Customers on mobile — which is the majority of your traffic — are loading your store slower than they are loading your competitors'. The apps were each added for a good reason. The cumulative performance cost was not visible until now.

You sell products above the $50 mark where buy-now-pay-later makes a measurable difference to add-to-cart behaviour. Your Afterpay widget is in the default theme position — below the add-to-cart button, or appearing only at checkout. Moving it to the product price line, where buyers see it alongside the price before they decide, requires Liquid template editing that your theme's drag-and-drop editor cannot do. You know it should move. You just need a developer to do it.

You have category pages for each product line. They carry a banner image and a product grid, possibly a filter panel. None of them rank for category searches on google.com.au because Google sees thin, content-free pages. You need text content sections — introduction copy, buying guides, FAQ blocks — that can sit above or below your product grid and give Google something to classify and rank. Building those sections into Shopify requires theme development, not just a content update.

What's broken

What's Broken

Afterpay and Zip widget in the wrong position — default theme placement puts BNPL messaging below the add-to-cart button or at checkout, too late to influence the purchase decision

Research on Australian buy-now-pay-later adoption consistently shows that BNPL messaging placed at the product price — "4 payments of $24.75 with Afterpay" next to the $99 price — increases add-to-cart rate for products above the $50 threshold. When that messaging appears below the button, or only at checkout, it functions as a payment option rather than a price reframe. Moving the Afterpay or Zip widget from its default position to the product price line is a Liquid template edit. It is not an app configuration change. The default theme placement is wrong for Australian consumer behaviour, and it requires a developer to fix it.

Collection pages with no text content for SEO — Australian Shopify themes render a product grid with no text sections, giving Google nothing to classify or rank for category searches

Google ranks pages that answer search queries. A collection page with a banner image, a filter panel, and a product grid does not answer a search query — it displays products. Australian shoppers searching "women's linen pants online" or "men's running shoes wide fit" expect to land on a page that tells them what they are looking at, what the options are, and why the products in this collection are worth considering. A collection page without an introductory content block, a short FAQ, or any descriptive copy does not satisfy that intent and does not rank for those queries.

Third-party app scripts blocking render — installed apps injecting JavaScript into the theme head are degrading LCP and Lighthouse scores

Each app added to a Shopify store typically injects one or more JavaScript or CSS files into the theme's head. By the time a store has eight to twelve apps — reviews, BNPL widgets, loyalty programs, live chat, pop-ups, currency conversion, size guides, and cross-sell carousels — the combined weight of head-injected scripts can add two to four seconds to time-to-first-byte on mobile. The fix is not to remove the apps. It is to audit which scripts are render-critical and which can be deferred or loaded asynchronously — a change made in theme.liquid, not in app settings.

Mobile product images loading at desktop resolution — theme not using responsive image srcsets, causing mobile visitors to download 2000px images that render at 400px

A Shopify theme that uses a single large image URL in its product image Liquid code — rather than the `img_url` filter with width parameters and a `srcset` attribute — sends the same file to every device. A mobile visitor on a 390px wide screen downloads a 2000px wide product image. The file is 8-10x larger than what they need. Multiplied across four to six product images on a page, this accounts for a significant share of mobile load time and directly affects your Core Web Vitals LCP score.

What we engineer

What We Do

BNPL Widget Repositioning

We edit your product page Liquid template to move the Afterpay, Zip, or Klarna widget from its default position to the product price line. We test the output at multiple price points, with both standard pricing and compare-at pricing active, and across mobile and desktop viewports. Where theme structure requires it, we build a custom Liquid snippet for the BNPL display rather than relying on the app's default injection method.

Collection Page SEO Content Sections

We build reusable Shopify 2.0 sections for collection pages: an above-grid introductory content block with heading, paragraph, and optional sub-category links; a below-grid closing content section for longer-form buying guide content; and an FAQ accordion section for targeting question-based search queries. Each section is configurable through the Shopify theme editor so your marketing team can write and update the content without developer involvement.

App Script Audit and Performance Cleanup

We audit every script being injected into your theme by installed apps, categorise each as render-critical, deferred-safe, or removable, and implement deferred loading for all non-critical scripts. For apps that allow custom script placement, we move scripts out of the head and into the correct position. We test before and after with Google PageSpeed Insights and Lighthouse to quantify the improvement.

Responsive Image Implementation

We update your theme's product image Liquid code to use `srcset` attributes with multiple image widths, so mobile devices load appropriately sized images rather than desktop files. We implement WebP format with JPEG fallback where Shopify's CDN supports it. We test image rendering quality at mobile breakpoints to confirm the smaller file sizes do not reduce visible quality.

Custom Theme Customisation on Prestige, Impulse, and Turbo

For brands on paid themes, we work within the existing theme architecture rather than starting from scratch. We understand the section and block structure of each major Australian-market theme and make targeted additions — new sections, modified templates, restructured product page layouts — without breaking the theme's update path or its existing functionality.

Mobile-First Responsive Fixes

We conduct a structured mobile audit of your store: above-the-fold layout, product image display, tap target sizes, navigation behaviour, form usability, and add-to-cart accessibility. We fix the issues at the CSS and Liquid level. We do not add a mobile-specific app — we fix the theme.

Custom Product and Collection Templates

Where your store has product types that need different page layouts — subscription products, bundle products, limited-release items — we build separate Shopify 2.0 JSON product templates. For collection pages with distinct content requirements (seasonal sale collections, new arrivals, brand flagship collections), we build collection-specific templates with the right section structure for each.

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What changes

What Changes

Before
After
Before Research on Australian buy-now-pay-later adoption consistently shows that BNPL messaging placed at the product price — "4 payments of $24.75 with Afterpay" next to the $99 price — increases add-to-cart rate for products above the $50 threshold. When that messaging appears below the button, or only at checkout, it functions as a payment option rather than a price reframe. Moving the Afterpay or Zip widget from its default position to the product price line is a Liquid template edit. It is not an app configuration change. The default theme placement is wrong for Australian consumer behaviour, and it requires a developer to fix it.
After When BNPL messaging sits next to the price — "4 payments of $24.75" alongside "$99.00" — it functions as a price reframe, not a payment method. For Australian products above $50, this placement consistently improves add-to-cart rate. The change is a Liquid edit. Once live, it applies across your entire product catalogue without further configuration.
Before Google ranks pages that answer search queries. A collection page with a banner image, a filter panel, and a product grid does not answer a search query — it displays products. Australian shoppers searching "women's linen pants online" or "men's running shoes wide fit" expect to land on a page that tells them what they are looking at, what the options are, and why the products in this collection are worth considering. A collection page without an introductory content block, a short FAQ, or any descriptive copy does not satisfy that intent and does not rank for those queries.
After With introductory content blocks, buying guide sections, and FAQ accordions on your collection pages, Google has text to classify, rank, and serve for category-level searches. These sections compound over time — a collection page that ranks for "women's linen pants Australia" builds authority with each month it holds a position.
Before Each app added to a Shopify store typically injects one or more JavaScript or CSS files into the theme's head. By the time a store has eight to twelve apps — reviews, BNPL widgets, loyalty programs, live chat, pop-ups, currency conversion, size guides, and cross-sell carousels — the combined weight of head-injected scripts can add two to four seconds to time-to-first-byte on mobile. The fix is not to remove the apps. It is to audit which scripts are render-critical and which can be deferred or loaded asynchronously — a change made in theme.liquid, not in app settings.
After Removing render-blocking scripts from your theme head and replacing desktop-resolution images with responsive srcsets addresses the two largest contributors to mobile load time. PageSpeed scores improve, Core Web Vitals pass thresholds that affect your Google Ads quality score, and the proportion of mobile sessions that abandon before page load drops.
Before A Shopify theme that uses a single large image URL in its product image Liquid code — rather than the `img_url` filter with width parameters and a `srcset` attribute — sends the same file to every device. A mobile visitor on a 390px wide screen downloads a 2000px wide product image. The file is 8-10x larger than what they need. Multiplied across four to six product images on a page, this accounts for a significant share of mobile load time and directly affects your Core Web Vitals LCP score.
After The sections we build are Shopify 2.0 theme editor-compatible. Your marketing team can update the introductory copy on any collection page, add FAQ questions, and adjust the below-grid content through the Shopify editor. Theme development does not create a developer dependency for routine content changes.
How it works

Process

  1. 01

    Theme Audit

    Week 1

    We audit your current Shopify theme: performance scores (LCP, CLS, mobile PageSpeed), app script inventory, collection page structure, product page template layout, image implementation, and BNPL widget placement. We document findings and produce a prioritised theme development scope. You review the scope and confirm priorities before development begins.

  2. 02

    Development Specification

    Week 1-2

    For each item in scope — BNPL repositioning, collection page sections, performance fixes, responsive image implementation — we write a brief specification: what will change, what the Liquid approach is, and what the expected outcome is. You approve the specification before code work starts.

  3. 03

    Development on Theme Duplicate

    Week 2-4

    All development is done on a duplicate of your live theme, not on your production store. We complete Liquid template edits, build new sections, implement performance fixes, and update image handling. We test across Chrome, Safari, and Firefox on desktop, tablet, and mobile.

  4. 04

    Staged Review

    Week 4-5

    We publish the duplicate theme for your review using Shopify's theme preview. You test BNPL placement at multiple price points, review new collection page sections, check mobile experience, and confirm the store behaves correctly across your product types. We address feedback, run a final PageSpeed check, and publish to your live theme.

  5. 05

    Handover

    We provide documentation for any new sections: how to add and configure them through the Shopify theme editor, what each field controls, and any edge cases to be aware of. We stay available for two weeks post-launch for questions.

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Common questions

FAQ

How do I move the Afterpay widget to the product price line on a Shopify theme?

Moving the Afterpay widget to the product price line requires editing the product page Liquid template — typically `product.liquid` or the relevant JSON template's product section — to call the Afterpay widget snippet immediately after the price display block. The Afterpay app injects a script that renders the widget wherever a specific HTML element appears in the template. By moving that element from its default position (below the add-to-cart button) to the price section, the widget renders at the price line. This requires familiarity with Liquid templating and your specific theme's section structure, and must be tested across multiple price points and device sizes.

How do I add text content sections to Shopify collection pages for SEO?

Adding text content to Shopify collection pages requires building a custom Shopify 2.0 section — an `.liquid` file in your theme's sections folder with a defined content schema — and adding it to your collection page JSON template. The section can include fields for a heading, introductory paragraph, FAQ accordion, and closing content block. Once built, the section appears in the Shopify theme editor and can be configured per collection page. This approach is separate from — and does not interfere with — your product grid, filter panel, or pagination. Older pre-2.0 themes handle this differently, typically requiring a direct edit to `collection.liquid`.

Which Shopify paid theme performs fastest in Australia?

Among paid themes commonly used by Australian Shopify brands, Turbo (by Out of the Sandbox) is built with performance as an explicit priority and typically scores higher on Google PageSpeed Insights than Prestige or Impulse on a clean install. However, theme performance on a clean install and theme performance after 12 months of app installations are very different numbers. A clean Turbo install can lose 20 to 30 PageSpeed points from accumulated app scripts. The more important factor for Australian stores is not which paid theme you choose, but how the theme handles app script loading and whether responsive images are implemented correctly.

How do I fix app-caused render blocking in a Shopify theme?

Fixing app-caused render blocking requires auditing your `theme.liquid` file to identify which app scripts are injected in the `<head>` tag and loading synchronously. Scripts that are not required for above-the-fold rendering can be marked with `defer` or `async` attributes, or moved to just before the closing `</body>` tag. Some Shopify apps inject scripts through their own app block rather than directly into theme.liquid — for those, the load behaviour is controlled by how the app block is positioned in your theme sections. A full fix involves auditing all injection points, testing which scripts are render-critical, and deferring or relocating those that are not.

What is the difference between customising a Shopify theme and building a custom theme?

Customising an existing Shopify theme means making targeted changes to a theme you already have — adding sections, editing Liquid templates, adjusting CSS, and fixing specific issues — without rebuilding the theme's core architecture. Building a custom Shopify theme means writing a new theme from scratch, including all Liquid templates, the section library, CSS, JavaScript, and the `theme.liquid` base layout. Custom theme builds take significantly longer (eight to sixteen weeks for a full build), cost more, and require ongoing maintenance because Shopify theme API updates need to be applied manually. For most Australian Shopify brands, customising an existing paid theme delivers the changes needed without the time and cost of a full rebuild. Custom builds are warranted when the brand's design requirements fundamentally cannot be achieved within any existing theme's layout structure.

Our team

The people behind the work

Not a black box. Real specialists you can call, with their names on the work.

Niraj Raut

Niraj Raut

Founder — Ecommerce SEO
Keshab Joshi

Keshab Joshi

PPC Expert
Hawrry Bhattarai

Hawrry Bhattarai

Google Ads Expert
Arogya Rijal

Arogya Rijal

SaaS SEO Expert
About Us →
Start here

The Afterpay placement, the slow collection pages, and the app performance damage are all fixable at the theme level — without rebuilding from scratch.

Ignited Nepal works on Australian Shopify themes at the Liquid level: moving BNPL widgets, building SEO-capable collection page sections, cleaning up the script load that apps have added over three years, and implementing the responsive image handling that mobile traffic deserves. We work on your existing theme, not against it.

Request a Theme Development Brief →