How To Customize Checkout Page In Shopify

Quick Answer: How To Customize Checkout Page In Shopify

If you’re not on Shopify Plus, your options are limited to:

• Changing logo, colours, and fonts in Settings > Checkout
• Editing checkout language under Themes > Edit Languages
• Adding tracking or conversion scripts to the Order Status Page

If you’re on Shopify Plus, you can:

• Edit the checkout.liquid file for full layout control
• Add custom fields, trust badges, and upsells
• Use checkout UI extensions and Shopify Functions (2024+)
• Run conditional logic based on customer data or cart contents

When I first started tweaking the checkout page on Shopify, I didn’t realize how limited the options were unless I was on Shopify Plus. The checkout is the money page.

It’s where all the effort in your marketing funnel either converts — or dies.

So if you’re looking to optimise conversions and improve the user experience (without breaking Shopify’s rules), here’s the full breakdown based on my 10+ years as a developer and Shopify app builder.

Why Customizing the Checkout Page Matters

Customising the checkout page isn’t just about making it look pretty. It’s about building trust, reducing friction, and increasing conversions. Here’s why it’s important:

• Reduces cart abandonment: Over 70% of carts are abandoned, and a poor checkout experience is a huge factor.
• Builds trust: Small things like a logo, security badges, or clear messaging can influence buying decisions.
• Improves branding: Consistent branding makes your store feel more legit and trustworthy.
• Upsells and AOV: A well-designed checkout lets you offer last-minute upsells and boost your average order value.

What You Can Actually Control

Depending on your Shopify plan, your level of control will vary.

Let’s break it down.

How to Customize Checkout Page on Regular Shopify Plans

If you’re not on Shopify Plus, you still have a few things you can tweak directly from your admin. It’s not full freedom, but it’s enough to make the checkout feel more on-brand and trustworthy.

1. Update Your Branding

Inside the Shopify admin, go to Settings > Checkout. You’ll see options to change:

• Logo: Upload a high-res version for the checkout header
• Main colour: Choose your primary colour to match your brand
• Accent colour: Useful for buttons and highlights
• Font: Choose a font that matches the rest of your store

These small changes make a difference. A consistent look helps reassure customers they’re still shopping with the same brand.

2. Edit Checkout Language

You can customise the text that appears during checkout. Go to Online Store > Themes > Actions > Edit Languages.

This lets you change things like:

• “Shipping method” to “Choose how you’d like your item delivered”
• “Contact Information” to “Where should we send updates?”

It’s not a massive overhaul, but it lets you tailor the tone of voice to match your brand.

3. Add Scripts for Tracking

Under Settings > Checkout > Order status page, there’s a box for adding additional scripts. This is useful for:

• Google Analytics conversion tracking
• Facebook Pixel
• Post-purchase surveys
• Thank-you page upsell widgets

Pro tip: Use Elevar or ReConvert to push extra value into the post-purchase experience without needing full checkout control.

What You Can Do With Shopify Plus

Once you’re on Shopify Plus, you unlock checkout.liquid, which is where the real customisation happens.

You get full control over the layout, styling, logic, and features of your checkout page. This means you can:

1. Add Custom Fields

You can collect more data or add conditional fields based on user selections. Examples:

• “Is this a gift?” checkbox
• Delivery instructions
• Customer notes

This helps personalise the experience and can be used for segmentation.

2. Use Conditional Logic

Want to show different messaging based on:

• Country?
• Cart total?
• Product type?

Shopify Plus lets you use Liquid code to conditionally display blocks or messaging during checkout.

For example:

liquidCopyEdit{% if cart.total_price > 10000 %}
  <p>You're eligible for free express shipping!</p>
{% endif %}

3. Inject Upsells or Trust Builders

Want to include a final upsell or trust badge before the customer hits “Pay Now”?

With full checkout access, you can insert:

• One-time offers
• Urgency messaging
• Trust badges (like Norton, McAfee, payment icons)
• Countdown timers

Used well, these tweaks can lift your conversion rate significantly.

4. Integrate Third-Party APIs

If you’re working with fulfilment, loyalty, or analytics tools, Shopify Plus lets you plug those directly into the checkout with API calls.

You can even do things like:

• Calculate custom shipping in real-time
• Apply special discounts based on user tags
• Trigger loyalty workflows based on cart contents

How Checkout Impacts SEO

You might be wondering — how does any of this affect your SEO?

While your checkout page itself usually isn’t indexed (nor should it be), everything you do here influences how Google sees your store overall. Here’s how:

1. Bounce Rate and Time On Site

If customers drop off right before the sale, that signals a poor user experience. Lower bounce rates and longer time spent = better engagement signals.

2. Core Web Vitals

Google rewards fast, stable pages. Checkout pages that load slowly or are buggy hurt your overall quality score — even if they’re not indexed.

Make sure your checkout:

• Loads fast on mobile
• Has no layout shifts
• Doesn’t rely on unnecessary scripts

3. Conversion Rate (UX Signal)

Even though conversion rate isn’t a direct ranking factor, it correlates with pages that solve the user’s intent. Shopify Plus stores with optimised checkout convert better — and rank better.

Tools That Help You Customise Checkout

Here are a few solid apps and tools to enhance what Shopify gives you:

Each of these tools helps you push more performance out of the default Shopify setup.

What You Should Avoid

There’s a lot of bad advice out there when it comes to Shopify checkout tweaks. Here’s what not to do:

• Don’t try to inject code using Chrome dev tools or browser hacks — it won’t stick
• Don’t add third-party scripts unless you know what they do — some slow your checkout
• Don’t change legal copy without consulting your compliance team (especially GDPR or data collection)

Tips for Better Checkout UX

Even small changes can go a long way. Here’s what I recommend for most stores:

• Remove distractions: No menus, no links back to cart
• Highlight free shipping thresholds
• Use trust badges on payment page
• Keep forms short — only ask what you need
• Auto-fill fields where possible (Shopify does this well)
• Show total costs clearly, including shipping and tax

A/B Testing Checkout Changes

If you’re on Shopify Plus, test everything.

• Test whether a trust badge near the CTA increases conversions
• Test if moving express shipping to the top changes behavior
• Test if pre-selected options reduce friction

Use tools like Google Optimize or Shopify Scripts to create variations. Even a small lift in conversion makes a big impact over time.

Final Thoughts

Customising the checkout page in Shopify is one of the most impactful moves you can make — but you’ve got to work within the platform’s limits.

If you’re not on Shopify Plus, optimise the branding, language, and tracking.

If you are on Shopify Plus, then it’s worth digging into advanced logic, upsells, and even third-party API integrations.

The goal? Make checkout so seamless and trustworthy that the buyer has zero friction before completing the purchase.