Shopify Developer Portfolio Review: 7 Red Flags to Watch For
Ralph Sanchez
Shopify Developer Portfolio Review: 7 Red Flags to Watch For
Red Flag #1: Poor Site Performance and Speed
How to Test for Performance
Common Performance Killers to Look For
Red Flag #2: A Clunky or Non-Responsive Mobile Experience
Beyond Basic Responsiveness
Checking for Mobile-First Indexing Best Practices
Red Flag #3: Over-reliance on Basic Themes with Minimal Customization
Identifying Cookie-Cutter Designs
Vague Descriptions of Their Contribution
Other Critical Red Flags to Investigate
Lack of Problem-Solving Narratives
Poor Code Quality and Documentation
Ignoring Accessibility (a11y)
Making Your Final Decision
References
Shopify Developer Portfolio Review: 7 Red Flags to Watch For
Reviewing a developer's portfolio is a crucial step that goes hand-in-hand with asking the right interview questions. It's your chance to see their skills in action before making a commitment. A thoughtful evaluation helps you gauge their quality of work, attention to detail, and ultimately informs what you should budget for their expertise. To simplify the process and ensure quality, you can find vetted Shopify developers directly on a specialized platform.
Think of a portfolio review like test-driving a car. You wouldn't buy a vehicle based solely on the salesperson's pitch. You'd want to see how it handles, check under the hood, and make sure everything runs smoothly. The same principle applies when hiring a Shopify developer.
Red Flag #1: Poor Site Performance and Speed
For e-commerce, speed is money. A one-second delay in page load time can result in a significant decrease in conversions. A developer's portfolio sites should be fast and responsive.
Here's the reality: customers are impatient. If your site takes more than three seconds to load, you've already lost half your visitors. That's not an exaggeration – it's what the data tells us. When reviewing a developer's work, slow-loading sites aren't just annoying. They're a sign the developer doesn't understand the fundamentals of e-commerce success.
I've seen beautifully designed Shopify stores fail miserably because they took forever to load. The developer focused on making things look pretty but forgot that customers need to actually use the site. It's like building a gorgeous storefront with a door that takes 30 seconds to open.
How to Test for Performance
Use free tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to analyze their live portfolio projects. A low score, especially on mobile, is a major red flag indicating a lack of optimization skills.
Here's exactly what to do. Copy the URL of any site from their portfolio. Paste it into PageSpeed Insights. Wait for the results. If you see scores below 50 on mobile, that's concerning. Scores below 30? Run away.
But don't stop there. Try loading the site on your own phone. Does it feel snappy? Can you navigate without frustration? Trust your gut here. If you're annoyed as a reviewer, imagine how actual customers will feel.
Common Performance Killers to Look For
Check for unoptimized images, bloated CSS/JavaScript files, and an excessive number of app installations. These are signs of an inexperienced developer who doesn't prioritize performance.
Let me break this down. Open the developer tools in your browser (right-click and select "Inspect"). Go to the Network tab and refresh the page. If you see image files larger than 500KB, that's a problem. If the page makes more than 100 requests, that's another red flag.
App overload is particularly common with inexperienced developers. They'll install 20 different apps to solve problems that could be handled with clean code. Each app adds weight to the site. It's like wearing five winter coats in July – unnecessary and uncomfortable.
Red Flag #2: A Clunky or Non-Responsive Mobile Experience
With over 60% of global internet traffic coming from mobile devices, a mobile-first approach is non-negotiable in 2025. A developer's work must be flawless on smaller screens.
I can't stress this enough. Mobile isn't the future – it's the present. If a developer's portfolio sites don't work perfectly on mobile, they're living in the past. This isn't about being trendy. It's about meeting customers where they are.
Last month, I reviewed a portfolio where every site looked stunning on desktop. But on mobile? Text overlapped. Buttons were impossible to tap. The checkout process required horizontal scrolling. The developer clearly built for desktop first and treated mobile as an afterthought.
Beyond Basic Responsiveness
Don't just resize the browser window. Test their portfolio sites on an actual smartphone. Are the buttons easy to tap? Is the text readable without zooming? Is the navigation intuitive? A poor mobile UX is a clear sign of outdated practices.
Here's my testing routine. I pull out my phone and try to complete a purchase on their portfolio sites. Can I add items to cart with one hand? Is the checkout form easy to fill out? Do I need to pinch and zoom to read product descriptions?
Pay special attention to these elements:
Button sizes (should be at least 44x44 pixels)
Text readability (no squinting required)
Form fields (easy to tap and type)
Navigation menus (accessible without frustration)
If you find yourself getting annoyed during this test, that's valuable data. Your customers will feel the same way.
Checking for Mobile-First Indexing Best Practices
Google prioritizes mobile-friendly websites for search rankings. A portfolio that neglects the mobile experience suggests the developer is not up-to-date with current SEO and design standards.
This goes beyond just making things "work" on mobile. A skilled developer understands that Google primarily uses the mobile version of a site for indexing and ranking. If the mobile experience is poor, the site's search visibility suffers.
Look for these mobile-first indicators:
Fast loading times on 4G connections
Properly sized tap targets
No horizontal scrolling required
Text that's readable without zooming
Content that's identical on mobile and desktop
A developer who ignores these basics is essentially building sites that Google will ignore. That's a recipe for invisible online stores.
Red Flag #3: Over-reliance on Basic Themes with Minimal Customization
It's easy to set up a basic Shopify store. A true expert demonstrates the ability to customize themes extensively or build them from the ground up to meet unique client needs.
Anyone can install a theme and change some colors. That's not development – that's following instructions. When I review portfolios, I'm looking for evidence of real customization work. Show me custom functionality. Show me unique solutions to specific business problems.
I once worked with a client who hired a "developer" based on an impressive-looking portfolio. Turns out, every site was just a slightly tweaked version of the Dawn theme. When the client needed custom features, the developer was lost. They could only work within the theme's existing options.
Identifying Cookie-Cutter Designs
If all the sites in their portfolio look like slightly modified versions of popular free themes, it's a red flag. Look for evidence of unique functionality, custom sections, and a design that is clearly tailored to the brand.
Here's a quick test. Open five sites from their portfolio in different tabs. Squint your eyes slightly and flip between tabs. Do they all have the same basic layout? Same header structure? Same product grid? If yes, you're looking at template work, not custom development.
Real customization shows up in the details:
Unique product page layouts
Custom collection filtering systems
Brand-specific interactive elements
Tailored checkout experiences
Industry-specific functionality
A clothing store should feel different from a supplement shop. A luxury brand needs different features than a discount retailer. If every site feels generic, the developer isn't thinking about individual business needs.
Vague Descriptions of Their Contribution
The portfolio should clearly state the developer's specific role and contributions to each project. Vague descriptions like "worked on the website" can hide a lack of direct, meaningful involvement.
Watch out for these warning phrases:
"Assisted with development"
"Part of the team that built"
"Contributed to the project"
"Helped create"
These vague terms often mean they did minimal work. A confident developer will tell you exactly what they built. They'll say things like "Created custom product recommendation engine" or "Built automated inventory sync with warehouse system."
If they can't clearly explain their role, they probably didn't play a significant one.
Other Critical Red Flags to Investigate
Beyond the big three, several other signs can indicate a lack of professionalism or technical skill. Paying attention to these details can save you from a bad hire.
The devil really is in the details here. I've learned to look for subtle signs that reveal a developer's true skill level. These might seem minor, but they often predict major problems down the road.
Lack of Problem-Solving Narratives
A strong portfolio doesn't just show the final product; it tells a story. Look for case studies or project descriptions that explain the challenges faced and how the developer solved them.
Good developers love talking about problems they've solved. They'll explain how they reduced cart abandonment by 30% through checkout optimization. Or how they integrated a complex inventory system with Shopify's API. These stories matter because they show thinking, not just doing.
When a portfolio only shows pretty pictures without context, I get suspicious. It's like a chef showing you photos of dishes without explaining how they're made. Sure, it looks good, but can they actually cook?
Look for portfolios that include:
Specific challenges the client faced
The developer's approach to solving them
Measurable results achieved
Technical details (without getting too jargony)
Lessons learned from the project
Poor Code Quality and Documentation
If they provide code samples (e.g., via GitHub), check for readability, comments, and clear structure. Good documentation, such as a detailed README file, is a sign of a professional and collaborative developer.
Not every developer will share code samples, but those who do reveal a lot about their work style. Clean code is like clean writing – it shows clear thinking. Messy code suggests rushed work and future maintenance nightmares.
Even if you're not technical, you can spot quality indicators:
Comments explaining complex sections
Consistent formatting and structure
Descriptive variable and function names
README files that actually explain things
Evidence of version control usage
A developer who writes clean, documented code is thinking about the future. They understand someone else might need to work on this project later. That's the kind of forward-thinking you want.
Ignoring Accessibility (a11y)
A modern developer should build inclusive websites. Check if their portfolio sites are navigable by keyboard and use appropriate alt tags for images. A lack of accessibility features is a sign they are not following modern best practices.
Accessibility isn't just nice to have – it's essential. About 15% of the world's population has some form of disability. Ignoring them means ignoring potential customers. Plus, many accessibility features improve the experience for everyone.
Here's a simple test. Try navigating their portfolio sites using only your keyboard. Press Tab to move between elements. Can you reach every interactive element? Can you tell where you are on the page? If not, the developer doesn't understand modern web standards.
Other accessibility red flags:
Images without descriptive alt text
Poor color contrast (hard to read text)
Videos without captions
Forms without proper labels
Missing skip navigation links
A developer who ignores accessibility in 2025 is like a architect who ignores wheelchair ramps. It shows a fundamental misunderstanding of their responsibility to all users.
Making Your Final Decision
After reviewing multiple portfolios, you'll start seeing patterns. The best developers don't just build sites – they solve business problems. Their portfolios tell stories of transformation, not just decoration.
Remember, you're not just hiring someone to make things look pretty. You're hiring a partner who understands that every design choice, every line of code, and every optimization directly impacts your bottom line. A great Shopify developer knows that a beautiful site that doesn't convert is just an expensive decoration.
Take your time with this process. Test everything. Ask questions. If something feels off, trust that instinct. The right developer will welcome your scrutiny because they're proud of their work. They'll have clear explanations for their choices and concrete examples of their impact.
Your Shopify store is often your customer's first impression of your business. Make sure you're putting it in capable hands. The extra time spent vetting portfolios now will save you from headaches, lost sales, and expensive fixes later.
References
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Posted Jul 4, 2025
Don't get fooled by a slick portfolio. Learn to spot the hidden red flags in a Shopify developer's work that signal a lack of experience or quality.
