Compare
Keith Kelly vs. Shopify
Your professional website, done for you — without paying ecommerce prices for a service business site.
Side-by-Side Comparison
See how Keith Kelly stacks up against Shopify on the things that matter.
| Feature | Keith Kelly | Shopify |
|---|---|---|
| Who Builds It | I design, build, and launch your entire site — you review and approve the finished product | You build it yourself: choose a theme, install apps, customize templates with Liquid code, write all content, and configure every setting |
| Time Investment | Zero hours from you — I handle everything from design to deployment | 20-80+ hours to learn the platform, customize a theme, install and configure apps, write content, and launch your site |
| Total Investment | $99/mo and zero hours of your time. Built specifically for service businesses. | $29-299/mo for a platform built for online stores, plus 20-80 hours to customize it for a service business it was not designed for |
| Purpose-Built for Service Businesses | Designed specifically for service businesses — plumbers, salons, contractors, restaurants — with the pages and features they actually need | Built for ecommerce first. Service businesses pay ecommerce prices for features they don't need while lacking basics like proper service pages and local SEO structure |
| Portability | You own standard HTML/CSS files — host them anywhere, take them if you leave | Shopify themes use Liquid, a proprietary templating language that only works on Shopify. Leaving means rebuilding from scratch on any other platform |
| SEO Control | Full control over URL structure, metadata, schema markup, and page speed — optimized at build time | Forced URL structure (/products/, /collections/, /pages/) hurts local SEO. Cannot customize URL patterns without expensive workarounds |
True Cost
The Real Price of Shopify
Monthly pricing is only part of the story. The bigger cost is your time.
Shopify
Their Advertised Pricing
- • Entry: $29/mo (Basic, annual)
- • Mid-tier: $79/mo (Grow, annual)
- • Upper: $299/mo (Advanced, annual)
Your Time Investment
20-80 hours to learn the platform, customize a theme, configure apps, write content, and launch. And Shopify is built for ecommerce, so you are paying for shopping cart and checkout features your service business does not need.
Keith Kelly
My All-Inclusive Pricing
- $99/mo, all-inclusive, no hidden fees
- Design, build, hosting, SSL, and updates included
- Zero hours of your time. I handle everything.
- You own the files. Standard HTML/CSS, host anywhere.
$99/mo, zero hours
Same price every month. I handle everything. Your time investment is zero.
Why Switch
Why Businesses Leave Shopify
These are the most common frustrations I hear from Shopify users.
Wrong tool for non-ecommerce businesses — service companies pay for shopping cart, inventory, and checkout features they never use while lacking proper service page structures
20-80 hours to learn the platform, customize a theme, and make an ecommerce tool work for a service business it was not designed for
Liquid is a proprietary templating language that only works on Shopify — high lock-in that makes migration expensive and time-consuming
Forced URL structure (/products/, /collections/, /pages/) cannot be customized and hurts SEO for service businesses targeting local search
Quality
What Every Site Includes
Every site ships with all of these, regardless of plan.
60-Point QA Checklist
Structure, design, content, technical standards, accessibility, and mobile. Every box gets checked.
PageSpeed Optimized
Semantic HTML5, CSS custom properties, minimal JS. No frameworks, no build step. Just fast, clean code.
Accessible
WCAG 2.1 AA compliant so your site works for everyone, including screen reader and keyboard users.
Mobile-First
Responsive from 320px to 1920px+. Looks right on every phone, tablet, and monitor.
Optimized Images
Compressed and properly sized. Fast loads without losing visual quality.
Social Ready
Open Graph tags so your site looks good when shared on Facebook, LinkedIn, or anywhere else.
Switching from Shopify
Can I switch from Shopify to your service?
Yes. I'll scrape your existing Shopify site content and build a professional replacement optimized for your service business. You'll get proper service pages, local SEO structure, and a site that doesn't force ecommerce URL patterns on non-ecommerce content.
How does your pricing compare to Shopify?
Shopify starts at $29/mo, but it is built for online stores. Service businesses end up paying for ecommerce features they do not use while spending 20-80 hours trying to make a shopping platform work as a service business site. My $99/mo gets you a site built specifically for your type of business, with zero time investment.
What about my existing Shopify site?
I use your current site content as my starting point. Since Shopify's Liquid templates can't be exported to standard HTML, I scrape your live site and rebuild it as a fast, portable, service-business-focused website with proper URL structure and local SEO.
Is Shopify overkill for my service business?
In most cases, yes. Shopify is built for online stores — you're paying for shopping carts, inventory management, and checkout flows you don't need. A service business needs strong service pages, local SEO, contact forms, and fast load times. That's exactly what I build, at a lower total cost.
Ready to Switch from Shopify?
I build it first. You see the finished site before you pay anything.
Get In Touch