How to Check if a Website is a Shopify Site: 7 Proven Methods

Identifying whether a website is built on Shopify can be valuable for various reasons. Perhaps you're researching competitors, looking for design inspiration, or conducting market research in the e-commerce space. Whatever your reason, there are several reliable methods to determine if a website is powered by Shopify.

In this comprehensive guide, we'll walk through seven proven techniques to check if a website is running on Shopify, from basic methods anyone can use to more advanced technical approaches for developers.

Table of Contents

• Method 1: Check the Page Source
• Method 2: Look for Shopify-Specific URLs
• Method 3: Examine the Website's Theme
• Method 4: Check for Shopify Apps
• Method 5: Use Website Technology Detectors
• Method 6: Inspect Network Requests
• Method 7: Check the Site's Robots.txt File
• FAQ: Common Questions About Shopify Detection
• Why Would You Need to Identify Shopify Websites?

Method 1: Check the Page Source

One of the simplest ways to identify a Shopify store is by examining the website's HTML source code.

Steps:

1. Visit the website you want to check
2. Right-click anywhere on the page and select "View Page Source" (or press Ctrl+U in most browsers)
3. Use the search function (Ctrl+F) and look for the following Shopify indicators:
   • Shopify.theme
   • cdn.shopify.com
   • shop.app
   • shopify.com/checkout
   • shopify-payment-button

If any of these strings appear in the source code, it's highly likely that the website is built on Shopify.

Pros:

• Works on any device with a web browser
• Requires no special tools or technical knowledge
• Quick and straightforward

Cons:

• Some highly customized Shopify stores might hide these indicators
• Requires basic familiarity with HTML

Method 2: Look for Shopify-Specific URLs

Shopify websites often have distinctive URL patterns for certain pages.

Key Shopify URL patterns:

• Login page: /account/login
• Shopping cart: /cart
• Collections: /collections/all
• Products: /products/[product-name]

While these URL patterns aren't exclusive to Shopify, finding multiple matches increases the likelihood that you're looking at a Shopify store.

Additionally, check if the website has a password page at /password. This is a strong indicator of a Shopify store, especially if it's under development.

Pros:

• Can be done quickly by anyone
• No technical tools required
• Often confirms Shopify usage when combined with other methods

Cons:

• Some stores may use custom URL structures
• Other e-commerce platforms might use similar URL patterns

Method 3: Examine the Website's Theme

Shopify stores use themes that often leave recognizable fingerprints.

Steps:

1. Navigate to the website
2. Check the page structure, especially the checkout process
3. Look for common Shopify theme elements:
   • Product grid layouts
   • Collection pages with filtering options
   • Announcement bars at the top of the page
   • Footer with "Powered by Shopify" (though many stores remove this)

For a more technical approach, you can also check for theme assets:

1. View the page source
2. Search for assets/theme.scss.css or similar theme files
3. Look for references to theme names like "Debut," "Brooklyn," or "Dawn" (popular Shopify themes)

Pros:

• Helps identify even customized Shopify stores
• Can provide insights into which theme the store is using

Cons:

• Requires some familiarity with Shopify themes
• Highly customized stores may be difficult to identify this way

Method 4: Check for Shopify Apps

Shopify stores often use apps that leave distinct traces in the website's code.

Steps:

1. View the page source
2. Search for indicators of popular Shopify apps:
   • boostcommerce (for search functionality)
   • judgeme (for reviews)
   • klaviyo (for email marketing)
   • recharge (for subscriptions)
   • loox (for photo reviews)

The presence of these app references strongly suggests a Shopify store.

Pros:

• High accuracy when app references are found
• Provides insight into which Shopify apps the store is using

Cons:

• Not all Shopify stores use third-party apps
• Requires some technical knowledge to identify app references

Method 5: Use Website Technology Detectors

Several online tools can automatically detect if a website is built on Shopify.

Recommended tools:

1. BuiltWith (builtwith.com)
   • Enter the website URL
   • View the technology profile
   • Check under "E-commerce" or "Shopping Cart" sections
2. Wappalyzer (browser extension)
   • Install the extension
   • Visit the website
   • Check the extension icon for technology details
3. What's Running (whatsrunning.io)
   • Enter the website URL
   • Look for Shopify in the platform detection results

Pros:

• Fast and comprehensive analysis
• Detects multiple technologies at once
• No technical knowledge required

Cons:

• Some tools have usage limits or require payment
• May occasionally produce false positives or negatives

Method 6: Inspect Network Requests

For a more technical approach, examining network requests can reliably identify Shopify stores.

Steps:

1. Open browser developer tools (F12 or right-click > Inspect)
2. Go to the Network tab
3. Reload the page
4. Filter requests by:
   • Domain: shopify.com
   • File type: JS or CSS
5. Look for requests to:
   • cdn.shopify.com
   • shop.app
   • shopifycdn.com

If these requests appear, the site is almost certainly on Shopify.

Pros:

• Very high accuracy
• Works even on heavily customized stores
• Provides detailed technical information

Cons:

• Requires technical knowledge
• More time-consuming than basic methods

Method 7: Check the Site's Robots.txt File

Shopify has distinctive patterns in its robots.txt file, which can be a reliable indicator.

Steps:

1. Enter the website URL followed by /robots.txt (e.g., example.com/robots.txt)
2. Look for Shopify-specific patterns like:
   • References to /cdn/shop/
   • Disallowed paths like /admin or /cart
   • Specific Shopify sitemap formats

Example of a typical Shopify robots.txt pattern:

User-agent: *
Disallow: /admin
Disallow: /cart
Disallow: /orders
Disallow: /checkout
Allow: /checkout/thank_you

Pros:

• Quick to check
• Difficult for store owners to modify
• High reliability

Cons:

• Some websites may block access to robots.txt
• Requires knowing what to look for

FAQ: Common Questions About Shopify Detection

Can Shopify stores completely hide the fact they're using Shopify?

While highly customized Shopify stores can obscure many typical indicators, it's extremely difficult to hide all traces of Shopify. At minimum, checkout pages and certain backend functionality will always connect to Shopify servers.

Do all Shopify stores have the same URL structure?

No, but most follow similar patterns. Custom domain mapping and navigation structures can vary, but certain functional URLs (like /cart) are usually consistent.

Can a website use Shopify for just part of their operations?

Yes,