Methodology
How we rank.
Every ranking uses the same six factors, so a score means the same thing from one guide to the next. Here is what we look at and where the numbers come from.
01 · Scope
Shopify Plus agencies, to start.
The first guides cover agencies that build and support stores on Shopify Plus. We look for recent, visible Plus work: launched stores we can see, and clients the agency names publicly.
Further guides (retainers and support, migrations, B2B, and more of the stack over time) use the same structure with the factor notes adjusted for the decision at hand.
02 · Sources
Public and dated.
We work from sources a reader can open. For an agency, that usually means:
- Its Shopify Partner Directory listing.
- Review platforms such as Clutch.
- The agency’s own site: case studies, team, pricing and support pages.
- The live storefronts named in its case studies.
- Public professional profiles, for team size and tenure.
Each guide lists its sources with the date we checked them. If we have missed something about your company, send it over and we will take a look.
03 · Factors
Six factors, weighted to 100.
Each factor is scored 0–10 from the evidence, multiplied by its weight, and summed. Where there is no public evidence for a factor, it scores low, so publishing more about your work is the quickest way to move up.
- Delivery track record 30%
- Shipped Shopify Plus builds, named case studies, verifiable launch dates.
- We count launched Plus stores the agency names publicly, cross-check them against the live storefront and the Shopify Partner Directory, and discount claims without a named client.
- Shopify Plus depth 20%
- Plus-specific work: checkout extensibility, Functions, B2B, Markets.
- Evidence of work that only exists on Plus: checkout UI extensions, Shopify Functions, B2B catalogs and company accounts, Markets and multi-currency setups.
- Client retention 15%
- Share of named clients still on the roster after 24 months.
- For each client named in a case study we check whether the agency still lists them, and whether the storefront still runs the agency's build, two years on.
- Pricing transparency 15%
- Published rates, engagement models and minimums.
- Full marks for published hourly or project rates and minimums. Partial marks for engagement models without numbers. None for 'contact us'.
- Team & seniority 10%
- Named leads, tenure, ratio of senior to junior staff.
- Named leadership on the site, average tenure of the delivery team from public profiles, and whether senior people appear in client work.
- Support & SLAs 10%
- Documented response times and retainer terms.
- Published support tiers, response-time commitments and retainer terms. Unpublished means unscored.
| Factor | Scored on | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery track record | Shipped Shopify Plus builds, named case studies, verifiable launch dates. | 30% |
| Shopify Plus depth | Plus-specific work: checkout extensibility, Functions, B2B, Markets. | 20% |
| Client retention | Share of named clients still on the roster after 24 months. | 15% |
| Pricing transparency | Published rates, engagement models and minimums. | 15% |
| Team & seniority | Named leads, tenure, ratio of senior to junior staff. | 10% |
| Support & SLAs | Documented response times and retainer terms. | 10% |
| Total | 100% | |
04 · Updates
Kept current as things change.
The date at the top of a guide is when we last went back through its sources. We update sooner when an agency is acquired, closes, or changes how it works or prices.
05 · Get in touch
Corrections, additions, and working together.
If something in a guide is wrong, send the source that shows it and we will fix it and note the change. If your agency is not covered yet, tell us about it. And if you would like to talk about working together, we are open to that too.