Shopify Theme Customization- How To Change The Background Color Of Sections

Customizing your Shopify store is one of the best ways to make it stand out from the crowd, especially when it comes to simple yet impactful design elements like the background color of your sections. Whether you're building an online store for your small business or revamping an existing one, understanding how to change the background color of a section in Shopify is crucial for creating a visually appealing shopping experience for your customers. And guess what? It’s a lot simpler than it seems. In this guide, we’ll walk through exactly how to do this, step-by-step, while also touching on some recent advancements that make customization even easier.

Let’s dive in!

Why Change the Background Color of a Section?

Before we dive into the how-to, let’s explore why you’d want to change the background color of a section on your Shopify store in the first place. Customizing the background color isn’t just about making your site look good—it’s about making sure your website matches your brand identity, enhances user experience, and even increases conversions.

• Branding: Colors are a big part of brand identity. If you want your site to reflect your brand’s personality, changing the background color of sections can help make that happen. Maybe you want to use blue tones for a calming, professional feel or bright oranges for a bold, energetic look. Whatever the case, matching your store’s color scheme to your brand helps build recognition and trust with your audience.

• Visual Appeal: A good color contrast can make your website easier to navigate. If the text blends into the background, customers may have a hard time reading, which could lead to higher bounce rates. But when you strategically change the background color of a section, you can create contrast, improve readability, and draw attention to important information.

• Conversions: Believe it or not, the colors you choose can affect your conversion rate. A strategically placed call-to-action button on a contrasting background color can grab a shopper's attention and encourage them to take action, whether it's making a purchase, subscribing to your newsletter, or clicking through to another product.

Getting Started: The Basics of Shopify Theme Customization

Before you can start changing the background color of your sections, it’s important to have a basic understanding of Shopify’s theme customization features. Shopify themes are pre-designed templates that provide a starting point for your online store’s layout, but they also give you flexibility in how you customize those elements.

In the past, customizing your theme often required knowledge of HTML and CSS. Today, Shopify has made it much easier for store owners to tweak the look of their websites using the theme editor.

Here’s how it works:

• Theme Editor: Shopify’s theme editor allows you to modify the look and feel of your store without any coding knowledge. You can access it by going to your Shopify admin panel and clicking on Online Store > Themes. Then, click Customize to open the theme editor.

• Customization Options: Within the theme editor, you’ll find a variety of options for customizing your Shopify store. These include altering fonts, colors, layout options, and more. Each Shopify theme will have slightly different customization features, but most will allow you to adjust the background color of sections directly through the editor.

• Custom HTML and CSS: If you want even more control over the design of your store, Shopify allows you to edit the code behind the theme. This can be useful if you need to apply specific background colors to individual sections that aren't covered by the theme editor options.

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Change the Background Color of a Section in Shopify

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s jump into the step-by-step process of how to change the background color of a section in Shopify.

1. Open the Theme Customizer

First things first, you’ll need to access your Shopify Theme Customizer. Here’s how:

• Go to your Shopify Admin.
• Click on Online Store in the left-hand sidebar.
• Under Themes, find your active theme and click on the Customize button.

2. Navigate to the Section You Want to Modify

Once the customizer is open, you’ll see a preview of your store and a sidebar on the left that shows all the sections of your store (like header, footer, homepage, etc.).

• Scroll through the sidebar until you find the section you want to edit (e.g., the home page, product page, or any specific section).
• Click on the section to edit it.

3. Locate the Background Color Option

Depending on the theme you’re using, Shopify may provide a direct option to change the background color of the section. In some themes, you’ll find it under Colors or Style Settings.

• Look for an option labeled Background Color or something similar.
• If the theme allows, you should see a color picker where you can select the background color for the section. You can use this to choose from a preset color or enter a custom hex code for the color.

4. Save Your Changes

Once you’ve picked the perfect background color for your section, make sure to hit Save to apply the changes.

Advanced Customization: Changing Background Color Using Custom Code

Sometimes, the theme editor won’t offer the level of control you need, or you may want to change the background color of a specific section that doesn't have a pre-built option. This is where custom code comes in.

1. Edit the Theme’s CSS

To change the background color of a section using CSS, follow these steps:

• In your Shopify Admin, go to Online Store > Themes.
• Find your theme and click on the Actions dropdown, then select Edit code.
• In the code editor, look for the Assets folder and find the theme.css (or similar) file.

Now, you can add custom CSS code to change the background color of a section. Here's a simple example:

#your-section-id {
  background-color: #ff5733; /* Change to your desired color */
}

Make sure to replace #your-section-id with the actual ID of the section you want to modify. You can find this by inspecting the HTML of your page in the browser.

2. Modify the HTML (Optional)

If you’re working with a custom HTML page, you can use inline CSS to apply a background color. Here’s an example:

<div style="background-color: #ffffff;">
  <!-- Your content goes here -->
</div>

This code will apply a white background to the section. You can adjust the background-color property to any color of your choice.

Recent Advancements: Shopify Background Image Section Plugin

One of the more recent advancements in Shopify theme customization is the Shopify Background Image Section Plugin. This plugin allows you to add and manage background images directly within the theme editor, making it even easier to enhance the visual appeal of your sections.

With this plugin, you can:

• Upload high-quality background images for specific sections.
• Customize the positioning, scaling, and other properties of the background image.
• Easily switch between background color and background images depending on the section you’re working on.

This plugin is an excellent tool for Shopify merchants who want to make their online stores stand out without getting into the complexities of code.

Tips for Choosing the Right Background Color

Choosing the right background color is an art and a science. Here are a few tips to make sure you pick the perfect one for your Shopify store:

• Contrast is Key: Ensure there’s enough contrast between the text and background to make reading easy. For example, if you have dark text, a light background works best, and vice versa.
• Don’t Overwhelm Users: Too many bold colors in one section can overwhelm users. It’s best to choose one or two primary background colors for each page and use them consistently throughout your store.
• Test for Accessibility: Make sure your chosen colors are accessible to all users, including those with visual impairments. Tools like the WebAIM Color Contrast Checker can help ensure your site is compliant with accessibility standards.

Wrapping Up: The Power of Customization

Now that you know how to change the background color of sections in Shopify, it’s time to start experimenting with your store’s design. Whether you’re adjusting the background color through the theme editor, diving into custom CSS, or taking advantage of the new background image section plugins, there’s no limit to how you can make your Shopify store uniquely yours.

But if you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the customization options, don’t worry—Prateeksha Web Design is here to help. Our team of experts specializes in Shopify theme design and customization. We can work with you to create a visually appealing, user-friendly store that not only looks great but also drives conversions and supports your business goals.

If you're ready to take your online store to the next level with a customized design, reach out to us at Prateeksha Web Design today. Let’s create something amazing together!

Interested in learning more? Contact us today.