Sefism WordPress and Shopify Cheat Sheet

What it is

The WordPress and Shopify cheat sheet is the quick-revision companion to Sefism's WordPress and Shopify roadmap. It is written for site builders: people building business websites and online stores for real clients. It covers web basics, your platform, custom code, building a client site, online stores, performance and SEO, care after launch, and selling the work.

Each concept is a short card: what it is in plain words, why it matters, an example or snippet where one helps, and the mistake people usually make. Skim a chapter before a build or a client call, and follow the links when a concept needs more depth.

Three editions

• WordPress: hosting, the block editor and themes, PHP hooks and small plugins, WooCommerce, performance, SEO, security and handover. 60 concepts.
• Shopify: the admin, Online Store 2.0 themes, Liquid and Shopify CLI, store settings, performance, SEO, care after launch and handover. 58 concepts.
• Webflow: the Designer, classes and layout, CMS collections, interactions, custom code, performance, SEO, care after launch and handover. 58 concepts.

All three share the same eight chapters. The platform and custom code chapters are almost entirely edition-specific; the client, store, quality, care and selling chapters are mostly shared.

Chapter by chapter

1. Web basics for site builders

Domains and registrars, DNS records, hosting models, HTTPS and SSL certificates, HTML structure, CSS for tweaks, browser DevTools and what a CMS does. Enough to read and fix what any page builder produces.

2. Your platform

• WordPress: hosting and install, the block editor, full site editing and block themes, child themes, choosing plugins safely, and posts, pages and custom post types.
• Shopify: the admin, products, variants and collections, Online Store 2.0, sections and blocks, the reference themes (Dawn, Horizon and Skeleton), choosing apps, and Partners and development stores.
• Webflow: the Designer, the box model, classes and combo classes, Flexbox, grid and breakpoints, components, CMS collections, and site and Workspace plans.

3. Custom code

• WordPress: local development, PHP basics, actions and filters, the template hierarchy, a small custom plugin, a custom block, and sanitise, escape and check.
• Shopify: Shopify CLI for themes, Liquid objects, tags and filters, theme structure, section schemas, metafields and metaobjects, and theme app extensions.
• Webflow: custom code and embeds, custom attributes, dynamic content and filters, interactions and animations, forms and integrations, and code export and its limits.

Every edition ends the chapter with version control for site code.

4. Building a client site

Discovery and the brief, sitemap and content plan, wireframes and design, a staging site, responsive and cross-browser testing, the launch checklist and 301 redirects.

5. Online stores

Payment gateways, shipping zones and rates, tax settings, checkout and store policies, and orders and fulfilment, plus WooCommerce setup and extensions, Shopify Payments, third-party providers and Markets, or Webflow Ecommerce and embedding a store instead. The chapter's opening note is worth remembering: payment options differ by country, so check them first.

6. Performance, SEO and accessibility

Core Web Vitals, image optimisation, caching and CDNs, third-party scripts, titles and meta descriptions, XML sitemaps and Search Console, structured data, SEO plugins or built-in settings, and accessibility basics and testing.

7. Security, backups and care

Account security, backups and restore tests, uptime and form monitoring, handover and ownership, and the maintenance retainer, with WordPress updates and hardening in the WordPress edition.

8. Selling the work

Niche and offer, case studies, finding clients, proposals and pricing, contracts and scope creep, getting paid across borders and scam red flags.

Each chapter links up to three library resources, such as Learn WordPress, the Shopify Liquid Reference, Shopify Theme Development Docs, Webflow University, WooCommerce Documentation and PageSpeed Insights.

Rules of thumb worth remembering

The sheet closes with ten rules and a 134-term glossary. Among them:

• Put the client's domain, hosting and platform accounts in their name from day one, and ask for your own access role.
• Collect real content before you design: text, photos and prices decide the layout more than any theme.
• Check payment gateway availability for the client's country before you quote a store.
• Build on staging or an unpublished theme, and never test changes on a live store with real orders.
• Fix the biggest image on the page before installing any speed plugin or app.
• Test a restore from backup before you need one.
• Write scope, revisions and payment terms down before work starts, and price every extra as a change request.

How to use it with the roadmap

• After each stage: the eight chapters match the roadmap's eight stages one to one. Read the chapter and check every pitfall line.
• Before a client call: chapters 4 and 8 are a quick refresher on briefs, scope, pricing and contracts.
• Before launch: chapter 6 is your pre-launch check (Core Web Vitals, titles, sitemaps, structured data, a keyboard pass) and chapter 4's launch checklist and redirects entry stop a replacement site losing its search traffic.
• Every month after launch: chapter 7 is the basis of a care routine you can sell as a retainer.

How it works on Sefism

Everything here is free to learn from. The public page lists every chapter title, with the first chapters open to read. Keeping the sheet uses credits, and new members get starting credits when they join. Adding the WordPress and Shopify roadmap to your dashboard (your first roadmap is free) opens this sheet with it. In the member area you can switch between the WordPress, Shopify and Webflow editions.

Related on Sefism

• The Freelancing cheat sheet for the business side in more depth
• The Frontend development cheat sheet for the HTML, CSS and performance underneath every platform
• Should I start with freelancing or get a job first?
• How to find a remote job that pays in dollars

FAQ

Is this enough to learn WordPress or Shopify? No. It is for revision and checklists; the roadmap and the official learning picks do the teaching.

Does it cover WooCommerce? Yes, in the WordPress edition's online stores chapter, alongside the shared payment, shipping and tax concepts.

Does it help with pricing client work? The selling chapter covers proposals and pricing, contracts and scope creep, and getting paid across borders, as revision for the roadmap's final stage.