How Much Does a Shopify Basic Website Cost?

Quick summary

Building a Shopify site on the Basic plan is a strategic move for entrepreneurs and small businesses that want to launch in e-commerce on a platform that is simple, reliable and scalable. The total Shopify Basic website cost depends on several factors: initial setup, design, development, apps and professional support.

The Shopify Basic subscription starts at around $37 CAD per month with annual billing and includes hosting, SSL security, unlimited products and the core features you need to run an online store. On top of that come the start-up costs, such as the domain name (roughly $14 a year) and, depending on your needs, a premium theme ranging from $180 to $350.

The biggest line item, however, is still building and customizing the site. A professionally configured store can cost between $5,500 and $10,500, depending on the level of customization, the integrations, the content and the SEO work involved. Going through a specialized agency gets you a structure built for conversion, performance and organic search, and it spares you costly mistakes that have to be fixed later.

Shopify apps, though often essential, add an average of $50 to $200 per month. Transaction fees also need to be factored in, especially if you are not using Shopify Payments.

In short, Shopify Basic offers an excellent balance between cost, features and scalability. Planned properly, the project should be seen as a strategic investment, where the optimization done up front directly shapes how profitable the store becomes.

Jump to a section

1. Understanding Shopify plans
2. Start-up costs for a Shopify Basic site
3. Development and design fees
4. Apps and add-on features
5. Transaction fees and payments
6. Recurring monthly costs to plan for
7. Hidden and unexpected costs
   
   
8. How to optimize your Shopify Basic budget
   
   
9. Conclusion
10. FAQ

Building a Shopify site on the Basic plan is a strategic move for entrepreneurs and small businesses that want to launch in e-commerce on a platform that is simple, reliable and scalable. The total Shopify Basic website cost depends on several factors: initial setup, design, development, apps and professional support.

The Shopify Basic subscription starts at around $37 CAD per month with annual billing and includes hosting, SSL security, unlimited products and the core features you need to run an online store. On top of that come the start-up costs, such as the domain name (roughly $14 a year) and, depending on your needs, a premium theme ranging from $180 to $350.

The biggest line item, however, is still building and customizing the site. A professionally configured store can cost between $5,500 and $10,500, depending on the level of customization, the integrations, the content and the SEO work involved. Going through a specialized agency gets you a structure built for conversion, performance and organic search, and it spares you costly mistakes that have to be fixed later.

Shopify apps, though often essential, add an average of $50 to $200 per month. Transaction fees also need to be factored in, especially if you are not using Shopify Payments.

In short, Shopify Basic offers an excellent balance between cost, features and scalability. Planned properly, the project should be seen as a strategic investment, where the optimization done up front directly shapes how profitable the store becomes.

1. Understanding Shopify plans
2. Start-up costs for a Shopify Basic site
3. Development and design fees
4. Apps and add-on features
5. Transaction fees and payments
6. Recurring monthly costs to plan for
7. Hidden and unexpected costs
   
   
8. How to optimize your Shopify Basic budget
   
   
9. Conclusion
10. FAQ

Did you know that more than 1.7 million merchants use Shopify to power their online stores? With that level of adoption, the cost of building a Shopify site becomes an essential question for any entrepreneur getting into e-commerce.

The price of a Shopify site varies considerably. The basic configuration of a store can cost between $5,500 and $10,500, while the average cost of building a website (non-transactional) sits between $3,500 and $10,000 depending on your specific needs (it can vary with the number of products, a free or premium theme, the apps, the content to produce, the integrations and the level of customization). For a new e-commerce site, budget roughly $39 per month on average. Some Shopify plans start around that price point, but your total monthly budget also depends on apps, payment fees and day-to-day operating needs.

Shopify essentially offers two broad categories of plans. On one side, the standard versions for merchants with general needs, with monthly fees ranging from $29 to $399. On the other, Shopify Plus, aimed at businesses with heavier requirements, available from $2,000 per month. In this article, we focus on the Basic edition, which suits the vast majority of stores looking for a platform that is easy to pick up and ready to grow.

As a specialized agency, CyberPerformance offers Shopify store design services that not only save you time, but also put in place a structure optimized for search. We also guide you through the techniques that help lift your sales and through your first steps on the platform.

Understanding Shopify plans

To choose the right e-commerce platform, you first need to understand the different Shopify subscription options. Let us walk through them and see why the Basic version is often the best compromise for entrepreneurs.

The two broad categories: Basic vs Plus

Shopify structures its offer around two distinct categories of plans. On one side are the standard plans meant for merchants with conventional needs, and on the other, Shopify Plus, designed for businesses with more complex requirements.

The standard plans come in three main tiers:

1. Basic: ideal for solo entrepreneurs and anyone starting out
   
   
2. Shopify/Grow: suited to small teams and growing merchants

1. Advanced: for established businesses that need advanced features

Shopify Plus, by contrast, targets businesses generating large sales volumes, generally above $100,000, with more sophisticated e-commerce needs. Its pricing starts at $2,300 USD per month on a three-year commitment, which makes it a solution reserved for larger organizations.

The difference between these two categories goes well beyond price. Shopify Plus includes dedicated account management, supports higher sales volumes and offers more customization options. This premium version also adds advanced capabilities such as automation through Shopify Flow, reinforced security and the ability to run several stores at once.

Why the Basic version suits most merchants

Despite the appeal of premium features, the Shopify Basic plan remains the most popular and meets the needs of most online merchants perfectly. Why is that?

First, this plan includes everything you need to run an online store effectively. With Basic, you get unlimited products, hosting with a free SSL certificate, and a customizable website editor. Contrary to a common assumption, this is not a stripped-down version but a complete, fully functional solution.

Second, Basic delivers excellent value for entrepreneurs launching their business. It provides all the necessary tools without loading you down with features that small operations rarely use. In particular, you get:

1. Abandoned cart recovery

1. Customer segmentation

1. Basic reporting

1. Manual order creation

1. Access to Shopify apps

Finally, this plan has an approachable learning curve while remaining scalable. As your business grows, moving up to a higher plan is straightforward.

Shopify monthly price for the Basic plan

When it comes to the cost of the Basic plan, figures vary somewhat by source and by currency. According to Shopify's official information, the Basic plan starts at $37 CAD per month with annual billing. Those rates differ depending on whether you subscribe annually or monthly.

One point worth noting: Shopify offers a 25% discount on annual plans compared with monthly billing. Committing for a year therefore represents a substantial saving for your online business.

Beyond the subscription, do not overlook the transaction fees. On the Basic plan, those fees come to 2.8% + $0.30 CAD for online transactions and 2.6% for in-person sales. If you use a third-party payment provider, an extra 2% applies.

As a specialized agency, CyberPerformance supports you in setting up your Shopify Basic store. Our expertise not only saves you valuable time, it also optimizes your structure for organic search. We likewise guide you through the techniques that help grow your sales and through your first steps on this intuitive platform.

Start-up costs for a Shopify Basic site

Launching an online store takes more than a monthly subscription. Let us look at the upfront costs of a Shopify Basic site so you can plan your start-up budget properly.

Domain name: price and options

Buying a domain name is one of the first expenses for your online store. Shopify offers two main possibilities:

1. Buying through Shopify: the platform lets you purchase a custom domain name directly for roughly $14 per year. This option greatly simplifies management, since renewal is handled automatically alongside your Shopify subscription. Integration is also immediate, with no extra technical setup.
   
   
2. Using an existing domain: if you already own a domain name bought through another registrar (such as OVH, Gandi or Namecheap), you can connect it to your Shopify store without any trouble. This does require a few technical steps, notably changing the DNS settings, but it stays accessible even for beginners thanks to the detailed tutorials Shopify provides.

Note that the Basic plan also gives you free access to a subdomain of the yourstore.myshopify.com type. For a professional image, though, investing in a custom domain remains strongly recommended.

Free or premium theme: which should you choose?

Your choice of theme determines the look and the functionality of your store. Shopify essentially offers two categories:

Free themes are an excellent way to start without extra investment. Shopify currently offers 9 official free themes, all responsive and updated regularly. These themes cover different styles and industries, so you can build an attractive store at no additional cost.

Premium themes call for a larger upfront investment, generally between $180 and $350. They do come with several significant advantages:

1. Advanced features (product zoom, mega dropdown menus and so on)

1. Deeper customization options

1. Better optimization for conversions

1. Dedicated technical support from the theme's creator

Investing in a premium theme can be a smart call if you need specific features or want to stand out visually. That said, it is perfectly possible to start with a free theme and move up to a premium solution later.

CyberPerformance can guide you through this important decision based on your specific needs and your budget, and help you customize your theme to get the most out of it.

SSL certificate: included or not?

Good news: every Shopify plan, including Basic, comes with an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate at no extra charge. That certificate serves several essential purposes:

First, it secures the data travelling between your customers' browsers and your website by encrypting it. This protection matters especially for online stores that collect sensitive information such as banking details.

Second, the SSL certificate gives your site the "https://" prefix along with a padlock in the address bar, both of which inspire confidence in visitors. That added trust can contribute positively to the user experience and to how trustworthy your store feels, which is recognized as a factor influencing conversion.

Finally, Google treats SSL as a ranking factor, which means secure sites can enjoy a slight edge in organic search.

Unlike other platforms where installing and renewing an SSL certificate is an extra cost (roughly $50 to $150 a year), Shopify handles these technical details automatically. That inclusion is therefore a meaningful saving while sparing you technical complexity.

In summary, the upfront costs of a Shopify Basic site consist mainly of the monthly subscription, the domain name and possibly the purchase of a premium theme. The SSL certificate, a crucial piece for any online store, is fortunately included at no additional cost. These start-up investments, relatively modest compared with other e-commerce solutions, let you launch a professional and secure store quickly.

Development and design fees

Once you have picked your plan and covered the upfront costs, a crucial question comes up: who is going to build your online store? That decision has a direct impact on your budget and on the final quality of your Shopify site.

Do it yourself or hire a developer

Let us start by looking at the two possible approaches. Building it yourself is the least expensive option financially. Shopify is designed to be accessible to beginners, with an intuitive interface and plenty of tutorials.

That approach does have real limits, though. According to experts, while Shopify offers immediate simplicity, it hides notable technical limitations: a closed infrastructure, limited customization and a dependence on App Store plugins that are sometimes expensive and poorly suited to specific business needs. On top of that, the time it takes to master the platform can amount to a considerable indirect cost.

Hiring a developer or a specialized agency, on the other hand, gives you access to technical and creative expertise. This option delivers a professional store optimized for sales and for search. Available data shows that time is one of the scarcest resources for small businesses, and spending weeks trying to master technical skills can mean missing important opportunities.

Shopify developer rates: common ranges

Shopify developer rates vary considerably depending on profile, experience and location. In Canada, here are the usual day rates charged by an agency (with different levels of expertise depending on the staff assigned) that configures and develops the store for you. Based on the trends observed in recent years:

1. Entry-level Shopify developer: roughly $480 per day

1. Junior Shopify developer: roughly $600 per day

1. Experienced Shopify developer: roughly $700 per day

1. Senior Shopify developer: roughly $800 per day

As for pricing models, two dominate: hourly billing and fixed-price projects. For complex projects such as a full store, fixed pricing is often recommended because it makes the budget predictable. Fixed-price projects for the complete development of an e-commerce store can range from $10,000 to $50,000 depending on complexity.

Shopify website build pricing through an agency like CyberPerformance

Specialized agencies such as CyberPerformance generally offer several packages tailored to different needs and budgets. Although their rates are usually higher than a freelancer's, they add significant value.

A store built on a standard Shopify theme can start at $7,500 before taxes. For a more customized site with bespoke mockups, prices generally start around $16,000 before taxes. 

Fully custom development, for its part, starts at $20,000 before taxes.

Several factors influence those rates, including:

1. The size and complexity of the site

1. The features and apps you want

1. The additional services included (SEO, marketing, photography and so on)

Ultimately, investing in an agency such as CyberPerformance should not be seen as a simple expense, but as a strategic investment. Research shows that an agency does not just build your site; it develops a complete visibility strategy to attract qualified visitors and turn them into buyers.

What is more, unlike a solo build, which can lead to costly mistakes that have to be corrected later, an agency's expertise helps you avoid those traps and optimize your store for sales and search from the start. That initial investment can therefore translate into a faster and larger return over the long term.

Apps and add-on features

A Shopify store is not limited to its base subscription. The app ecosystem is a crucial piece that can enrich your e-commerce site considerably, but it also affects your overall budget.

Free vs paid apps

The Shopify App Store offers a huge catalogue of extensions to customize your store. Among those apps, 45.80% offer at least one free plan or a trial period, which is excellent news for entrepreneurs starting out.

Paid apps, however, often represent a significant investment. The average cost of a Shopify app (all plans combined) comes to $92.71 CAD per month. For an app's highest tier, the average price sits around $76.45 CAD per month.

In our experience, free apps make an excellent starting point, but their features are generally limited. As your store grows, adopting paid apps often becomes unavoidable in order to meet specific needs such as:

1. Price and discount optimization

1. Advanced inventory management

1. Sophisticated marketing tools

1. Improving the customer experience

The data also shows a weak but positive correlation between apps that offer free plans and their popularity, suggesting that users prefer to try before they invest.

Essential e-commerce features

Shopify site templates natively include a number of essential features: home pages, product pages, collection pages, search functionality and payment options. For certain specialized capabilities, though, you will need to turn to apps.

Among the must-have e-commerce features available through apps, you will find:

1. Product reviews: these apps display your customers' feedback, which also contributes to your site's search visibility

1. Discount tools: to create targeted promo codes such as "2 for 1" offers

1. Social media integration: letting your customers buy directly on platforms such as Facebook

1. Task automation: notably for inventory management, to avoid running out of stock

As a specialized agency, CyberPerformance guides you in selecting the apps that are genuinely useful for your business model, avoiding unnecessary spending while optimizing the user experience.

Shopify App Store: what to expect

The Shopify App Store is a genuine gold mine with more than 3,200 apps available. That variety means you can find a solution for practically every e-commerce need.

As you explore the Shopify App Store, you will come across different app categories:

1. Sales channels (marketplaces, point of sale)
   
   
2. Finding products (dropshipping, print on demand)

1. Selling products (subscriptions, digital downloads)

1. Orders and shipping

1. Store design (SEO, translation, currency converters)

1. Marketing and conversion

1. Store management

According to the available data, the most popular apps deal with product reviews, SEO and popups, all crucial elements for improving your conversion rate.

The rating system plays an essential role in your choice. Across all apps, 44.72% earn a score above 4.5 out of 5, which makes it easier to identify the strongest extensions.

Finally, keep in mind that adding too many apps can slow your site down. It is better to select only the ones that address your specific needs rather than installing a large number of them. CyberPerformance can help you find the right balance between extra functionality and the overall performance of your Shopify Basic site.

Transaction fees and payments

Beyond the monthly subscription, transaction fees are a crucial part of the overall cost of an e-commerce site. These fees, often underestimated, can significantly affect your profitability as your sales volume grows.

Shopify transaction fees: how they work

Transaction fees on Shopify fall into two main categories. First, the fees Shopify charges for the use of its platform, and second, the ones payment processors charge to handle each transaction.

On the Shopify Basic plan, if you do not use Shopify Payments, an additional 2% transaction fee applies to every sale. That fee drops as you move up: 1% on the Shopify/Grow plan and 0.6% on Advanced.

These commissions cover Shopify's costs for providing a secure payment infrastructure and integrating with external service providers. They are charged when you use a third-party payment gateway or, for stores created after May 2025, when an order includes store credit or gift cards.

Worth noting: if your store uses Shopify Payments and a customer pays with a credit card plus $10 in store credit, the transaction fee applies only to the $10 of credit.

Shopify Payments vs other gateways

Shopify Payments is the native payment solution built directly into your checkout. Its main advantage: no additional transaction fees. You pay only the payment processing fees, generally between 1.1% and 1.5% plus $0.25 per transaction.

This gateway offers several significant benefits:

1. Simplified setup straight from your admin interface

1. Live view of your payments

1. Support for the major credit cards and digital payment options

1. Support for multi-currency payments

That said, if Shopify Payments is not available in your country or you prefer an alternative, several options exist, notably:

• PayPal: charges 3.49% plus $0.49 per transaction, with an extra 1.5% on international payments. Upside: it reinforces customer trust, particularly in Germany and the United States.
• Stripe: offers rates of 2.8% plus $0.30 for card transactions. Ideal for complex payments such as subscriptions.

Remember that using these alternatives triggers additional Shopify transaction fees on the Basic plan.

Shopify selling fees: what you need to know

International sales generate additional costs to consider. If you accept payments in a currency different from the one you are paid out in, a conversion happens automatically.

That operation involves two elements:

1. The conversion rate, which matches the market rate with no markup
   
   
2. The conversion fees charged by Shopify, which vary by your primary country: 1.5% for the United States and 2% for the other supported countries
   
   
3. These fees are not reimbursed when a return happens, but you do not pay extra fees on refunds.

Note as well that international customers may be charged an international transaction fee by their own bank, even when their card is billed in their local currency. Those fees are not charged to you as the merchant, however.

To keep your transaction costs down with Shopify Basic, use Shopify Payments whenever you can. If your sales volume grows significantly, consider moving up to a higher plan to reduce the fee percentage. CyberPerformance can support you through that transition and help you structure your store to maximize sales while managing these transaction costs efficiently.

Recurring monthly costs to plan for

Running an online store involves not only upfront costs but also recurring expenses you should anticipate to keep your finances healthy. Let us go through these monthly costs together so there are no unpleasant surprises.

Shopify subscription

The subscription is naturally the first recurring cost of your Shopify store. For the Basic plan, the monthly price varies by source: roughly $40.41 CAD with annual billing or $29 on standard monthly payment.

Good news: Shopify offers a 25% discount on annual plans compared with monthly billing. That substantial saving can amount to more than $100 over the year on the Basic plan.

Note that the billing period runs in 30-day cycles. For example, if your invoice is issued on April 5, the next one will be generated on May 5. That regularity makes financial planning much easier.

One considerable advantage: unlike other platforms, Shopify includes unlimited, secure hosting at no extra charge, along with unlimited bandwidth, sparing you costs that are usually hidden.

Third-party apps

Apps are often the variable portion of your monthly budget. While some are free, paid apps generally work on a monthly subscription model of $50 to $200 depending on your needs.

These apps follow their own 30-day billing cycle, independent of your Shopify subscription. Two main models exist:

1. Recurring plans: ongoing subscriptions at a fixed rate
   
   
2. Usage-based plans: variable billing according to your usage
   
   
3. An important point to remember: when you downgrade to a less expensive plan, an app credit is automatically offered to you based on the price difference and the remaining days.

If you cancel your Shopify subscription, on the other hand, all amounts owing for apps will be billed immediately.

Maintenance and support

Regular maintenance is a crucial investment to keep your online store running for the long haul. Experts generally recommend setting aside 1% to 2% of annual revenue for unplanned repairs and ongoing maintenance.

There are two approaches to maintenance:

1. Do it yourself: hand your team the basic tasks such as cleaning up content or updating products

1. Outsource it: bring in specialists for the technical side
   

As for support, every Shopify plan includes 24/7 assistance, a real advantage compared with other platforms where premium support can require expensive add-on contracts.

Taking all of these recurring costs into account, a realistic monthly budget for a Shopify Basic store generally lands between $100 and $300, depending on the number of apps and your specific maintenance needs.

Hidden and unexpected costs

When you build the budget for a Shopify store, certain expenses often slip by unnoticed. Yet these hidden costs can represent a significant share of your total investment. Let us look at these overlooked items that could affect your budget.

Images, licences and content

Behind every successful e-commerce site sit unavoidable administrative and legal considerations. Registering your business (between $25 and $200 depending on your structure) is a mandatory first step. To that you may need to add a commercial operating licence ($50 to several hundred dollars) and business insurance (generally between $80 and $150 per month).

These operating costs, including legal fees, accounting software and incorporation fees, represent roughly 11% of a company's annual spending during its first year. Notably, close to a quarter of entrepreneurs consider these expenses unexpected.

Beyond the administrative side, do not forget the cost of professional visuals and quality content, both essential to an attractive online store.

SEO, marketing and advertising

Free strategies such as writing press releases or running your social media do exist, but allocating a marketing budget remains crucial to accelerating your growth. According to the available data, businesses generally devote between 7% and 12% of their first-year spending to marketing.

We have noticed an interesting pattern: the more profit a business generates, the more it invests in acquiring new customers. That virtuous cycle lets you reinvest earnings to drive further growth.

Backups and security

Protecting your store against data loss is an investment that is often neglected but fundamental. Solutions such as BackupMaster automatically back up your store every day, protecting products, themes, orders and files.

Other options such as Rewind Backups offer similar functionality starting at $26.47 CAD per month for up to 300 orders a month. These services let you restore your entire store or individual items if something goes wrong.

Securing your customer data and your digital assets is not a luxury but a necessity for the long-term health of your online business.

How to optimize your Shopify Basic budget

Several strategic approaches can help you reduce the cost of your online store while keeping it effective. Let us look at how to optimize your budget without compromising the quality of your site.

Use the free resources

The Shopify platform is full of free tools that often go unnoticed. Start by exploring the official free themes, perfectly suited to beginners while still offering a professional design. In parallel, Shopify Academy offers complete training at no extra cost, covering topics as varied as marketing, search visibility and conversion optimization.

Do not forget free tools such as the logo maker, the business name generator or the QR code creator. These resources can save you several hundred dollars while keeping your visual identity consistent.

Work with CyberPerformance for strategic support

Our approach at CyberPerformance stands out for how much we want our clients to be self-sufficient. We provide personalized video training that lets you gradually take charge of running your store.

Unlike other agencies that impose restrictive packages, we offer flexible support; certain changes are included depending on the package and the agreed scope. Our use of Asana also lets you follow your project's progress in real time.

Avoid unnecessary spending from day one

To get the most out of your budget, start with monthly payment during the testing phase. Once your business is stable and profitable, consider an annual commitment to save up to 25% on your subscription.

When it comes to apps, always test the free versions before investing in premium options. Select only the ones that precisely match your needs and do not hesitate to disable apps that are not paying for themselves.

Conclusion

Ultimately, launching a Shopify Basic store is an accessible investment for most entrepreneurs looking to get into e-commerce. As we have seen, the upfront costs consist mainly of the monthly subscription (roughly $37 CAD), the domain name ($14 per year) and possibly a premium theme ($180 to $350). To that you add transaction fees, which vary depending on whether you use Shopify Payments or an alternative gateway.

Remember that there are essentially two broad categories of Shopify plans. On one hand, the standard versions (Basic, Shopify/Grow, Advanced) suit merchants with general needs perfectly well. On the other, Shopify Plus is designed specifically for businesses with heavy requirements and substantial sales volumes. Our analysis clearly shows that the Basic edition meets the expectations of the great majority of stores looking for an ecosystem that is easy to learn, scalable and equipped with the features that matter most.

Additional costs can certainly come up, notably for third-party apps, professional visual content or marketing strategies. Even so, several tactics let you optimize your budget effectively: lean on the free resources at first, choose your apps carefully and consider an annual subscription once your business has stabilized.

Beyond the purely financial side, time is a considerable investment too. Working with a specialized agency such as CyberPerformance can therefore be a particularly smart move. Our expertise aims to make you more efficient and to structure your site according to recognized SEO best practices. We also guide you through the techniques that help grow your sales and through your first steps on the platform.

In the end, the cost of a Shopify Basic store should be viewed as a strategic investment rather than a simple expense. Compared with other e-commerce solutions, this plan delivers excellent value for entrepreneurs starting out or for small operations that are growing. With the right planning and the right support, your project can evolve step by step. Profitability depends on the market, your offer, your margins and your marketing investments.

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FAQ

Q1. What is the monthly cost of the Shopify Basic plan? The Shopify Basic plan costs roughly $37 CAD per month with annual billing, or $29 on standard monthly payment. A 25% discount is offered on annual plans.

Q2. What are the transaction fees on Shopify Basic? With Shopify Payments, transaction fees are roughly 2.8% + $0.30 CAD for online transactions. If you use a third-party payment gateway, an additional 2% applies.

Q3. What are the upfront costs of building a Shopify Basic store? The upfront costs include the monthly subscription, the domain name (roughly $14 per year) and possibly a premium theme (between $180 and $350). The SSL certificate is included free of charge.

Q4. What recurring costs should you plan for with a Shopify Basic store? Recurring costs include the monthly subscription, third-party app fees (generally between $50 and $200 per month) and a budget for maintenance and marketing (roughly 1% to 2% of annual revenue).

Q5. How can you reduce the cost of a Shopify Basic store? To optimize your budget, use Shopify's free resources, test the free versions of apps before investing, and consider an annual subscription once your business has stabilized to save up to 25%. Working with a specialized agency can also help you avoid costly mistakes.