Shopify Launch Checklist: 12 Things to Check Before You Go Live

On this page

1. 1. Connect your own domain
2. 2. Set up and test payments
3. 3. Get your shipping right
4. 4. Check taxes and VAT
5. 5. Add your store policies
6. 6. Finish every product page
7. 7. Organise collections and navigation
8. 8. Add trust signals
9. 9. Get the Shopify SEO basics right
10. 10. Check speed on mobile
11. 11. Set up tracking and cookie consent
12. 12. Place a real test order
13. After your Shopify store goes live
14. Frequently asked questions

Launching a Shopify store is exciting, and it’s tempting to switch it on the moment your products are uploaded. But a few missed settings can mean failed payments, wrong shipping prices or customers who can’t find you on Google.

Here’s the Shopify launch checklist we use before any store goes live. Work through it in order and you’ll catch the problems before your customers do.

1. Connect your own domain

Customers trust yourbrand.co.uk far more than yourbrand.myshopify.com. Connect your domain in Shopify’s domain settings, set it as your primary domain, and check that the other versions (with and without www) redirect to it.

2. Set up and test payments

Choose your payment providers and make sure they’re fully activated. Shopify Payments supports card payments, Shop Pay, Apple Pay and Google Pay. Then test the whole checkout, not just the payment step (see point 12).

3. Get your shipping right

Set up shipping zones for everywhere you deliver, from the UK mainland to the Highlands and Islands and any international destinations. If you also offer local delivery or collection, say around Burnley, Nelson and Padiham, set that up as its own option. Decide on your rates, whether flat, weight-based or free over a certain spend, and check them by going through checkout with different addresses. Unexpected delivery costs are a common reason shoppers abandon their basket.

4. Check taxes and VAT

If you’re VAT registered, make sure Shopify’s tax settings match how you charge VAT, including whether your prices are shown with VAT included. If you’re unsure, check with your accountant before launch rather than after.

5. Add your store policies

You’ll need clear refund, shipping, privacy and terms of service pages. Shopify can generate starting templates, but edit them so they match how your business actually works. UK consumer law generally gives online shoppers a 14-day right to cancel, so make sure your returns policy reflects that. Link your policies in the footer.

6. Finish every product page

Each product needs:

• clear, high-quality photos from several angles,
• a helpful description that answers buyers’ questions,
• correct prices, variants and stock levels,
• product weights, for accurate shipping,
• a unique page title and meta description for search.

7. Organise collections and navigation

Group products into collections that match how your customers shop, and keep your menu simple. Test it on your phone: can you reach any product in a few taps?

8. Add trust signals

New customers don’t know you yet. Show reviews, clear contact details, a proper About page and delivery information, and make your returns process easy to find.

9. Get the Shopify SEO basics right

Shopify creates your sitemap automatically. Before launch:

• write unique page titles and meta descriptions for your homepage, collections and products,
• add descriptive alt text to product images,
• set up Google Search Console and submit your sitemap (yourdomain.co.uk/sitemap.xml),
• if you’re moving from an old website, redirect your old URLs to the new pages.

SEO takes time to build, so the sooner the foundations are in place the better. Our guide to how long SEO takes explains what to expect.

10. Check speed on mobile

Run your homepage, a collection page and a product page through Google’s PageSpeed Insights. Every app you install can add weight, so remove any you don’t use. Our guide to website speed and SEO explains what the scores mean.

11. Set up tracking and cookie consent

Install analytics and any advertising pixels you’ll use, such as the Meta Pixel for Facebook and Instagram ads. In the UK you need visitors’ consent before setting non-essential cookies, so make sure your cookie banner works before you launch.

12. Place a real test order

This is the most important check. Place an order yourself, start to finish, on your phone, then check:

• the checkout works with real payment details (you can refund yourself afterwards),
• the order confirmation email arrives and looks right,
• the order appears correctly in your admin,
• shipping and tax were calculated correctly.

Shopify also offers a test mode for checking payments without charging a real card, but a real order is the best final test.

After your Shopify store goes live

Going live is the start, not the finish. In your first few weeks:

• set up automated emails, especially abandoned checkout reminders,
• watch your analytics to see where visitors drop off,
• ask your first customers for reviews,
• start promoting your store, for example with Meta ads.

If you’d like a hand getting your store ready to launch, take a look at our Shopify web design service.

Once your shop is live, set up abandoned cart emails to win back shoppers who leave without buying.

Frequently asked questions