Shopify Store Launch Checklist: What to Do Before You Go Live

Launching a Shopify store is exciting, and easy to rush. The gaps you miss before going live (a broken checkout, missing tax setup, no SEO) cost real money later. Here is the pre-launch checklist I run through before any store goes public.

Store setup

• Connect your custom domain and confirm it loads on www and the root correctly.
• Remove the password page when you're ready (don't launch still hidden, or still exposed too early).
• Set your store name, logo, favicon and brand details.

Payments

• Set up and activate a payment provider (Shopify Payments or another gateway).
• Place a real test order and confirm the money flow and order confirmation work.
• Check which payment methods show at checkout.

Shipping

• Configure shipping zones and rates for the regions you serve.
• Decide on free shipping thresholds if any.
• Confirm shipping costs show clearly before the final checkout step.

Taxes

• Set up tax settings for your regions.
• If you sell internationally, configure duties and taxes (Markets) so buyers aren't surprised.

Legal and policies

• Add Refund, Privacy, Terms of Service and Shipping policies (Shopify can generate starting templates).
• Make sure they're linked in the footer.

SEO basics

• Write title tags and meta descriptions for key pages.
• Add alt text to important images.
• Submit your sitemap.xml in Google Search Console and verify the store.
• Confirm the store is not set to noindex after launch.

Content and trust

• Complete your About and Contact pages.
• Add product descriptions, images and reviews where possible.
• Make contact and support easy to find.

Technical checks

• Test the full journey on mobile and desktop: browse, add to cart, checkout.
• Check for broken links and set up redirects for any changed URLs.
• Confirm email notifications (order confirmation, shipping) are on and branded.
• Run the store through PageSpeed Insights and fix obvious speed issues.

Analytics

• Connect analytics (Shopify analytics, and Google Analytics / Search Console) so you can measure from day one.

The takeaway

A smooth Shopify launch is not luck, it is a checklist. Payments tested, shipping and taxes set, policies in place, SEO basics done, and the whole journey tested on mobile. Tick these off and you launch with confidence instead of scrambling to fix things while customers watch.

Launching a store and want a second pair of eyes before you go live? Get in touch and I'll run through it with you.