Shopify Site Launch Checklist

shopify-launch

The Shopify Store Launch Checklist is a good place to start. Many thanks to @tuckerschreiber for that.

This Shopify Site Launch checklist adds a few things I think are crucial and skips over some basics like image optimization and setting up extra channels.


  1. Test on some actual mobile devices. Okay yes this is basic but it’s easy to overlook and use mobile emulation modes in your browser.  There is no substitute for testing a site on as many mobile devices as you can.
  2. Make sure your domain name is setup properly. Shopify Domains Manual.
  3. Setup the Shopify free SSL certificate. You’ll never setup an easier SSL and it’s more important than ever starting in 2017.
  4. Double check your pages and make sure that your contact form is working correctly and mailing the right people.
  5. Make sure your privacy policy page has been setup and is included in your footer navigation.
  6. Test your Google Analytics setup and configure goals. Also consider anonymizing IP addresses with your GA tag.
  7. Setup Google Webmasters for all domain variations.
  8. Setup, check and double-check the email notification templates including the one for automatic cart abandonment .
  9. Spell check your pages.  Consider using Grammarly for this and while you’re at it make sure your writing is bold and clear.
  10. Double check Shopify taxes and shipping settings. Also consider signing up for the next level up Shopify pricing plan and paying a year in advance to get the real time shipping quotes from UPS and Fedex thrown in on your plan.
  11. Do an export of all your products as a CSV file. Import it in your favorite spreadsheet program and scan through it make sure that all the needed info is filled out. Weights for correct shipping? SEO text info filled out?
  12. Disable test mode in your payment gateway.
  13. Do some test orders on desktop, tablet and mobile all the way through shipping and credit card information. Complete the orders.  Make sure to double check the notification emails with these as well.
  14. Check the site for broken links.
  15. Double check your billing info.
  16. Remove the storefront password.

Bonus Shopify Site Launch Checklist

  1. Setup a prior soft launch date for the site where co-workers, friends and family members can try out the site as your secret QA team. Consider a discount just for them for helping out. Because setting deadlines is a good way to meet them. Just sayin’.
  2. Notify your secret QA team of the soft launch.
  3. Prepare your social media and email blasts.
  4. Prepare to link to your Shopify store from your other websites.
  5. Actively request feedback from your secret QA team. If you have time, create a way where they can send the feedback anonymously.
  6. Thank your team and get to work on adjustments if they’re merited.



Final Checklist After (Successful) Soft Launch

  1. Remove password if it’s been turned back on.
  2. Test new adjustments.
  3. Add links to site on other websites.
  4. Fire off social blasts.

What did I miss in this checklist?

shopify-plus-ryan-wong

Photo by Ryan Wong

3 Comments

  1. J on March 21, 2018 at 8:42 am

    Thanks for the tweaked checklist. Some good additions to the base list, just installed Grammarly – great little tool, thanks!

  2. Nagesh on March 28, 2018 at 11:22 pm

    Article is nice and helpful.

    It would be great if you can post the Security checklist.

    Thanks,

    -Nagesh

  3. Rachana on September 10, 2019 at 5:08 am

    Hemingway doesn’t understand how search engines prioritize your articles. Hemingway can certainly help you write better but it cannot help optimize your content for search. Don’t get me wrong, I still use Hemingway every so often to make sure that the mechanics of my writing are up to par, but I’ve been relying on INK content relevancy more lately.

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