Shopify Store Launch Checklist: 60 Things to Check Before You Go Live

I have built and worked on more than 100 Shopify stores, from small DTC brands to Shopify Plus stores processing thousands of orders. The launches that go badly almost never fail because of design. They fail on the basics: a checkout that does not charge tax, a shipping rate that loses money, a product page with no reason to buy, or tracking that was never installed. This checklist covers the things to verify before you take a store live.

Business and legal basics

• ☐ Decide your business structure; many owners form an LLC and get an EIN on IRS.gov.
• ☐ Open a dedicated business bank account.
• ☐ Register for sales tax permits where you have obligations (start with your home state).
• ☐ Confirm any product-specific rules: cosmetics labelling, supplements, children's products, food.
• ☐ Trademark search for your brand name before printing packaging.

Store settings

• ☐ Store name, legal business name and address in Settings.
• ☐ Store currency and time zone.
• ☐ Customer contact email that you actually monitor.
• ☐ Order ID prefix (optional, helps with support).
• ☐ Staff accounts with the right permissions instead of sharing logins.

Payments

• ☐ Shopify Payments activated (or another processor if not available).
• ☐ Bank account verified for payouts.
• ☐ Accelerated checkouts such as Shop Pay, Apple Pay and Google Pay enabled.
• ☐ Payment capture set to automatic or manual, depending on your fulfilment.
• ☐ Fraud analysis reviewed; decide how you handle high-risk orders.
• ☐ Place a real test order and refund it.

Shipping

• ☐ Shipping zones for every place you sell.
• ☐ Rates that reflect real costs. Weigh packed products, including packaging.
• ☐ Free shipping threshold set from your margins, not by guesswork.
• ☐ Product weights entered on every variant.
• ☐ Packing slips and label printing tested.
• ☐ Delivery estimates shown where possible.

Tip: Calculate your contribution margin per order: price minus product cost, packaging, shipping, payment fees and average discount. If it is thin before ads, ads will make it negative.

Taxes

• ☐ Tax settings configured for each state where you are registered.
• ☐ Product tax categories set where relevant (some items are taxed differently).
• ☐ Understand economic nexus: many states require sales tax registration once you exceed sales thresholds there. Review periodically as sales grow.
• ☐ Shipping taxability checked for your states.

Policies and legal pages

• ☐ Refund and return policy
• ☐ Privacy policy (include cookies, analytics and marketing tools you use)
• ☐ Terms of service
• ☐ Shipping policy
• ☐ Contact information page
• ☐ Policies linked in the footer and checkout

Products and collections

• ☐ Each product has a unique, descriptive title.
• ☐ Original product descriptions that answer: what it is, who it is for, why it is better, how to use it, what is included.
• ☐ High-quality photos: front, back, detail, scale, in use. Compress images before upload.
• ☐ Image alt text describing each image.
• ☐ Variants named clearly (size, colour), with correct inventory and SKUs.
• ☐ Compare-at prices only where honest.
• ☐ Collections organised the way shoppers think, not the way your warehouse thinks.
• ☐ Reviews app installed, or a plan to gather first reviews.

Theme and user experience

• ☐ Mobile layout checked on a real phone: navigation, product page, cart, checkout.
• ☐ Clear header navigation with no more than about seven top-level items.
• ☐ Search works and returns sensible results.
• ☐ Trust content near the add-to-cart button: shipping, returns, guarantees.
• ☐ Remove demo content, placeholder text and unused sections.
• ☐ Favicon and logo set.
• ☐ 404 page helps people find products.

Speed

• ☐ Remove apps you are not using; uninstalling may leave code behind, so check the theme.
• ☐ Limit heavy sliders and auto-playing videos above the fold.
• ☐ Use appropriately sized images.
• ☐ Test with PageSpeed Insights on mobile and fix the largest issues first.

SEO basics

• ☐ Homepage title and meta description written for your main keyword.
• ☐ Product and collection titles and meta descriptions edited, not left as defaults.
• ☐ Clean URL handles (no "copy-of-product-1").
• ☐ Structured data from the theme checked with Google's Rich Results Test.
• ☐ Sitemap submitted in Google Search Console.
• ☐ Blog set up with a plan for helpful articles that answer pre-purchase questions.
• ☐ Redirects added if you are migrating from another platform, mapping every old URL to its new one.

Analytics and tracking

• ☐ Google Analytics 4 connected and purchase events verified.
• ☐ Google Search Console verified.
• ☐ Meta pixel and conversions API connected if you plan to advertise on Meta.
• ☐ Google Merchant Center connected for free and paid shopping listings.
• ☐ Consent banner configured if you sell to regions that require it.

Email and retention

• ☐ Email platform connected with a signup form.
• ☐ Welcome series, abandoned checkout, and post-purchase flows live.
• ☐ Order confirmation and shipping emails branded and tested.
• ☐ SMS consent captured correctly if you use SMS marketing.

Launch-day checks

• ☐ Remove the storefront password.
• ☐ Place one more live order with a real card.
• ☐ Check confirmation email, inventory deduction, and fulfilment workflow.
• ☐ Announce to your email list and social channels.
• ☐ Monitor the first orders closely for issues.

The first 30 days after launch

1. Review analytics weekly: sessions, conversion rate, average order value, top landing pages.
2. Collect reviews from first customers.
3. Fix the top three friction points customers mention.
4. Write two or three blog posts answering real customer questions.
5. Test one marketing channel at a time with a clear budget and goal.

Product page structure that converts

On most stores I review, the product page carries the sale. A structure that works across niches: a clear title and price, a short benefit-led summary above the fold, the add-to-cart button with shipping and returns information beside it, reviews near the top, detailed description and specifications below, a short FAQ, and related products. Test it on a phone first, because most traffic will arrive there.

Revisit this checklist every quarter after launch. Apps get added, themes get edited, and shipping rates change, so issues creep back in. A short quarterly review keeps the store fast, accurate and profitable as it grows.

Questions readers ask

Should I launch with a few products or many?

Launch with the products you can describe, photograph and support well. A focused catalogue of five to twenty strong products usually converts better than a large catalogue of thin pages, and it lets you learn which items sell before you invest in more inventory.

Do I need paid apps at launch?

Usually only a few: reviews, email marketing and possibly a shipping or subscription tool. Every app adds cost and can slow the store. Start with Shopify's built-in features and add apps only to solve a specific, measured problem.

When should I start running ads?

After the store converts organic and referral visitors reasonably and your margin per order can absorb ad costs. Running ads to a store with broken shipping, weak product pages or no reviews mostly buys expensive lessons.

How do I get my first sales without ads?

Start with people who already know you: friends, an existing audience, communities where your buyers gather, and a launch email. Ask early customers for reviews and photos, and use their questions to improve product pages. Organic search and email grow slower but compound over time.

Should I use a free or paid theme?

A well-built free Shopify theme is enough for many new stores and is usually fast. Paid themes add features and design options; choose one only if it solves a real need, and check its speed on mobile before buying.

Your next step

Go through this list on your store today and mark every unchecked item. Fix payments, shipping, taxes and policies first; they cause the most expensive problems.

The full guide, Starting a Shopify E-commerce Store, covers product validation, sourcing, store build, conversion-focused product pages, SEO, email, ads, and unit economics, with a 30/60/90-day launch plan, for $0.99.