Md. Habibur Rahman

What should you check before launching a Shopify store?

A free checklist of 69 things to do before and just after you launch, in 12 groups: payments, shipping, taxes, policies, domain, emails, theme, SEO, speed, test orders and more. Each one says where to find it or do it.

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What is in the checklist

Everything in the order you need it

12 groups, from store details and payments to test orders and removing the password, so nothing is left to memory.

The admin path for every item

Each item names where to click or do it, for example Settings Payments or Content Menus, with the steps and why it matters.

Linked to where each item comes from

Every item links to the page it comes from, mostly the Shopify Help Center, plus W3C and Google pages for the accessibility and SEO items. The tool tells you when a menu may have been renamed.

Critical items kept apart

A few items are marked critical, such as an active payment method, tax collection, shipping rates, a test order and removing the password. A banner shows how many are left.

Questions

What should I do before launching a Shopify store?

At a minimum: choose a plan, add your store address, set up a payment method and turn test mode off, make sure products are active and published, set shipping rates and tax collection, place a test order, and then remove the storefront password. The checklist adds the policies, domain, emails, SEO, speed and accessibility checks that most stores also need.

How do I remove the password from my Shopify store?

Shopify offers three ways: click Launch store on the admin Home page, the Online Store page or in the theme editor; open Online Store, click Private, choose Public and click Launch store; or open Online Store Preferences, turn off Private mode under Store access and save. Before launching, the store needs a subscription plan, a store address and a payment method with test mode off.

Can I place test orders without being charged?

Yes. With Shopify Payments you can turn on test mode and pay with Shopify’s test card numbers, and no real payment is captured. Stores without Shopify Payments can use Shopify’s Test payment gateway. Manual payment methods such as cash on delivery cannot be tested this way. Customers may still be able to finish checkout with Apple Pay or Google Pay while test mode is on, but no real payment is captured, and the order shows a test mode banner. Turn test mode off again before you launch.

How long does a custom domain take to connect?

Shopify says a domain can take up to 48 hours to be fully live after you connect it. Changes at your domain provider usually take effect within two hours but can take up to two days. If you are replacing a live site, Shopify’s launch checklist suggests lowering the DNS TTL about a week before the switch.

Is my progress saved, and is anything sent anywhere?

Your ticks are saved only in your own browser, so they are still there when you come back on the same device. There are no accounts, no server storage and no tracking of what you tick. If your browser blocks storage, the checklist still works but forgets your progress when you close the page. Use Copy as Markdown or Print to keep a copy.

How accurate is this checklist, and does it replace professional advice?

Each item comes from a Shopify Help Center page, or from W3C and Google documentation for the accessibility and SEO items, and links to it. Shopify renames settings from time to time, so open the linked page if a label looks different. Tax, privacy and consumer law depend on where you sell, so use the policy and tax items as prompts and confirm them with an accountant or lawyer.

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