Online shop launch checklist: 40 things to check

This online shop launch checklist covers the 40 things to check before you go live, in eight groups: business and legal, products, pages, checkout, delivery, emails, speed and SEO, and tracking. The single most important check is to place real test orders from start to finish, on a phone and a computer, and follow each one through to the customer’s inbox and the warehouse.

Work through it a few days before launch, not on the morning itself, so you have time to fix what you find.

1. Business and legal

• Your business is registered the way you intend (sole trader or limited company) and you know your tax obligations. Check the latest on gov.uk.
• Company or trader details are shown on the site: trading name, and for a limited company its registered name, number and office address.
• Terms and conditions of sale are published and match how you actually work.
• Your returns policy reflects the 14-day cancellation right and is linked from the footer, product pages and emails.
• Your privacy notice and cookie consent are in place, and non-essential cookies wait for consent.

2. Products

• Every product has a clear title, a helpful description and accurate details (size, materials, what’s in the box).
• Photos are sharp, consistent, compressed for the web and show the actual product.
• Prices are right, including any was-prices, and any sale prices are genuine.
• Options (sizes, colours, kits) each have the right price, stock level and SKU.
• Stock levels are correct, and out-of-stock items behave the way you want.

3. Pages and content

• The home page says clearly what you sell and who it’s for, in the first screen.
• Your About page tells your story with real photos.
• Contact details work: email, form and phone (if you list one). Send yourself a test message.
• Delivery information page covers costs, times, cut-offs, countries and any free delivery threshold.
• No placeholder text, broken links, empty pages or test products left anywhere.

4. Checkout and payments

• Your payment account is fully verified and set up to receive real money, not in test mode.
• Guest checkout works, without forcing people to create an account.
• Every payment method you show actually works: PayPal, cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay where offered.
• The total, including delivery and any discount, is shown before the customer pays.
• Discount codes work, apply the right amount and respect their start and end dates.

5. Delivery and orders

• Delivery options and prices are correct for every country you sell to.
• Delivery dates or estimates on product pages match your real cut-off and courier times.
• Paid orders reach your warehouse (or your own packing list) automatically.
• Tracking numbers come back to your shop and trigger the dispatch email.
• Packaging, packing slips and any inserts are ready, and you’ve sent a test parcel.

6. Emails and customer service

• Order confirmation, dispatch and refund emails are branded, correct and tested.
• Emails come from your own domain and don’t land in spam. Ask your platform or domain provider about the email settings (SPF, DKIM and DMARC).
• Replies to your emails go to an inbox someone actually checks.
• Abandoned basket and welcome emails, if you use them, are set up and follow UK email consent rules.
• You have saved replies ready for common questions: delivery times, returns, order changes.

7. Speed, mobile and SEO

• Every key page loads quickly on a phone over mobile data, not just on office wifi.
• The whole buying journey works on a small phone screen, including menus and checkout.
• Each page and product has a unique page title and description.
• Your domain is connected with https working, and the free setup address redirects to it.
• Your sitemap is submitted to Google Search Console, and the site isn’t blocked from search engines.

8. Tracking and marketing

• Analytics records visits and sales, and you’ve checked a test order shows up.
• Google Ads or Microsoft Ads conversion tracking fires on real orders, if you advertise.
• Your Google Merchant Center product feed is approved, if you want Google Shopping listings.
• Your social profiles link to the shop, and the shop links back to them.
• You have a plan for your first customers: who you’ll tell, where, and when.

The test order run

Once the checklist is done, run a full test. Do it at least twice: once on a phone and once on a computer.

1. 1Find a product from the home page, as a new visitor would.
2. 2Add it to the basket, apply a discount code and check the totals.
3. 3Check out as a guest with a real payment method.
4. 4Check the confirmation page and the confirmation email.
5. 5Make sure the order arrives in your admin and at your warehouse.
6. 6Mark it dispatched with tracking and check the dispatch email.
7. 7Refund it, and check the refund email and that the money returns.

Merchella includes test orders and site health check-ups to help with this, but whatever platform you use, a real end-to-end order is the test that counts.

On launch day

• Switch off any password or “coming soon” page.
• Place one real order yourself, straight away.
• Keep an eye on your inbox and orders throughout the day.
• Tell your first audience: friends, mailing list, social followers.

In the first week

• Check every order goes out on time and tracking reaches customers.
• Ask a few people you trust to buy something and tell you honestly what was confusing.
• Look at where visitors drop off, such as product pages or checkout.
• Fix the small things quickly. Early customers notice.

In short

Before launch, check your legal pages, products, content, checkout, delivery, emails, speed and tracking, using the 40 checks above. Then place real test orders on a phone and a computer, follow each one all the way through, and fix what you find before you tell the world.