This Shopify store setup checklist is the list I work through before a store takes its first real order. It covers the business settings most owners rush (payments, taxes, shipping), the pages customers expect, the tracking you’ll want later, and the test orders that catch problems while they’re still cheap to fix. Shopify makes it easy to look ready long before you’re ready. A pretty theme with a broken shipping rate or an unverified payout account will cost you more on launch week than any design detail.
Shopify settings depend on each other. Your shipping rates depend on product weights. Your taxes depend on where you sell. Your tracking depends on your checkout and your cookie banner. If you set them up in a random order, you end up revisiting the same screens three times. I work from the money outward: get paid correctly first, then get products to people, then make the store pleasant and measurable, then test everything.
Keep the store password on the whole time. Shopify lets you finish every step below, including real test orders, while the public sees only a password page.
Business basics: domain, payments and taxes
Domain and email
- Connect your domain and set it as the primary domain, so the myshopify.com address and any secondary domains redirect to it.
- Before you change DNS records, write down your current email records (MX and any verification records). Pointing a domain at Shopify should not break your inbox, but a careless DNS change can.
- Set a sender email on your own domain and complete Shopify’s domain authentication, so order emails don’t land in spam.
Payments
If Shopify Payments is available in your country, it’s usually the simplest choice: one dashboard, built-in express checkouts, and no extra Shopify transaction fee. If you use a third-party gateway instead, Shopify adds its own fee on top of the gateway’s, so factor that in. Either way, finish the business verification and add your payout bank account early. Verification can take a few days, and you don’t want it blocking payouts in launch week.
Turn on the express options that suit your buyers, such as Shop Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal. Then check how they look on a phone, where most of your shoppers will see them first.
Taxes
Shopify can calculate sales tax and VAT for many regions, but it only collects where you tell it you are registered. Decide with your accountant where you need to collect, and whether your prices should include tax. Stores selling to the UK and EU usually show tax-inclusive prices, while US stores usually add tax at checkout. Shopify does the arithmetic. The registration decisions are yours.
Shipping, markets and checkout settings
Shipping is where I see the most launch-day mistakes, usually because a zone was missed or a product has no weight.
- Weights on every product. Calculated and weight-based rates use them. A product saved at zero weight can ship for free by accident.
- Shipping profiles and zones. Add every country or region you sell to. If a customer’s address isn’t in a zone, they simply can’t check out.
- Rates people understand. Flat rates and a free shipping threshold are easier to trust than a dozen carrier options.
- Markets. If you sell in more than one currency or language, set up Shopify Markets now, not after launch. Prices, domains and translations are easier to plan up front.
In the checkout settings, decide whether customers can check out as guests (usually yes), which fields are required (keep phone optional unless your courier needs it), and how you collect marketing consent. Then turn on the abandoned checkout email so people who leave at the payment step get a reminder.
Pages, policies and product data customers expect
Shoppers check the small print before they buy from a store they don’t know. Have these ready:
- Refund, shipping, privacy and terms policies. Shopify offers templates, but edit them to match what you actually do. A policy that promises 30-day returns you do not honor is worse than none.
- A contact page with a real email address, and a phone number if you can support one.
- An About page that says who is behind the store.
- Size guides, care instructions or FAQs, depending on what you sell.
For products, write your own descriptions instead of pasting the manufacturer’s, fill in SKUs and inventory tracking, and use consistent image sizes so collection pages look tidy. Only use compare-at prices that reflect a real previous price. Finally, open the notification templates (order confirmation, shipping confirmation, refund) and add your logo and colors. These emails are part of the store experience, and the defaults look generic.
If you want a second pair of eyes on the build itself, I set up and fix stores as part of my Shopify and WooCommerce development work.
Tracking, SEO and admin safety
Tracking
Install Shopify’s Google and YouTube app for GA4 and Google Ads, and the Facebook and Instagram app for the Meta pixel. Set up the customer privacy banner if you sell to the UK or EU. Then place a test order and confirm the purchase event arrives with the right value. Tracking that was never tested is the most common reason ad accounts optimize toward the wrong thing. If you want this done properly from day one, my conversion tracking setup covers it end to end.
SEO
Write a title and meta description for the home page, main collections and best products. Keep product URL handles short and readable. If this store replaces an older site, add redirects from the old URLs before you launch, not after the rankings drop. Submit your sitemap in Google Search Console once the password is off.
Admin safety
Give each staff member their own account with only the permissions they need, and turn on two-step authentication for everyone. If you hire a developer, use a collaborator account instead of sharing your login.
The last step of any Shopify store setup checklist: test orders
This is the step people skip, and it’s the one that catches the expensive problems. I run through it on every store before launch:
- Place a test order with Shopify Payments in test mode (or Shopify’s test gateway) and check the order appears correctly in the admin.
- Place one real order with a real card on a low-priced product, then refund it. This proves payouts and refunds work.
- Test a discount code, a free shipping threshold and an address in each shipping zone.
- Complete a full purchase on a phone, using an express checkout button.
- Read every email you receive as the customer, and check the admin notification you receive as the owner.
- Mark the test order as fulfilled and confirm the shipping email and tracking link look right.
- Check that inventory went down, and that the purchase showed up in GA4 and your ad platforms.
Checklist
- Primary domain set, email DNS records intact, sender email authenticated.
- Payments verified, payout account added, express checkouts on.
- Tax registrations confirmed with your accountant.
- Every product has a weight, and every selling region has a shipping zone.
- Policies edited to match reality, contact details visible.
- Notification emails branded and read through.
- GA4 and ad pixels tested with a real purchase.
- Redirects in place if you’re replacing an old site.
- Staff accounts and two-step authentication set.
- Test orders, one real order and one refund completed.
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FAQ
How long does it take to set up a Shopify store?
A simple store with a ready-made theme and a small catalog can be ready in days. Most of the time goes into product data, policies, shipping rules and testing, not the theme.
Do I have to use Shopify Payments?
No, but if it’s available in your country it is usually the cheapest and simplest option, because Shopify charges an extra transaction fee when you use a third-party gateway.
Should I remove the password page to test the store?
No. You can place test orders and real orders while the password is on. Remove it only when the checklist is done.
Can I set up the store myself and hire a developer later?
Yes. Many owners do the basics themselves and bring in help for theme changes, migrations or tracking. Keep notes of what you changed so the developer can pick up quickly. You can see the kind of store work I do on my portfolio page.
Want someone to run through this list on your store before launch day? Send me the link and get a free website review. I’ll tell you what’s ready and what still needs work.
