Going live with your new Shopify theme is always exciting, but in that excitement, it’s also easy to forget some important things to double check before you launch your new Shopify store.
Some of these reminders may seem a bit silly, but in my experience with launching numerous Shopify stores, it’s surprisingly easy to overlook many of these things!
1. Remove your storefront password
If you’ve password protected your Shopify theme while you were getting your store ready, be sure to make sure you’ve disabled this after you launch.
As funny as this reminder may seem, it’s surprisingly how easy it is to forget this is on, especially since you, as the store administrator, will be able to access your Shopify store as long as you’re signed in, so it’s easy to overlook this.
Even if you don’t recall turning this setting on, it’s still worth double checking that it’s turned off.
Access this option under the “Settings” menu and then select “Online Store.” Scroll down to the “Storefront Password” section and make sure the “Password protect your storefront” checkbox is not checked.
2. Check your title tags and meta description tags
By default, Shopify automatically fills in the title and meta description tags based on your product names and product description. However, given how import these tags are for search engine optimization, it’s worth giving these extra attention. We’ve discussed tips on writing these, as well as product descriptions, in a previous post.
At the very least, double check that the title tag and meta description tag values aren’t cut off mid-sentence and properly match the product information.
3. Set up your primary domain name and domain name redirect
When you set your store up, Shopify sets your store up as a subdomain under the “myshopify.com” domain name. While you can technically still run your site under this address, it looks much more professional (and may provide some SEO benefits) to use a custom domain name.
Shopify lets you easily register a domain from directly within the control panel for reasonable prices. Or, if you already have a domain registered elsewhere, you can follow Shopify’s instructions to complete the necessary configuration steps.
To access these settings and buy a new domain, simply access the Domains menu under the Online Store menu in the Shopify backend.
Once you’ve purchased your domain or completed the steps to point your external domain to Shopify, you should make sure the “Primary domain” is not set to the option that contains “myshopify.com.” Depending on your preference, you can either select the option with or without the “www” part — it doesn't really matter as long as you’re consistent.
The important step, however, is making sure that the you have “Redirect all traffic to this domain” checked. This option makes sure that search engines know the exact, correct Web address where your Shopify store is located and also prevents any additional confusion.
4. Check your notification email address
Before going live, make sure that you’ll properly receive notifications when someone places an order on your Shopify store.
To access your notifications, click Settings and then select Notifications and verify that the correct email address is in the Order Notifications section.
It’s also worth considering whether or not you should have one or more additional notifications set up, perhaps to your personal email address or a trusted employee, just to make sure online orders aren’t overlooked.
5. Make sure your email signup forms are set up
If your Shopify theme contains built in email signup forms, like most the Out of the Sandbox Shopify themes do, double check that you’ve properly connected them to your email marketing provider, whether it's Shopify's built in system or MailChimp.
Again, it’s always surprising how often this setting gets overlooked since the email signup forms look completely normal even if they’re not properly configured. You also don’t want to lose the opportunity to collect email addresses from potential customers, especially with the increased traffic your site may get in connection to the launch of your new online home.
To adjust this setting in Out of the Sandbox themes, first select "Online Store" from the main admin navigation bar. Then select "Themes" and then click the "Customize theme" button in the upper right hand corner. Then locate the email list settings under the footer menu control panel.
