Excited? Yes, of course you are!!! Finally the day comes when you are going to launch your own Shopify store.
But with excitement, you are nervous too. You are not sure you have completed everything essential for a smooth launch day.
That is the reason, we wrote this post. Today, we will have a look at 13 most imperative steps to take prior to launching your Shopify store to make sure a flawless launch day.
1) Add Any Available Sales Channels
Want to reach customers further than just your website? Start by adding any accessible sales channels to your store. All sales channels connect with the fundamental of your Shopify business, so you can effortlessly keep up to date with your products, customers and orders throughout all platforms from within your Shopify admin.
2) Add a Custom Domain
This is generally the first thing I do when I am launching an online store, but depending on how you work, it might be the last thing on your mind. Add a custom domain name to your store, or purchase one straight from your Shopify admin.
3) Check Up on Your Payment Gateway Settings
Before you start driving traffic to your store, better be sure people can really completed a checkout on your store! I recommend placing an order on your store with a live payment gateway just to ensure everything works. You can refund your order straightaway after that.
4) Have Your Standard Pages Ready
It is significant to have some static pages accessible for visitors to click through and read when you launch your Shopify store. At the very least have an about, contact, frequently asked questions, and shipping page at launch. If you need help putting together a strong about page, be sure to read how to make use of your about page to boost your sales.
5) Review Your Email Notification Settings
You might wish to tailor a customer’s experience by offering them some kind of discount for future orders. The most excellent way to do that is through editing your email templates.
6) Do a Content Audit for Grammar and Spelling Mistakes
Sometimes you will be so close to your work, you would not notice any grammar and spelling mistakes in website copy. It is vital that a business partner, friend or family member check your copy to confirm there are no any obvious issues. You can also use an app like Grammarly for this!
7) Optimize All Images on Your Website
There is nothing inferior to having images load slowly, particularly if you are running something like a flash sale for your store at initial launch. It’s essential to ensure all images are optimized for web to make sure fast loading times. You can try using tool like ImageOptim to aid with this too.
8) Install an Analytics Tool
Analytics are significant to set up from day one. Analytics will provide you valued insight into your customers and visitors. In a retail store, you see your clients and you can easily chat with them. But in online, essentially blind without analytics. For detailed, step-by-step instructions on each of the above steps, look into this guide on setting up Google Analytics for your Shopify store.
9) Have a Prelaunch Marketing Plan
So besides ensuring all the buttons are pressed appropriately, you will still need to confirm you have a marketing plan set up. Else, you will be launching your Shopify store to the sound of crickets.
10) Adjust Your Tax and Shipping Settings
You will wish to check that your shipping rates, and tax settings are suitable for the product(s) you are selling. Double check your shipping and tax settings before launching your Shopify store.
11) Make it Simple for Prospective Customers to Contact You
Make contact details clear on each page. Try to include live chat, your business address and phone number on your website if you can. This has been comprised to lessen buyers concerns.
12) Install Only Crucial Apps
It can be tough to not get eager about Shopify App Store and all the incredible apps you can add to your Shopify store – but when getting prepared for your first launch, make sure to only install the absolute essentials. If it were me launching a Shopify store, I would get set up with an email marketing app like Mailchimp and Picreel.
13) Set up Your Billing Information
If you are coming to the end of your 14 day free trial and be ready for launch, make certain to set up your store's billing information to make sure there are not any delays when your Shopify store is finally live.
Conclusion
Now that we have taken a look at the crucial launch items for your Shopify store, it's time to flip the switch and start selling!
