In our experience, new Shopify store owners either rush to publish and miss critical setup steps, or over-engineer the launch and never go live. This checklist gives you a structured path from account creation to first sale — covering every setting that matters without unnecessary complexity.
Phase 1: Account and Domain Setup
- Create your Shopify account at shopify.com — start with the 3-day free trial
- Choose your store name carefully — it appears in your default .myshopify.com URL permanently
- Purchase or connect a custom domain (Shopify can register domains, or connect from GoDaddy/Namecheap)
- Set your primary domain in Settings → Domains and enable automatic redirects from the .myshopify.com URL
- Configure your store’s timezone, currency, and legal business address in Settings → General
Phase 2: Theme and Branding
- Choose and install a theme from the Shopify Theme Store (Dawn is free and fast — a solid starting point)
- Upload your logo in the theme editor (Online Store → Themes → Customize)
- Set your brand colors and typography in the theme editor
- Add a favicon (32x32px icon that appears in browser tabs)
- Configure your homepage sections: hero banner, featured collections, product highlights, testimonials
- Set up navigation menus (header and footer) in Online Store → Navigation
Phase 3: Products and Collections
- Add all products with optimized titles, descriptions, and images
- Set correct pricing, compare-at price (for sale items), and cost per item (for margin reporting)
- Add product variants (size, color, etc.) with individual SKUs
- Set inventory tracking — enable “Track quantity” for all physical products
- Create collections and organize products — both manual and automated (tag-based) collections
- Write SEO titles and meta descriptions for every product and collection page
Phase 4: Payments and Checkout
- Enable Shopify Payments (Settings → Payments) — completes KYC verification and activates Shop Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay
- Enable PayPal Express as a backup payment method
- Configure checkout settings: require/optional customer accounts, tipping, order notes
- Set up your checkout branding — logo, colors, font in Settings → Checkout → Branding
- Configure abandoned checkout emails in Settings → Checkout
- Test a real checkout with a test payment before going live
Phase 5: Shipping and Tax
- Set up shipping zones and rates in Settings → Shipping and delivery
- Configure free shipping thresholds (e.g., free standard shipping over $75)
- Enable Shopify’s carrier-calculated shipping if you want real-time UPS/USPS/FedEx rates
- Configure tax settings in Settings → Taxes and duties — Shopify auto-calculates US sales tax with the right setup
- Review VAT/GST settings if selling internationally
Phase 6: Legal Pages and Email
- Create and link all required legal pages: Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, Return Policy, and Shipping Policy (Shopify provides templates in Settings → Policies)
- Add these pages to your footer navigation
- Set up a custom email address (you@yourdomain.com) for customer-facing emails — Shopify’s built-in email uses your domain
- Configure email sender name and reply-to address in Settings → Notifications
Phase 7: Pre-Launch Testing
- Test checkout on desktop and mobile with a real card (refund after)
- Verify all links in navigation menus work correctly
- Check all product pages render properly on mobile
- Test your contact form and confirm emails are delivered
- Remove Shopify’s password page and go live
Launching a new Shopify store and want expert guidance? OpsStack Consulting helps new and migrating brands set up Shopify correctly the first time — from payment configuration to SEO foundations. Talk to our team.
