Shopify Store Setup: A Complete Checklist Before You Launch

Launching a Shopify store feels straightforward right up until you’re two days out and realise you never configured GST, your Afterpay toggle is switched off, and nobody has placed a real test order to see what the confirmation email looks like. Shopify makes the basics genuinely easy, that’s the platform’s biggest strength, but “easy to start” and “properly set up” aren’t the same thing, and the gap between them is where launches go wrong.

This is a complete pre-launch checklist for setting up a Shopify store the right way, written for Australian merchants specifically, payment methods, GST, and shipping zones that actually reflect how AU customers buy. It’s organised in the order you’d realistically tackle it, from picking a plan through to the checks you run in the final 48 hours before going live.

Use it as a working checklist, not just a read-through. Most launch problems are missed steps, not hard problems.

Step 1: Choose the Right Plan

Shopify’s core plans (Basic, Shopify, Advanced, and Plus at the top end) differ mainly in transaction fees, staff account limits, reporting depth, and features like third-party calculated shipping rates. For a first launch, most merchants start on Basic or the mid-tier plan and upgrade once volume or feature needs justify it, there’s rarely a good reason to over-commit before you have real order volume.

Worth checking specifically before you commit:

Whether your business needs multiple staff logins with different permission levels (higher tiers include more staff accounts)
Whether you’ll need real-time carrier-calculated shipping rates from day one (this is plan-gated on some tiers)
Current plan pricing directly on Shopify’s pricing page, since tiers and inclusions do get revised over time, don’t rely on a number you saw somewhere else months ago

Step 2: Domain and DNS

If you already own a domain, connect it in Settings > Domains and follow Shopify’s DNS instructions exactly, this usually means updating A records and CNAME records at your domain registrar, not inside Shopify itself. If you’re buying a new domain, you can purchase it directly through Shopify, which simplifies DNS since it’s connected automatically.

Common issues here:

DNS propagation delay. Changes can take anywhere from a few minutes to 24-48 hours to fully propagate. Don’t panic if the domain doesn’t resolve immediately.
Existing email hosting on the same domain. If you have Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 email running on the domain you’re connecting, be careful with DNS changes, moving A records without checking existing MX records can break your email. Confirm with whoever manages your email before touching DNS.
www vs non-www redirect. Decide which version is canonical and make sure the other redirects to it, rather than both resolving separately (which creates duplicate content issues for SEO).

Step 3: Theme Setup

Pick a theme that matches your catalogue size and product type before customising it heavily, a theme built for large catalogues with heavy filtering will feel over-engineered for a 20-SKU store, and vice versa. Once selected:

Set up your logo, favicon, and brand colours in the theme editor
Configure the homepage sections (hero, featured collections, testimonials if relevant) rather than leaving default placeholder content live
Check mobile appearance specifically, not just desktop, the majority of Shopify storefront traffic for most AU stores is mobile, and theme defaults don’t always translate cleanly
Remove any demo/placeholder products, pages, or blog posts that shipped with the theme

Step 4: Payment Gateways

This is one of the highest-impact setup steps and one of the easiest to get only half right.

Shopify Payments is the native gateway and should be your default for Australian merchants, it avoids the extra transaction fee Shopify charges for third-party gateways. Set it up under Settings > Payments with your business and banking details.
Afterpay and Zip are effectively expected by Australian shoppers in fashion, homewares, and beauty. Both integrate as checkout payment options, see Shopify’s Afterpay integration and Zip integration. Leaving buy-now-pay-later off the checkout in a category where customers expect it is a quiet but real conversion cost.
PayPal is still worth including for customers who prefer it, even where Shopify Payments and cards cover most volume.
Check that payment methods display in the right order at checkout, the default order isn’t always the one that converts best, and it’s configurable.

Step 5: Shipping Zones and Rates

Set this up deliberately rather than accepting Shopify’s default zone structure. At minimum:

Define separate zones for metro, regional, and remote Australia if your costs genuinely differ across them, rather than one flat domestic rate that overcharges city customers or loses money on rural ones
Decide whether you’re using flat rates, weight-based rates, or live carrier rates from the outset, retrofitting this after launch means re-testing checkout from scratch
Set up international zones explicitly if you’re shipping overseas, rather than leaving it as an afterthought once the first international order comes in
If shipping via Australia Post, confirm live rate calculation is actually returning correct numbers for a range of real postcodes before launch, see our detailed guide on Shopify and Australia Post integration for the specifics

Step 6: Tax and GST Setup

Australian stores need GST configured correctly from the start, not fixed retroactively. In Settings > Taxes and duties, confirm:

Whether your prices are entered GST-inclusive (the Australian norm for consumer-facing pricing) and that Shopify’s tax settings match that assumption
Your ABN and business registration details are correctly entered if you’re required to display them
Whether you need to charge GST on shipping, which follows different rules depending on how shipping is itemised
If you sell internationally, whether you need to handle GST-free export sales correctly rather than accidentally charging Australian GST on overseas orders

Tax misconfiguration is one of those problems that doesn’t show up in testing, it shows up weeks later in a reconciliation headache. Worth getting right, or getting a second opinion on, before go-live.

Step 7: Legal Pages

Shopify includes a basic policy generator, but treat it as a starting point, not a finished legal page. At minimum you need:

Privacy Policy
Refund/Returns Policy
Terms of Service
Shipping Policy

For most small merchants, adapting Shopify’s generated templates with accurate specifics (return windows, shipping timeframes, correct business details) is enough, but if you’re in a regulated category or have unusual terms, have these reviewed rather than publishing the generic version unedited.

Step 8: Apps to Install

Resist the urge to install everything available. Every app adds page weight and potential conflicts. A reasonable starting stack for most stores covers:

Reviews, for social proof (see Yotpo/Okendo integration)
Email marketing, Klaviyo is the standard choice for serious ecommerce email; see our Klaviyo integration
SEO basics, many are covered natively now, but check what your theme handles out of the box before adding a dedicated app
Analytics/tracking, covered separately below

Audit installed apps again immediately before launch and remove anything installed for testing that isn’t actually needed live, each one is a potential page speed and checkout-conflict risk.

Step 9: Product Data and Collections

This is the least glamorous step and the one most often rushed.

Product titles and descriptions written for actual customers, not placeholder text
Accurate weights and dimensions on every product, this matters directly for shipping rate accuracy, not just data hygiene
Consistent image sizing and quality across the catalogue
Collections structured around how customers actually browse and search, not how you organise inventory internally
Variants (size, colour) set up correctly with accurate stock levels, so customers aren’t disappointed by an out-of-stock variant that still displayed as available

Step 10: SEO Basics

Before launch, not after:

Unique meta titles and descriptions on key pages, homepage, top collections, top products, rather than leaving Shopify’s auto-generated defaults everywhere
Confirm your sitemap.xml is generating correctly (Shopify creates this automatically at yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml)
Check robots.txt isn’t accidentally blocking pages you want indexed, Shopify’s default is sensible, but theme customisations occasionally interfere with it
Submit the sitemap in Google Search Console once the domain is live
Set canonical tags correctly if you have similar products across multiple collections (Shopify handles this natively in most cases, but verify rather than assume)

For a deeper walk-through of this step specifically, our Shopify SEO checklist covers it in more detail than fits here.

Step 11: Analytics and Tracking Setup

Set this up before launch so you have baseline data from day one, not from whenever you got around to it.

GA4 connected and verified to be actually recording events, not just installed, check Realtime reports with a live test session
Conversion tracking pixels for any ad platforms you’re planning to use (Meta, Google Ads) installed and firing correctly on the right events (view content, add to cart, purchase)
Enhanced/server-side tracking considered if you’re running meaningful paid spend, since browser-based tracking alone is increasingly unreliable with privacy changes across browsers

This is easy to get wrong silently, a pixel that looks installed but isn’t firing correctly won’t throw an error, it’ll just quietly under-report until someone notices the numbers don’t add up. See Shopify GA4 tracking if this step needs more depth than a checklist item can give.

Step 12: Place Real Test Orders

Non-negotiable before launch: place at least one real test order through every payment method you’re offering, using real card details (Shopify has a test mode for card payments in dev stores, but Afterpay/Zip and live payment gateways are worth testing with genuinely small real transactions where practical).

Check specifically:

The order confirmation email actually arrives and looks right
Tracking information populates correctly once the order is fulfilled
Tax and shipping are calculated correctly on the test order total
The customer account and order history page display correctly if customer accounts are enabled

Step 13: Launch Day Checks

On the day itself, run through this final sequence:

Remove the password page (Online Store > Preferences) so the storefront is actually public
Double check the store is switched from any development/test mode into live mode for payments
Confirm DNS has fully propagated and the domain resolves correctly from a few different networks/devices
Verify GA4 and ad pixels are firing on the live domain, not just the .myshopify.com test URL
Submit the sitemap in Google Search Console if not already done
Check mobile checkout end-to-end one more time on an actual phone
Confirm customer service contact details (email, phone, chat) are correct and monitored from the moment you go live

The Full Pre-Launch Checklist

For a quick reference version, here’s the complete sequence:

Choose the right Shopify plan for your actual needs, not the highest tier available
Connect your domain and verify DNS
Set up and customise your theme, checked on mobile
Configure Shopify Payments, Afterpay, Zip, and any other relevant gateways
Build shipping zones and rates deliberately, including regional/remote AU
Configure GST and tax settings correctly
Publish accurate legal pages (privacy, returns, terms, shipping)
Install a lean, purposeful app stack
Complete product data, weights, and collection structure
Handle SEO basics, meta data, sitemap, robots.txt, Search Console
Install and verify GA4 and ad pixels are actually firing
Place real test orders across every payment method
Run the launch-day checklist above before going public

When to Bring in Help

Most of this is achievable solo or with a small internal team, particularly for a straightforward catalogue. It’s worth bringing in specialist help for complex tax situations (multi-state or international GST/VAT), a large or messy catalogue that needs data cleanup, custom checkout requirements, or when launch timelines are tight enough that mistakes get expensive.

If you’d rather have a second set of eyes confirm everything above is genuinely set up correctly before you go live, that’s exactly what a proper Shopify store setup engagement is for, catching the gaps that don’t show up until a real customer hits them.

FAQ

How long does a proper Shopify store setup take?
For a straightforward catalogue with standard requirements, a careful setup typically takes one to a few weeks of focused work, depending on how much product data needs preparing and how many integrations are involved. Rushed setups can technically launch faster but usually mean revisiting several of the steps above after the fact.

Do I need a developer to set up a Shopify store?
Not necessarily, Shopify is designed to be usable by non-developers for the core setup steps. Where a developer or specialist genuinely helps is custom theme changes, complex integrations, and catching configuration mistakes that aren’t obvious until they cause a problem.

What’s the biggest mistake merchants make when launching a Shopify store?
Treating tax, shipping, and analytics setup as afterthoughts to fix after launch rather than getting them right from day one. Each of these is much harder to retrofit once real orders and real data are flowing than to set up correctly before go-live.

Should I use Shopify Payments or a third-party gateway?
For most Australian merchants, Shopify Payments should be the default, since using a third-party gateway instead incurs an additional transaction fee on top of the gateway’s own fees. Third-party gateways are worth it only if you have a specific business reason Shopify Payments can’t accommodate.

Do I really need Afterpay and Zip, or is Shopify Payments enough?
It depends on your category. In fashion, beauty, and homewares particularly, Australian shoppers frequently expect buy-now-pay-later as an option, and its absence can be a quiet conversion cost even if most customers ultimately pay another way.

Next Step

If you want a second opinion before you flip the switch, or you’d rather hand off the setup entirely so nothing gets missed, get in touch about our Shopify store setup service, or book a call to talk through where your store is at right now.