Squarespace eCommerce Launch Checklist

eCommerce

May 27

I have several posts out there about how to set up your first online shop, what to include on your eCommerce setup checklist, or even how to launch an eCommerce site even if you don’t have anything to sell yet. But what about launch day? There are lots of moving parts to launching an eCommerce site and when you’re staring down launch day it can be easy to overlook something simple out of sheer fatigue! You feel like you’ve taken care of everything but how can you really know?!

I’m all about checklists as a way to take some of the guesswork out of things. I use the same checklist for nearly every project I work on for a reason - there’s no point in reinventing the wheel each time! (For the record, my checklist tool of choice is ClickUp which I highly recommend!)

If you’re getting ready to launch your eCommerce website (or even if you launched already and want to make sure you didn’t miss anything!) here’s my quick list of what you should make sure you have taken care of before you hit that “publish” button!

Make sure you’ve added a site title
Check all links & buttons
Make sure your domain is connected & secure
Test payments through your chosen merchant processor
Make sure taxes are set up appropriately
Make sure you have at least one shipping option set up
Place a test order
Set up any third-party sales channels (such as FB or Instagram)
Make sure your custom email address is working
Test all contact forms & signup forms
Work through Squarespace’s SEO checklist
Optimize your product pages
Disable test mode to prepare for accepting orders
Customize & review your site’s email notifications
Make sure your checkout page is customized
Check out how your site looks on mobile
Verify your site with Google Search Console
Add your Google Analytics account info

As you can see, most of the things on this list are things that you’ll probably have taken care of during site set up but these are also commonly missed or overlooked items so make sure you’ve got them all checked off. Once you do, remove your site password and hit publish! You’re ready to launch!

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Kristine Neil

Fractional Web Partner

I'm Kristine Neil - a communications strategist who has spent 20+ years designing websites, first running a full-scale design and marketing agency, and now leading my own studio. I've been the creative director managing the work, the coder quietly fixing what others couldn't, and the strategist in the room asking why before how. Somewhere between the MBA and the other degrees, I decided web design was just one tool in a much bigger toolbox - the real work is figuring out what you're trying to say, who needs to hear it, and what's getting in the way. A website is just where all of that comes to life.

I build on Squarespace, and after years deep in the platform I know how far it can go and when to push past its limits. These days, I'm especially drawn to working as a fractional partner - getting to know an organization over time and helping with whatever moves them forward, whether that's a full redesign, an ongoing hand with content and strategy, or just being the person who knows their site best. I write here about eCommerce, web strategy, and making the complex feel a little more human.

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Squarespace eCommerce Launch Checklist

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