The pre-launch checklist for a new e-shop

Launch day for an e-shop always comes with a bit of anxiety. The good news is that most problems we see in the first weeks are predictable and preventable with a systematic check. This is the list we use ourselves before we give a shop the green light.

Print it, share it with your team and tick things off one by one. (If you haven't picked a platform yet, start with our WooCommerce vs Shopify comparison.)

1. Orders and payments

The most important section. If payment doesn't work, nothing else matters.

• [ ] Every payment method has been tested for real in live mode, not just sandbox: card, Apple Pay / Google Pay, IRIS, bank transfer, cash on delivery.
• [ ] You've issued at least one refund from the admin to confirm it works.
• [ ] The cash-on-delivery fee is shown clearly before the order is placed.
• [ ] Confirmation emails reach both the customer and you, and don't land in spam.
• [ ] Failed payment: what does the customer see? Can they retry without retyping everything?
• [ ] Invoice details (VAT number, tax office, company name) are only requested when the customer asks for an invoice instead of a receipt.
• [ ] The connection to your invoicing software / myDATA has been tested with your accountant.

2. Shipping

• [ ] Shipping costs are calculated correctly for the mainland, the islands and remote areas.
• [ ] The free-shipping threshold (if you have one) works and is visible in the cart.
• [ ] Locker and pickup-point options (e.g. BOX NOW) display the right locations.
• [ ] Voucher creation from the admin works with your courier.
• [ ] The shipping email includes a tracking link.
• [ ] The delivery time you promise is realistic.

3. Legal and trust

Not legal advice; have your terms reviewed by a lawyer or your accountant.

• [ ] Terms of use, privacy policy, cookie policy, returns policy.
• [ ] The 14-day right of withdrawal is stated, along with how to exercise it and the withdrawal form.
• [ ] Full business details: legal name, address, VAT number, GEMI number, phone, email.
• [ ] A cookie banner that actually blocks non-essential cookies until consent.
• [ ] Terms and newsletter checkboxes are not pre-ticked.
• [ ] SSL active on every page, with no mixed-content warnings.

4. Product catalogue

• [ ] Every product has a title, description, price, photos and the right category.
• [ ] Variations (size, colour) each have correct stock and price.
• [ ] Barcodes (EAN) and manufacturer codes are filled in; you will need them for feeds.
• [ ] No forgotten "Test product" items are visible.
• [ ] Prices include VAT and are displayed consistently everywhere.

5. SEO basics

• [ ] The site is no longer set to "noindex". Many people forget this after staging.
• [ ] robots.txt doesn't block the whole site.
• [ ] An XML sitemap exists and has been submitted to Google Search Console.
• [ ] Every category and product has a unique title and meta description.
• [ ] URLs are clean (greeklish or English, not percent-encoded Greek characters).
• [ ] If you're replacing an old site, every old URL has a 301 redirect to its new equivalent.
• [ ] Product structured data (price, availability) passes Google's Rich Results Test.

For what comes after launch, our e-commerce SEO service shows what we usually work on.

6. Analytics and tracking

• [ ] GA4 (or your tool of choice) records the e-commerce events: product view, add to cart, checkout, purchase.
• [ ] The purchase value in analytics matches the real order total.
• [ ] Tracking respects cookie consent.
• [ ] Ad pixels (Meta, Google Ads) are set up if you plan to advertise.
• [ ] Your own test orders are excluded from the data.

7. Speed and mobile

• [ ] Run the homepage, one category and one product through PageSpeed Insights.
• [ ] Images are compressed and in modern formats.
• [ ] The whole purchase is comfortable on a phone with one thumb: menu, filters, cart, checkout.
• [ ] Checkout fields open the right keyboard (numeric for phone and postcode).

8. Operations and security

• [ ] Automatic backups stored away from the server, and you've tested a restore.
• [ ] Two-factor authentication (2FA) for every admin.
• [ ] No account called "admin" with a weak password.
• [ ] Uptime monitoring that alerts you if the site goes down.
• [ ] You know who to call if something breaks on a Saturday night.

9. Feeds and channels

• [ ] If you're listing on Skroutz or BestPrice, the XML feed is generated and refreshed automatically.
• [ ] Google Merchant Center is connected for free listings on Google Shopping.
• [ ] Your Google Business Profile points to the new site.

10. The "real" test order

Last and most important: ask someone who has never seen the site (a friend, a parent) to buy something on their phone without help. Sit next to them and say nothing. You'll learn more in ten minutes than in a week of checks.

After launch

The first two weeks are for watching: check orders, payment errors, Search Console and customer messages every day. Don't start big campaigns on day one; let the shop settle with some light traffic first.

If you'd like a second pair of eyes before you press the button, we can run a pre-launch review with you. Get in touch and tell us when you plan to open.