Launch day problems are almost always things that were skipped, not things that were unknowable. Working through a fixed checklist catches the boring, high-consequence items before customers do.
Infrastructure
- Domain pointed to production hosting, with SSL issued and forced on every route.
- MySQL database backed up on a schedule, not just at launch.
- Environment variables (API keys, mail credentials) set for production, not left on demo defaults.
Storefront basics
- Every product has a title, price, description, and at least one image — empty fields are the fastest way to look unfinished.
- Cart and checkout tested end to end, including a failed payment and a successful one.
- Order confirmation emails actually arrive, not just log to a file.
SEO fundamentals
- Unique meta titles and descriptions on the homepage, category pages, and top products.
sitemap.xmlandrobots.txtlive and correct.- Structured data (Product, Organization) validated with a schema testing tool.
Trust and legal
- Return policy, shipping policy, and contact information visible in the footer.
- Terms of service and privacy policy published, not placeholder text.
Post-launch
- Analytics installed before, not after, the first real visitor.
- Error monitoring in place so a broken checkout gets caught in minutes, not days.
A CMS that ships sensible defaults for most of this — like structured data and sitemaps out of the box — turns this checklist from a week of work into an afternoon of verification.
