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Every WooCommerce launch checklist exists because launching a store is the moment where small oversights become very public, very fast. A missing VAT setting or a broken checkout button does not sit quietly — it is the first thing a paying customer runs into. Use this WooCommerce launch checklist before you flip the switch to catch the issues that cost you sales on day one.
Why a WooCommerce Launch Checklist Matters
Most WooCommerce stores launch with at least one configuration error that was not caught in testing — because testing in the sandbox is not the same as a real customer completing a real purchase. A WooCommerce launch checklist run-through in the final 48 hours before launch is the only reliable way to catch the gap between “it worked in testing” and “it works in production with real payment details and real emails.” This checklist covers 15 critical items across products, payments, tax, shipping, legal, and technical setup.
WooCommerce Launch Checklist: Products and Catalogue
- Product images — correctly sized, compressed to under 100KB where possible, and visually consistent across the catalogue. Inconsistent image dimensions or massive uncompressed files are two of the most common last-minute catches.
- Product descriptions — every product has a real, useful description. No Lorem ipsum placeholder text, no copy-pasted supplier descriptions duplicated across multiple products.
- Stock levels and SKUs — set correctly, with low-stock and out-of-stock notifications configured. If using variations, confirm each variation has the correct stock and price.
- Categories and filters — products are organised in a way that matches how customers browse, not just how you categorise them internally. Test the filtering on mobile, where tap targets on filter controls are most likely to have issues.
WooCommerce Launch Checklist: Payments and Tax for Irish Businesses
- Payment gateway tested with a real transaction — Stripe, PayPal, or whichever gateway you use, tested with a genuine small transaction (not just sandbox mode). Confirm the money appears in your account and the order is recorded correctly in WooCommerce.
- VAT settings configured for Ireland and the EU — correct Irish VAT rates applied, EU digital goods rules configured if selling digital products to EU customers, and prices displayed as you intend (inclusive or exclusive of VAT). Irish distance selling rules and EU VAT OSS registration requirements apply to most Irish ecommerce businesses — the Revenue VAT guidance is the authoritative reference.
- Currency and rounding — verify totals add up correctly across edge cases: a product with a discount applied, a product with a coupon, a product with variable pricing. Rounding errors are rare but embarrassing.
WooCommerce Launch Checklist: Shipping Configuration
- Shipping zones and rates — configured for Ireland (including correct Eircode detection where relevant), rest of EU, and internationally if applicable. Rates should be realistic and checked against your actual carrier pricing.
- Free shipping thresholds — if offered, confirm the logic triggers correctly at checkout with multiple test cart values. Also confirm it does not apply to non-qualifying products.
WooCommerce Launch Checklist: Legal and Trust
- Terms and conditions, privacy policy, and returns policy — published, linked in the footer and checkout, and accurate for an Irish and EU business. EU distance selling regulations give customers the right to cancel within 14 days — this must be reflected in your policy.
- Contact details clearly visible — a real phone number, email address, and physical or registered business address. This is both a legal requirement and a significant trust signal for customers considering a first purchase.
WooCommerce Launch Checklist: Technical and SEO
- SSL certificate active with no mixed-content warnings — the checkout must be served over HTTPS, and no images or scripts may be loading over plain HTTP. Check your browser’s developer console for mixed-content errors on the cart and checkout pages.
- Mobile page speed checked — particularly the homepage, a category page, and a product page. Use Google PageSpeed Insights and target above 70 on mobile before launch.
- SEO basics in place for key products — product page titles, meta descriptions, and image alt text should be set for your most important products at minimum. These are not traffic-generating on launch day, but they determine what Google indexes from day one.
The Final Test: The Most Critical Item on This WooCommerce Launch Checklist
- Complete a real test order, start to finish, on a mobile device — using a real payment (a €1 test product is fine). Confirm the order confirmation email arrives in your inbox, the admin notification email arrives, the order appears correctly in WooCommerce, and payment settled in your gateway account. This single test catches more launch-day issues than everything else on this list combined.
For the full official configuration reference, WooCommerce’s own documentation hub covers every setting in comprehensive detail. Our WooCommerce development service includes a full pre-launch audit as standard, and you can see examples of stores we have launched in our portfolio.
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