Twenty-seven steps to check before going live with the Magento store

So, you decided to install Magento and set up your store. But launching your website might be tricky. There are a lot of things that could be missed, so we prepared a checklist that you can use to ensure that everything is done before going live.

Here is what you should do:

1. Create admin users with strong credentials. The passwords should contain numbers, letters in different registers, and special symbols.
2. Fill inventory. The store should contain product information, including descriptions, images, and required attributes.
3. Add placeholder images. This is required for the products which temporarily do not have authentic product images. The set of placeholder images is uploaded to Catalog > Catalog > Product Image Placeholder.
4. Set up shipping methods. It is done in Stores > Configuration > Sales > Shipping methods.
5. Set up payment methods. It is done in Stores > Configuration > Sales > Payment methods.
6. Configure taxes. It is done in Stores > Configuration > Sales > Tax.
7. Add Terms and Conditions page. It is needed to outline the rights of the buyer and the seller. The page is added under Stores > Settings > Terms and Conditions and is activated on Checkout page by enabling corresponding option on Stores > Settings > Configuration > Sales > Checkout.
8. Add Privacy Policy page. It describes the customers’ information collected by the webstore and how this information is used. The page can be edited in Content > Elements > Pages.
9. Implement trusted security certificate. It is done in Stores > Configuration > General > WEB > Base URLs (Secure) > URL with HTTPS.
10. Check store URLs. You must ensure that all the store links are working correctly and return a 200 OK HTTP success status. Also, all the base URLs stored in the core_config_data table should be configured to link to the live website.
11. Set up the storefront URL. It is adjusted in Stores > Configurations > General > Web > Base URLs > Base URL.
12. Change default backend URL. This change is required as an additional security measure because the default path /admin is easy to guess.
13. Set up proper favicon. It is configured in Content > Design > Configuration > (Store) > HTML > Head Favicon Icon.
14. Configure the SEO titles and metadata. It is performed in Content > Design > Configuration > (Store) > HTML > Head.
15. Ensure that the store’s contact information contains correct data. It is done by adjusting the information in Stores > Configuration > General, selecting Store Email Addresses for actual business emails, Contacts for the Contact Us email, and General > Store Information for the phone number.
16. Configure default email templates. The templates should be adjusted to the company’s design, including the logo.
17. Set up Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager. It helps to better understand customers' website behavior and adjust marketing processes according to this data.
18. Configure Cron jobs. It is needed for the proper work of email sending, price rules, Google sitemaps, and much more. This is configured in Stores > Configuration > Advanced > System > Cron (Scheduled Tasks).
19. Set up default pages. The settings include the homepage and the 404 page. They are located in Stores > Configurations > Web > Default Pages.
20. Remove all the test data. The live store should contain only the available products.
21. Enable caching and indexing. This is required for better site performance.
22. Merge and minify JavaScript. This helps decrease the site loading time and lowers the number of HTTP requests. It is configured in Stores > Configuration > Advanced > Developer > JavaScript Settings.
23. Merge and minify CSS. This change is required to improve page loading speed. It is configured in Stores > Configuration > Advanced > Developer > CSS Settings.
24. Enable compilation. The compilation is another tool that helps increase the website's performance. Sometimes, it allows to speed up the site up to 50%. The compilation is configured in System > Tools > Compilation.
25. Create Sitemap. The sitemap helps the search bots index the webstore, thus improving its position in the search.
26. Enable website crawling. Configuring INDEX and FOLLOW parameters in robots.txt allows the search engine bots to index and reindex the site, improving its visibility in the search.
27. Make the database backup. It is a good practice to create periodical backups, so the site can be quickly restored if the primary database crashes, is corrupted, or is lost.