The Pre-Launch Store Health Checklist Every Ecommerce Brand Needs
Don't launch your ecommerce store without checking these 15 critical health items. From SEO basics to security headers, here's what to verify before going live.
You've built your store. Products are loaded, payment is configured, shipping rates are set. You're ready to launch — but is your store technically healthy?
Most ecommerce brands launch with invisible problems: missing meta tags, absent structured data, broken links from the development process, and security headers that were never configured. These issues don't show up as errors in your dashboard, but they immediately affect your search visibility, conversion rate, and customer trust.
Here's the checklist we recommend running before every store launch — and after every major redesign.
SEO Foundation (Non-Negotiable)
1. Every page has a unique title tag
Your homepage, every collection page, and every product page needs a unique, descriptive title tag under 60 characters. "Home" and "Products" aren't title tags — they're missed opportunities. Write titles that include your primary keyword and brand name.
2. Meta descriptions on all key pages
Google often rewrites meta descriptions, but having well-crafted ones (under 155 characters) still matters for click-through rates. Focus on product pages, collection pages, and your homepage first.
3. Proper H1 tag hierarchy
Each page should have exactly one H1 tag that describes the page content. Many themes use H1 for the site title on every page — that's wrong. The H1 should be the product name on product pages, the collection name on collection pages, etc.
4. Alt text on every image
This is the most commonly missed item. Every product image, hero banner, and lifestyle photo needs descriptive alt text. Not "IMG_0392.jpg" — descriptive text like "Navy blue merino wool sweater, front view."
5. Canonical URLs configured
If your products are accessible through multiple URLs (common with variants, filters, and tracking parameters), you need canonical tags pointing to the primary URL. Without them, Google may index the wrong version or split your ranking signals.
Technical Health
6. No broken links
Run a full crawl and fix every broken internal link before launch. Pay special attention to navigation, product cross-references, and footer links. Development often leaves behind placeholder links and test URLs.
7. Proper redirects (no chains)
If you're relaunching an existing store, set up 301 redirects from all old URLs to their new equivalents. Each redirect should go directly to the final destination — no chains of 2-3 intermediate redirects.
8. Mobile viewport meta tag
Every page must have a <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"> tag. Without it, your site won't render properly on mobile devices, and Google's mobile-first index will penalize you.
9. Page load time under 3 seconds
Compress images, minimize render-blocking JavaScript, and ensure your hosting can handle traffic. Every second of load time after 3 seconds costs you approximately 7% in conversion rate.
Security & Trust
10. SSL certificate active and valid
Your entire site should be served over HTTPS, with HTTP requests redirecting to HTTPS. Check that your SSL certificate is valid, not expired, and covers your domain (including www).
11. Security headers configured
At minimum, your server should send: HSTS (Strict-Transport-Security), X-Content-Type-Options, X-Frame-Options, and Referrer-Policy headers. These protect your customers and signal to browsers that your site takes security seriously.
12. HTML lang attribute set
Your <html> tag should include a lang attribute (e.g., lang="en"). This helps search engines serve the right version to users and improves accessibility for screen readers.
Structured Data & Rich Results
13. Product structured data on product pages
JSON-LD Product schema should include: name, description, image, price, currency, availability, brand, and SKU at minimum. This enables rich results in Google showing price and availability directly in search.
14. Organization or LocalBusiness schema
Your homepage should include Organization schema with your business name, logo, contact information, and social profiles. If you also have a physical location, use LocalBusiness schema.
15. Breadcrumb structured data
If your site has breadcrumb navigation (it should), add BreadcrumbList schema so Google can display your site hierarchy in search results.
The Easy Way
You don't need to check all 15 items manually. StoreVitals runs a comprehensive health scan covering SEO, security, accessibility, performance, and content quality — and gives you a prioritized list of what to fix.
Run a free pre-launch scan and know exactly where your store stands before you go live.