E-commerce Launch Checklist: What to Check Before You Open

Product data and Google listings

Most shops want their products to appear in Google's Shopping results, through free listings or Shopping ads. Products are sent to Google Merchant Center as a feed, and its product data specification warns that incorrect, inaccurate or missing product information can cause disapprovals, limited eligibility or incorrect display. Common problems it lists include wrong product categories or GTIN (barcode) values, missing variant details such as colour or size, low-quality images, and data that conflicts between the feed and the website.

• Give each product a clear title, description, price, availability, real photos and, where it has one, its GTIN.
• Set up variants (sizes, colours) as variants, not as separate unrelated products.
• Make sure the price and stock status on the product page match the feed.
• Read Google's Shopping ads and listings policies, which cover prohibited content, prohibited practices, restricted content and requirements for your website, before you submit.

Prices, taxes and delivery costs

Show the price the customer will actually pay, as early as possible. In the UK, the CMA's guidance on unfair commercial practices explains the rules in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, which apply from 6 April 2025. An invitation to purchase must give the total price, including any mandatory fees, taxes or charges, and the practice of showing a headline price and then adding mandatory charges during checkout, known as drip pricing, is prohibited.

Google has a similar rule for listed products. Its checkout requirements say the price must be consistent throughout checkout and must not increase at checkout, although it can fall when a promotion is applied. If you require a minimum order value, set it in your Merchant Center shipping settings.

Set up tax rates for every place you sell to before launch, and test a few orders to different addresses to confirm the totals are right.

Delivery times and promises

Publish a delivery page with your carriers, costs, delivery areas and realistic timeframes. In the US, the FTC's business guide to the Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule says you must have a reasonable basis for any shipping time you state, and if you state none, a reasonable basis for believing you can ship within 30 days. If you then cannot ship on time, you must seek the customer's consent to the delay, and if you do not get it, you must promptly refund the money for the unshipped goods without being asked.

In the UK, GOV.UK's guide to online and distance selling says delivery arrangements, costs and how long goods will take to arrive are among the information you must give before an order is placed, and that goods must be delivered within 30 days unless you agree otherwise with the customer. The guide lists some exceptions, including goods and services worth £42 or less.

Returns and refunds

A returns page is both a legal requirement and something Google checks. Google's help page on a missing return and refund policy says your site should show a clear policy, easy to reach (for example from the footer of every page), stating the requirements and timelines, consistent everywhere it appears, and, if you do not accept returns, saying so clearly.

What the policy must offer depends on the law where your customers are. For UK customers, GOV.UK's page on accepting returns and giving refunds sets out the rules for online sales:

• Customers can cancel within 14 days of receiving the item, without giving a reason, and then have another 14 days to send it back.
• You must refund within 14 days of receiving the item back, including standard delivery costs, and cannot deduct fees unless the item has been used or damaged.
• Faulty items, and items not as described, must be refunded whether bought in a sale or not, and it is illegal to mislead customers about these rights, for example with a "no refunds" sign.

GOV.UK's distance selling guide adds that if you do not tell customers about their right to cancel, they can cancel at any time in the next 12 months. Put the cancellation terms on the returns page, in the terms and conditions, and in the order confirmation.

Checkout and payments

Google's checkout requirements also say that individuals must be able to buy, so business fields such as "company name" must be optional; that availability on the product and checkout pages must match the feed; that any required account must be free and without extra barriers; and that the checkout must be secured with a valid SSL certificate. Before launch:

• Place test orders with the payment provider's test mode: a successful payment, a declined card, a payment that needs 3-D Secure, and a refund.
• Then place one real order with a real card and refund it, to confirm money reaches your account.
• Test discount codes, free-delivery thresholds and every delivery method.
• Check the checkout on a phone, which is where many customers will use it.

Our guide to accepting card payments online explains how the choice of payment integration affects your PCI DSS obligations.

Order emails and tracking

• Order confirmation. Under GOV.UK's distance selling rules you must give the customer a copy of the contract in a form they can keep, such as an email, no later than when the goods are delivered. The order confirmation email is the usual place: include the items, total price, delivery details, your business details and the cancellation terms.
• Shipping and delay emails. Send a dispatch email with tracking, and have a delay message ready, since the FTC rule requires you to seek consent when you cannot ship on time.
• Deliverability. Send from your own domain with SPF, DKIM and DMARC set up, so order emails do not land in spam. Our guide to email deliverability explains how.
• Analytics. Set up purchase tracking before launch so you can see what sells from day one; our Google Analytics 4 guide covers the basics.

Legal pages and business details

Customers, the law and Google all expect to be able to find out who you are. Google's help page on missing contact information says to show at least a business address, phone number, email, contact form or social media business profile, and to keep the business name, address and phone number identical in the website footer, the contact page and Merchant Center. GOV.UK's distance selling guide requires your business name, contact details and address before an order is placed. Pages to publish before launch:

• Contact page with your business name and address.
• Delivery information.
• Returns and refunds policy.
• Terms and conditions of sale.
• Privacy policy and cookie notice; see our privacy and cookie consent guide.

Reviews need care too. The CMA guidance lists fake reviews among the practices that are unfair in all circumstances, and publishing consumer reviews in a misleading way is also banned. Do not write or buy reviews, and do not hide negative ones.

Launch day and the first weeks

• Run through our general website launch checklist: redirects, analytics, Search Console, backups and speed.
• Remove test products, test orders and any placeholder text, which Google's contact information page lists among the technical problems that can lead to disapproval.
• Submit the product feed to Merchant Center and fix any reported issues.
• Watch the first real orders through to delivery, and answer early customer questions quickly.

Still choosing a platform? Our comparison of Shopify and WooCommerce covers the two most common options.

Frequently asked questions

What pages does an online shop need before launch?

At least a contact page with your business name and address, delivery information, a returns and refunds policy, terms and conditions of sale, and a privacy policy. Google Merchant Center also checks for clear contact details and a clear return policy.

How fast do I have to ship orders in the US?

The FTC's Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule requires a reasonable basis for any shipping time you state, or for shipping within 30 days if you state none. If you cannot ship on time, you must seek the customer's consent to the delay or promptly refund.

Do UK online customers have a right to return items?

Yes, for most goods. GOV.UK says customers can cancel within 14 days of receiving an item without giving a reason, then have 14 more days to return it, and you must refund within 14 days of getting it back, including standard delivery.

Can I add fees at checkout?

Not mandatory ones that were hidden earlier. The CMA's guidance says UK prices must include mandatory fees and taxes, and drip pricing is prohibited. Google also requires that the price does not increase at checkout for listed products.

Why were my products disapproved in Google Merchant Center?

Common causes in Google's help pages include wrong or missing product data, prices or stock that differ between the feed and the site, missing contact information, an unclear return policy, placeholder content and an insecure checkout.

Planning an online shop? See how we approach website development, see all our services, or email info@creahive.com.