Launching a Shopify store is more than removing the password page and saying “we’re live”. Stores that open before checking that the domain is connected properly, that payments actually reach the bank account, that shipping rates are calculated correctly and that the legal pages are in place tend to run into problems with their very first orders.
We’ve grouped this checklist into ten areas for brands launching a Shopify store in Turkey. Each one covers what to check and how to test it. Even if an agency is building your store, we recommend going through the list together before launch.
1. Domain, SSL and the Password Page
Your main domain should be connected to Shopify, and visitors should end up on a single address whatever they type. Pick either the www or non-www version as the main address and redirect the other one to it. We cover the connection steps in our guide to adding a domain on Shopify. Shopify issues the SSL certificate automatically, although it can take a little while to activate on a newly connected domain.
Is the main domain marked as “primary” in the Shopify admin?
Do you see the padlock in the address bar, and do pages open over https?
Do your old domain and the myshopify.com address redirect to the main domain?
Have you picked a plan so you can remove the password page? Shopify won’t let you remove it until you’re on a paid plan.
2. Payments and a Test Order
Since Shopify Payments isn’t available in Turkey, you take payments through a provider such as iyzico, PayTR or Craftgate. We compare them in our article on Shopify Payments alternatives for Turkish stores. Whichever provider you use, placing a small order with a real card before launch and then refunding it gives you a more reliable result than test-mode attempts.
Do single payments and instalment payments by credit card go through without issues?
Does the amount show correctly in the provider’s dashboard, and does the order appear in Shopify as “paid”?
After 3D Secure verification, does the customer return to the order confirmation page?
If you offer bank transfer or cash on delivery, do these methods appear at checkout with the right instructions?
Can refunds be issued from both Shopify and the provider’s dashboard?
3. Shipping Zones and Rates
Shipping settings are one of the biggest sources of complaints after launch. Rules such as a free shipping threshold, surcharges for heavy items or international shipping should be tested before the store opens. We explain the carrier integration side in our guide to Shopify shipping integration.
Is a shipping zone set up for Turkey, and have other countries been added if you’ll sell abroad?
Have you tested two carts, one just below and one just above the free shipping threshold?
Have product weights been entered? If you charge by weight, a missing weight means a wrong rate.
When an order is created, does it reach the carrier’s system, and does the tracking number go to the customer?
4. Tax and Price Display
In Turkey, prices have to be shown with VAT (KDV) included. If you don’t tell Shopify’s tax settings that prices include tax, VAT is added on top at checkout and the customer sees a higher total than the price on the product page.
Is the “all prices include tax” option switched on in the tax settings?
Does the price on the product page match the total at checkout?
Do sale items show the original and discounted prices correctly?
If some of your products have a different VAT rate, have they been set up separately?
5. Legal Pages and Mandatory Registrations
A store selling online in Turkey needs a distance sales agreement, a preliminary information form, a KVKK privacy notice, a privacy policy and a returns policy. The distance sales agreement and the preliminary information form have to be accepted by the customer before payment. On plans other than Shopify Plus, adding a checkbox to the checkout is limited, so this step is usually handled on the cart page or with an app. For ETBİS registration and other obligations, see our KVKK and ETBİS compliance guide.
Are the legal pages linked in the footer and updated with your company details?
Can the customer view and accept the distance sales agreement before paying?
Does the returns policy explain the 14-day right of withdrawal correctly?
Have you completed your ETBİS registration?
Does your e-invoice or e-archive integration work with orders?
6. Notification Emails and Sender Domain
Order confirmations, shipping updates and password resets are sent automatically by Shopify. Some default templates may come in English and may not match your brand voice. Sending these emails from your own domain, with SPF, DKIM and DMARC records set up correctly, also matters if you want them to stay out of spam folders. We explain why in our article on DNS records and email deliverability.
Are the notification templates in Turkish and in line with your brand voice?
Is the sender email address on your own domain, and has it been verified in the Shopify admin?
Did the confirmation email for your test order reach the inbox within a few minutes?
7. Tracking Codes and Cookie Consent
Google Analytics 4, Google Ads and the Meta Pixel should be set up before launch. Tracking added later misses the data from your first days. Shopify’s Google and Meta apps make setup easier, but you still need to test that conversion events fire correctly. Under KVKK, non-essential cookies require explicit consent, so a cookie banner is part of this step too. For more accurate measurement, see our guide to server-side tracking and Consent Mode.
Did your test order show up in GA4 as a purchase event?
Are add-to-cart and purchase events arriving in Meta Events Manager?
Does the cookie banner appear, and when a visitor declines, do marketing cookies really stay off?
8. SEO Basics and Redirects
If you’re moving to Shopify from another platform, this is the most critical step. Your page URLs will change on Shopify, so every old URL needs a 301 redirect to its new one. Otherwise you lose your search rankings and the value of links pointing to your site. If you’re opening a brand-new store, titles, descriptions and Search Console should still be ready on launch day. Our Google Search Console setup guide covers the setup.
Have redirects been set up for every product, category and content URL on the old site?
Have titles and descriptions been filled in for the homepage, collections and product pages?
Have alt texts been added to product images?
Has the site been added to Search Console, and has /sitemap.xml been submitted?
Have test products and pages been deleted or hidden?
9. Page-by-Page User Testing
Even if every setting is right, don’t open the store before walking through it as a customer. Do this on both desktop and phone, ideally with someone who has never seen the store.
Homepage and menus
Do the menu, banner and footer links go to the right pages?
Are the social media icons linked to the right accounts?
Search, collection and product pages
Can products be found by name, SKU and different spellings?
Do filters and sorting return the right results when used together?
When a variant is selected, do the price, image and stock status change?
Are images sharp and quick to load?
Cart, checkout and account
Does the quantity increase when the same product is added again, and can items be removed?
Are discount codes and gift cards applied correctly, and are expired codes rejected?
Can checkout be completed both as a guest and when logged in?
Do order history and saved addresses appear in the customer account?
10. Speed and Mobile Usability
Most e-commerce traffic in Turkey comes from phones. Measure how fast and easy your store is to use on mobile before launch. Testing the homepage, a collection and a product page in Google’s PageSpeed Insights on the mobile setting is a good start. Apps installed during setup and then abandoned can leave unnecessary code behind. Removing apps you don’t use is often the quickest win.
On Launch Day and After
The first 48 hours after launch are when overlooked problems surface. Check incoming orders one by one, compare them with the amounts in your payment provider’s dashboard and note the questions customer service receives. At the end of the first week, check Search Console for pages that weren’t indexed and for 404 errors.
If you’d like to see the mistakes people commonly make during setup, our article on how to avoid Shopify setup mistakes pairs well with this list.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I remove the Shopify password page?
You need to pick a paid plan first. After that, you can turn off password protection in the preferences section of your Online Store settings.
How do I place a test order on Shopify?
You can use your payment provider’s test mode, or place a low-value order with a real card and refund it. The second method is more reliable because it also shows that the money actually reaches your account.
Is a distance sales agreement mandatory in Turkey?
Yes. Every business selling online in Turkey has to present the preliminary information form and the distance sales agreement to the customer and get their acceptance before the order.
Let’s Launch Your Store Together
At Byte, we go through an extended version of this checklist item by item before every Shopify store we build goes live. If you’d like to build your store from scratch or check together whether it’s ready to launch, get in touch through our Shopify store setup page.
