Why this checklist comes before the ad budget
This Shopify store checklist is for founders and marketers about to switch on paid ads. A friendly visitor forgives a slow page or a missing shipping price. Ad traffic does not. Every gap you leave shows up as a click you paid for that never became an order, and as tracking data too thin for the ad platform to learn from.
Work through the list in order. The first half is what shoppers see: speed, photos, prices, trust and checkout. The second half is what your ads need to measure results: the pixel, server-side events, consent, UTM links and the thank-you page. Most items take minutes to check, and each one tells you exactly what to fix.
The 20-point checklist
Fast mobile load time
Most ad clicks come from phones. Test your home, collection and product pages with PageSpeed Insights on mobile and remove heavy apps, oversized images and autoplay video that slow them down.
Real product photos
Show the product from several angles, in use and at true scale. Stock or supplier images make a new store look like a reseller and lower trust.
Price on every product
Check every product and variant has a visible price. A missing or zero price on one variant sends paid visitors away and can get ads rejected.
Trust badges at checkout
Show secure payment and accepted methods near the checkout button, using what you actually offer. Badges for methods you do not accept do more harm than none.
Reviews on product pages
Install a reviews app and import or collect genuine reviews before you spend. A product page with zero reviews asks a stranger to be the first to take the risk.
Shipping cost shown early
Show shipping cost or the free-shipping threshold on the product page or in the announcement bar. Surprise costs at checkout are a common reason carts are abandoned.
Return policy page live
Publish a clear return and refund policy, link it in the footer and near the add-to-cart button, and make sure it matches what you actually do.
Contact page with number
Add a phone or WhatsApp number, an email and a business address. Ad platforms and shoppers both look for a real, reachable business.
Working search bar
Search for your five best-selling products by the words customers use, including common misspellings. If search returns nothing, fix product titles and tags.
Size and spec chart
For apparel, footwear or anything with dimensions, add a size or spec chart on the product page. Guessing a size is a reason to leave and a reason to return.
Back-in-stock labels
Hide sold-out products from ad landing pages or show a clear back-in-stock option. Paying for a click that lands on an unavailable product is pure waste.
Guest checkout enabled
In Shopify checkout settings, let customers check out without creating an account. Forced sign-up adds a step at the exact moment you want fewer.
Multiple payment options
Offer the methods your buyers expect, such as UPI, cards, wallets and cash on delivery where it makes sense, and place a real test order with each one.
Abandoned cart email on
Turn on Shopify's abandoned checkout email, write it in your brand voice, and send yourself a test. It recovers orders from traffic you already paid for.
Meta Pixel installed and tested
Connect the pixel through the Facebook and Instagram channel app, then use Meta's Events Manager test tool to confirm ViewContent, AddToCart, InitiateCheckout and Purchase all fire.
Conversions API connected
Enable the Conversions API in the same channel app so events are also sent from the server. Browser-only tracking misses events that ad blockers and browsers stop.
Consent banner live
Add a cookie consent banner that matches the privacy rules of the countries you sell to, and check that tracking respects the visitor's choice.
UTM links on every ad
Add UTM parameters for source, medium and campaign to every ad URL so Shopify and Google Analytics can tell which campaign produced which order.
Thank-you page tracking fires
Place a real order and confirm the purchase event fires once, with the correct value and currency, in both Meta Events Manager and your analytics tool.
One tested discount code
Create the code you plan to advertise, apply it to a real cart and check the final price, shipping and exclusions before it goes into any ad.
Questions about getting a Shopify store ready for ads
What should I check on my Shopify store before running ads?
How do I test whether my Meta Pixel works on Shopify?
Do I need the Conversions API if the pixel already works?
Want your store and tracking checked properly?
Book a digital audit. We check your store, pixel, server events and reporting, and tell you what to fix before you spend on ads.
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